Review rated by 34 Ciao members on average: very helpful
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My birthday present from the Mrs; a Kodak EasyShare C643. She knew I wanted to replace my original camera and had a basic idea of what I wanted (loads of megapixels and an optical zoom). She wandered off to Currys and asked them what she could get for about £120.
I use a digital camera more than any other gadget. Primarily for ebay (taking pictures of stuff I'm selling) but also for capturing pictures that I can paint from (I'm not very good - but it's a hobby!) Also it is used for the general stuff, like holidays and family gatherings. So I needed a fairly decent one.
The camera that I have had for the last 6 years or so is a FujiFinePix 40i. This cost me about £450 when bought new, but was a great investment at the time. I've used it right up until very recently and have never had any problems with it. Fuji make great quality pieces of kit, but you obviously pay for this!.. So would I be able to happily replace the Fuji with something that is six years advanced for a fraction of the price?
The Kodak Easyshare line of cameras are very appealing. They capture with great detail (mine has a resolution of 6.1 MP) and they also have quite a neat video capture. You can
also get the printer dock for them which is quite handy.
So Kodak Easyshare C643... I opened the box and found it contained the camera, some batteries (non-rechargeable - lasted about 2 days). and a piece of clear plastic that could be used for the printer dock if you purchased one. Also included were software, booklets, an AV cable (to plug into compatible TV's) and a strap. And that was what you got for your £120. Cathy (who had bought the camera) had been asked in shop if she would like to get accessories, but had declined. I'm glad she did as I was able to get a 512MB memory card for £12 including postage (Ebay) and a nice camera bag for £10 (ebay again! - Searched on 'bag C643', got a samsonite one shipped from the U.S.A. for less than a tenner) saving myself possibly £50!
So after a couple of days I had the camera, a nice bag and a decent sized memory card. We were off to visit the inlaws in Cornwall so it was a handy chance to give it a test.
First off I have to say that my initial thought about the camera was that it felt a bit cheap. It seems to be a mostly plastic affair and has a few stickers on it that look like they might peel off after a while. The battery and card compartments also feel a bit flimsy (I think I was a bit spoiled with the Fuji build quality). What did strike me was the size of the LCD display on the back... A very good size for reviewing your shots and showing others (the Fuji had me squinting a bit).
There are various buttons on the camera and I will list these off. First on top:
- The first button on top is a timer button, these are always very handy and this gives you ten seconds to place the camera and run off to compose yourself in front of it. - The second top button allows you to cycle through the flash options (you can let the camera automatically decided to flash or choose yourself). - Next to this is a wheel with the shot button in the middle. Turning the wheel to particular modes allows different options. These are 'Favourites' (takes you to a a folder were you may have saved your favourite pictures and videos), 'OFF' (self explainatory), 'Auto' (just take pictures), 'Landscape' (best for distant shots), 'Closeup' (good for those Ebay pictures!), 'SCN' (this is best for shots of people, you also get a selection of other options when you choose this one, i.e. motion shots, or bright day shots), and finally 'Video' (taking videos).
On the back of the camera you have a view finder, a share button (this is to allow quick upload of your pictures to your PC), a nice 2.4 inch view screen and the following other buttons:
- Zoom in and out (these can be used to zoom in and out of potential views or to zoom in and out of taken photos). - 'Delete', on the correct screen this will allow deletion of videos or pictures. - 'Information' turns on or off the info on screen. - A circular button that allows you to go left, right, up, down or 'OK' - 'Menu' allows you to cycle through the menus - 'Review' lets you review all you've captured.
On the side of the camera is a hatch for the memory card (SD type) and a port for a USB cable or output to your TV. On the other side is a DC slot so that you could, potentially plug it into the mains. there is also a small speaker/mic that will allow you to hear the sound from the videos or record.
On the bottom is the battery slot (2 'AA's required), a little screw-in hole for a stand and another port (for the printer dock)
SO IS IT ANY GOOD? ----------------------------- As I have said it feels a little cheap but I'm quite happy with it. I'm still getting to grips with all the different functions but these are my key findings:
- The video capture, though not totally TV quality, is very good and watchable. This video can be watched on your PC via 'Quicktime' and looks great even when you fill half the screen. The only problem I had with the video is that it gets a little choppy if you move around to quickly and if you move from light to shade you get the constant clicking of the camera as it adjusts to the light. The sound it picks up is not bad. Obviously you're not going to get brilliant sound from a mic in a camera this size.
- Pictures: The optical zoom is great, and something I missed from having my Fuji. The little lens zoom neatly moves in and out. The pictures I have taken so far are very good. The only problems I have had is with close up shots (i.e. less than 10 inches) being blurry. This was easily remedied by pulling back and cropping the picture either with the review function or later with something like photoshop or paintshop (or the included software). The picture quality is good and the pictures I have taken so far have all been without issues (apart from the previously mentioned close-ups). I have stuck three different pictures on this review. Please be aware that these have been reduced to allow them to be used!
- Transferring pictures/videos to your PC - I must admit that I haven't loaded up the software that was included. I have a slot on my PC for SD memory disks and can move the pictures across quick and easy using this. To use the USB cable transfer option you will have to install the software!
OVERALL ---------------- A good mid-priced camera. Lots of good photo options, but you'll need to review what you've taken to make sure there are no problems. Also the video capture is great fun. The accessories available for this camera, though expensive, are very handy. Feels and looks a little cheap, so possibly not a camera for someone who likes to show off. OK for me though!
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23.09.2006 01:48
This sounds really handy. Not putting the cat on ebay though are you ?
25.07.2006 21:39
looks ok. Cute cat. Jo xx
21.07.2006 15:58
Great review. I like your pictures! x