Once I received the Kodak EasyShare CX7430, I was immediately surprised with some aspects of its performance. And I have to say that I was surprised not in a good way.

What is Kodak EasyShare CX7430

The Kodak EasyShare CX7430 is a 4-Megapixel compact digital camera with a 1.6-inch LCD screen, optical zooming viewfinder, Kodak Retinar aspheric all-glass lens with 3x optical zoom (34-102 mm equivalent) powered by 2 AA batteries.

The camera has an orientation sensor that rotates images automatically, features shutter speed range of 1/1,400-4 sec, ISO range of 80-400 and records images or movies on its internal 16 MB of memory or on SD (Secure Digital) or MMC memory cards.

Pictures

The pictures of the Kodak EasyShare CX7430 and the sample photos taken with it are available at the address below:

http://www.review-shop.com/Kodak_CX7430/Kodak_CX7430_Samples_1.html

You can copy and paste the above address into your browser's address area.

First Impressions

Once the camera arrived, I inserted my SD memory card and a couple of rechargeable NiMH batteries and was ready to shoot. The camera is powered on by rotating the mode wheel on the top deck from the OFF position into one of the others, e.g. AUTO.

The camera immediately created an impression of being slow to power on or off and the LCD screen would not show the image until you actually have taken the picture. It turned out that that was a default setting and that by going into Settings menu, you can actually make this camera behave like any other: show you the image as you compose the shot.

Controls and Ergonomics

The camera has convenient shape and its major controls are within easy reach. But the buttons on the rear panel are scattered all over the place, and seems like for no good reason. The menu control is a rigid disk that can be pushed in it upper/lower or left/right areas to navigate menus or pushed in the middle to make a selection. I have this idea. It requires you to hold the camera steady to make sure you are pushing in the right direction.

The camera uses a mode wheel on the top deck to select the shooting mode and to turn the camera on or off as well. The wheel is easy to rotate and I wish it required a little more effort.

The camera has an exposed DC power port on the side, but the memory card, A/V and USB ports are covered by a hinged rigid plastic door on the other side. The bottom has a battery compartment door and a connector for optional EasyShare docking stations as well as a tripod mount.

Performance

The camera is a mixed bag. It extends its lens very leisurely when powered on and zooms pretty slowly as well. The power-on takes about 3 seconds as does power-off. Zooming from wide angle to telephoto takes about 3 seconds, but is smooth and precise.

The autofocus is rather fast and can focus in under a second, even in dimly-lit conditions. The shutter lag is very short. The camera can take photos at about 2-second intervals, which is pretty good. The continuous mode lets you take 6 photos in under two seconds - very impressive.

The camera has a small 1.6-inch LCD that goes blank after the picture is taken, which may be inconvenient if you want to take photos in rapid succession. The screen also is difficult to use in low light.

Image Quality

The camera produces very good results (see sample photos). The photos are colorful, sharp and contrasty. The colors are pleasing as well. The lens exhibits some very slight softening in the corners of the frame, but you should not care about it since the corners of the frame usually do not make it to the final print due to the difference in aspect ratio of prints and the camera CCD.

The lens also shows some chromatic aberration close to the edge of the frame in areas of high contrast, but not too much of it.

The noise levels are pretty typical for a compact digital camera and the photos at ISO 400 are only usable at print size of 6x4 inches, whereas the ISO or 100 and under can be used for prints up to 10x8.

Menu System

The camera has a menu system that is very easy to use, which is typical of Kodak cameras. But the menus are not the most efficient and are you can only navigate them slow.

Overall, I find that the ease of use of Kodak menus in general and this camera in particular is well suited to this class of camera (read "inexpensive").

Ease of Use

The camera is very easy to use, especially in its Auto mode, where you just point and shoot. It also has clearly labeled scene modes on its mode wheel, including Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Night Portrait, Sports and Video.

Build Quality

The camera is sturdy and well-built overall, but the material it is made of looks and feels a bit cheap. Still, it is a cheap camera (I bought mine for $141 with Kodak EasyShare 6000 docking station included).

Battery Life

The camera uses 2 AA batteries. I used my rechargeable NiMH batteries and took about 70 pictures without seeing the low battery warning. Depending on capacity of the batteries you use, the flash and LCD use, you should be able to get 100-200 photos on one charge.

Flash

The flash is pretty typical and has decent range (about 10-12 feet) and power.

Value

The camera is a good value. I bought my camera bundled with Kodak EasyShare 6000 docking station (includes rechargeable battery) for only $141.

Bottom Line

The Kodak EasyShare CX7430 is a good camera, unless you need a camera that powers on and zooms fast. It is easy to use and produces good photos. I recommend it if you can buy it for a low price (less than $150).



My Reviews of Other Digital Cameras

Canon:
Canon Powershot S2 IS Digital Camera Review
Canon Powershot S1 IS Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A620 7.1-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A610 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A520 4-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A510 3.2-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A410 3.2-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A95 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot S70 7.1-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot S60 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot S500 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot S410 / Digital IXUS 430 Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD200 3.2-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD300 4-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD400 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD450 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD500 7.1-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD550 7.1-Megapixel Digital Camera Review

Panasonic:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 5-Megapixel Digital Camera with 12x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 5-Megapixel Digital Camera with 12x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 4-Megapixel Digital Camera with 6x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2 5-Megapixel Digital Camera with 6x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ4 4-Megapixel Digital Camera with 12x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15 4-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 Digital Camera Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2 Digital Camera with 12x Leica Lens and Optical Image Stabilizer Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1 Digital Camera with Optical Image Stabilizer and 12x Leica Lens Review

Olympus:
Olympus Camedia C-765 4.0-Megapixel Digital Camera with USB and ED Lens Review
Olympus Stylus 410 4-Megapixel All-Weather Digital Camera Review
Olympus Camedia D-580 / C-460 4.0-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Olympus D-565 Zoom Digital 4-Megapixel Camera Review
Olympus D-575 Zoom Digital Camera Review
Olympus D-595 Zoom Digital Camera Review
Olympus Stylus 500 Digital Camera Review
Olympus Stylus 800 Digital Camera Review

Sony:
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H1 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-M1 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P200 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S40 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S60 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T1 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T33 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T7 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W5 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W7 Digital Camera Review

Fuji:
Fuji FinePix A345 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix A350 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix E500 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix E510 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix E550 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix F10 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix F450 Digital Camera Review

Kodak:
Kodak EasyShare C340 Digital Camera Review
Kodak EasyShare CX7430 Digital Camera Review
Kodak EasyShare V550 Digital Camera Review
Kodak EasyShare Z700 Digital Camera Review
Kodak EasyShare Z740 Digital Camera Review
Kodak EasyShare Z7590 Digital Camera Review

Konica Minolta:
Minolta DiMAGE Z2 Digital Camera Review
Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 Digital Camera Review
Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6 Digital Camera Review

Nikon:
Nikon D50 Digital SLR Camera Review

Pentax:
Pentax *istD Digital SLR Camera Review



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 141
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use