Rating: Summary: Check your camera for cracks!!!!!! Review: I have owned this camera for 4 months. First off let me start by saying there is definitely a manufacturing glitch somewhere, as there have been numerous accounts of the cases of this camera developing cracks. I for one have one with cracks. It typically appears around the LCD, and zoom lever. Kodak is repairing this under warranty, but who needs a new camera that develops cracks?? If you are interested in reading more about this, please see this forum: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1011 specifically this thread: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1011&page=1&message=1107683 I just think potential buyers should be aware of this problem. Now on to the picture taking ability. I had a DC290 before, and this one comes no where near the quality of the Kodak DC290. I did the firmware upgrade, it DID NOT help my indoor shots, which usually turn out terrible. In low light, this camera doesn't do it's job effectively. I can tell you that outdoors the picture quality is great, but who uses a camera outdoors 100% of the time? I know I don't. But for the price, it was an okay deal for me. With the rebate I ended up paying 375.00, which is pretty good.
Rating: Summary: Gorgeous, smart, fun camera! Review: I received this camera complete with all accessories as a high school graduation present. I had already owned another digital camera for about two years and had outgrown it, as my photography skills improved by about ten-fold. This is definately a great camera for me and for anyone who is ready to take a more professional step with their pictures, and who wants to get a great, high resolution result. I've been reading some of the negative reviews and I have to say that the gripes that people have can be solved through a bit of personal involvement, or cannot be solved, because almost every other camera out there is the same! I'm glad Kodak uses lithium batteries, because my other camera drained four (name brand) alkaline batteries in 10 minutes. It's no different with any other camera. My dad works with lots of video equipment, and he said that there are no digital cameras out there that won't significantly drain batteries within a few short moments. As to software flaws I've read about, being unable to delete photos and send email are hardly huge issues that deserve giving this camera 1 or 2 stars. AOL, Outlook, or any email program gives simple instructions on how to attach photos to your emails in mere seconds, and deleting files is something easily learned and done through the use of a basic Windows or Macintosh file manager. These are basic computer user skills; if you can't do this, then should you be using a digital camera? My only disappointment with this camera regards a personal issue. I'm scared to take this camera outside my home, for fear of getting mugged for it. :) It's beautifully constructed, easy to use, not that heavy for a digital camera, and quietly functions. I am shocked how well my pictures come out in natural light without using the flash. This camera was one of the best presents I've ever received, and I think everyone who wants a high - end digital camera should purchase this one :)
Rating: Summary: Exceptional Camera--Got To Have it!! Review: As a first time owner and user of any digital camera, I chose this camera because of the many features, as well as the price w/ rebate. I have to say, this camera is EXTREMELY easy to use and operate. I have never touched a digital camera before, & I found this one to be very simplistic in operation. It takes great pics, and although the memory card included is a bit small, this is a fantastic deal! I also like the looks (more like an SLR), as well as it is lightweight. No problems what so ever. Other than upgrading the memory card, you may want to purchase an additional battery for backup. Otherwise, you CAN'T go wrong w/ this camera!! The software included is very easy to use and understand. I found no problem figuring out how to modify / enhance digitally stored pictures. (I started out w/ no clue)--I fiddled w/ it a bit, and next thing you know, I had it all figured out! Don't hesitate to purchase this camera. For the price, the 3.1 mega pixels, and the numerous features, you are definitely getting a bang for your buck!!
Rating: Summary: Versatile camera Review: Has many features that you can manually adjust or go completely automatic. You can burst shoot, shoot in two modes of color, b&w or sepia tones. Nice 3x optical zoom lense as well as less desirable 2x digital zoom. It is light weight, easy to handle and even has a closeup feature in the LCD of the picture you just took. It even has six choices of quality (compression settings).All in all I highly recommend this camera to all.
Rating: Summary: Great in any situation Review: I'm a small-time enthusiast, and this camera has a great many things going for people in my category (people who aren't pros or experts, but care enough about photography to grimace at the quality of most point-and-shoot cameras; people who want a camera that can take a carefully designed photograph, as well as an on-the-fly fun shot). I won't get into all the details-- there's a great write-up of this camera at http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/DC4800/D48A.HTM , but basically, the gist is that there are more options than you could shake a big stick at (perfect when you want to setup a nice photograph), which are all very easy to access (so you won't spend an hour doing it), that also works very well in automatic mode (when you want to take that on-the-fly shot), but also lets you combine any degree of automatic and manual functionality. Two great things I want to specifically mention about the camera, though, are its terrific options for color adjustment, as well as the ability to combine and adjust the automatic functionality. The options for adjusting color are amazing-- again, I won't go into all the different options (I'd be writing for about an hour if I did-- the article above describes the options very well), but the options are numerous, and are genuinely useful (i.e. produces real differences in the final shot-- they're not gimmicks). For instance, saturated color does amazing things to green-- great for outdoors shots! But the really great thing about the camera is the ability to combine automatic and manual functionality. Instead of forcing you to choose between fully automatic and fully manual mode, instead you can choose any number of settings manually, and let the camera do the rest. Often times I will set the f-stop, or the color scheme, or the film speed, or the sharpness, or the white balance, or any combination of those, and let the camera do the rest. This is absolutely WONDERFUL for people (like me) who often wish to add some specific element to a photo without having to take full control of all settings. The only exception to this is shutter speed selection-- if you choose a shutter speed, you must also choose the f-stop. Nonetheless, Kodak's implementation of automatic and manual functionality is really slick. You won't find this many options on any other 3.1MP camera that prices for <= $600. Warning to potential buyers: buy a case, it doesn't come with one.
Rating: Summary: Nice - but don't rely on the flash Review: I like everything about this camera but the flash. It has a very short range (10 ft max) and even within that range produces inconsistent exposures. Some are OK and some extremely dark. It is as if the circuitry that times the flash is not working properly. I returned the camera for repair or replacement and Kodak responded that operation was "within design limits". I guess it's a poor design. For the price, I expected better performance.
Rating: Summary: Great Digital Camera - Beginners and Experts! Review: I just upgraded to the DC4800 from the Kodak DC280 2.1 MP camera, which is a great camera itself. Here are some quick reasons why this camera fulfills every digital camera need of mine: 1. Rechargeable Li-On battery. No more messing with batteries. I simply plug the camera in and I have a freshly charged battery. It lasts a LONG time. If you need more battery time, you can get an extra battery to plug in. 2. 3.1 Megapixel pictures rival film. Great, clear, pictures. 3. Easy to use, yet very powerful. This camera can point and shoot, or you can control every settting via a menu, dial, or switch. It couldn't be easier to use, but it's nice to know that you can tweak settings such as ISO, F stop, etc. 4. 3X optical zoom. Most cameras are 2X. I don't use digital zoom, but it's here too. 5. Uses inexpensive and reliable compactflash media I could go on and on. This is a great camera. Buy it! You won't be sorry.
Rating: Summary: Not the camera I expected Review: I purchased a 4800 after owning a Kodak 260. The transition was not easy and the new camera just isn't what I expected. The software doesn't give me the flexiblity that the old one did and the camera buttons themselves are not placed well in design. I seem to keep turning the camera off - instead of taking pictures. Perhaps I just expected Kodak to make an improved version of what I considered to be a great camera - but to me - this is not what happened.
Rating: Summary: Great Package. Review: This is an example of Kodak's best effort to bring film camera buyers into the digital photo world. The 4800 looks and feels like a 35mm film camera, and offers dedicated user controls that will make transitioning users comfortable with digital cameras. The 4800 has spectacular resolution (true 3 megabyte) for perfect 8" x 10" printing, coupled with a very good optical 3x zoom. The CompactFlash memory cards are the best buy available today, with sizes that would allow for many hundreds of shots per card. When this camera is coupled with an inexpensive card reader (easier to use, but not absolutely necessary in light of the supplied USB cable on the 4800) and the user subscribes to any of the online photo printing services, the true beauty of digital photography is clear.
Rating: Summary: Very Professional Review: Having just retired from the Associated Press as a photographer and using the Canon and Nikon Digital cameras in my work, up to $15,000 each, I bought a DC4800 and love it. What a great camera and would transmit an image from it on the AP Photo wire if the situation and photo op came up.
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