Pros: durable, easy to use, photo dock/printer option, beginner camera
Cons: small LCD screen, poor picture quality, no optical zoom, cumbersome software
The Bottom Line: Only buy this if you don't care about photo quality but want the flexibility digital cameras offer (seeing your photo right after you take it; emailing photos; etc.)
nackdaddy's Full Review: Kodak EasyShare CX7300 Digital Camera
This is my first digital camera. My in-laws got it as a X-mas gift for my wife and I. At the time we had dinosaur 7-yr old computer that could not print/email digital photos so they also purchased the available photo printer for the camera. The photo printer is handy if you can't print on a PC but it can be expensive because it uses a lot of ink. We have not been satisfied with the camera and plan on selling it on Ebay so we can upgrade to better camera. Our main gripes are a) poor photo quality, b)difficult software, c)no optical zoom lense and d)small LCD screen (1.8 or 1.6"). Allow me to put it to you this way:
BUY THIS CAMERA...
...if you want an entry level, beginner's digital camera
...if you don't care about photo quality
...if you don't need a zoom lense
...if you need a camera that is real easy to use
DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA...
...if you care about photo quality
...if you need the flexibility of a zoom lense
...if you want software that is easy to use
ALSO, I learned something about digital cameras that I did not know before. There is a big difference between DIGITAL ZOOM & OPTICAL ZOOM. Optical zoom is when a zoom lense is used magnify the image you are shooting. Optical zoom lenses still produce a clear image when you zoom. THIS CAMERA DOES NOT HAVE AN OPTICAL ZOOM LENSE. Digital zoom is when the camera's computer chip digitally enlarges the image. The problem with digital zooming is that you lose picture resolution. (I ran into the same problem with my Sony HI 8 HandiCam) We had several pictures from X-mas day taken with this Kodak come out real grainy (pixels showing). We later discovered that it was because we had used the digital zoom to better frame the picture. We also learned that taking pictures without the digital zoom was not enough--this Kodak is very sensitive to camera shake. We've had to work very hard at holding the camera very still in order to get some mediocre digital quality photos. (other reviews on this page mention the camera's sensitivity to movement)
The bottom line on zoom is this: when you see a digital camera advertised with a 3x, 4x, 6x zoom keep in mind that DIGITAL ZOOM IS IRRELEVANT--OPTICAL ZOOM IS WHAT COUNTS. Read the fine print or ask the salesperson what kind of zoom the camera has.
As I mentioned earlier, we're selling this on Ebay and using the $ to upgrade to a better camera.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 99.00 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Fool-Proof for Absolute Beginners
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