Customer Reviews

Kodak EasyShare CX6330 3.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and Dock Bundle

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

the cx6330 is a point and shoot camera. this camera may be for you if what's most important is ease of use and ease of sharing pictures.

pros:
- kodak's greatest strength remains its EasyShare system, which makes it very easy to mark photos for printing and e-mailing.
- convenient docking station for charging the batteries, and connecting to a PC.
- the optional printer dock 6000 lets you place the camera on the dock, and one press of a button produces a high quality 4x6" print in 90 seconds.
- 3X optical zoom.
- 3MP resolution.
- multi-zone auto-focus system.
- has scene modes: Auto, Sport, Night Portrait, Landscape and Close-up.
- good photo quality.
- low noise in images.
- good macro performance.
- very easy to use.
- nice layout of controls and easy to understand.
- minimal shutter lag.
- good burst mode.
- supports fast usb 2.0.
- decent size and weight for the features and price (4.0 x 2.6 x 1.5 in" weighing in at 6.2oz).
- can be used with non-proprietary rechargeable AA batteries. this means that in a pinch, replacement batteries are as close as the nearest convenience store.
- good value - good feature set at this price level.

cons:
- more purple fringing than competition.
- details in photos not detailed enough.
- soft corners.
- some red-eye incidence.
- slight barrel distortion at wide angle.
- exposure control is automatic only, no ability to directly control lens aperture or shutter speed.
- LCD display can be difficult to use in dim lighting.
- no AF assist lamp.
- limited image resolution options when compared to competition.
- slow start-up time.
- average shot-to-shot times.
- RAW and TIFF formats not supported.
- the 16MB of built-in memory is not adequate - be ready to shell out more $$ for more memory (SD card).
- add a few more bucks to your budget for rechargeable batteries.

for the price, this is a very nice camera and is a good value considering the 3x zoom, 3MP resolution, and the EasyShare system. the main selling point of this camera is still the ease of use as well as ease of sharing photos. for competition, consider the fuji finepix A303 and sony cybershot DSC-P52.

for an extra one hundred bucks, you can also upgrade to the kodak dx6440 and get an extra megapixel of resolution and 4x zoom vs 3x zoom.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

I have read all the reviews about how simple the Kodak software and use of the docking cradle is and I must agree. Kodak has done an outstanding job of making a complex process of getting good images very simple. I guess thats why the reviews state that Kodak has won awards for ease of use. I have owned both a Canon camera and currently own a Sony also and while they are very good cameras thier pitfal was how complex they were to learn. The Kodak camera and dock have made my family finally rid themselves of the 35mm camera. No more trips to Walgreens for developing anymore as we are getting film like images from our HP printer. My only complaint is that the paper that came with the bundle should have been 8x10 becuase the output with the high quality mode is every bit as good as my current Sony. The 4x6 paper is high quality, but the camera is ready for prime time 8x10 photos. I have since switched from using a lesser quality paper to Kodak for my own prints with my Sony. The extra 50 cents for an 8x10 is worth it. I have tried the Kodak matte paper also and have found this to be the best of the top name brands.
Another great point is that with the rechageable batteries that come with the dock I can take over 200 pictures before a charge. My old Canon and current Sony would get about half that.

This was my first digital camera and I really didn't know what to expect. Kodak really simplified matters by including two "START HERE!" leaflets (one for the camera and one for the dock). The leaflets include 7 steps for the camera and 5 for the dock. If you follow these, you will be ready to take pictures in less than one hour-assuming do you have not complications.

The one complication I had was (ironically) the Easyshare Software. While the software specifications state that it will work on a 64-Mb ram computer, it recommends 128 Mb. I have the 64-Mb, and my computer had trouble. Basically, the Easyshare software is programmed to include itself among your computer's startup programs, which means it will automatically startup when you turn on your computer. Since this program is relatively huge, and it was competing with other softwares that automatically started up, my computer began to crash. Unfortunately, the Easyshare software does not give you the option to NOT have it startup automatically. It's a long story how I got the computer to run. The short version: since I have Windows 98, I used "msconfig.exe" to stop Easyshare from automatically starting up. Now, if I want to upload pictures, I have to first double-click on the Easyshare icon, then I press the transfer button. I recommend closing out other softwares before running Easyshare, unless you have 128 Mb or more RAM. Otherwise, your computer may crash.

As for the camera, it is very easy to use. I was able to take pictures and do other stuff without reading the user's guide. For certain things, I will have to use the guide, which is relatively short given the features the camera has. The pictures I have taken look great. To transfer photos from the camera directly to the computer, all you have to do is connect the cable provided into your camera and into a USB port on your computer. Easyshare, which should be running before you connect the cable, will automatically detect the camera and begin the transfer.

If you prefer the Dock, all you have to do to transfer photos is place the camera on the dock and press the transfer button. Assuming the Easyshare software is running, the pictures will quickly upload. The Dock also serves the purposes of recharging the batteries that come with the Dock. (Actually, the rechargeable batteries that come with the Dock are placed in the camera.) An AC adapter powers the Dock. Also, it's nice to know that if your rechargeable batteries run out, you can use certain "AA" batteries designed for cameras. An improvement I would make for the dock is a cover. When the camera is not docked, dust can easily build up on the port that connects to the camera. Actually, the dock is the weakest link in this setup. It is not clear when it is charging. Mine is good about telling me when it is done, but nothing else. Also, the camera itself does not appear to say how it's doing on power.

I shopped around and found the price here at Amazon for the bundle (camera and dock) to be a steal. Overall, it's a good value and, for the most part, easy to use.

Great camera great pictures. Free bag & paper nice, too. Easy to use, simple to operate and not too many bells and whistles for the beginner. It took 30 minutes from opening the box to viewing pictures on my PC...Easy, good value, free stuff! GREAT

After 3 weeks I have gotten to a point that my pictures are almost as good as my Canon SLR camera. My wife will never use our 35mm camera again. The docking cradle and simple software made the transfer to digital printing very simple. The 4x6 paper is great quality, but 8x10 prints are the way to go as the quality is great. I bought some cheaper quality photo paper and thats what I got...cheaper looking prints. Stick with Kodak paper, as its worth the extra money. I have seen some prints that my neighbor gets from Ofoto and my pictures on 8x10 from my HP printer look as good and I dont have to wait.

I bought the camera in August. And simply to said it is easy for a beginner (like me) to use. No doubt on it. (You can check on other people reviews). Here are some tips that I would like to share (never mentioned else where, as far as I know).

For those IT-background people (like me), you might consider upgrade the firmware to 1.03 if you haven't done so. Download it from Kodak web site. It makes your camera's operation become more stable.

It supports two types of memory cards, MMC (Multi-media card) and SD (Secure Digital) card. With a MMC supported, you can exchange the MMC with the most latest handphone. (MMC is commonly used in modern handphone).This is a great advantage for investment as most other camera can only support one type of card.

Not every digital camera comes with buil-in memory. CX6330 has a build-in 16MB storage. And my camera also comes with extra 64MB storage in MMC. It allows you to copy the pictures to each other (from MMC to build-in and vice-versa). The advantage is you can copy the picture from your friends MMC to your build-in memory instead of take your friends' MMC home to transfer to your computer. Or you can transfer a nice picture from your build-in memory to your frineds' MMC. To perform this, go into the review mode, and browse to the picture you want, press the menu button, then you navigate to an option called "copy". (This feature is not mentioned in the user manual). No wonder it uses "EasyShare" software.....:-)

To browse to the picture that you want faster, you can diplay up to 9 pictures at once in your LCD screen.

For beginner, you might want to learn how to use th camera. After transfering pictures to computer, use the EasyShare software to check the properties for every individual pictures. You will learn a lot from there.

(...)

I got my camera for $199 at Best Buy and it is wonderful. It is easy to use, but I would get rechargable batteries if you are going to take a lot of pictures. The software that comes with it makes it easy to download and delete the images from your camera. It lets you create a varity of photos, from 8 x 10s to 5x7s, down to a sheet of wallet size photos. You can also create coloring book-like pages, and even order large prints up to 20 x 30 right from the software package. I took a bunch of photos of my kids and printed them on an Epson C80 printer on glossy paper. When you display them in a frame, you would never know you were using a digital camera and a printer.

The only nuisance item is that the USB connection is behind a flimsy hinged door which seems like it could break if you are note careful. But that in no way takes away from the excellent pictures you can take for $200!

I have always owned Hp products. The last camera was a gift hp photosmart 320 and had no optical zoom, so everytime I tried taking a close up, I cut the object's head off....For a few dollars more I now have a excellent camera where I can zoom in with ease...Good Bye HP...Hello Kodak! Now I can add excellent photos of my grandsons with clear photos fully attached...Buy it, you won't be dissappointed...

I just picked up a 6330 for my wife, who is an avid point and shoot type. She has taken over 150 pics with it to date. We're BOTH impressed by the excellent clarity and definition with this camera. I'd recommend it without hesitation. Indoor results are great, though we have seen some expected red eye; the Kodak software easily remedies it with a couple of clicks.

We chose NOT to purchase the dock. Just buy some rechargeable NiMH, and you'll be fine. Pics are easily downloaded to your computer with the cable provided. I wouldn't recommend the printer... unless you do a LOT of printing; the prints with Kodak Ultima Paper on our HP printer cost 27 cents each compared to 57 cents on the dedicated Kodak printer.

I did a lot of research before buying a digital camera. Wanted to be able to prduce 8 x 10's and scenic pictures, in addition to movie mode. I wanted one for myself, and one for my son, who predicted he would use it only for emailing and eBay...I was prepared to buy him a cheaper camera, but I found this model on Amazon with the dock included, at a price I could only buy the camera for at the stores! Add in the free shipping for the holidays, the great KODAK quality, and the ease of use, and we are very happy!