Eastman Kodak's DCS 330 isn't for everyone, which its relatively high price ensures. Instead, it's aimed at professionals seeking Nikon-lens compatibility and Kodak's digital-imaging technology at a cost lower than Kodak's pro models.

Kodak Professional's DCS 330 is a 3-megapixel SLR constructed around a Nikon Pronea body and aimed at event photographers and other professionals wanting to get into the digital game without spending big bucks -- without lens, storage media, or batteries included in the purchase price, this is definitely not a camera for the point-and-shoot audience. The Nikon body lets it use AF Nikkor and other Nikon lenses as well as Nikon Speedlites (flash units). Additionally, the camera incorporates an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) CCD and other digital-imaging technology found in Kodak's higher-end cameras, making its price a relative bargain.

The choice of Nikon's Pronea as the starting point for the 330 helped keep the price down, but also means the 330 isn't as rugged as a professional camera body. It's intended for shooting weddings, team pictures, graduations, and the like, as well as for studio work. If you need the durability of a true pro camera, you will have to look to Kodak's DCS 620 series (based on Nikon's F5). This translates to a spending another couple of thousand dollars -- not a choice you'll make lightly.

Getting used to the heavy black mask in the viewfinder took a while. Because the Pronea's viewfinder was designed with APS film in mind, rather than the 330's smaller (18.1mm by 13.5mm) CCD, the image captured is smaller than that shown in the full frame of the viewfinder. Hence, the mask. A pro-style, full-frame viewfinder means moving up to the 620 or 620x.

Our review unit included an AF Nikkor 28mm f2.8 lens -- the equivalent of a normal lens for the 330, which has a multiplier of 1.9. We liked the resulting sharpness and image quality that the 10-bit/pixel raw TIFF files provided. In their raw format, they are 3MB apiece, but once acquired via Kodak's DCS TWAIN Data Source software into Adobe Photoshop, they grow to around 9 MB. The camera can also save images as JPGs, if desired.

In our use, the 330 did a fairly good job rendering skin tones. While many of our shots weren't perfectly exposed, they were easily corrected using Kodak's TWAIN module or Photoshop. The pop-up flash generally wasn't adequate as the main light source for an image. Its use often required some fiddling with flash and/or exposure compensation, depending on the scene and ambient light. Kodak recommends using an outboard Nikon Speedlite instead.

Nikon's 3D matrix metering -- which the camera defaults to in full-program mode -- was designed to read light reflected off the film in the original Pronea. Unfortunately, the smaller capture size and different reflectivity of the CCD, which replaces the film, confound its operation. Hence, Kodak recommends using the center-weighted or spot metering, rather than the matrix metering.

The 330 can accommodate Type II or Type III memory cards, including CompactFlash cards, IBM Microdrives or PC card drives, though no storage media come with the camera. Our review unit included a 260MB Type III PC card drive. The 330's 32MB buffer let us shoot 1 frame per second without having to wait for a disk write. We used a card reader to transfer images from the 330 to our host PC, but there's also an IEEE 1394 port on the body.

An assortment of buttons and two display screens cover the back of the camera. A 1.8-inch colour LCD displays the camera's extensive setup menu, captured images, or exposure tools (tonal histogram and highlight). The other LCD provides access to numerous other exposure parameters.

Utilising all of the 330's options efficiently requires some study and practice, as there's much that can be adjusted. For those who want to hit the ground running, the camera's full program mode does a reasonable job. Once you're accustomed to the camera, it's easy to switch among its exposure modes (full-program, aperture- and shutter-priority and full manual), change ISO speeds (125 to 400 only), alter metering and auto focus parameters and otherwise customise the camera for your exact needs.

The 330 uses six AA-size batteries; Kodak recommends using the NiMH flavor. Battery life is between 150 and 200 shots per charge, although this drops when you're using the pop-up flash or LCD display a lot. For studio work, we found that the supplied AC adapter kept the 330 humming along without interruption. Kodak's software provides an efficient way to view thumbnails or individual images. It offers preset white balances for various colour temperatures and an easy method of setting a custom white balance that uses an eye-dropper-style tool. Another useful feature of the TWAIN module displays all the various exposure parameters for each image, including exposure and flash compensation, ISO speed, aperture, shutter speed, and much more.

Pro

• A digital Nikon for under AUS$10,000
• Lets photographers use their existing Nikon lenses and flashes
• Accepts a variety of storage media
• Good TWAIN module
• Provides good colour reproduction

Con

• Requires more attention than general consumer cameras
• Pop-up flash is fairly useless
• Has masked viewfinder, rather than WYSIWYG
• Matrix metering not accurate (due to CCD sensor size and reflectivity)

Price: RRP Under AU$10,000
Company: Fletcher
Ph: 9267 6846 (Ask for Digital department)
More Information: Kodak
Ph: 1300 659 097
Rating:

Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All Rights Reserved.
ZDNET is a registered service mark of CBS Interactive. ZDNET Logo is a service mark of CBS Interactive.