On this page you'll find:

• Background to raw format files on Casio cameras
• Downloading and/or compiling dcraw
• Camera details - table showing all the supported Casio camera details
• Taking a photo in raw format - how to record a raw format file with your camera
• For all cams except the Exilims
• For the Exilim P600
• For the Exilim P505, P700
• No raw for the Exilim Z750?
• Converting a raw format photo into an image
  • With dcraw
    • For the QV-2000UX/QV-3000EX/QV-3500EX:
    • For the QV-4000:
    • For the QV-5700:
    • For the Exilim P600:
  • With the DeBayerize filter for Adobe Paintshop Pro:
    • For QV-2000UX/QV-3000EX/QV-3500EX raw files:
    • For QV-4000 raw files:

Background to raw format files on Casio cameras

Casio had hidden the option to create raw ¹ format files for their cameras, considering it to be a test option rather than a photographic tool. The efforts to decode the format have been shared among many - in particular the format for the QV-5700 proved very tricky.

The QV-3000EX (and by default the QV-3500EX), QV-4000 and QV-2000UX formats were analysed using Irfanview's raw viewing option and converted them using a command line program called Dave Coffin's dcraw. This program proved very helpful in analysing the QV-5700 and Exilim P600 format too.

Downloading and/or compiling dcraw

Dave Coffin included the Casio formats from version 4.7 onwards, so I no longer distribute the source. As he suggests on his page "If you're familiar with the DOS command line but don't know C, you can install this free C compiler for Windows and compile dcraw.c quite easily".

I downloaded the compiler DJGPP and compiled the program dcraw.exe on a Windows 2000 SP4 PC.

• You can download my local version of dcraw_windows2000.zip here.
• If you have a Mac or I'm out of date (likely) - you can download compiled versions for Mac & Windows from Francisco Montilla's dedicated dcraw website.
• Here's the dcraw help extracted from the man page.

Camera details

The Casio raw formats are "pure" dumps of the RGB Bayer-filtered CCD data with no attempt at compressing or encoding formats. For an explanation of Bayer patterns try How Stuff Work's "Capturing Color: Bayer Filter" page or the Color Filter Array page on DP Review.

Please contact me if you know any more details for other Casio cameras, like the QV-2900UX and similar "swivelling lens" model Casios.

Taking a photo in raw format

Warning: On this thread technicsplayer tested the QV3500-EX for Noise & Bayer Capture. He points out that trying to delete the folder containing the NOCOMP.BAY file will corrupt your memory card, requiring a re-format and loss of all the images on the card!

Beware trying to delete the folder with the BAY file on the camera, it does not like it. Delete the folder on the PC. If you try and delete on the camera it corrupts the card and the camera tells you to format the card.

So, QV-3000EX and QV-3500EX owners, make sure you backup your images and/or delete the NOCOMP.BAY file via USB connection from your PC.

For all cams except the Exilims

The procedure below is for the QV-3000EX unless otherwise stated. It is similar for the other cameras listed above, I'm told. Thomas Thissen has a page detailing how to do it for the QV-4000EX.

1. Hold down the MENU and DISP keys (for the QV-2000UX, QV-3000EX, QV-4000, QV-5700) or the MENU and SHIFT keys (for the QV-3500EX) and turn the camera on to REC
2. Press TIMER > TIMER > MENU to open MENU3. If they don't seem to work, then try entering the key sequences faster.
3. To navigate - use +/– switch to move down to the bottom of MENU1/3 and the next MENU2/3 with options 11-20 will open.
4. Move down to selection 20.BAYER CAPTURE (12.BAYER CAPTURE for the QV-2000UX) and press the shutter to start it.
   You will be in REC mode.
5. Take the desired photo(s), making all necessary adjustments as normal. For the QV-2000UX, QV-3000EX, and QV-3500EX the raw uncompressed CCD data will be written to the NOCOMP.BAY file (overwriting any previous file of the same name - damn!). The other cameras produce the filenames in the places in the table above.
6. Download the file by USB connection.

For the Exilim P600

1. Power off camera
2. While pressing MENU and DISP buttons simultaneously, turn the camera on. It should display black and white info screen.
3. Release all buttons.
4. Press Right (>)on the joystick TWO or more times.
5. Press MENU button.
6. On the menu that appears you'll see an IMAGE FLAG option - arrow down and choose that
7. There are 2 options in the IMAGE FLAG menu:
   1. BAYER MODE (on, off) - this records raw files
   2. C. M. READ (on, off) - ??
   Choose the first

Notes:

• When BAYER MODE is on, camera captures a full-size raw image in addition to whatever image format (TIF, JPG) you have set.
• The camera stores raw images in the same folder as JPEGs and gives unique file names which are derived from corresponding JPEG files, like this: CIMG0075.JPG --> 0075CIMG.RAW.
• RAW mode has to be enabled through service menu each time you power on the camera.

For the Exilim P505, P700

1. Power off camera
2. While pressing UPPER and DISP buttons simultaneously, turn the camera on. It should display black and white info screen.
3. Release all buttons.
4. After the version appears, press buttons in the order of [DOWN], [DOWN], [DISP] and [MENU] in 0.5 second. The diagnostic menu of 12 options appears.
5. On the menu that appears you'll see option 6 IMAGE FLAG - arrow down and choose that
6. From here you can set the Bayer mode to "ON" and then use the menu button to back out of the service menu.

Notes:

• The camera stores raw images in the same folder as JPEGs and gives unique file names which are derived from corresponding JPEG files, like this: CIMG0075.JPG --> 0075CIMG.RAW.
• Raw mode has to be enabled through service menu each time you power on the camera.
• The raw files are roughly 10.4 MB in size

No raw for the Exilim Z750?

On this thread at DPReview, Z750 owners say that following the process below brings up a menu missing option 6 for the Bayer mode/raw. No raw for Z750?.

1. Power off camera
2. While pressing DISP and UP buttons simultaneously, turn the camera on. It should display black and white info screen with the internal camera model number KX842, abd the software version number.
3. Release all buttons, then press buttons in the order of [DOWN], [DOWN], [DISP] and [MENU] in 0.5 second. The diagnostic menu appears but is lacking option 6.

Converting a raw format photo into an image

So far there's two conversion methods for each of the QV2000UX, QV3000EX, QV3500EX and QV4000. As far as I know the QV-5700's raw format can only be converted with dcraw:

With dcraw

This has options that suit the 16-bit QV-4000 raw images better than Photoshop, and can also be used for the QV-2000UX/3000EX/3500EX (8 bit). It also converts the QV-5700 raw format.

1. Download the command line raw conversion facility called dcraw (see link above). Type dcraw on the command line to get help.

   For the QV-2000UX/QV-3000EX/QV-3500EX:

   • with your raw file called NOCOMP.BAY (it can be called anything) at the command prompt type

     dcraw -f NOCOMP.BAY

     The "-f" option ("interpolate RGBG as four colors" according to the help) is used to eliminate the "screen door" artifact. David Coffin says that this "results from even-row and odd-row green pixels responding differently to ultraviolet light. '-f' interpolates the greens as separate colors, then mixes them for the final product".
   • After a while, the final output will look something like

     Loading Casio QV-3*00EX image from NOCOMP.BAY...
     Scaling raw data (black=0)...
     VNG interpolation...
     Converting to RGB colorspace...
     Writing data to NOCOMP.ppm... 

     The file NOCOMP.ppm is in Portable Pixel Map format, a 24-bit RGB format, and can be opened with Irfanview.

   For the QV-4000:

   • with your raw file called kx8210000.raw (it can be called anything) at the command prompt type

     dcraw -3 kx821000.raw

     The '-3' invokes 48-bit output
   • After a while, the final output will look something like

     Loading Casio QV-4000 image from kx821000.raw...
     Scaling raw data (black=0)...
     VNG interpolation...
     Converting to RGB colorspace...
     Writing data to kx821000.psd... 

     which looks quite dark at first in Photoshop, then hit Autolevels - WOW! Dave Coffin gives the reasons for this on his site:

     Why is 48-bit output dark (or unreadable)?
     Because I don't attempt to adjust the brightness. If you have a 48-bit image viewer (like PhotoShop 6.0 or Film Gimp), correcting the brightness is easy. If you have a 24-bit image viewer (XV, GIMP, and most others), you must choose 24-bit output!

   For the QV-5700:

   • with your raw file called 02150707.BAY (it can be called anything) at the command prompt type

     dcraw 02150707.BAY

   • After a while, the final output will look something like

     Loading Casio QV-5700 image from 02150707.BAY...
     Scaling raw data (black=0)...
     VNG interpolation...
     Converting to RGB colorspace...
     Writing data to 02150707.ppm...

     The file 02150707.ppm is in Portable Pixel Map format, a 24-bit RGB format, and can be opened with Irfanview.

   For the Exilim P600:

   • with your raw file called CIMG0075.RAW (it can be called anything) at the command prompt type

     dcraw CIMG0075.RAW

With the DeBayerize filter for Adobe Paintshop Pro:

2. Download a DeBayerizing filter for Paintshop, created by Peter Cockerell. I've decided to host this as so many people asked for it, but as I'm not a Paintshop user, I can't help you with it.
   The disadvantage using this on QV-4000 raw files is that it's an 8-bit filter so you have to change the file from 12-bit to 8-bit, losing quite a bit of information in the process.
   Conversely it works fine for QV-2000UX/QV-3000EX/QV-3500EX raw files as they are already 8-bit.

   For QV-2000UX/QV-3000EX/QV-3500EX raw files:

   • Open raw image as 1632x1211 (QV-2000UX) or 2080x1547 (QV-3000EX/QV-3500EX), 8bpp, 1channel, Mac format
   • Convert to RGB (Image, Mode, RGB Color)
   • De-Bayer-ize with Peter Cockerell's filter (Filter, Bayer Pattern, DeByerize1)

   For QV-4000 raw files:

   • Load raw image 2260x1700 16bpp, 1channel, Mac format
   • Convert to 8bit (Image, Mode, 8 Bits/Channel) and RGB (Image, Mode, RGB Color)
   • De-Bayer-ize with Peter Cockerell's filter (Filter, Bayer Pattern, DeByerize1)

Thanks go out to:

• Dave Coffin for making dcraw available for free
• Thomas Thissen for finding the Bayer capture test mode option
• Peter Cockerell for making the PS DeBayerizing filter
• All at the Digital Photograpy Review Casio Talk Forum including in no particular order Peter Howard, Frank Tornyai, Mark Douglas, Mark Dougan, Jos Kamphuis and Yuri Khvorostyanov

1 - "Raw format" means the raw binary data from the cameras' CCD, unprocessed by the camera. It is not capitalised in normal usage - unlike the JPEG or TIFF formats, it is not an acronym but a normal English word with a normal meaning - "unprocessed".