To Zoom Or Not To Zoom - Kodak DX4530 (Kodak Easyshare CX4330)

Member Name: rich_lufc

Product:	Kodak Easyshare CX4330
Date:	25/05/04 (176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Optical Zoom, Picture Quality, Video Quality/Length

Disadvantages: Digital Zoom, Battery Recharger

I received the Kodak EasyShare DX4530 for Christmas 2003. I was very pleased with the item for the following reasons:

Picture Quality - The quality of the pictures is amazing! For such a small and cheap camera you are able to take 20"x30" sized pics. Because of this, I have it set to the lowest quality which is the same except around A4 sized. I am extremely pleased with this.

Storage - The camera has 32Mb internal memory which doesn't seem much but this supplies enough space for 78 quality pictures. This means I have no need to throw money at extra memory!

3x Optical Zoom - The optical zoom is great! You get superb quality pictures from the lowest picture quality at 3x optical zoom, what more could you ask for?

Auto Focus - By holding down the 'take picture button' the camera automatically focuses on the object you are facing. This works a treat and means you need now fiddle about with the zoom function.

1.8 in LCD Screen - The quality of the LCD screen is superb! There must be tens of thousands of pixels in that small space because the quality of the images is fantastic when viewed via this.

Video Recording - The video recorder is above average. It captures audio very well (crisp and clear) and the image captured is also good. The video length is only limited but the memory available which is a bonus!

Functions - The major software functions available are:
>Review pics/videos
>Delete pics/videos
>Rotate images
>Timer
>Picture quality
>Date stamp

The options available for taking pictures in different conditions are:

>General
>Sport (Use when subject is in motion)
>Night (Use at night to capture both subject and background)
>Landscape (Use to capture scenery)
> Close up (use when subject is less than 70cm away)
> Video (Use to capture motion and sound)

All of these functions are very useful and work extremely we
ll.

Now for the disadvantages. There are only two, which for such a cheap camera is staggering:

Digital Zoom - The digital zoom takes over from the optical zoom at 3x and goes all the way to 10x. However, from 5x and above, it is diabolical! You just end up with a blur of pixels.

Battery Recharge - To recharge the battery, you must buy the Kodak EasyShare Camera Dock II. This is not cheap and is a complete con! I have purchased the docking port which to be fair, is very good. You attach the docking port to the mains and the computer and then attach the camera to the port and it recharges the camera very quickly. You can also transfer pictures and videos from the camera to the computer by the touch of one button located on the docking port. It is just the fact that you have to purchase the docking port to be able to recharge the camera.

In review, this camera is brilliant for it's price and picture quality. Everything about this camera is great! I would advise buying this camera except if you want to do a lot of long range photography i.e. over 5x zoom. But for day to day use and a bit more, this is the one for you!

Summary: