Great camera for most users
Written: Feb 17 '03
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Pros: Good price; semi-pro camera; 3MP range W/Digita Scripting and GPS interface capability
Cons: Needs bigger card, eats batteries
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended the Kodak DC-290 it to anyone, especially if you want an entry level semi-professional camera in the low mega-pixel range with Digita scripting and GPS interface capability.
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| blankgm's Full Review: Kodak DC290 Zoom Digital Camera |
SHORT AND SWEET
I highly recommend the Kodak DC-290. It is an entry level semi-professional (sub $1000) digital camera in the low mega-pixel (3.3) range with both Digita scripting and GPS interface capability. You may need additional (or larger) compact flash storage cards as well as additional power options (Digi-power or lots of batteries).
BACKGROUND
The DC-290 reviewed is my second digital camera (the first being a Kodak DC-210), and about the thirteenth camera I have owned overall.
I began taking pictures at a very young age and have owned a number of 35mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) - primarily Minoltas.
I consider myself a photographer of advanced amateur skills - who has succumbed to taking simple 'happy snaps' of my frequent over seas travel primarily for my family and friends. These two digital cameras were purchased for that purpose.
When I first purchased the DC-210, it performed its functions well - but I wanted something a little more. I read about Digita Scripting, and the ability to incorporate a GPS unit to encode data in the photo itself and this is primarily what drew me to the DC-290.
FEATURES
- Built in flash (with red eye reduction)
I find this flash to be acceptable for close in shots. Anything beyond a couple feet - or anything which requires lighting of other than a tight subject (center frame) and you should probably consider an external flash. The camera documentation boasts an external flash connector, but I could not get it to function with any of my (albeit older) Minolta flash units. I settled on a Sunpack Digital Flash (about $20). The Sunpack comes with a shoe mount (a feature which would have been nice on the DC-290) and a sensor. When the flash from the camera goes off - the Sunpack senses it and sets itself off. No cables are required and it is quite a nice setup. You can use the Sunpack for back-lighting, side-lighting or whatever without having to deal with nasty cables. One note on using cordless flashes however - you must have the DC-290 Red Eye Reduction turned off. This 'pre-flash' will send a false signal to external (cordless) flash units resulting in an early flash. Other than those two minor issues (weak flash and lack of a shoe or hot-shoe mount) I believe the built in flash functions as advertised.
- Camera settings / status display
The Camera Settings / Status Display is an LCD readout about 2 inches in length across the top of the unit itself. It is clear and conveys all the information you need to know at a glance. It is well designed with small buttons on the left hand side of the display to navigate and change settings. Those settings include:
Whether or not red-eye is enabled
Flash status (Auto / Fill / Off)
Exposure compensation (Auto / Plus or Minus 2.o EV in 0.5 EV increments)
Picture Type (Still, Burst, Time Lapse)
Pictures Remaining (estimated based on flash card size and current photo format)
Self Timer
Battery Status
Manual Mode (External Flash and Long-Exposure modes)
IrDa (Infrared Communications) status (Initiating / Searching / Communicating / Communications Timed Out)
In order to navigate these settings you push one button until the desired feature begins to flash, then you push the other button to scroll through the settings. Flash settings have previously been covered. I have dealt very little with the Exposure Compensation settings - as the Auto setting tends to do a very good job at keeping the subject at proper exposure. The only need I see for this is if your subject is already overly or underly exposed (say back-lit). Anyway - most imaging software now can also make compensations for this as well.
The picture type allows you to determine whether you shoot Stills, Burst mode or Time-Lapse mode. In order to use either the Burst or Time-Lapse modes you need to calculate a couple of things. First, how many images do you want to take and what is the capacity of your compact flash card. The one I received with my camera was 16MB - simply too small for the type of photographs I take. I typically leave the camera settings on STILL and HIGH (more on image size later) which consumes a lot of space. My suggestion here - especially with the falling price of compact flash is to go out and buy yourself a new one. Make sure to get one that is large enough to support your need and also fast enough to save your pictures. A third alternative is to use a transfer system. I purchased a ZIP unit that you wear on your belt and when your compact flash gets full you simply take it out of the camera - plug it into the ZIP and your images are transferred. Larger storage units with faster transfers have emerged on the market, so look around.
The pictures remaining feature estimates the number of photographs you can take on the installed compact flash card. This is an estimate and can vary greatly depending on the size of the card and the image types you are shooting - but I find it fairly accurate. I have not found a limit to this number, I am currently shooting with a 256MB card and it shows (as of now) that I have 200 images remaining. With 512MB and 1GB cards on the market I wonder if this readout will extend over 999?
Again I have not utilized the advance capture modes other than to experiment with the External Flash setting - which failed to fire off my Minolta external (corded) flash units. I have not utilized the long term exposure, and have had difficulty operating the Self-Timer. Probably because I use it so in-frequently that I just can't remember the sequence of events.
IrDA works - but with a USB connection available you should opt to use that for moving pictures off your camera if you have to choose between those two options. A better option is to get a Compact Flash reader, Compact Flash PCMCIA interface (for laptop computers) or a transfer unit (such as the ZIP drive described above).
Battery Status and batteries in general. Wow, this unit can really chew them up. I keep in my travel bag not less than three sets (that is 12 batteries) of rechargeables, two Kodak NI-MH / NI-CD Battery chargers and an external battery unit made by Digi-Power. Another belt clip item which uses a thin cable to provide power to the camera's AC input. With this unit (or the AC power adapter itself) camera response is slightly faster (in regards to powering on / off and storing photos). Using the Digi-power I get between 8-10 times the number of shots as I do with AA batteries.
- Removable memory card
As previously stated, the Compact Flash Card (an industry standard format) that came with the unit was 16MB and I found myself filling that up very quickly (see section on resolution). I upgraded to a 32MB and eventually 256MB card. I keep all three in a compact card case purchased at CompUSA which holds 2 cards and a PCMCIA Compact Flash Card adapter (for a total capacity of 3 cards). Additionally for a period of time I used the ZIP drive (above) in order to transfer photos off the earlier cards. This became a problem as the card size increased as the ZIP unit was limited to 10MB. Invest in one or two fast large card upgrades for this unit if you plan on taking a large number of photos before you have time to download them to your PC.
- USB interface
The USB interface is really only useful if you are a desktop user. If you have a laptop you are going to want to invest in a PCMCIA adapter for your compact flash card. This unit is simply a holder for the compact flash card and then the whole thing slips into your PCMCIA slot of your laptop. Connecting the camera to the USB cable, turning the camera on, making sure it maintains power during the transfer is simply a pain. Now - I would be the first to agree that if these were not included with the camera I would be screaming bloody murder. But, with technological advances, I would suggest that get yourself another method - be it a PCMCIA interface, transfer unit, flash card reader - do anything other than the native camera USB or IrDA.
- 3x Optical / 2x Digital zoom lens (38mm - 115mm)
The digital and optical lens zoom feature works great. I have never had any problems with them other than response times. Sometimes, they can be a bit slow. However, this is to be expected. The difference between the two modes is how the image is read. With Optical Zoom, it is closer to, well a real zoom - at least what you would expect in say a 35mm SLR. Digital zoom uses an algorithm to enhance the photo and it's not always pretty. The DC-290 however (probably due to the small zoom ratio) performs exceptionally well in both Optical and Digital modes.
- Picture format
The real question in regards to all digital photography. Picture format is selected through the rocker switch on the back of the camera. Kodak has done a fine job with this rocker switch and it handles well. (Enough about that). When it comes to image format this camera has four choices.
MODE FORMAT RESOLUTION IMAGE SIZE
Ultra TIFF 2240 x 1500 3,360,000 pixels
High JPG 1792 x 1200 2,150,400 pixels
Medium JPG 1440 x 960 1,382,400 pixels
Standard JPG 720 x 480 345,600 pixels
You can see by these numbers that image size varies greatly and provides most users (non-professional) with the quality range they will need for everything from web work (Standard) to near photo quality printing (providing the right printer). These specifications are from the users guide and I find them to be nominally accurate. These settings are indicated on the LCD display as a Quality Bar with 1 bar being Standard Mode and the three Bars with a plus sign being the Ultra mode.
- Self Timer
Previously covered. I have problems with it and need to use it more to get the sequence of events down. Quite frankly - I don't take that many pictures of myself. I find someone else to do it or am more interested in the scenery or photographs of others for this feature to be of any use to me. However, I am sure that if it were missing I would be a bit upset. So, I have to rely on the user's guide here. The timer creates a 10 second delay between the time you press the shutter button and when the picture is taken. Sounds simple enough right? Well I have only gotten it to work once. Not because the camera failed - but because I just don't use it enough and I end up getting frustrated with it and forget about it all together.
- Auto focus
Auto focus is achieved by implementation of a sensor next to the lens. The focus mode is set using the rocker on the back of the camera and has three settings. Manual Focus, Single-Spot focus (center of frame) and Multi-Spot Focus (3 frame positions). I keep the camera on Multi-Spot Focus for all my shots now.
- Audio record capability
Again I have to admit that this is another feature that I have never used. According to the manual, you can add up to 2 minutes of audio to a picture by simply pressing and holding the Record button while the camera is displaying the picture you have taken in the LCD display.
- Video In / Out
This feature provides an interface between the camera and external video components.
- AC Adapter
What can I say? Works fine, no problems and I rarely use it. What I find lacking in all adapters for all electronics which 'recommend' the use of rechargeable batteries is the ability to recharge those batteries in the unit. This ability would have been a great added feature. I don't think I could find the AC adapter right now if I had to.
- Viewfinder
You might hear many arguments about whether or not the viewfinder should be of the 'through the lens' type or not. This unit is not. You simply look through the camera. Personally, I prefer a through the lens type of view finder simply because I sometimes am trying to 'squeeze' frame a photo and need that extra assurance that what I see is what the camera sees - not that what I see is 'pretty much' what the camera sees. It has taken some time to get use to this camera's view finder - not that it is all that bad, I have just had to adjust my 'eye' after so many years of using 35mm SLRs. For example, the viewfinder displays two small black lines in the view. One black line on either side (left and right) of the frame, a small bit down from the top. I never shoot my subjects above this line (more on the reason why later).
- Ready light
Why do you need this? Because lets face it - no matter how fast your digital camera is - digital cameras are slow. You can't simply shoot away like you could on a 35mm with an auto winder. This light (which is right by the viewfinder) flashes when it's not ready. If you take larger format pictures (higher quality) or shoot in burst mode, then you have to wait a longer period before the camera is ready for the next frame.
- Color LCD Screen
This is the battery hungry monster right here. I have to admit that this feature is another reason why I wanted to move to digital cameras. The ability to see immediately if you got the shot you wanted. However there is a drawback. Have the setting too low, and you can't look fast enough to see what you shot then you have to navigate the rocker to look at the photo. Have the setting too long and you chew up batteries like there is no tomorrow. In either case - you use a lot of batteries.
- Soft keys
There are three 'soft' keys on this unit immediately below the LCD display. The reason they are called soft, is because their function changes according to software. The software that this camera uses (its REAL power) is called DigitaScript and Ill discuss that later.
- Four-way shuttle controller
The shuttle rocker or shuttle controller is a roundish flat knob on the back of the camera that is basically a four way switch. By applying pressure (up, down, left, right) you navigate through the camera menu options. This shuttle is far superior to others that I have encountered, including the one on the GPS unit I attach to this camera (again - discussed later in the scripting section).
- Tripod Socket
If you have need for a tripod, and I recently purchased one, you will be happy to note that the DC-290 comes with a standard Tripod screw mount.
- Digita Scripts
A VERY POWERFUL feature of the camera and also why I didn't touch too much on the back side of the camera (menus). The standard camera menus include methods for you to Name the camera, change the date, save new photos into albums, adjust white balance, set exposure bla bla bla. Ok - but, the nicest features are:
Auto-rotate. This camera will automatically rotate your pictures for you based on the cameras rotation when you shot the photo. Cool.
Watermark. Add your own text overlay to images
Select a script to run. Here we go. Digita is the scripting language of this camera and you can either download or create your own then add them to the camera by placing them on the compact flash card. The camera sees these scripts and ads them to a drop down menu allowing you to select them. When I first got the camera it was difficult finding pre-written scripts to use and learn from. There are still a few resources out there, but you will have to find them. Some examples are scripts that:
- take a series of pictures until your compact flash is full
- take a series of pictures with bracketed settings
- take time exposure pictures
- place copyright information in the photo header
The list goes on and on. However, the script I use the most (and I have altered it for my own purposes) reads the output from a GPS unit and encodes that information right into the photo. The script reads the output (lat/Long) as well as date/time and places it on both in the image header as well as a text overlay on the image itself. I have this positioned above the black guidelines in the viewfinder (why I never place my subject above those lines). The result is a photo that tells you exactly when and where the photo was shot. I have then modified the script to extend upon the included basic web page based on the photo to indicate the image filename, date of image, location of image and elevation. The web page is built right onto the compact flash and includes mapping information pulled from one of the map web sites. The effect is quite nice - especially for friends and family and remembering exactly when and where a photo was taken. The downside is that since the writing of that script - the mapping web site has changed its interface and the maps themselves no longer display. (The problem of depending on others for supporting data). You can see the results of the script here http://www.hedon.net:82/personal/gpspics/P0000064.HTM. The image size is set too 600 pixels wide for web display, but the full size photo is available if you want to save it and view it's quality (right click on the image and save it). Remember, this is all done INSIDE the camera including the web page itself. What you would have seen (before mapblast changed its interface) is two Geospatial maps of the Florida Keys with an Icon over the exact position where this photo was taken (the United States official southern-most point). Most of this information is captured in the image itself including the camera type ("Eastman Kodak Company KODAK DC290 Zoom Digital Camera (V01.00)"), my copyright information, the date and time of the image ("2001:08:30 21:01:55"), the locational data ("N24 32.798 W081 47.853 78'") and the list goes on. However, while this camera does NOT support the full list of metadata incorporated into the JPEG/TIFF format, it supports enough for the amateur and semi-professional alike.
PERFORMANCE
As previously stated most of the features perform as advertised. I had some problems with the external flash and had to settle on a cordless unit - which I now do not regret. I also had problems with the self-timer primarily due to my lack of using it.
I find the camera a little slow to respond to both power up sequence and power down sequence. Additionally, there is about a one second delay between pressing the shutter button and the frame capture itself. This is the most disturbing part. A good portion of my photography is of family, which includes a number of dogs, Siberian Huskies to be exact. Asking a Sibe to sit still for ONE WHOLE SECOND is like asking a human to stop breathing for 30 minutes! Can't be done. So you have a couple of choices if you need rapid response frames - waste a lot of film to lost shots, leave the camera in burst mode, or go either 35mm or video. And, if you go burst mode be prepared to wait an enormous amount of time for the camera be ready for your next series. This wait depends on many factors including power, number of images in the burst, and both size and speed of the compact flash card itself. I have waited what seems to be over 2 minutes for the camera to be ready to shoot again. Now, I haven’t timed this and I’m sure it’s just my lack of patience (grin).
SOFTWARE
There is nothing fancy here. I find the software included with the DC-290 acceptable. It places a camera icon in your system tray, allows you to transfer photos and provides common image modification routines. Later, however, I purchased an Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX printer and I prefer their method of photo transfer software a bit better. This software looks at the date of the image, and creates subdirectories arranging all like dated images together – whereas the Kodak software lumps all images into one directory. It is a small point I know – but if you take a lot of pictures, it becomes an added bonus.
FINAL NOTES
Warranty programs are a funny thing. Me, personally, I have a brief calculation I use - if the item costs more than a weeks pay (gross) I get the extended warranty, and Kodak has a great one. Overnight express shipping replacement. I got the warranty - but have never had to use it.
SUMMARY
It is too bad that this camera and some of the features it contains have been discontinued by Kodak. I am extremely pleased with the unit despite its one greatest flaw - lag time between pushing the capture button and actual shutter action. The remaining problems I freely admit are my own through lack of use or desire to use them.
The DC290 fits a market niche I’m sure. Any more features and they definitely would have had a professional end model. Any less and they would have definitely had an amateur end model. As is, I believe the DC290 fills the void between both worlds, the semi-professional market.
The unit provides the amateur an out of the box experience with excellent quality photos if left completely in the auto mode. It provides professionals the leverage to moderate minor aperture, lightening and timing settings. However, the professional may be disappointed with the ability to completely control the camera and its lower end quality while the amateur may become confused with the abundance of control options.
The semi-pro (or elevated amateur) will simply love this camera for all the reasons a straight amateur or professional will not. Automation, minor control, scripting and a ceiling of 3 mega-pixels at a price of under $1000.
I like the DC290 and, when it comes time to replace it, will look for another camera with similar capabilities – primarily Digita Scripting and capability to interface with a GPS unit (btw I use the Garmin GPSIII+ which requires a specially built mount by Kodak). The unit takes incredible pictures, and is ready right out of the box in the auto mode for most users. The battery life is what can be expected from a digital, so you will want additional sources of power. Finally - upgrade your storage capacity with either larger or additional compact flash cards, or a way to transfer images while your on the road without having to fire up your PC. After over two years I still use this camera on a very frequent basis and have had absolutely no problems what-so-ever with it.
RECOMMENDATION
I highly recommend the Kodak DC-290 it to anyone, if you can still find it (check out the availability listings here, or of course the auction sites.) especially if you want an entry level semi-professional (sub $1000) digital camera in the low mega-pixel range with both Digita scripting and GPS interface capability.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 750.00
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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Epinions.com ID:
blankgm
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Location: Maryland, USA
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
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