Simple, yet effective
Written: Nov 04 '03 (Updated Nov 04 '03)
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Pros: Photo quality, internal memory, battery types
Cons: Silly lens cap, limited exposure controls, no uncompressed setting
The Bottom Line: A very good, simple to use camera for those not wanting or needing extensive exposure controls
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| livefire's Full Review: Kodak EasyShare DX4530 Digital Camera |
The DX4530 fits into Kodak's upper end of digital cameras - it lacks some features of the higher end DX6 line, and has a better resolution (at 5 megapixels) than the CX line. This camera has a target market and if you fit into that market, this camera is wonderful. If you don't fit that market, this camera will frustrate you. "What market is that?" you may ask. Kodak's tag line for this camera should tell you - "Simple yet powerful". The DX4530 has almost no user exposure adjustments, nearly everything is under automatic control. The camera has several modes to choose from. They are located on the mode dial at the top of the camera. The modes:
Auto - the standard picture taking mode for photo opportunities that do not fall within one of the other modes;
Sport - quickens the shutter speed to enable better shots of fast-moving objects;
Night - increases the exposure to capture more detail from dimly lit subjects. Kodak recommends a tripod when using this mode (to avoid blurring);
Landscape - sets the focus at infinity to take picture of objects far away;
Close-up Kodak avoids calling this "Macro", but that's pretty much what it is. It allows close focusing (as close as 2.8 inches) to objects such as the ever-popular flower photos.
Video - a passable 320x240 Quicktime video (with sound) limited only by your available memory. The included 32 MB of internal memory will let you get about 2 minutes of video at 15 frames per second. The DX4530 is a better at taking video than camcorders are at taking still photos, but its still not a camcorder. But the results are nice.
There are a minimum of exposure controls: the user can set the exposure time in one of 6 settings (ranging from .7 seconds to 4 seconds). Useful to capture very dimly lit still objects or for the "time-lapse" effect. Users can also set f-stop -2 in half-steps (but can't set f-stop & exposure at the same time).
That would be it for exposure controls. Its pretty much point & shoot. Which is fine if one never has the intention of using the numerous controls offered on other cameras. If you want the numerous other controls, you'll find the DX4530 frustrating.
That's the camera. I humbly offer my experience with it.
The Good:
Photo quality 5 megapixels. The pictures are just great. Kodak's Color Science turns out a finely balanced picture. The white balance is excellent, and the colors are somewhat oversaturated, but since most people like vivid colors, thats what camera companies do, oversaturate clolors.
Batteries - excellent choice between lithium CRV3 (found nearly everywhere), and regular AA batteries (such as rechargeable Ni-Mh). Kodak doesn’t recommend using alkalines, but its nice to know if you're on vacation & the batteries go out, alkalines will do in a pinch, although they won't last long. I also like that the CRV3 is a common photo battery available in most stores with a photo department & not a proprietary battery.
Zoom The DX4530 has a 3x optical zoom, a nice feature not found on many $300 cameras.
32 MBs of internal memory Another nice touch. I have an external memory card reader & its easy to forget to put the card back in. With this camera, you always get a least some pictures. Kodak says one can fit 21 pictures at the highest resolution, 79 at the lowest resolution (1.2MP)on the internal memory. It can also, obviously, supplement any additional memory you may buy.
Secure Digital / MMC Widely available, less expensive than xD (at least for now) and faster than compact flash and used in many other brands.
Additional lenses I have yet to try these, but they did factor into my decision. Kodak makes a 37mm to 43mm adapter that allows one to use a wide-angle lens (twice the field of view), a 2X telephoto, and a close-up set of lenses.
The Bad:
Lens cap I don't understand Kodak's thinking on this one. All other cameras I looked at (including other Kodaks) have an automatic covering that protects the lens. Turn the camera on & the lens covering slides open & the lens readies for pictures. Turn off the camera & the lens covering automatically covers up the lens. The DX4530 has a traditional lens cap. Turn the camera on & the cap pops off (onto the floor if you don't tether it to the camera). And its up to you to replace the lens cap when done. Minor, but annoying.
Compression Kodak uses an aggressive compression without a way to write uncompressed files to memory. The compression isn't terrible, but there would be times when I'd like to have a RAW or TIFF picture to work with. Again, minor but annoying.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 319
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
livefire
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Location: An island paradise
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 4 members
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