CX4210 A little stunner (Kodak Easyshare CX4200)

Member Name: sulli68

Product:	Kodak Easyshare CX4200
Date:	21/07/03 (686 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: ease of use, value for money, quality of pictures

Disadvantages: not so good under flash conditions, docking station extra (£50 ish), A bit plasticky

I purchased the CX4210 in this range taking a tip from Which digital camera. I needed a cheap camera with good resolution in close up work for an NVQ course in engineering. The camera has performed excellently for what I intended. Not having any photography knowledge I found it easy to set up and use straight from the box. I have taken many pictures in varied conditions mainly for viewing on the PC. In sunlight the colours are pin sharp and I can honestly say I've not seen better as yet even from more expensive cameras. Take it on holiday as I did and the sea comes to life with some stunning pictures that have annoyed some friends with much more expensive cameras. Using the close up option is good, it is a small switch on the side so no fancy setting up, results are good but you must keep a steady hand. For close ups you can only use the 1.5" LCD screen to set up your shot. This is very good apart from in bright light conditions when it becomes difficult to see, but I think this is true for most digital cameras. My results using the flash have not been as good to date despite using different techniques and settings. This may be down to me but I suspect in low light conditions the camera is not so at home. Most annoying for me was the fact that the easyshare docking station is an expensive extra. Not having bought it I fail to see any benefits in owning one. It does recharge the camera but I bought a very cheap charger and batteries that perform very well and are usable in other devices. It also transfers pictures to the PC at the press of a button. But so does the supplied USB cable. I am using windows XP and all I have to do is plug in the camera and open the lens shutter and the PC boots up the supplied Kodak software and asks how you would like to transfer contents. I can't see it getting any easier than that ! Another plus is the 16Mb internal memory. This gives a consistent 21 photos at the best setting. I've not bothered with the other 2 setti
ngs as I have now purchased a 64Mb Multi Media Card (£17.50) which together with internal memory gives me 100 pictures at best resolution. Enough for my holidays even being snap happy. The most glowing accolade comes from a friend who after looking at my holiday snaps said " I can't believe I paid £500 for a digital camera. My pictures are no better than yours !"
Shop around as deals vary. I also got a free tripod with mine which was good for getting some snaps of me and the wife together without having to stop passers by using the timer setting. Kodaks online support is also a big plus. As you get used to the camera there are plenty of settings to help you as you get more experienced. A very good value buy.

Summary: