More than yer average Brownie (Kodak Easyshare CX4230)

Member Name: thehud

Product:	Kodak Easyshare CX4230
Date:	23/02/04 (259 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very functional, Easy to use

Disadvantages: Battery life

These days, when gadgets are the most important thing a man can get, the idea of a digital camera is blindingly attractive. With computing power so significant and hard disk storage virtually limitless, and the promise of eminently affordable equipment, there is really no excuse whatsoever for even the biggest Luddite to go on denying their urges and not buying one of the beautiful little silver products which promise literally hours of fun and adventure.

Storing your digital snaps somewhere inside your PC may not be as tangible and concrete a feeling as actuall having the glossy real thing nestling in your sweaty little mitts, however, the digital versions of your pix won't age, are easy to improve with the right software and normally much easier to find, especially if you employ the right application such as Adobe Photoshop Album, which allows you to attach all manner of keywords and set up slide shows, brilliant advances. To my way of thinking, the PC version of a photo album has much to commend it over the touchable version of the thing, and I've become a committed convert.

Okay, having tried to convince you of the importance of owning a digital camera, let's consider which one to buy.

Like most electronic, chip driven gadgets, there's an endless array of choices to select from when you eventually come down to doing the picking, with an enormous price range and huge variations in spec.

From what I've seen in reviews of ranges of digital camera, Kodak doesn't get a great deal of support, with most good judges steering well clear of the brand when they make recommendations. However, I have been very impressed by the various Kodak models I've tried and believe they do what they set out to do very well indeed. They don't have too many of the snobbery value facilities and functions that the expert writers
seem to rate, but then for most everyday uses all that stuff doesn't really interest me.

The Kodak CX4230 model is one of the Easyshare range of products, which allow you to easily load your snaps up to your PC by use of a docking bay, and there's a lot going for it. As per the Kodak site (http://www.kodak.com), "With outstanding color and exposure capabilities and a quality lens, you'll have crisp, sharp, colorful pictures. The on-camera share button, and software with one-touch photo printing and organizing, means that quality prints and emails are only one-step away." Now, I've heard that one before, but in this case Kodak are giving you a quite realistic appraisal, even if they insist on Americanising the word colour, it's C O L O U R, damn you!

With the package you get the following:
KODAK EASYSHARE CX4230 Zoom Digital Camera, CRV3 lithium battery or equivalent, Video out cable, USB cable, Wrist strap, KODAK EASYSHARE Software CD, Documentation, Custom camera insert for optional KODAK EASYSHARE Camera Dock.

You have to buy the docking bay separately, but with it you get a rechargeable battery pack, although I've found that it does run down extremely quickly. The docking bay will cost you about fifty quid, although you can then transfer pix at the touch of a single button and recharge the battery pack at the same time.

For the rest of the spec (if you can be bothered), visit http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jht ml?pq-path=1969&pq-locale=en_ 5;S but I can't believe you really want to know all that stuff, after all
us layman don't actually need it. The same page also gives you access to user manuals and various downloads.

According to the Kelkoo website, the CX4230 will run you between £142 and £151, assuming you don't bother with a memory card. Such a card will cost you about £15 for 16Mb, £16 for 32Mb and £21 for 64Mb, although the camera's internal memory will do for a while. For most uses, however, you will want to get a memory card, and I opted for 128Mb which cost me about 50 quid at a duty free shop while I was on holiday. You can go right up to 256Mb but they're really difficult to track down. The 64Mb card will hold 95 photographs at best quality, but 383 at the lowest quality setting.

The lovely thing about the CX4230, however, is that it will also capture short video clips, although the quality isn't wonderful. If you do want to take videos I'd advise you to get a proper digicam, but nevertheless this is a nice touch.

There's a basic zoom facility and various settings with the camera, which is exceptionally easy to use, just point and click and away you go. You don't need to be an expert or even particularly careful, and can quickly achieve really tremendous results.
I resisted buying a digital camera for an awfully long time, but I'm now extremely glad I took the plunge, and trust me, you will too if you get one.

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