Lost to Sony P8 in a side by side comparison test
Written: May 28 '04
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Pros: Easy to use (for the no-brainer market). Clear, well-placed controls.
Cons: Spyware in the EasyShare web-updater. Non-rechargeable batteries. Totally lacks fine-tuning controls.
The Bottom Line: For overall inconsistent performance, general "proprietariness", lack of advanced fine-tuning features poor battery system, I would not generally recommend this to friends.
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| loloyd's Full Review: Kodak EasyShare DX4530 Digital Camera |
Recently, there has been an explosion of personal digicam purchases in our office. I had the opportunity to compare the performance of my new DX4530 with a Sony DSC P8 belonging to a colleague. Excepting the megapixel max count (5 megapixel vs P8's 3 megapixel), both cameras shared similar features. Sure, the P8 boasts professional style tinkering (ISO levels, shutter speed, etc. vs Kodak's too-simplified approach) but I had 5 megapixels at my disposal. The P8 can manage a 640x480 movie (MPEG open standard) while my DX4530 can produce 320x240 proprietary Quicktime MOVs. In dimly lit and well-lit rooms, across varying scene and zooming modes, the Sony P8 disgustingly fared way better than my DX4530. The P8 consistently yielded crisper and clearer pictures. It even recharged its flash faster and saved its pictures quicker. Some of my pictures even turned dim. Was it because I installed rechargeable Ni-MH batteries @ 1300 rated mAH? I don't know. One thing for sure is that I got upset somehow. Another colleague who brought in a Kodak 6-series SLR, refused to participate in our testing phases. I guess he had the money to buy a top-end camera but not enough brain-juice on how to use it :-D.
What really bugs me was that many of my flash-filled photos went out dim. I had inconsistent performance results in zoomed in and zoomed out shots.
I didn't really think extensively while making the Kodak DX4530 option. One thing that captivated me was the movie feature, although I regret of not investigating enough because I personally don't really like MOVs - I prefer MPEGs a whole lot. MPEG video editors abound in the internet, what can you say for Apple's MOVs? Btw, both the P8 and DX4530 can be interfaced with TVs via RCA monaural Audio/Video jacks.
Another thing that I disliked was the non-rechargeable Li-Ion battery that came with it. And Kodak's manuals and website both say I *needed* to purchase a Docking Station II to recharge a proprietary Kodak Ni-MH AA equivalent - what a bunch of crap! Casios, Sonys and Canons don't need external pieces of equipment for recharging! Heck, even my Nokia 7650 camera cellphone beats the EasyShare system in easy no-frills battery recharging! This was really a downer.
After that P8 knockdown, I realized I didn't need 5 megapixels since I do not really plan to print most of my pictures - some, maybe, but I believe 3 megapixels can produce a decent enough blow-up! Heck, I bought a digicam so I wouldn't worry about the cost and hassle of prints anymore - what was I thinking?!?! Clearly, Kodak DX4530 was not right for me.
After seeing how the P8 can really make finer professional photographic adjustments (fine-tuning) than the DX4530, I really got jealous.
Oh, did I mention I also had to purchase a rechargeable AA Ni-MH battery system as an extra cost?
Oh, well. At least I got SecureDigital memory - the only non-proprietary thing that Kodak adopted, hehehe. Sigh.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 299
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
loloyd
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Location: Philippines
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Guitarist, songwriter, software developer, dreamer
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