It doesn't get much easier than the aptly named Kodak EZ200. The
shirt-pocket-size charcoal and silver camera, with 4MB of internal
memory, shoots both VGA stills and up to 5 seconds of video (without
sound). The shutter and power buttons are to the right of the control
panel on top of the camera. When you use the single-mode button, the
icon changes, and the camera conveniently beeps. Like its ancestors, the
EZ200 makes a ko-dak sound when the shutter is pressed and an image
captured (which is how the company got its name). The EZ200 is a
bargain if you want a still camera and a Web camera in one device,
but it's not our first choice for a standalone still camera.
The EZ200 makes an excellent Webcam, though. Resolution, colour, and sharpness are excellent, and the camera's ability to adjust quickly to changing lighting conditions is impressive -- when it's connected to the computer. But when not in Web cam mode, the camera suffers from two important drawbacks: no flash and a lens that must be put in the focus-free mode to take a shot.
The EZ200 generally adapts well to lighting conditions, but without a flash, indoor and backlit pictures can be dark and poorly exposed. And the camera is designed to focus down 2 inches when it's being used as a Web camera, but as a still camera, it must be used in fixed-focus mode, with no macros possible. Image quality is average or above; details are well defined, and colours are generally accurate but oversaturated and somewhat contrasty.
Kodak EZ200
Company: Kodak
Ph: 1300 130 674; Fax: 03 9350 2416
Price: AU$299.
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