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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Kodak DX6490
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09/21/2003 09:24:09 PM · #1
it doesn't look like anyone here has one yet...but i thought that i would at least ask just to make sure.

I was thinking of getting one...any thoughts/views?

I hadn't seen one before...but it looks to be a helluva deal for 500 bucks...at least it looks to be...i'd love to know if anyone can see something that i don't as to why it wouldn't be worth it.

Also, if anyone has ANY kind of Kodak camera...how is the image quality? Just curious if Kodaks digital equipment is up to the other brands.

//www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/dx6490.html
09/21/2003 09:33:16 PM · #2
A friend of mine is trying to decide between that and the Olympus C750; he wants the 10x zoom. Any advice welcome!
09/21/2003 10:38:28 PM · #3
i was checking out the olympus as well, but the kodak just feels better in the hand - it also has manual access to certain features so you don't have to dig through a digital menu. Couldn't see paying more for it.

The olympus 750 does have one thing included that i with the kodak did...a wireless remote release.
09/22/2003 12:59:58 AM · #4
bump...to another timezone...
09/22/2003 06:42:06 AM · #5
Originally posted by GeneralE:

A friend of mine is trying to decide between that and the Olympus C750; he wants the 10x zoom. Any advice welcome!


Maybe they have fixed the problem but I sold my Olympus only weeks after acquiring one. It seems that if you use the flash, you're good for about 2 shots!!! On further investigation, I found mine was not a faulty camera but a trait of the beast. Many disgruntled owners. Good luck!
09/30/2003 04:38:08 PM · #6
Well, I bought the DX6490 instead of the digital rebel because it was the only one i could get before the trip to San Fran...and I wasn't going out there with my little s200!!

I just thought that I would share my initial experiences with this camera since it is so new and some of you have expressed interest.

When I first brought the camera home, it looked a lot smaller than it did in best buy...which is a good thing imo. Its about the size of two canon powershots. The lcd screen is very big and easy to see indoors. Also the viewfinder is also an lcd screen which was a pleasant surprise - i don't take shots with it much, but its nice to know that its not just an optical "tube" - all the shot info is displayed on it as well.

I prepared the camera with a 256mb sd memory card...and away to cali I went...

The camera traveled very well, fits nicely into a carry on, etc. and stowed away snuggly into an old small 35mm camera bag (snug being the key word - i would recommend a medium sized bag for this cam - it took too long to get in and out when a photo op presented itself)

The best and most obvious part of this camera is the 10x optical zoom. This was a godsend composing pictures. I could get tight skyline shots of san fran from alcatraz, closeups of the golden gate from the marin highlands, etc. The zoom is seemless, and fast going either direction, and is sensitive as to whether you want to go fast or slow.

The auto-focusing time is a little long at full zoom IMO, it seems to go through the whole "range" twice before settling in on a focul length. This can be avoided if you just want to use the "mountain" infinite focus range, but for moving subjects that you want dof on, you are going to want to prefocus and anticipate your subject. At full wide angle, the focusing time is acceptable and seems to be on par with most cameras.

The camera has an good/annoying power save feature depending on how you look at it. After 1 minute the lcd screen will "shut off" and you have to hit a button or zoom to get it to turn back on. One minute may seem like a long time before you use it...but "out in the field" time flies when your having fun, and I found myself constantly having to hit the zoom to get the lcd "back on". The lcd viewfinder is a little better, again depending on personal preference, it "shuts off" after 15 seconds, BUT, comes back on automatically when you put it back up to your eye, apparently there is some kind of sensor or something that knows your looking again. These are good at saving the battery I'm sure...but I wish that you could turn the power save feature off completely somehow.

The manual mode of the camera works better than I expected. There is a dial on the front of the camera that you work with your right index feature that changes the manual settings (f-stop, shutter speed, etc.). Switch the main dial on the back to PASM ( manual mode - program, aperature priority, shutter priority, and manual mode) and then the dial up front becomes operable. You can depress the switch as well as turn it to change settings. Works quickly and very well.

There are also, "mini-manual" modes as I call them for less experienced users (and convienient for pros as well). The "sport" mode is basically shutter priority and is very convienient when a fast moving subject presents itself quickly and you don't have time to get into shutter priority mode and tweak the time. Fast to get to, and works well. The "night mode" is like using aperature priority only the camera figures out the best setting, and works fairly well, but it is lacking and experienced night photographers will avoid this completely.

The lcd screen: BIG. Indoors? bright and very good. Outdoors? not very good. My canon was a lot easier to see than this one, it gets washed out easily in not much light.

Conclusion:
All in all this was an excellent pick up that I am very happy with that will serve me well until I upgrade in the future. I would recommend this to any level photographer.

Pros: 10x optical zoom, big lcd screen, 16mb of internal "emergency" memory, small size and comfortable feel, sport mode, 4x6 print size setting (3:2 aspect ratio)

Cons: a little more than expected shake at full telephoto zoom (monopod or tripod a good idea for dusk and nighttime shots), unchangeable power save, lcd screen outdoors, timer only has one setting (10 sec.) which can be too long in certain situations

I am in the process of putting san fran pics in my portfolio, but you will be able to see even more on my website.

Hope that this helps anyone thinking about this camera, but also please feel free to email me with any questions.
09/30/2003 10:17:17 PM · #7
Nice pics xhoss. I've seen some good stuff from the Kodaks. I'm going to San Francisco, Monterey, and Yosemite in about 10 days. I'll have to set up a web site for my photos. Looking forward to seeing more of the photos from your trip. I really like the night shot of the aquatic park pier view.

10/02/2003 04:18:55 PM · #8
thanks for the kind words goodtempo :) Have fun on your trip. Just make sure you buy extra memory...that's "alotta" photo ops! Yeah, I'm in the process of slowly uploading photos, theres just so many to look at and all that good stuff, I try and do a couple a day.

Hope that you share your pics, I for one would like to see them.
10/07/2003 05:18:45 AM · #9
Well, I finally got around to puttin' up the San Fran pics as I said I would...so here's what the new Kodak can do =`)

//www.pbase.com/xhoss/san_francisco
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