The DX3900's primary operating mode is full-program automatic, though users can make adjustments to a few settings. An affordable but limited choice, this digicam will let snapshooters capture and share pictures with minimal fuss.
Simplicity reigns
While the DX3900 nestles comfortably in one hand, its 225g (without batteries) weight gives it a solid feel. Some users may find that the low placement of the telephoto/wide-angle toggle makes it difficult to zoom the camera while holding it with one hand.
Otherwise, the DX3900 is easy to operate, thanks to the simple button layout, the clearly labeled menu system, and the bright LCD. The 38mm screen doubles as a viewfinder--handy in Macro mode and essential for using the camera's 3X digital zoom.
We liked the power switch, which slides open the cover that protects the retractable 2X zoom lens when you turn the camera on.
The EasyShare philosophy--friendliness over features--is borne out by the DX3900's limited exposure controls. Two stops of exposure compensation (in half-stop increments) and a long-exposure mode that offers 10 settings, from 0.7 through 16 seconds, constitute the camera's manual settings. You can also select centre-weighted, multipattern, or spot metering for more exposure control.
Lacking are aperture-priority and true shutter-priority modes. The camera's ISO and white-balance settings are adjustable, though. The latter worked as billed, but we found the automatic setting generally as effective as the preset options for specific types of lighting.
For most use, the camera's approximate 1.5-second shutter lag and 2.5-second shot-to-shot delay are fairly unobtrusive. Action shooters will appreciate the Burst mode, which captures up to eight shots in quick succession.
The only drawback of this mode is the relatively small, 1080x720-pixel size of the images it captures. The DX3900's lens zooms quickly and smoothly, and the on-camera flash lights subjects evenly to about three metres. However, as with many such flashes, it tends to burn out highlight areas in close-up and macro shots.
More memory a must
The DX3900 lacks the internal image storage that some other EasyShare cameras offer, but Kodak packages the camera with an 8MB CompactFlash card. Unless you'll be satisfied with the seven pictures that card can hold when you use the camera at its highest-resolution setting, you'll want to invest in a more capacious one.
You can download your images to a computer either via the supplied USB cable or the camera dock. The dock, which permits one-button image transfer, comes with a set of rechargeable batteries for the camera and serves as their charger, too.
Images we shot with the DX3900 were reasonably sharp, well focused, and properly exposed, with vivid colours. Unfortunately, they were also relatively noisy and showed a lot more chromatic aberration and blooming than we'd like to see. As a result, trees and other dark objects in backlit shots acquired bright halos of colour, and bright areas were sometimes outlined in purple. Highlights tended to get blown out, as well.
Overall, the DX3900 is a likeable but uninspiring camera. It's one of the least expensive three-megapixel options available, but given that cameras with more powerful lenses and greater flexibility are available for only slightly more money, it's hard to wholeheartedly recommend the DX3900.
If you're willing to sacrifice some pixels to have more camera features, check out similarly priced two-megapixel options such as the Canon PowerShot A20, Olympus Brio D-510 Zoom, and Nikon Coolpix 775. However, if you want to make prints larger than 8x10 inches and need the most megapixels you can get in this price range, the DX3900 should be on your shortlist.
Kodak DX3900
Company: Kodak
Price: AU$1299 (approx RRP)
Phone: 1800 147 701
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