You get what you pay for
Written: Dec 22 '03
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Pros: Cheapest 5.0mp camera on the market, generous amount of internal memory
Cons: Pictures aren't sharp, autofocus actually blurs images, flash is weak, no rechargeable batteries included
The Bottom Line: There is bad, and there is worse. This camera is the latter. Don't be fooled by the 5.0mp printed on the box. Quality wins over quantity any day.
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| trekster's Full Review: Kodak EasyShare DX4530 Digital Camera |
As is true with most things in life, you get what you pay for. This camera, although claiming to be 5mp in actuality has the quality of a 2-3mp camera. Kodak tried too hard to make this camera appeal to everybody, and the end result is horrendous. This camera does nothing well.
First off, I bought this camera because it was the cheapest 5.0mp (from a reputable company) that I could find. I was convinced that Kodak would not lend its name to a shabby product. I read a couple of reviews online, and they all rated this camera favourably.
I was pretty convinced that this was the camera for me, so I went down to my local Future Shop (equivalent of Best Buy) and tested it out. To be honest, I wasn't really impressed with the quality at all, but I bought it anyways. I kept telling myself that maybe it was just the display model that wasn't working right.
I got the camera home and opened the box. Nothing much inside the box except for a lens cap, hand strap , non-rechargeable battery, usb cable, and a software cd. I'll go into a bit of detail on each.
Lens cap --> External, cheap plastic
Hand strap --> Didn't look strong enough to support the camera's weight
Battery --> Very powerful (lasts for 400 pics) but non-rechargeable
Software cd --> just the bare minimums
USB cable --> one end USB, one end proprietary Kodak connector (difficult to replace)
Now, back to the camera itself. I immediately turned it on, and was dismayed to find that the LCD was off. It took me a while to figure out how to turn it on. In fact, everytime I changed from one camera mode to another, the LCD would turn off. A minor annoyance.
The camera itself was made completely of plastic, yet still felt light and sturdy.
Once it was turned on, I tried taking my first picture, and was disappointed. The autofocus feature of the camera (which is turned on my slightly pressing on the capture button) was abysmal. Instead of focusing the image, it would actually blur it. No matter what settings I tried, the image would not come into focus. The problem was compounded by the fact that the camera lacks any sort of advanced manual focus capabilities. I was left staring at a blurry picture.
The macro mode on the camera was one of the most disappointing features in my view. Macro mode is used to capture pictures that are a very close distance to the camera itself. The macro mode on this camera barely functioned. I tried taking a picture of my cat from 20cm away, and the result came out blurred.
That leads me to another problem with this camera. The shutter speed is very slow. In auto mode, the camera tries (and fails) to automatically adjust the shutter speed. In sport mode the shutter speed is greatly reduced, which results in less blur, but also a much darker image. Pictures taken using both methods were unimpressive.
The only advice I can give you is to not buy this camera. Any pictures you take will be out of focus and many shades too dark. If you're looking for a camera in this price range I'd recommend the Canon A80. Less megapixels (on paper) but it produces a far superior image.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 340
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Fool-Proof for Absolute Beginners
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Epinions.com ID:
trekster
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Reviews written: 1
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