Clicking Good Camera! (Kodak Easyshare CX6330)

Member Name: wendybull

Product:	Kodak Easyshare CX6330
Date:	04/09/06 (179 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great first digital camera as easy to use.

Disadvantages: Red Eye

We got this camera through a pallet of catalogue returns on eBay and what a good enclosure it was. My husband has a much more sophisticated camera so this one was passed to me, for me to use on the constant bombardment of pictures my computer receives from me, of the kids. In its time it would have been a high quality camera, however as time moves on this is now regarded as an entry level camera.

The Camera

The camera itself is very well shaped and has indents that fit your grip perfectly and allow you to keep your fingers away from the lens etc. All the buttons required are either on the top or back of the camera so you will not accidentally press something while taking photos that ruins that longed for perfect shot.

Using the Camera.

On top there is a dial switch to change the photo type you are taking, for instance if you are taking general pictures during the day (inside or out) it is best to use the setting “Auto” as this will ensure auto focus, and flash are on. This is the setting I use the most but in addition to that there are also settings for nighttime picture taking, sports mode (for moving objects), landscape and close ups. I would not really recommend the night-time setting if the subject is too far away and you need the zoom, as when we used it while on holiday to try and capture shots of the entertainment crew, they would not focus properly and always seemed to come out very blurry. The night setting is great for close up shots though in the dark and we have plenty of good ones of our party during the evenings. However we also found that using the viewfinder screen to take pictures in the dark was extremely difficult, as it does not light up your subject, so you have to almost guess where the subject is as the screen is very dark. This can be a pain but is manageable.

This camera is great as it also has a video option on it. You can take short video clips of whatever you like and these are stored alongside your pictures on the memory card. The video clips have sound and are perfect for capturing first time events without lugging out the camcorder. We captured both our youngest swimming un-aided while on holiday and these are now stored for eternity on our computer.

The screen on the back of the camera is about 3cm by 2.5cm, so not the largest viewer around but certainly big enough for my needs. This also shows all the various settings in words on here, to let you know which one you have chosen. As well as using the screen to line up potential photos you could always use the view finder screen by holding the camera up to your face and looking through the small hole. I always prefer the screen as it is a lot easier to see the photo you will take.

Once you have taken your pictures they are stored either internally on the cameras memory, or on an SD card, which is brought separately and easily slotted into the compartment on the side of the camera. During your photography session you can review the photos you have already taken on the screen and chose to keep or delete. We have found this to be a great feature as before we brought a bigger memory card, we had one that only held 56 or so photos (depending on the camera quality setting) and if we were away for a few days and unable to unload the card onto our computer, we could view them on the camera and delete if no good, freeing up valuable space for better photos.

There is so much you can do to personalise and change the settings on this camera that it really took me ages to get to know everything, and even now I have to refer to the users manual for certain things that don’t get used very much. One of my favourite settings on it is the colour mode. You can change it easily via the menu system to take either colour, black & white or sepia photos and I love to mess around trying my hand at making things look different. The black and white and sepia are just as clear as the colour and make it interesting in shots of the kids and for weddings to have something in a softer look. Some of my favourite photos are in black and white.

The numerous other settings allow you to, for example, date stamp the date on the photos, and this will only show up once they have been downloaded. You can also change the settings to share your photos in emails etc. This is a slightly more complicated process and one that I haven’t used but as long as you follow the instructions in the manual and use the software provided, you should not have any problems. You have self timer facilities too so, if like me, you are the one always taking pictures and never seem to appear in them, you can at least get a few shots of yourself to prove you were at the stated event!

Picture Quality.

I have been really pleased with the pictures I have taken, both inside and out. I always use the “Best” setting on the camera to take the highest quality pictures and once downloaded to my computer, they usually have extreme clarity and are sharp and in focus. Any that don’t cut it are mainly due to user error, where I have not kept the camera particularly still whilst pressing the shutter or if the subject is too far away. The zoom function allows you to get really close and the picture clarity remains excellent.

The one thing I have found though is the excessive amount of red-eye. About 90% of photos, when the subject is looking straight at the camera, especially inside shots, have red-eye. There is a facility on the Kodak software to edit this once the pictures are downloaded but we use a separate software package, independent of Kodak, on the individual pictures we wish to print or that are special. This is due to the fact that we always use an SD card for memory storage and this can be removed from the camera, popped into your computer slot and downloaded with extreme ease and efficiency, cutting out the longer winded process of using USB cables etc.

Overall

This has to be an excellent camera for anyone to use for family & friends shots or events in your personal life like weddings, birthdays etc. I would not recommend it for the more professional photographer as there are far superior products on the market but for me, and my limited knowledge of all things technical, this fits the bill.

It is a nice size and shape and does not pose a problem in terms of fitting in your handbag. The controls are easy to use and are straightforward, allowing you to quickly change to the appropriate setting in order to get optimum picture quality and results.

Priced at extremely reasonable prices from eBay and other second hand sites, I cannot see it on Kodak’s online shop anymore so maybe it has been superseded now, you cannot afford to be without this camera. I have taken hundreds of photos on mine and except for a couple of memory cards and some rechargeable batteries (it eats normal ones extremely quickly) it has not cost me any more money. Having previously always had cameras where you load film and get it developed, this was a breath of fresh air, being able to see the photo I had taken immediately and keep or delete. Being able to download to my computer and chose the ones to print, either by Boots photo service or what we do, which is crop, rotate and edit at home and print from our colour inkjet onto photo quality paper is so great. The results are amazing and you can blow them up to A4 if you choose. We have given many presents to parents etc of photos we have taken, which has the benefit of being in a relaxed atmosphere at home and taking your time. The best shots are taken when they are not posed.

As I said for good quality pictures in an easy to use fashion I would totally recommend trying to get hold of one of these.

Summary: Excellent value if you can get hold of one.

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