|
|
To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu
-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
|
Kodak EasyShare DX4330 May 27, 2003 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/coolgear/cameras/soa/Kodak-EasyShare-DX4330/0,139023377,120274853,00.htm
While it has a few faults, the DX4330 delivers good snapshots at a civilised price. Kodak markets the 3-megapixel DX4330 as part of its "performance and control" digicam product line, but it's actually a pleasantly surprising snapshooter's camera, with no manual controls beyond exposure compensation. While its basic styling probably won't win any design awards, the camera is affordable and user-friendly; you can learn how to use it quickly; and its 227g, silver plastic body is easy to slip into a jacket pocket. Plus, it comes through with some very good images, particularly landscapes. We tested the DX4330 under diverse lighting conditions, and its automatic white balance delivered the goods. Most images exhibited true colours and proper exposures. The pictures also displayed a broad tonal range, with a good degree of both highlight and shadow detail. The camera's weakest shots are overexposed flash photos of people taken from 1.8 to 2.4m (6 to 8 feet) away. However, keep in mind that its 3X zoom range (the 35mm-camera equivalent is 38mm to 114mm) provides a fairly narrow angle of view for serious landscape shooting, and the LCD doesn't work well in very bright light. The DX4330 is easy to use. Beyond exposure compensation, there's little to tweak: you can select from four programmed scene modes and a long-exposure mode for night shooting. Transferring images between the camera and a host computer is a snap. If you plan to take a lot of pictures, you may find it worthwhile to purchase the optional EasyShare dock. It will charge your batteries, enable one-touch image transfer, and make picture sharing and printing more convenient. Like the more expensive LS443, the DX4330 can capture as much video with sound as the available memory will allow, but unfortunately, the sound quality is dismal. When considering the DX4330's price, you have to factor in the cost of batteries. The camera ships with a disposable CRV3 lithium battery, which lasted through well beyond 120 shots, several video clips, and a lot of image viewing. Alternatively, it can take two AA alkaline or nickel-metal-hydride rechargeable batteries. Supplementing the built-in 16MB of memory with an SD/MMC card will also cost extra. In addition to providing solid battery life, the DX4330 is slightly faster than average for a consumer digicam. Its shutter lag lasts about one second and imposes a maximum shot-to-shot time of about two seconds (with the flash). But the camera lacks a burst mode for capturing speedier scenes.
Kodak EasyShare DX4330
Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All Rights Reserved. |
