Kodak EASYSHARE M320

Two things first: 1) I bought the M320 for my dad as a Christmas present and 2) I’ve used it way more than dad has. He’s always been keen on having new technology such as the latest DVD player / TV / PC or laptop / mobile phone BUT he doesn’t necessarily use them very often (well not the camera or the laptop anyway). Therefore I can say with confidence that I am experienced enough with this camera to review it having taking probably in excess of 1,000 photos with it in a 6 month period. I have found it a pleasure to use the M320 and sometimes don’t want to hand it back to dad.

Now for some interesting stuff (or it’s boring if you’re not into cameras or their history).


SO IT’S MADE BY KODAK HUH?

I’m fairly sure most people will have heard of Kodak. Just in case you haven’t, they’re a multinational company which has been around forever (well at least since 1892 – just a few years before I was born). They’re specialists in imaging and photographic products and if you want to know more about them you can go to www.kodak.com. You might not be aware of this but the first digital camera was invented by Steven Sasson in 1975 when he worked for Kodak as an electrical engineer. Obviously digital cameras have come a very long way since the 70s but did you know they were around before the mid to late 90s? I recall paying something ridiculous like £100 back in 1999 for a tiny digital camera which could only produce the smallest of jpg images; probably the size of a passport photo! Whilst I thought it was pretty cool I was also disappointed with the lack of decent sized photos I could take digitally.

Did you know that in 2003 Kodak were all the first company to produce a printer and camera dock combination with their EasyShare Printer Dock 6000? And did you know that Kodak was also the first company to release a digital camera with a full colour LED screen? Why do I mention all this? Well it’s because I’ve always favoured Kodak as a camera company and like to tell you these interesting (well they’re interesting to me anyway) facts. I’ve have very good experiences with my previous 2 EasyShare models and only in the last 3 years have I ventured towards other makes such as Canon and most recently Samsung. My loyalty to Kodak made me opt for the M320 for my dad when his previous digital camera “broke”. That’s another story as to how he managed that in his back pocket...


ERM SO THE M320 - WHAT IS IT? IS IT A MOTORWAY?

No, it’s not a UK motorway; it’s a digital camera whose full name is Kodak EasyShare M320 Digital Camera. The camera has 9.2 megapixels, has 3x Optical Zoon and 5x Digital Zoom with a 2.7 inch LCD screen and weighs in at just 563g.

The EasyShare range by Kodak has been around for some time now and all the EasyShare models are basically cameras which are compatible with Kodak “docks” making them very “easy” to “share” the photos with your computer for printing and editing.

There are various series in the EasyShare range such as the DX (the first in the EasyShare range) which was superseded by the CX series (now also defunct), P Series, Z Series, V Series, etc. I’m not going to explain what those series were famed for as my review is about a model in the M series which is a cross between the C series (point and shoot cameras) and the V series (stylish and slim cameras).


OK SO NOW TALK ABOUT THE CAMERA PLEASE!

The reason I opted for the M320 for dad was that it’s very easy to pick up and just start taking photos with it. For a 70+ person who has troubling holding a camera still to take clear photos this is ideal as you don’t have to hold perfectly still to get a clear shot (which was an issue with dad’s previous digital camera). I took the M320 out of the box, inserted the battery and switched the camera on; took aim and snapped half a dozen shots without looking at the user guide. I then showed my parents the photos I’d just taken (again without needing to refer to the user manual) on the screen. The feature buttons are quite easy to work out if you’ve used any digital camera before. For a novice, this is really an easy piece of kit to get your head around. My M320 (I mean dad’s M320) is black in colour but it’s also available in silver or red (at this current time).

WHAT DELIGHTS ARE IN THE BOX?

When you purchase your M320 new you’ll get a box *Shock! Horror!* with various items inside. One can always guarantee that the most exciting item in the box is the actual camera? As well as the main man (yes, the camera, keep up now) you get a wrist strap which is very easy to attach. You also have the battery (Li-Ion (3.7V, 720 mAh) KLIC-7001. On a fully charged camera you can expect to get between 200-550 photos depending on how much you review the photos taken and for how long the camera is left switched on. There’s also a wrist strap, EasyShare software disc, USB cable and 5V AC adapter. You also get a User Guide in the box which looks like it’s very comprehensive but that’s only because it’s all repeated in 12 different languages including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Turkish and Polish. The User Guide provided is enough for everyday usage but it does advise you of the website to visit if you want more detailed info which I've done a couple of times to date.

One thing I’d add here which is a bit of a gripe really. When you plug the USB cable into the power adapter you have to plug the cable into the bottom of the adapter which makes it a problem when using standard wall sockets which are near the floor (as mine all are at home) so I found myself having to use extension cables which I’m not overly keen on doing when charging camera batteries. There is also a cable to connect the camera to your TV.

Please note that there is no SD card included with the camera and although the camera has internal memory it’s very limited so if you’re going for this, make sure you have a separate SD.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE BUTTONS AND SOCKETS THEN?

The Power button is clearly visible on the top of the camera. It’s easy to depress; I specifically say this as my own fairly new camera has been a bit of a letdown that I bought earlier this year with a very small on/off button which is sometimes hard to depress. I definitely prefer the ease with which the M320 can be switched on and off and I’d add that this wasn’t even something I thought would be an issue till I bought and started using my Samsung IT100. Next to the Power button is the Flash button. On top of the camera is also the Mode dial which for the basic user is best left on the “Auto” setting.

At the back of the camera (i.e. the bit that’s facing the user) we have (from top to bottom) the Zoom button which is a fairly decent size directly below which is the Delete button. Below that is the OK button which is in the middle of the up/down left/right circular button. Below this are the Menu and review buttons to the right of which is the Share button. Not forgetting a major part of the rear of the camera we have the LCD screen where you can view your subjects when take photos and play back the photos you have taken as well.

On the right hand side of the camera is the battery compartment which is easy to open but not so flimsy that it opens by accident during regular use. Just above this compartment is where you can attach the strap for carrying the camera. The battery compartment also houses the SD/SDHC card slot. On the underside of the camera is a Tripod socket.

On the left of the camera is Power socket to plug in via the supplied USB cable to a power plug. When the camera is charging the small Battery Charging light is steady and once charged the light goes off.

LISTEN, IT’S ABOUT THOSE NIFTY FEATURES

How can one review a camera without discussing its features? At the end of the day, when I buy a digital camera, as well as wanting to be able to just point and click quickly to take photos, I definitely want a variety of features available, even if I won't often use 50% or more of them! Here I go...

The Mode dial on top of the M320 has 7 different settings to choose from:

• Auto (used most often by basic users for general photo taking)
• Landscape (for distance shots)
• Scene (basic point and shoot for pretty much any situation)
• Close-up (fairly obviously I hope)
• Blur Reduction (for taking shots of moving subjects)
• High ISO (indoor shots in low light)
• Video (again fairly obvious what this does)

The Flash has several modes which are:

• Auto (camera decides itself whether or not flash is required)
• Fill (which just ensures the flash is used for every shot you take)
• Red Eye (either automatically corrects red eye in photos or flashes before the photo is taken so avoid red eye in the first place)
• Off (no flash at all

As well as the features available from the physical buttons/dials on the M320 you can access various features from the LCD screen itself which include:

• Framing grid
• Framing marks
• Flash mode
• Self timer
• Date stamp
• Photos remaining
• Zoom slider
• White balance
• ISO speed
• Battery level
• Panorama

As an enthusiastic photographer with absolutely no desire to be professional, the features available from the Mode dial on the top of the camera are the ones I use the most. Whilst it’s nice to have the features available on the LCD screen; I have to admit to rarely using these. I don’t like date stamps on photos, I don’t need a frame grid, I’ve been taking photos long enough to get along with this. I do like the battery level indicator and knowing how many photos can still be taken as this is useful and practical info I need when using a camera. Framing marks is a cool feature whereby it automatically frames people’s face when taking people shots and focuses specifically on the faces. This is fairly standard on digital cameras these days; my last Canon Ixus has this feature (purchased in early 2008) and my current Samsung IT100 has it too (it’s also called “Face Detection”).

As an amateur photographer I also put my hands up to not being a regular user of the Zoom feature. I’ve used it a few times but find unless you keep really still taking the shot you don’t get the best results.

Using the Panorama mode is really cool if you have a steady hand or use a tripod. You can take several consecutives shot of a wide area and have these put together to make a wide photo.

Getting your photos off the M320 is fairly standard - pretty much the same as most digital cameras. You can remove the SD card and insert into your PC to download the photos or use the USB cable to connect directly to your PC instead.

BOTTOM LINE; WHAT’S THE SCORE AND WHAT’S THE DAMAGE?

I am happy to give the M320 a strong 4 out of 5 rating. It takes really clear photos which I’ve had printed several times at 4 x 6 inches and also printed to A4 and wasn’t at all disappointed by the clarity. It really only loses a point on the USB cable having to be plugged into the bottom of the power adapter.

I purchased the M320 online back in January 2010 for £69.99 which I felt was a very reasonable price for this bit of kit. At June 2010 I can see it’s available from £58 to £79.99 (seems that Kodak sells this at the higher price range).