Customer Reviews

Kodak DC4800 3.1MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I've read several reviews of the Kodak DC4800 and agree with most of the positive reviews and very little of the negative ones...

Now, prospective wise, this is my very first digital camera so I can offer my opinion with no previous digital camera experience. I have used several upper high end 35mm cameras in my life and do know a little more than your average shooter; with that in mind, I will continue with my review.

First of all, I got much more than I actually expected. All of my enlargments and prints have been done on my HP Deskjet 970CXI printer with Kodak Glossy Inkjet 45 pound paper...some were enlarged and printed from the lowest megapixel level (.8) and others were done with the highest megapixel (3.1) The results have been much better than expected...the color was terrific and the detail was excellent.

The only pictures I took which I considered below excellent quality were, for the most part, due to my mistakes regarding settings, movement when shooting in low light and perhaps greater expectations from the flash than you would normally get with a good 35mm camera...now, a couple of the reviews have mentioned that the flash and focus when taking pictures inside or with low light were far below the quality they were expecting. They may well have a point, however, I attributed these lower quality shots more to my inexperience with the camera and wrong settings than I actually was willing to blame on the camera....when I became more familiar with the limits of the camera, I was able to overcome 95 % of my original poorer quality shots...in other words, when I actually understood the limitations of the camera, I was able to take much better photos with clearly focused shots and excellent color...

Now, a word about expectations; I never really counted on any camera giving me 100 % of everything I expected...it just isn't reality. Different cameras within different price ranges simply are not going to hit our needs 100 % of the time. With my zero level experience with digital cameras and years of amateur level 35mm work, I simply was willing to forgive a few shortcomings if I got what I consider excellent pictures 95 % of the time.

Some have commented on the lame flash which is built into the camera...I never actually expected a lot from it so I was not disappointed when the shots taken from more than ten feet were not as good as one might expect. On the other hand, the camera does have a connection to attach a higher end external flash unit so I would tend to think that even this objection might be overcome if one were to use a good external flash unit. I would be interested in hearing some reports. Like any other camera shooting in low light, if it drops to a longer shutter speed, you had better keep it still or go to a tripod for more stability. I actually attributed a couple of my poor shots to this rather than a focus problem.

Having said the above, I do consider myself a novice digital photograpy buff, however, I can tell you, if you want a camera which is a whole lot of fun and gives you excellent options to venture more into creative control, I would consider getting one. If, however, you are expecting an end all, do all, camera, I seriously doubt if you can find one on the market. Perhaps the extremely high end professional cameras can give you lots of what your looking for, however, I tend to think that even they have limitations...

This is Kodak's entry into the 3 megapixel market (and some reports indicate that this is the first of Kodak's digital cameras to be designed by Kodak Japan), and considering that Kodak did so well at 2MP with the DC280, one expects a formidable digital camera, and gets it, for the most part. This is my second Kodak digital camera and I've continued to purchase Kodak because with digital cameras the camera is also the film and no one knows how to make film quite like Kodak, a la Kodachrome. The previous DC280 is a point and shoot camera only, and while the DC4800 offers manual control of many functions, it still basicaslly a point and shoot camera - for instance, with the DC4800 no control of focus is possible, and if you want to change shutter speed you have to go through several levels of menu (no less than 10 button presses to get to the shutter speed menu and then as much as another 12 to choose the speed). Hopefully, as the digital era progresses digital cameras will become more like the SLRs of old with manual control of every function and all the controls on the body of the camera, rather then buried deep in menus. (I understand Olympus is about to release its E10 which is like a digital SLR; however the price will be about $2000.)

That given, lets examine the Kodak DC4800.

The positives -

For me, after the 3MP resolution and the 3X lens, what impresses me most about the DC4800 is the high quality, high contrast, high resolution, high brightness backpanel LCD, which is now truly useful, unlike that on the DC280. The backpanel controls have also been improved somewhat with a 4 axis "joy" button. The camera has a strap post on each side of the body so one can use a neckstrap; the wide/telephoto control is a "wiggle" switch under the thumb; and the viewfinder has a diopter control for those of us needing glasses. The DC4800 communicates with the computer through USB only (and unlike the DC280 can be used at the same time as other USB devices) and acts just like a flash card reader appearing to the computer as a external, removable drive, with the fast downloading of a reader. The front of the DC4800 lens is well protected, unlike the DC2800. The manual is typical Kodak well done, but strangely enough, as with the DC280 manual, the markings in the viewfinder are not explained. Exposure after pressing the shutter button in almost instantaneous and despite the larger file size of a 3MP file, saving the the file to the CF is considerably faster that the DC280. Digital zooom is surprisingly good, thanks to the 3MP high density.

The negatives -

I was very surprised to find that the lens barrel appears in the lower right corner of the viewfinder at 28mm; I don't know if this is not unusual for a point and shoot as I've never owned one before, but I come close to finding it unacceptable. The battery situation with the DC4800 is not much improved so far as I can tell, even though the camera uses an expensive (proprietary?) Kodak lithium-ion battery; the user will surely have to invest in a $80 battery and charger kit if extended and away-from-the-home use in anticipated. Like the DC280, the battery cover of the DC4800 can be knocked open by a blow to the bottom of the camera body - those comtemplating active use should secure the battery cover with tape. The DC4800 is supplied with only a 16MB CF card and the buyer can expect to spend an additional $200+ on a large CF card, which along with the $80 extra battery and charger will amount to an additional $300+ investment. The camera acts only as a CF reader and is not TWAIN compliant, which leads to lots of inconveniences in saving files. The backpanel LCD gets dark in sunlight. As with the DC280, the tripod mount is plastic and apparently not intended for serious use.

One additional comment - those buying a digital camera should check back with the manufacturer for updated firmware - in Kodak's case there were lots of early complaints about battery life problems with the DC280 which were largely solved with later firmware.

After reading some of the negative reveiws, I felt I had to respond. Having used and tried many digital cameras including the Canon 3030 and Nikon 990, I can tell you that for the price you cannot buy a better camera. The problems with focusing that people complain about is that they probably did not have the focus set properly. There is a macro and infinity setting that has to be set correctly. I know because I had that problem at first but it was my fault. I use the camera in the OR all the time and NEVER have a problem with the focus. As far as the batteries, Kodak did it right. I can easily take 40 high quality pictures using the LED without recharging and the batteries are less than half the weight of 4 AA batteries. The Canon doesn't even include rechargeable batteries for $999. The controls are so user friendly that I can show the nurses how to take great pictures for me in 2 minutes. Try that with the Canon which is way too confusing or even the bulky Nikon 990. I don't understand the "problem" with the flash - it works well to 10 ft which is all it was meant for. The best part about the flash is that I can take pictures from 1 ft away and not overexpose the picture. All in all, it is a great compact 3 megapixel camera at a great price.

First off--I'm spoiled, photographically: for years I've loved using good 35mm Minolta, Nikons and large format film cameras, mainly as an amateur photographer, but also as a freelance from time to time. When I took the digital plunge, I thought this camera would be more of a supplement to my other cameras. I was wrong--now I usually take the Kodak with me and leave the others behind. In short, this is just a great camera, which I've had for about two months now. It can be a bit complex to set up, and on "Program" the results are predictably just OK, but once you use it like a film camera the results are incredible. The control over many photographic settings--and the way Kodak has translated digital controls into "35mm film" settings(like ISO settings, effective focal lengths and such)--is simply fantastic. It's small enough to take with me when a full-blown 35mm Nikon setup is just too bulky (like when I'm biking); it also produces pictures that rival the 35mm. At first, I thought the indoor flash was a bit weak; you can hook up another set of flashes, however, for serious lighting. More importantly, I also found that when I set the camera properly for flash (fill works well, for instance), and proper ISO settings, that I got much better results. The macro and distance settings are effective as well, though I'm not sure why you need the distance setting with an autofocus camera. Flaws? Only in packaging--I wish that Kodak had included a case and neutral lens filter, but that's a very small complaint.

I received this camera friday afternoon, and by sunday night I had taken 200 pictures. Let me tell you, this camera is AWESOME. One word of caution though, GET THE FIRMWARE UPDATE FROM KODAK.COM as SOON as you get the camera. The update fixes an autofocus issue that can leave some lower light and indoor pictures grainier in appearance than they should. Also, buy the battery and charger. The charger will fully charge a battery in about an hour, while the the camera/AC adapter takes over four. It is very nice to have that extra battery too. Also, splurge and get a bigger cf card too, 16MB just doesn't cut it anymore. I admit, I am a camera novice. Still, this camera will deliver the goods in full automatic mode. The LCD is well readable in direct sunlight and the ON-TO-SHOOT time is the best I've seen. This is a truely great little (and light) digital camera.

After shopping around, I found the Kodak DC 4800 to be the best price versus performance deal on a mid level digital camera. The hi quality picture (3.1 MP), USB transfer, manual vs automatic settings and powerful lithium ion battery are usually found on much more expensive cameras.

Obviously for any camera buff image quality is paramount. The DC 4800's high resolution pictures will blow up to 8x10 easily, and even up to 11x14 with a good quality shot. There are a large number of controls that allow the user to adjust for a particular look (saturated color, neutral color, b&w, filtered) or for unique lighting. We found that the image quality on this camera was excellent compared to the other digital cameras that we tried out. Some of our shots showed some aliasing (jagged lines) in compressed modes. However, it disappeared once the images were shot in uncompressed mode (and without digital zoom). As noted by other reviewers, getting the firmware upgrade from the kodak website is important for the quality of low light shots.

Another important feature is ease of use. The camera software is easy to install, the manual is well written and the placement of most common shot settings on a dial on top of the camera is very helpful. I wanted simple point and shoot, which this camera easily supports. On the other hand, my girlfriend is a commercial artist and wanted to be able to operate with manual settings on a traditional camera. Both of us are very happy using the camera.

The only negatives are lack of twain compliance, the small memory card and the long battery charging time:

- TWAIN is an industry standard interface that will allow you to connect your camera directly to numerous photo imaging software packages. This is not supported by the DC 4800 so most file transfers are a two step process. - A 16 MB compact card will only hold 10-15 images with standard compression. ... The battery charger takes four hours. A faster charger is available with a second battery but again it costs a little much

Overall, this was a great deal (note it pays to shop around as the price on the camera varies greatly) for a camera that will grow with your experience. From day one, you will get great quality shots and as you become more confident, you can manually adjust many functions to produce your own look.

I have shot 35mm for decades. A few years ago I got tired of lugging my SLR outfit around and started using good quality P&S autofocus cameras which did a generally good job but fell short in flexibility and indoor flash capabilities. I tried out a Kodak DC 215 last Fall to see if digital was for me. I really liked the advantages of digital, but realized I needed a 3-megapixel camera to get the quality I wanted. The DC 215 also offered no more flexibility than my P&S cameras. I narrowed my choices to the Kodak DC 4800, the Olympus C-3000 and the Nikon Coolpix 880. I finally bought the Kodak due to the current pricing. I feel this is the best bargain in a 3-megapixel camera right now.

The DC 4800 actually provides all the needed traditional film camera flexibility I want in a much more manageable outfit than my old SLR. When you register the camera on the ..., they will send you a ... lens adapter free. I plan to get the telephoto lens and with the built in zoom lens I will have nearly all the focal lengths I had with my SLR's three lenses and 2X tele-extender - all in a form factor that fits in a fanny pack.

I downloaded the firmware version 1.04 and have had no trouble with low light focusing. I have had excellent results with picture quality and my results continue to improve as I learn to use all of the camera's features.

There has been some criticism of the flash. The DC 4800's flash capabilities are at least as good as my P&S cameras, which I realize is ... with faint praise, but this camera's features allow you to easily overcome this limitation. Here's what you do: Buy an inexpensive tilt head automatic flash ( I got the Vivitar 2000, under ... at the country's largest retailer), and then purchase a flash shoe bracket that attaches to the tripod mount on the camera. This costs ... for a straight bar or about ... for an L bracket. If your local camera store doesn't have these, they are available on-line. Plug the flash into the camera's flash terminal. The extremely handy f-stop selection dial can be set to 5.6 for straight flash or 2.8 for bounce flash (I have always had better results with bounce). One caveat: As the lens zooms in, the f-stop setting will close down somewhat - I find you can zoom 1x to 1.3 x before this happens. Usually indoors this is not a problem as you can move closer to your subject instead of increasing the zoom. Bottom line is I get the same flash quality and convenience as on my SLR for only a ... investment - try this on most consumer digital cameras!

I've looked at quite a few digital cameras both online and in stores, but I never found one that even comes close to the "manual" feel of this camera. If you know how to take pictures, you'll really appreciate the way this camera enables you to control aspects like shutter speed that most digital cameras insist on controlling themselves.

I took pictures in total darkness (with the flash of course) and they came out perfectly. I took low-light shots with a longer shutter setting (no flash) and those came out well too. I took action shots, still shots, light-saturated, low-light, indoor, outdoor, with people, with distant scenery, and more... All came out as well as could be expected from any analog camera.

The USB connection is fairly straight-forward though it could use a better user interface. The battery does get drained pretty quickly, so you can't just leave the camera on as you walk around on a tour. But it's only flaws (besides a cheap lens cap) can be fixed with an extra battery and larger compact flash. All around though, I haven't seen a digital camera yet that can even compete.

PROS: Vivid colors, astonishing picture quality and details, great design and ergonomics, USB connection

CONS: Battery drains fast, bad focus in low-light conditions

Kodak's DC4800 gives you easy access to manual functions, offers a direct USB connection to download photos to desktop and notebook, more sturdy than other cheap cameras, accurate colors that rivals film cameras. Having access to higher resolutions (such as 3.1 mega pixels) is is important as well, b/c you want your picture to be sharp and crisp.

Ergonomics are great and your hands will feel at home when using it! The casing feels very solid, but the two plastic doors (for connectivity and the memory card) looks like they could break at any time.

Here are the functions accessible manually: - Self-timer: to chose the moment your camera will triggers itself. - Burst mode: to take 4 pictures in sequence (at the lowest picture quality, you can take up to 16). - Landscape: to prevent the camera from focusing on a near subject and have the horizon in focus. - Close-up: To let the camera adjust the focus to take a subject between 0.7-2.3 feet in great details. - Flash and flash settings: Will let you chose between flash, no flash, red-eye - Exposure compensation (from -2 to +2): This will let you chose to over- or underexpose your subject, to adapt to various light conditions. - Aperture (f/8, f/5.6, f/2.8): You can decide on the depth of field, so that you can have sharpness and blurriness where you like it on your photos. You can also choose P for the automatic settings to take over. - Zoom in/out: You get a 3x physical zoom, and also a 2x digital (which adds up to the 3x automatically when you press the zoom button long enough). You could also choose to block your camera from entering the digital zoom mode, to prevent yourself from using it (I have yet to see a photo which benefited the use of the digital zoom... they're always grainy, not only with the Kodak's digital zoom, but with all those I tried).

The Kodak DC4800 comes with a 16 mb Compact Flash memory card, which is a complete nonsense for a 3.1 mega pixels camera. You should buy at least 64 MB. Amazon has great prices on this.

The BAD part of the DC4800 is its inability to focus in low-light conditions. It rarely focuses on the subject but looks for any source of light and focus at that point.

The main complaint with the DC4800 goes to the battery.Kodak's proprietary Li-Ion battery that's used in the DC4800 doesn't impress at all. With the LCD on, it doesn't last more than 40 pictures, after which the LCD turns itself off. Get a charger and solve your problems.

ALL digital cameras have their shortfalls, but this one has the least. It's simply amazing when you consider the price!

First of all, all the great reviews here and on other sites for this camera are well-deserved. I will not waste more time repeating what others have said, except to say that the flash works as well or better than any point and shoot 35mm I have used before. However, the flash does tend to wash out color, which you can compensate for by manually adjusting the white balance, which is excellent on this camera, or by not using a flash and taking a longer exposure. I recommend the latter, and was very surprised at how sensitive the camera was in fairly low light. Certainly far more sensitive than my P.O.S. film camera. Battery life is a big issue for all dig cams, and I would say that if you do nothing to save battery life, you get about 2-3 hours of continuous use from one charge. If you turn off the LCD and don¡¯t use the flash, you will extend this a great deal. I am not sure how much more life this gives you, as the battery never ran out when I did this, but it is at least four hours. Your expectations for the battery should be similar to a laptop or a camcorder, and this battery works as well or better than most. As for complaints about the lens cap not attaching to the camera body, you don¡¯t have to be MacGuyver to figure out that a piece of string about 8 inches long should solve this problem. Pros: easy use right out of the box (after 4 hours to charge the battery), excellent manual, super images, fast download to PC, image control (white balance, exposure, aperture, color saturation, uncompressed TIFF option for really high res). Able to accommodate additional lenses with the adapter that you get free for registering the camera. Price is a plus, esp. now with the $100 rebate. Shop around and you can find this camera for... after rebate. Cons: memory card is comically, if not criminally, insufficient. At max resolution, one picture will be 9MB. The included card is 16MB. To state the obvious, this would give you ONE pic at max res. Using minimal compression, files are ~2MB. What is the point of having 3MP power if you can¡¯t use it? You need a bigger memory card, the EZ upgrade comes with a 64MB card and an extra battery for less than the price of the card alone. NB, the battery charger is not included in this package. The included software is not very good, to be kind. It is functional if you have no alternative, but I would say that Photoeditor is far superior and Photodeluxe or photoshop are too superior to even compare. Also, the camera software is not compatible with windows NT. You can buy a card reader for pretty cheap to overcome this, which you might want to buy anyway to avoid always connecting/disconnecting the camera from the PC. Overall: Buy this camera with the extra battery, charger, and larger memory and you will probably have no complaints.