Digital-Camera Reviews

I bought this camera 3 weeks ago from Amazon (new) with the travel kit. Initially I was looking for a good 3 MP camera but when I looked at this one with great price tag, I couldn't resist. I must say I am impressed with various features it offers for the price. Ok, if you compare with other higher priced 4 MP cameras, it may not offer some of the advanced features but ask yourself if you are ever going to use those features. Todate I have taken more than 100 pictures, with various settings & I must say they are amazing. Camera is easy to operate & LCD, although relatively small, is very clear. Also, I still have not changed batteries even after using LCD screen for most of my pictures, so I don't understand the fuss about digital cameras eating too much battery. I would highly recommend it to anybody looking for camera with more megapixels for less price and easy to operate.

The DX4900 is a fun digital camera that is especially great for people new to digital photography. I have had the camera for six months and have used it under many conditions, using nearly all of its features. I really like this camera.

I can understand why people enjoy the docking station, with its simple one-button transfer of images to the PC. However, I think the docking station is a pricey addition when your money could be better spent on a rapid battery charger, a backup battery and additional memory.

This is how I handle the transfer of images from camera to PC: I leave a USB cable permanently plugged into a 4-port USB hub (~$ online) attached to the PC. When I am ready to download my pictures, I plug the USB cable into my camera and turn on the power. The images are automatically downloaded to the PC using the Kodak Transfer Software. Why spend an extra $ for the docking station when it is this simple without it?

Battery/Power: I have had absolutely wonderful results with my Ni-MH battery and the Kodak Rapid Charger. My battery lasts a lot longer than I ever expected and only takes four hours to recharge.

Durability: I have used the DX4900 in freezing, wet and snowy weather conditions. I have also used it at high altitudes up to 10,000 feet and have had no performance issues. I'm pretty rough on the camera too, having dropped it a couple of times, but still it works great!

My biggest complaint about this camera is that it takes so long to take high quality pictures in rapid succession. This is a known problem with the buffer overrun that has to be cleared after every couple of shots. The wait between shots can be annoying and I'm not sure if this occurs with other cameras in this class. You can temporarily override the slowness by setting the camera's image quality to "1.0MP Burst", which will allow you to shoot 12 immediate shots in a row while holding down the photo button. Unfortunately, this will sacrifice image quality.

I get some really great results using this camera and would like to see more reviews on the accessory lenses to know if they can add more to the camera's capabilities.

I am not a professional photographer and never will be. My life is very active and I needed a camera that is simple to use. If you are looking for a camera that will take beautiful pictures and not have to read the whole manual before to do it, this is the camera for you! The menu is very easy to use and it is a great point and shoot camera if you don't want to mess with changing everything. This camera has been used sometimes daily because I also list on Ebay. The 4.0 megapixels really give it that extra boost in quality pic taking. I also have the Kodak DC3400 and this was an upgrade. Both cameras are great!

I had been looking for a digital camera for some time, and when I saw this camera/dock I thought the price was right. Even though the reviews were mixed, they were positive enough that I bought it. After turning on the camera, which took almost 30 seconds, I shot a few pics and quickly downloaded them into my computer. The dock was very easy to use, although I did have to install the software three times before XP accepted it (XP users must download new software from Kodak's website). The pics looked a little dark for day shots but still they were okay. That night I took some shots inside and I knew I was unhappy with the purchase. The pics came out extremely dark (even ones from close range). I tried again and got the same results. I don't know if I had a "bad" flash on the camera or if that is just the way it was, but I wasn't at all satisfied. I returned the camera and decided to spend a few more dollars on a better quality camera.

A nice camera, but that is all, very basic, great outdoor day shots, very poor inside or night shots, where a flash is required. Recommend spend more (wish I had) and get something that can take more acceptable photographs inside where light is not as good as outside.

I bought this camera about a year and a half ago when it just came out. At the time, it was the cheapest offering an optical zoom, which is what I was looking for. The optical zoom works out nicely - it makes the camera have an effective 30-60mm lense, which is nice for distance shots. This camera does take some time to get to know and use properly, but once you have enough experience with it, you can get some good pictures (like through a microscope eyepiece - it was amazing). The outdoor shots are amazing, especially in terms of color reproduction. Indoor shots are variable, but it does take good low-light photos with the flash off, but the flash OK, just gets some colors a little wrong sometimes. The battery life is short, so you will need rechargeable batteries (these were well worth the investment, as acceptable batteries are $... a pair, while rechargeables+charger=$...). As for the camera dock, I think it is the stupidest thing ever and invented just to get more money out of people - YOU DO NOT NEED THE CAMERA DOCK (I avoided purchasing it). I don't even use the included software, I just copy pictures over. The LCD screen is a bit hard to see sometimes, and MMC cards are finally getting more common (I have ~160 megs of cards now, and took pictures for a month in europe on them). Overall, definitely worth the money, especially after I got used to it. And again, it is very very good at outdoor photos.

Since purchasing this camera as a Christmas present for my family, the Dock has never worked right. The camera doesn't sit right in it and doesn't charge. The power cord from the Dock to the wall only works on certain outlets. I'd rate the camera better if I actually used it more than twice, but its rechargeable battery is always dead. I can't tell which features are good or not. I'm disappointed and spent almost $200 for the bundled items.

I bought this camera for my 62 year old mother and I expected more from Kodak. The easyshare software is anything but, and the menu buttons and features are just not thought through. Usablity is such a problem these days.

PROS:
1. The dock is such a huge benefit, no cables to connect, camera sits on top of dock perfectly and after the press of the only button on the dock it transfers the files over to the computer, EASY.
2. It recharges the battery while on the dock (*see below) so you don't have to spend money on batteries and don't have to fuss with a seperate battery charger.
3. Picture quality is pretty good for 2meg, slow shutter but great color tone in daylight.
4. zoom is nice and zoom displays in viewfinder as well as lcd.

CONS:
1. Easyshare software is just awful. Ofoto's own software or Shutterfly's is signifigantly easier to use. Kodak's software try's to run ofoto's website within the program for an awkward experience. There's no button to delete a photo, you have to right click which isn't easy for the above 50 crowd. When you click the button to email photos the layout makes it look like a vote card in florida. Organizing photos was a nightmare and my mom continually got confused on where all her photos went. blah. Just use ofoto's own software or shutterfly, they're free and incredibly improved buttons and layout.
2. The camera's navigation controls are very bad. The 'thumb stick' control makes it very easy to accidentaly choose a wrong option as the arrow keys are easy to press when you hit ok and vica versa. My mom while trying to delete a photo hit the right button which loaded a different photo then pressed delete and deleted the wrong photo. When you press delete kodak, it shouldn't be easy to accidentatly move to other photos, this is horrible. how about just press the delete button twice to delete a photo. It's nice to have the delete button there. Make it work!
3. The rechargable battery pack THAT SHIPPED with the dock doesn't seem to charge fully with my camera. The camera manual says the batteries should be used with the dock, and the dock says the batteries are not okay for the camera. What's up with that?
4. Share button on camera is useless. So many menus after you press share, tiny lcd screen and bad thumb navigation just makes it a pain. It's a button she will never use.

conclusion:
Better software, better buttons, and better navigation would have really helped. If I did it all over again I'd buy a cheaper 2meg camera and a usb memory reader.

This is an excellent starter camera. IT has a decent megapixel count and will make very good 4x6 prints but do not expect it to produce clear 8x10 prints.

This camera uses the 6000 series dock and you can find the printer dock easily.

I have used this camera to do over 5000 artistic shots in my hometown and it has proven to be durable. It uses the compact MMC cards that are very common to find and reasonably affordable.

THe dock is a big bonus that makes interfacing with your computer painless. The biggest plus is it will recharge the battery pack (included) and keep your camera ready for immediate use at all times.

I have upgraded to a higher megapixel camera (still kodak) and was able to keep the dock for the new camera. The dock is worth $100 by itself.

The easyshare buttons are an awesome feature. You can select which images to print and email (even who to email them to) as you take the pictures. This s a VERY neat feature.

The camera would be five star if it included a memory card with it... you will want to order one immediately... do not get anything smaller than a 64 MB the smaller cards are not as useful.

When we first got the camera, we were impressed. It was easy to use, and the pictures that we took printed out very nicely.

However, after having the camera for a few months, we started to see the following problems.

1. POOR BATTERY LIFE
After only a couple of weeks of use, the rechargeable battery that came with the camera would only take 5-6 shots before dying. We kept the camera contantly on the dock, so it should not have run out. I assumed it was a defective battery and bought some desposable batteries for it, but had a similar problem. With a brand new battery, it would take 20-30 shots and it would fail to work.

2. RANDOM POWERING OFF
This was really annoying. After several months of use, the camera started turning itself off frequently. Sometimes I have to restart it 4-5 times to get it to stay turned on. Even then, it will often turn itself off when trying to take the picture. I have 3 small kids, and I have missed so many shots because of this.

3. LONG PAUSE BEFORE SNAPPING PICTURE
I know this is not a defect, but is probably by design (probably the auto-focus working), but there is a half second pause between the time you push the button and the picture actually takes. We have missed many shots because of that as well.

I hate to say it, but I will not buy a Kodak camera again. It's too bad, because when this did work properly, the pictures were really good and the dock is really a good idea. We eventually decided to buy a new, higher end camera (Fuji Finepix S7000). We will see how that turns out :)

I have this camera and LOVE it. I work at a school and now take pictures for awards .... everyone loves the pictures and the video and sound are great, yes the batteries do go rather quickly but I just bought rechargeable and have a extra set ready, highly recommend. I tried 3 other kind and the quality was no where near as good. 2 of the other ones were more money and less quality. Just try it!!!!

Overall this is a great camera for the digital age. It's simple point and shoot operation works great. We have a new baby and needless to say we have taken an ton of photos. The beauty is that you can shoot a bunch of photos in a row and pick the one or two you want and chuck the rest (at no additional cost). We print the photos on HP 4x6 premium photo paper on our HP 952C printer. They are awesome pictures! The quality is as good as the best pictures from high quality film processing.

Highlights:
1) Very easy to use
2) Shoot a bunch of pix. Pick the best ones. Crop them in the photo software to get the perfect shot. It is easy to look like a pro!
3) Rechargeable batteries (a necessity for digital cameras).
4) The cradle is very easy and it recharges the batteries at the same time.
5) JPEG files for email and ....

Criticisms:
1) Not a vacation camera. No affordable way to take lots of shots without downloading the shots to your computer.
2) The viewfinder is clunkly and difficult to frame shots (cut of a lot of tops of heads).

We are very happy with the camera. It has been a wonderful tool for taking pix of the new bambina to print them for us and email them to the family.

I purchased a DX3500 after a week's ownership of an HP 318 that I returned. The DX3500 is an extremely capable camera that is easy to use for beginners and sophisticated users alike.

Compared to the HP 318, the DX3500 offers superior picture quality. Fine details are not lost in the 'grain' of the image. Colors are well balanced and smooth. Setup and operation are easy with the single function knob and easy to navigate menus displayed on the rear LCD.

One feature that should be mandatory on digital cameras is a lens cap or cover. This model has a lens shutter that turns off the camera when closed. In addition, there are guide lines on the viewfinder that show you where the edges of your picture will be so you don't cut off what you're trying to photograph.

Battery life is okay with alkalines although they aren't recommended for use with this camera because of the high drain. Kodak includes a Lithium Ion battery pack with this camera that provides a lot of use out of the box. Another plus is that this camera only requires two AA batteries as opposed to other units that require four.

The included software installed smoothly on Windows XP and when the camera is attached via the USB port, it shows up as a removable drive under the file manager. You can transfer files with either file manager or the Kodak software. Using the Kodak method is easier and allows you to automatically clear the camera when the pictures are downloaded.

I purchased two NiMH batteries and a charger for less than twenty dollars instead of buying the Kodak camera dock and rechargeable batteries. The dock simplifies image transfer and would be useful if you're doing a lot of picture-taking. It can also charge Kodak batteries when your camera is docked.

At medium resolution, the camera's internal memory stores 48 images. That supports 5x7 inch prints and I find this a very good amount of storage capacity in case you forget your Compact Flash card at home.

The manual is easy to read and gets the first-time digital camera user up to speed quickly. All features of the camera are covered with step-by-step instructions.

The drawbacks? They're nit-picks really.
* I'd prefer a little more heft and size to the camera to make it easier to grasp.
* The construction is not as solid-feeling as the Kodak DC series of cameras although this unit has very good fit and finish.
* Only two picture resolutions: high and medium. A low (640x480) resolution would be nice for web imaging.
* The camera does not support USB-Storage protocols. You must have the Kodak software or a compact flash card reader to transfer images to your computer.
* No provison for an AC adapter for studio use.

This digital camera is a delight to own and use. Make sure you get the dock as well. This bundle is so great because it INCLUDES the Kodak DX 3500 digital camera *and* the Kodak Camera Dock. As someone who has used cameras that do not come with a simple snap-in bundled dock, I've been frustrated, but this makes it soooo easy to upload images to your computer for sharing and/or printing. The dock is also great because it recharges the battery in a snap, instead of fumblign with awkward chargers and losing batterie around the house. ("Honey, where's the battery charging now?")

The camera itself has a 2.2-megapixel sensor that allows you to ceate generous prints up to 8" x 10". Most people tend to stick to the 4" x 6" prints, but it is nice to have the option.

The 3x digital zoom lens with autofocus and 8 MB internal memory is enough for most pictures, but this could have been a bit larger. In some instances you might find yourself hurrying back to the computer to transfer the images so you can take more pics. Depending on the format size of the image, you'll be able to take about 40 photos (more than a 36 exposure roll of tradtional film - yeah!) before needing to transfer images to your computer. Overall, this is a great camera at a super value.

It took me a few minutes to get used to it but, once I got the hang of it, I found it very easy to use. The first thing that threw me off was the fact that it comes with a lithium battery pack (this is the version without the docking station). I spent a while trying to figure out how to charge the batteries before I realized I didn't need to.

Most of the time, it's easiest to use it like a regular camera -- point and shoot. If you use the digital zoom or the cloeup setting, though, you're better off using the viewing screen to line up a shot.

Another unexpected feature was the way it interfaces to a PC. I expected the device driver to use twain protocol. Instead, the camera, when plugged into the USB port, acts like an extra disk drive. The internal memory and memory card show up separate folders, each of which contain JPEG images, one for each picture taken. I can load, edit, save and delete the images using my favorite software. Couldn't be easier.

I've seen a number of reviews saying that the images are blurry. The only way I could manage to take blurry pictures was to turn off the flash and take a picture in low light, but that's true of any camera.

Using the digital zoom feature tended to result in pictures that were a bit grainy. That was pretty much what I expected, though. It's probably better to move closer to the subject when possible.

Overall, I found it hard to take bad pictures with this camera and, when I did, it was easy enough to delete them.

i find this camara very good for taking photos in dark places such as outdoor dance events and nightclubs.

Being new to digital photography I wanted a camera that had some bells & whistles, but was still easy to use and had high picture quality. This camera has met the bill, and the camera dock is great! One warning that I found out the hard way: the camera is not friendly to all compact flash cards. I purchased a 64mg Sandisk and it was not compactible. Use Lexar Media and you're up and running and taking great photos!

This digital camera is a delight to own and use. This bundle is so great because it INCLUDES the Kodak DX 3500 digital camera *and* the Kodak Camera Dock. As someone who has used cameras that do not come with a simple snap-in bundled dock, I've been frustrated, but this makes it soooo easy to upload images to your computer for sharing and/or printing. The dock is also great because it recharges the battery in a snap, instead of fumblign with awkward chargers and losing batterie around the house. ("Honey, where's the battery charging now?")

The camera itself has a 2.2-megapixel sensor that allows you to ceate generous prints up to 8" x 10". Most people tend to stick to the 4" x 6" prints, but it is nice to have the option.

The 3x digital zoom lens with autofocus and 8 MB internal memory is enough for most pictures, but this could have been a bit larger. In some instances you might find yourself hurrying back to the computer to transfer the images so you can take more pics. Depending on the format size of the image, you'll be able to take about 40 photos (more than a 36 exposure roll of tradtional film - yeah!) before needing to transfer images to your computer. Overall, this is a great camera at a super value.

Simply put this camera is the most annoying camera I have ever used. I expected so much more from Kodak. The buttons are too tiny to press, it is extremely slow and 95% of the time it does not do what you want to do. The preview feature rarely works even after you press the "select" button. Try deleting photos from the memory takes about five mintues because it will not respond and you have to turn it off, wait to reset and turn it back on again. The worst part is the camera will take one photo and then shut off. I have used several batteries and charged the PROPERLY, but the camera drains them all after one or two photos. I contacted Kodak Customer Service and they would not even help me. I was shocked. You would think a big company like Kodak would have great customer service. Well, you would be wrong. They basically told me that I don't know how to use the camera. Trust me, this is the most frustrating camera.

If you have a great deal of patience then maybe this would be good for you because it is extremely easy to use -- when it actually works -- and the price is reasonable. Just be prepared for a lot of headaches.

I think this camera would rate higher if the price were more in line with the cheap 1.3 Megapixel competition. I bought this item for half the listed price, or my rating might be somewhat different. This camera takes excellent photos that will print at near-photo quality up to 5x7 inches. It's not a truly high-resolution camera, but for snapshots, photos for Web use, and even spot photos for press it will do the job nicely. The overall photo quality and color balance is excellent, although images are little grainy indoors by artificial light w/o flash. The impressive thing is that it actaully takes photos indoors by artificial light w/o flash. So far the auto focus has resulted in perfectly focused images every time, with fast exposures that help prevent blurriness from unsteady hands. The macro-focus also results in excellent, sharp images from less than a foot away. The interface is easy to grasp, and not too difficult to set up. I've been very impressed so far with the quality of the images.

Its major drawback, in my opinion, is the lack of features which far cheaper digital cameras include. I own a Concord Eye Q Duo 1300, which takes acceptable photos at the same resolution, but also has a self-timer and video clip capability ... at 1/3 the list price for the Kodak. For the price, I would expect the Kodak to include a few more more bells and whistles.

Like all digital cameras I've had to deal with, the Kodak eats batteries like candy. Be sure to buy lots of batteries, or have a couple of sets of rechargeable batteries to rotate through.

I have used the Kodak DX3215 for more than 2 years without having any problems. I have the docking device and keep the camera there to recharge batteries when I am home. Away from home I use the lithium batteries. I take many snapshots, and use the Kodak software to edit, store, and print them. I am not a professional photographer, but knowledgeable about point and shoot basics. I found this camera as easy to use as my Ricoh 135mm camera, but now prefer this one because I can edit and print the photos myself.

I ordered this lens as part of a 3 part set (2 different lenses and the lens adapter). They are easy to screw on. After that, the experience was poor. Everyone one of the photos, no matter what I tried, was blurry and of poor quality. I phoned and emailed their tech support with specific questions and received responses (phone and mail) that were not helpful. They emailed me support which basically said screw them on and take the picture. It was really a joke. I finally returned them for a refund due to my dissatisfaction. If I'm doing something wrong, I wish I knew as it would be a nice feature for the camera.

This lens works very fine with my Kodak DX4900 camera. it give me total 4x optical zoom and total 12x digital zoom to the camera.
The lens and the lens adapter is little big for the camera. And it takes the cute small look away from it. But I like the new alien looks it bring to my DX4900 :-)

The lens comes with the small leather black casing. It is very useful to store your lens safely when you travel with it.

1. For use this lens correctly, you need to mount it correctly on the lens adapter and the lens adapter on the camera. If you didn't do that correctly you can't take clear pictures.
2. You need to zoom correctly before take the picture and hold the camera extra steady.

I brought this for [a few dollars]- I think it is too expensive for just 2x zoom. And also I had to buy [] a lens adapter too. So my rate is 4 for this lens.
But the lsend work fine for me - and like it!

Placed this order through pcresource on 2/22 (paid for it already too)and it has not shown up yet.

I have the DX4900 and have been very impressed with it. The Lens were not nearly as good as the camera.

The Wide Angle Lens had extreme barrelling and the edges were very out of focus. This is deffinitely a specialized effect lens (i.e. Kodak's example is looking up in the forrest at the tree tops) not an everyday lens (capture a familly event).

The Telephoto Lens worked fine, however it was very dark and not very suitable for flash photos because of the darkness (the directions said to adjust the settings on camera, but it was still very dark). I haven't tried it in good daylight conditions.

Haven't tried the +10 +7 Lenses.

All in all, I can't recommend spending $[$$$] for the lenses.

I bought this kit for my Kodak DC290 and it's definitely worth the money. The only disappointing thing is that, when using the flash with the Wide-angle there tends to be a shadow in the lower left corner of the picture. Apparently, the position of the flash on the DC290 and the length the lens adapter + lens causes this.