Rating: 
Summary: This is by far the best digital camera out there.
Review: I just got mine in the mail on Friday and I must have taken about 300 pictures already (mostly of my cat who now feels like Cindy Crawford). The pictures (mostly indoors) look spectacular. I love the fact that I can preview and chose the pictures I like. I have been a long time 35 mm user but I think my Canon EOS will now have to retire for good.The camera is very easy to figure out. I have never even picked up a digital camera before this one, but it only took me 20 minutes to figure everything out. The controls are clear and easy to understand. I was amazed by the quality of pictures (both indoors and outdoors). The camera winds into place ready to take another picture within seconds (I understand this is a big problem with some other digital cameras, even the KodaK 290 which is far more expensive, that take forever to get ready for the next picture). Focusing is as easy as with my Canon and I was able to preview the pictures right away, first on the camera, then on my computer and finally as a slide show on my TV (great feature for family gatherings). You can also see what a picture would look like before you even take it. I also managed to use the framing feature for some cool effects, as well as the B&W feature to make some of my cat's picture look very "astistic". There are several other features (like the ability to record date and time on the Picture) but it would take too much time and space to mention. Now the bad things. Battery life is miserably short, and if you plan to use the screen in the back of the camera to review your pics, then good luck. You definetely need to get an AC adapter so when you are reviewing your pictures at home, you don't waste batteries. And when you go out take at least 2 set of baterries with you. The software that came with the camera crashed my computer a few times (and I have a 600Mhz Pentium III). I understand there are some downloads that I need to get, so maybe that will fix the problem. And my big complaint, I payed so much money for camera, but all I got with it was a measly 8mb card that holds less than 20 pictures. I had to shell another $140 for a 64 Mb flash card so I can take as many pictures as I want (well, not really, I think it is about 100) Overall though, this camera is perfect for beginners (who never used a digital camera before) and experts. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Nice First Impression, But Get To Know Him
Review: After careful consideration, our family bought a Kodak DC-280.This camera looks great- USB, zoom, LCD panel, many features-- but get to know it. While USB is nice, not all computers have it, and Windows 98 is necessary. Also the 30-60mm zoom is no where near as good as I would have liked-- DEFINETLY a 3x zoom is required. While the resolution is nice, remember that that's not all to a digital camera.
Rating: 
Summary: It will make you a digital believer!
Review: This camera will remove all doubts: the digital age is here! Sell you film developing stock, because at the rate these cameras are improving, film will shortly go the way of the Victorola and the telegraph. The DC280 is small, fits well in your hand, does EVERYTHING film point-and-shoot cameras do, including a modest zoom capability (for framing), and much more. You can preview your pictures and discard them on the spot, thus saving room for more pictures. You can get a 96MB Compact flash memory card (think of it as the "film" of a digital camera) which will hold hundreds of pictures, (great for vacations when you don't take your computer). The flash recharges quickly, the LCD lets you frame the actual picture, the viewfinder works well when you want to conserve your batteries, and the auto focus is flawless. Kodak maintains a web page and I have already upgraded the "firmware" (the cameras operating system). The pictures, even at the large 8" x 10" are stunning. If you can't get great pictures with this camera, stick to buying postcards. It comes with everything you need to get going, including alkaline batteries to start you snapping, while the included rechargeables are charging in the included charger. The only things I have since ordered are the DC adapter and a nice case to keep my camera safe. I love it!
Rating: 
Summary: A real world comparison
Review: I have used three cameras lately: 1) Sony DSC-505 2) Olympus C-2020 3) Kodak DC280 All three have 2.1 Megapixel and good lenses. The Sony is the only one with no Zoom, but has the best picture quality and the best lowlight exposure. There is also the DSCF505 which has the huge 3xzoom lens, but it is too big to be nice. The Sony is also the smallest and the easiest to use. The operating system is similar to the DV camcorders. The second best is the Olympus C-2020 due to its zoom lens, the viewfinder and just weaker in low light conditions. The 130 pictures will fit onto a 64MB Smartmedia in HQ, a little more than with Sony. The Kodak I liked the least, mostly because of its klunky operating system and the poor colors (in comparison). I currently use the Olympus for professional work and the Sony due to its breast pocket size to snap great photos anywhere and anytime.
Rating:
Summary: Great Point and Shoot
Review: PROS:
Easy to use
Controls are well laid out
Turns on very quickly unlike the DC260
Photo quality is excellent
CONS:
LCD location (when you're taking a picture and have the camera close, it can hit your nose causing smudge marks)
Battery drainage (rechargeables recommended)
No remote control For the price, the DC280 beats the rest.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Colors and resolution
Review: I have used this camera now for about 3 weeks and couldn't be happier. I am using both to post photos to the web and also to print some of my favorites. In both cases, this camera really shines. The colors are better than any 35MM camera I have ever used, and I have even tested it by taking the same photos with both cameras. The best feature about it is the built in USB support. This allows you to upload photos to your computer in just a few seconds. A friend of mine has a Nikon Coolpix 800, and I have to laugh as he waits several minutes to upload one photo since it doesn't have the USB support. Overall, I highly recommend this camera. I have yet to see one under $1000 that comes any where near close to this one. Excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent colors and detail
Review: I've had this camera for 2 months now, and have taken 500 pictures with it. Some of these, I've taken duplicate pictures with 35mm or APS, and the colors on this camera (DC280) comes out way ahead. A case in point, one ocean picture by the DC280 showed detail in the distant fog, along with varying reflections (of the fog) on the water. Dark blue sky filled in behind and above the fog. The APS picture was all washed out - you could hardly tell the difference between the fog and sky. Both were taken with automatic exposure settings, and taken within 1 minute of each other. Down side to this camera is that 1) It eats through baterries (common problem to these types of cameas - fortunately Koday supplies NiMH rechargable batteries); 2) Limited zoom range; and 3) LCD display gets washed out in the sunlight. Up side to this camera are 1) Excellent sharpness in prints up to 5x7 - okay in 8x10; 2) Colors that will knock your socks off (much better than the Nikon Coolpix 950 that I use at work); 3) It acts and feels like a real camera; 4) Software and Camera operations are very natural and easy to learn (I'm still stuggling with the Nikon, and I'm a computer engineer!) Bottom line: This is an excellent entry into the digital world. It outperforms cameras that cost much more. If you can live with the limited zoom range for now, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Overpriced but very good photos
Review: Digital cameras are here to stay. As much as I'd like to stay with my old SLR, it's time to move from film to disk. I've had the Kodak 280 for 3 months and I'll say that it was a good buy. The pictures are very good, it's easy to use - just point and click. As with any automatic camera, you don't have great control over exposure and lens settings, but for indoor and typical outdoor shots, its fine. The USB downloads fast compared to serial. The rechargeable batteries dye after about 30 downloaded pictures to your PC... get the optional AC cable (I think 39$). Everything digital is overpriced for what it is. My camera does sometimes act quirky; but I think it always has to do with low batteries. You'll have to get another set of the rechargeable nickel metal hybrid batteries if you go on the road with your camera. And the software is ok. The downloading should be easier when you don't want to touch up your photos. I'll keep my 35 mm SLR for those vacation trips where I'll take 10 rolls of film and I want more camera control, but if you want instant, good quality pictures in an everyday, take it anywhere camera (as long as you don't need more than 35 pictures before downloading), this is the camera. Or you can take your laptop with you or buy more overpriced memory cards.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Color and Detail
Review: I am a photographic and computer enthusiast and having these two elements come together is a delight for me. So, I have all the very expensive stuff, including KODAK's $20m commercial digital cameras. So, I know what quality is and how much it costs. Bottom-Line as starters, the DC280 makes great color shots with very suprising Hi-detail. The Advertisments say "good" for 8x10 photos, however, as a very picky guy, when you get past 5x7 print sizes, the pictures start to turn fuzzy. But the 5x7 prints are shockingly clear with brilliant colors. But, so what, how many prints does one make larger than 5x7 anyway. This camera is easy to use & small, and I carry it on vacation locations, when I don't want to carry my larger and heavier commercial camera. I was truly shocked at the excellent picture quality of the 280. ALSO, KODAK includes great software, so after a picture taking day/nite, one can easily connect to the yellow video plug on your TV (or Hotel TV) for a slide show of the days activities. I would recommend purchasing a 64MB memory card with the camera purchase, so you'll get plenty of picture opportunities (75+ shots) without having to worry about using up memory. In other words, since you can erase shots you don't like, take MANY, MANY shots and pick the best ones you like for printing or e-mailing. I bring my laptop with me on trips, so in the evening, I can copy the photo-files to the hard disk, and erase the camera memory card, in preparation for the next days photo activities. KODAK provides serial, USB cables, and software to accomplish this simply. Definitely do NOT buy a digital camera with less than 2,000,000 pixels. (The older models, presently having good sale prices, are technology of 2/3 years ago, and you'll wish you spent the extra money for this camera). Since KODAK has been the color business for 100 years, (well...50+years) its no surprise that they have created an electronic imager (the CCD Chip) with the BEST Color quality and detail. This is a must have, you'll not be dissappointed. If you have another few hundred dollars, check out the SONY or OLYMPUS dye-sublimation printers, which produce actual photo quality continuous tone prints up to 4x5 sizes; These printers are not dot-matrix's with all the little dots. The camera and the printer makes for a great combo family gift for under $2m, that anyone in the family can use without having to even turn on a computer, as the printer prints directly off the camera memory card. SO that you don't make yourself craze, and since its slightly different than a typical film point and shoot camera, be sure to read the instruciton booklet, before pushing all the buttons. The documentation KODAK gives you is very easy to understand, so take it slow when you open the Box for the first time. It's so intuitive to use, after the first 2 outings, you NOT need to keep going back to the booklets. JLW/991203.
Rating:
Summary: Great Little Camera
Review: I just received it today, setup the date/time, and was taking pictures in five minutes... Downloaded to the desktop and they looked great... Serial port is very slow though... Use the USB or the PCMCIA adapter (not included) for MUCH faster downloads.... TRUE its only a 2X zoom, but there are lens adapters available from Kodak that will double the zoom, so you will get a 4X zoom... My advise is go for the pixels.... get the dc280
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