Good camera - Some things to know **UPDATED 12/13/05**
Written: Oct 07 '05 (Updated Dec 13 '05)
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Pros: Easy to use, good quality pics, Lots of shooting options
Cons: Needs battery meter, lens adapter underexposes with built-in flash, needs image stabilization
The Bottom Line: Low cost, excellent quality pics, easy to use
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| heliman's Full Review: Kodak EasyShare DX7590 Digital Camera |
I bought this camera in my quest to no longer use film. With a 1 GB SD card I can take over 600 5mb standard pics! I wanted a zoom and got a great one but at distance, you must hold the camera steady of course. That's where image stabilization would have been nice.
I wanted to protect the lens so I bought a 55mm adapter and a set of 55mm filters. The adapter fits over the lens, screwing into the body. This is nice since when the camera is turned on, and the lens extends, I have some protection for lens and mechanism.
The bad news is all my indoor flash shots became underexposed. Kodak's answer (FAQ on their website)? Remove the adapter for indoor shots - wow. Now doesn't that say; "we messed up in our design?"
When I posed the question to them in an email to their support center, I received no reply. I'm not impressed.
Well, I wanted a large flash with handle anyway as the built-in flash has a very limited range. It works great for indoor parties, but not for outdoors and certainly not for illuminating a large area.
I was disappointed that when shooting video zoom is disabled and also that the vids were a bit jerky - but hey - life's a compromise - video feature was icing for me anyway. It's a great feature however if you REALLY want to capture the moment! With a 1 Gb SD card I have lots of room for both pics and vids.
I still like the camera in spite of the aforementioned notes and plan to keep it around. I did not want to spend big bucks - the $300 I paid on Ebay was well worth it.
I would recommend this camera.
REVIEW UPDATE (DECEMBER 13, 2005)
I have updated the review I did on this Kodak camera for 2 reasons:
1) It was my first review on Epinions and I wish I’d done a better job.
2) I have purchased a separate Flash and Slave Grip which allows me to take even better pictures.
I like my DX7590 camera and plan on keeping it for a very long time. It has all the features I want and need and still retains the point-and-shoot ability when called upon in a child’s hands or an adult in a hurry.
I was quite disappointed however after having installed the accessory 55mm lens adapter on the camera because suddenly all of my indoor photos were now underexposed. Aside from the fact I think Kodak did a bang-up job on the camera and a poor job of designing for accessories – the results that I am having now with a bounce flash are extraordinary. That’s what has prompted me to update this review.
So, since another review of the DX7590 by me is not possible, I checked with the proper people at Epinions and was advised to update my original review. “No problem”, I thought.
I purchased 2 products that came together as a combo on Ebay for under $80:
1) A self-powered flash grip (COBRA DSG-20) http://www.cobraphotographic.com/products/index.php?page=get_group&folder_id
2) A flash unit (Vivitar 2000) http://www.epinions.com/Flashes--reviews--vivitar
The flash grip is a device on which your camera can be mounted which provides a larger grip surface in addition to being a “stand” into which the flash unit is mounted. The particular advantage of the grip I purchased is its ability to sense the camera’s flash and automatically fire the external flash unit wirelessly!
I liked that because if I want to set the grip/flash on a table, floor or separate tripod, I can! That makes for very convenient use and allows the photographer to move around the subject. Of course, I can still use a synch cord between the camera and flash if I need to.
The flash unit itself is an unremarkable, basic Vivitar unit whose flash may be tilted from 0 degrees (straight up) to 90 degrees (pointing at the subject). Obviously the tilting feature allows great flexibility for bounce flash resulting in a better dispersion of light. Done correctly, there are no more “hot spots”, red-eyes, and “washed out” lighting. Learning how to do it correctly is easy too. Taking lots of digital pictures costs you nothing and helps practice your technique.
Put these 2 relatively inexpensive pieces of equipment together with the DX7590 and what a photo team you have!
Granted, you’ve got to carry more equipment and purchase 8 more “AA” batteries (4 for the grip and 4 for the flash), but I find the results of this combination far outweighs the hassle. The results are so nice they beat the Kodak’s built-in flash on flexibility alone! Since the Kodak’s built-in flash is not adjustable, the use is limited and it’s not really easy to avoid the problems inherent with pointing a flash directly at a subject.
THE GRIP (Cobra DSG-20)
The grip attaches to the camera’s tripod mount. The base can be separated from the grip without removing it from the camera via a slide locking mount, but I find it just as easy to unscrew it from the camera.
The grip has an on-off switch and a pushbutton selector switch that is used to synchronize the flash to a particular camera. Each time the selector is pressed, it moves through one of the 5 LED’s. One of the 5 positions is supposed to match your camera. For the DX7590, it’s position 1. Instructions come with the grip and provide instructions on how to accomplish the synchronization.
Leaving the grip turned on is not a problem because it has a built-in timer that switches it off no matter what the switch position is after a few minutes. That is really a nice feature if you’re in a hurry. There’s nothing like pulling flash equipment out of the bag hours or days later only to find dead batteries!
THE FLASH (Vivitar 2000)
Saying it was unremarkable, was not derogatory. The flash has no advanced features other than the ability to tilt for bounce effects and distance settings which allows it to adjust for best performance. I like it and it works just fine for my needs.
SUMMING IT UP
I am very happy with these 2 purchases and would heartily recommend them as required for the DX7590 while using the lens adapter. Even without the adapter, the pictures will take on a warmer, more controlled look. Being able to evenly light a subject is one of the main differences between point-and-click and a more professional, polished look.
Thanks and I hope this helps you with your buying decisions.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 320.
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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Epinions.com ID:
heliman
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Member: Nick Sacco
Location: Raleigh, NC
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
RC Flyer, Writes for ROTORY Magazine
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