Rating: 
Summary: Questionable image quality
Review: This camera has a questionable image quality. I had to return this camera. I didn't buy it on Amazon, I bought in the Business Depot.
The main problem is a bad image quality when making portrait indoor pictures. Indeed, if you magnify the picture you can see it in almost any image, not only indoor pictures, which you even don't have to magnify. This is not a hardware problem, this is a firmware image processing problem. Details in photos can and do look muddy. The colors are artificial. I read and saw that a lot of people don't see such a problem but as of today (after reviewing more than 300 images from the internet, my friends and myself) I haven't seen a single good portrait image from Kodak DX6490. All of the images taken with Kodak DX6490 that were addressed as good images and shown to me by other people didn't look good at all as well. I cannot address such a problem as one doesn't know how to use the camera, too many images have been reviewed. This made this camera for me useless. This camera is a nice toy, but doesn't stand a very simple image analysis.
Take different portrait images from other comeras and put next to Kodak images and see it for yourself.
I had a chance to compare this camera (actually I had a chance to compare even with two Kodak DX6490) with Toshiba M700 and HP 945. The Kodak images were really bad compared to two cameras above. HP 945 image quality was so much better that I went with HP and I don't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: You Don't Need to Use Kodak's Software
Review: Just wanted to clear up some errors in prior reviews. First, several people commented on the Kodak Software and some of its limitations.First, you do not need to use the Kodak Software except to load the drivers for the Camera/Dock. (customer from Riverside take note, you may not need to return your camera) Second, with Windows XP, once the camera is in the Easyshare Dock, you only need to push the button and camera connects to the PC as another Storage drive. (You'll see it show up on "my computer" as another Hard Disk Drive). Once it is connected you can use Windows XP to copy all the pictures to anywhere on your one of your disks and edit it with any photo program that supports JPEG files.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Digital Camera
Review: I am a first time user of digital cameras but a long time user of 35mm cameras and I am very pleased with the performance of this camera.
It produces extremely sharp pictures and although I have read about purple fringing in some other reviews I cannot see this in any photos I have taken. Some photos have blurring if there was movement in an otherwise motionless picture but that comes from using the auto feature in a low light situation and that can be easily resolved with this cameras long list of other features.
The only real drawback I see, and it is kind of minor, is the auto focus. It seems to me to be a bit slow and I have several times missed a picture waiting for it to fix on a subject. I am used to a 35 mm and focusing on the subject myself so this is a bit strange for me. I have also noticed that it will sometimes fix on something other than what you are aiming for but again you can change the focus point to some degree too and this may result in better focusing and less lost pictures.
Overall I am quite pleased with this camera and the pictures that it produces and also you can use the pictures with any other editing software as long as it supports jpeg images and you can save the images from your camera in the same ppi that they were originally taken, someone wrote here that all pictures were saved at 72 dpi, pictures are saved in ppi ( pixels per inch ) and printed in dpi ( dots per inch ) and you can change the resolution on the camera and your printer so you should check this and you can also check this by looking at the properties for each picture and it will show you the picture size 2304 x 1728 for example.
Anyway enough talk this is a good camera and it takes really good pictures but I do suggest you read the manual.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera - minor inconveniences
Review: I'm used to working with 35mm SLR cameras. I took a leap and bought this because it has 10x (380mm) zoom lens at 3.5 f when it's set at the max zoom -- which is a bit better than my longest SLR lens. I basically wanted a back-up camera for travel and wildlife photography. I took a few hand-held shots at the highest zoom and achieved incredible results -- an extremely sharp image. I would never get a result from this with my Nikon SLR. I'm about 90 per cent happy with this camera. Quite a few reviews do a good job of going over this camera's better features. Here are some minor inconveniences to consider:
* The lens ring won't allow you to attach any kind of filter or lens adapater. Only Kodak can make these for the camera. I wrote to Kodak and they said they aren't expecting any accessories for this camera till Feb next year.
* There is a plug for an external flash but no hotshoe. HOwever, you can sometimes find a tripod that can accommodate.
* The software that allows you to transfer images from your SD (the media that stores your photos on the camera) will only transfer at 72dpi unless you're going to print right then and there. This means you can't store (transfer) a bunch of high resolution images on your hard drive and wait to print them later. This means you can't delete images from your media if you have any intention of printing the photo at a later date. You can burn a CD, but the images will transfer at 72 dpi. It is expensive to process the images from your SD to a disc at the highest resolution (London Drugs charges $16.00 for 24 images on a CD burned at the highest resolution possible). I take hundreds of photos so 24 images per CD is a bit pricey for me. I may as well rely on my 35 mm processing and keep the negative. As you know, it's also expensive to leave the image stored on a $130 SD too.
* Shooting speeds are a bit slow - even in burst mode. The camera will allow you to take two photos a second or so; however, the viewfinder won't let you see those photos as you're snapping - you're basically snapping blind which means sports photography or wildlife (fast moving animals) will be impossible to shoot.
However, I'm sure there are some ways around these few minor inconveniences. LIke I said, the prints I got developed were outstanding and the lens is fabulous. The sensor is also fabulous and I'm able to take photos in near-dark conditions. I'm happy with this camera as a back-up. If I wanted a camera that would fix the above problems, I'd have to shell out thousands more in some sort of SLR-type digital with fast lenses, etc. This is a happy compromise.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Great Kodak
Review: This is my second Kodak and I love it as much as I did my old DC290 when I first got it (which was a lot). The Zoom is awesome, as everyone here has already said, and the colors are vivid and vibrant. The camera has a great feel to it and fits my hand nicely. One of the main reasons I wanted a new camera was so that I could take nice macro shots (close-ups). This camera delivers. I also really wanted a camera that could "process" shots quicker than my DC290. The camera also delivers in this respect. I've tried to take pictures fast enough to make the camera pause but have been unable to do so. I love this camera. When I decided to start looking at a new camera I read Kodak's press release on this one and decided to wait on a purchase until it came out. Then I read all the reviews I could and compared them to the other camera I was considering, the Fujifilm S5000, and decided I'd stick with Kodak. I'm very happy with my decision. As for drivers, well if you use Mac OS X, you don't have to worry about them. Plug the camera into an available USB port and it "just works".
Rating:
Summary: Camera great - software awful!
Review: I just purchased this camera and was thrilled with the ease of use. It is definitly a winner. BUT - be prepared for the software! A camera dock was included with the camera and I did not want to purchase the printer dock as I am very happy with the results I get with my own printer. I enjoy being able to manipulate my pictures for collage, calendars, cards, etc. The Kodak software allows you to connect directly to your computer with a provided USB cable or the dock. The download was successful and then came the problems. You cannot copy the pictures to any other program which I wanted to do as their software editing of pictures is limited to redeye, brightness and crop. If you use the crop feature, when you print it won't make any difference as the sizes are 4x6, 8x10, etc. The only way I could get a picture I could copy was to burn a CD or print the picture and scan it. When you print, you have to use Kodak paper or you cannot use their one button feature which is an autofix of your picture. It seems the salespitch here is to force you into buying their printer and then doing what you want with a scanner or CD to get the results you want. If you don't, you will be wasting a lot of picture quality paper. If you just want a good camera and are willing to invest in their printer, paper and ink, then you will probably like this camera. As for me, I am returning it for a refund.
Rating:
Summary: great camera
Review: my review is short and sweet. the dx6490 is my 3rd digtal camera and is by far the best camera for the money. i am 100% satisfied with it. i recomend it to anyone who likes great pictures from a simple to use camera.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera, but a little bulky because of the zoom lens.
Review: Pretty much every thing has been said on this camera in the older reviews. My recommendation is simple:
If you want a camera that has great zoom capabilities, a big LCD and want to stay under $500.00, you'll be more than happy with this camera. If you don't care for those features, go with something that's smaller. (The 10x zoom lens is the reason that this camera is bulkier than other cameras with less zoom. I believe that, for the ammount of zoom, it is still incredibly small. But once again, if this isn't important to you, you'd probably be happier with a camera that is smaller and a little more portable.)
Rating:
Summary: Old-time camera guy finds heaven!
Review: Over 45 years of picture taking with Nikons, Noritas, Speed Graflex varieties, Mamaiya and other great cameras for their day, this is the sweetest camera yet. The 10x zoom is razor sharp, and even when the digital multiplier makes it 30x, it is still sharp and hand-holdable -- both of which surprised me. The layout/design of the camera is so perfect I marvel over it yet, after months of use. Even the lens cap is engineered! It has no filter ring, but all that and more can be done on the computer. One never adjusts the camera to B/W or whatever -- shoot in full color and then "filter" or go to sepia or whatever in the digital darkroom of your computer. It takes wonderful photos under all conditions and has all the manual controls I'm not only used to from wet-photography, but which I'm glad to be done with. "Auto" works for almost all circumstances. The flash is amazing. Beautiful close-ups of small items are best done by sitting back 4 or 5 feet, zooming in, and using the flash. I couldn't believe how it works! The camera fits into the hand and all controls are perfectly placed. Again, after using cameras for nearly a half century, this one is the camera perfected in every way. It lacks a cable release socket for the shutter, but that means nothing--when did any of us last use one? It has everything else, and more. I think that in the State of Massachussets, I could marry this camera but I'm scared of what our kids would look like. Anyway, I couldn't recommend it any more highly.
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera
Review: My 35mm Fujica is 35 yrs old and our Minolta 35mm isn't much younger. With all the differant camera's on the market now, it's hard to make a decision without a lot of research. The customer reviews on this site and a couple others are excellent tools for the novice. We decided to not limit ourselves to one of the "simple" inexpensive models, but to buy a good camera with features we would use. After narrowing the field to 4 differant cameras our decision was based on reviews and going out and handling the differant models. We chose the Kodak DX6490 for a couple of reasons. First the large view screen, it's almost twice the size of most of the screens on other cameras we looked at, and its color and clarity is remarkable. The camera, while it looks a little strange, fits comfortably in the hand and the controls most commonly used are easily accessible without a lot of fumbling around. The 10x optical zoom is of course a big plus, and the 3x digital zoom is just icing on the cake. The flash is very good and we especially like the red-eye feature, it really works. The manual is very good, with lots of pictures and diagrams and arrows pointing at the differant controls, and for us technology challenged individuals that is a big plus.
We have had the camera for only a short time, but have taken quite a few pictures, getting familiar with the use of the controls and lcd display. Hard to adjust to a sreen after so many years of looking thru a view finder. Of course you have the option of using the electronic view finder also.
One of the features we really appreciate is the "sport" feature. It allows you to take stop action pics. We travel a lot on our Harley and take a lot of pictures while going down the road. This feature enables us to do that with this camera. We had been told in the past that digitals were not the best choice for this activity, but this one really does the trick, even close shots of our riding companions come out sharp and clear. The "burst" mode also does a great job while moving.
As another reviewer commented, we added a 256mb memory card and now have the capacity to take over 200 pics at highest resolution, using it and the internal memory as well. Thats a lot of pic's. We will probably get a spare 256mb for long trips, when we do not have access to our computer.
The camera dock that came with the camera is very easy to hook up and use. We really like the one button transfer and I have found that I can even use it with several of my other photo programs, downloading directly to the program I want to use.
We had never done video's before, but this little camera does a pretty good job. The sound is a little sub par, but not bad considering how small the microphone is. There is a learning curve on how to smoothly move the camera while "filming", so you don't get that choppy motion, but that will come with practice.
This camera has too many features to discuss em all in 1000 words or less, so I've tried to touch on the one's that we commonly use and were most impressed with. Just the fact that we can now take excellant digital photo's while moving down the highway is worth the money spent.
I have and will reccommend this camera to all my friends and family as a keeper. May have to get another, so I don't have to fight "whats her name" for camera time. Buy it, you'll like it.
'NUFF SAID.
AN UPDATE...We've had the camera over a month now and are still very pleased with it. As several other reviewers have noted you do not need to use the easyshare software. We have it completely installed on one of our computers but only installed drivers on the other. Actually find it easier to use without the easyshare software. I already have several photo programs that are do a better job of manipulating photo's and are actually easier to use. Still a great camera and recommend it to everyone.
|
