Customer Reviews

Kodak Easyshare C340 5 MP Digital Camera with 3xOptical Zoom

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I have been a kodak digital camera user for several years with thousands of pictures taken on my DX3500 for my job. I decided to start looking for a family printer/camera combo and came across this one at a local store. I checked on Amazon and found it much cheaper with special offers to boot!! Anyway the camera is excellent with enough features and options for the casual photographer. The size is just right and i can easly put it in my pocket with it being just a little larger than a clamshell mobile phone. The photo process was so simple my 6 year old was printing pictures and the quality is equal to standard developed pictures. Another great feature is when you place your camera on the printer dock its recharging the kodak supplied rechargeable batteries so your always ready to go. I trully was amazed at the quality of the photos and no computer is needed to print out amazing shots. This kit is well thought out and Kodak includes EVERYTHING you need to get going, rechargeable batteries and all the cables needed to hook up to the computer whether just the camera or the printer its all there no need to run to the store and buy anything your ready to go out of the box. You get a 10 sheet sample pack of photo paper and ink which we used up the first day just taking shots around the house. I ordered the PH160 by Kodak off of amazon which gives me a .23 per picture average which equals our local store. The great quality, ease of use with the camera and printer, excellent picture quality with no extras to buy equals a solid value by Kodak right out of the box. **Do not be fooled by other printer combos as many do not include cables, batteries, ink, paper etc. and upon purchasing these items the price is right up to the initial kodak combo price.**

After nearly numbing my brain researching a variety of cameras and reading all the reviews for each I settled on this particular model. I received this camera on 11/28/2005 and have given it a real workout taking pix of my grandson who was born 4 days later. With the exception of a few photos which were a little out of focus due to, I believe, operator error the photos have been wonderful. I have not taken any outdoor shots as yet but I can't imagine the quality being any different. I have not tried out all the different settings which include ones for snow and beach and children and more.

The printer has worked perfectly and makes beautiful prints. As for the ink cartridge and paper - I have never run out of ink before I ran out of paper. It has been my experience that the "low ink" message appears when about three sheets are left but it has printed the remaining sheets perfectly before the message tells you to replace the cartridge. By the way I have taken and printed approximately 70 photos. You may or may not consider that limited experience.

I took all my photos set on the minimum megapixel setting because I didn't want to run out of memory. So I decided to purchase more memory. Now I look forward to changing the setting so that I can make enlargements.

As for the Easyshare program - it is great. You can download the photos and arrange them in "albums" with dates which makes it easier to go back and retrieve them quickly. You can email directly from the Easyshare program. Among the things the program does is let you crop, enhance, and work on any red-eye problems plus other fun features. I have also used the downloading feature where I downloaded some of my favorites including ones I had "played" with(as in cropping, etc) to a CD and took to my favorite neighborhood store and made copies using their "self-serve" equipment. Very easy to do.

Obviously you may get more features with a higher grade Kodak digital but this camera suits my needs and you can't beat the price. With the current offer I received the travel case which is great since it holds the camera, the docking station, print tray and all accessories. This all in one package is perfect for taking to special occasions where you might want to put an album together on the spot for the honoree.

Oh, by the way, at the hospital someone picked up my camera and promptly dropped it while handing it to me. It hit the floor and I cringed but the camera had no external damage and obviously no internal damage either since I have taken about 50 pix since with perfect results.

If I ever decide to upgrade my digital camera I will stay with Kodak. And I will already have the docking station and printer! Guess you could say I am very pleased with the product.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to operate this camera. I am definitely not a hi-tech person and I don't care for convoluted instructions or buttons and knobs that make your eyes cross, so I found this camera to be perfect for me.

Hope you find this review helpful.

This is a good and simple bundle to get as a gift for someone who's more on the technology challenged side. I bought this bundle for my Mom and it was a perfect gift for her. The camera is good and easy to use. The printer was a little bit harder to figure out, but once we figured it out, it's now easy to use. It's a good bundle gift because it comes with everything you need to get started; camera, printer, and all the accessories you need. I would buy two additional items with this bundle: a larger memory card and more photo printer. 16MB memory card is too small, and you will burn through the 10 pieces of photo paper that it comes with very quickly.

She loves that she's able to take pictures and print them out right away. She hasn't quite learnt/understand the concept of keeping digital files on the computer, but she understands the concept of taking a picture and then printing it out right away. This camera is different than many digital cameras nowadays in that it also has labels for the commonly used buttons on the back. This helps my mom greatly because she can't remember what every little icon means. This camera also has the look and feel of a "traditional" camera. Sometimes the cameras that would appeal to someone that is more technologically savvy, really intimidates those who are not. This is a very good package that gives you new technology without being intimidating.

I would say it's a good package gift, but if you're looking for high quality, high technology, you'll do better getting separate units.

I bought this camera from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. I took pictures at two parties, one in extremely low light, and they all came out great! Very easy to use, perfect for the user that wants a great picture, but doesn't want any hassle. I purchased rechargeable batteries and I would say they lasted for about 70 shots a charge. I would also recommend a large memory card which I got. A good purchase for $200 complete. You can't beat it.

I am very happy with this purchase in basically every respect. Pictures are of very good quality, the screen, buttons, battery door and memory chip door are fine (the latter of which is of a bad design on the C330), although this is not of the build quality of my old $600 SLR camera, if you are taking 100 shots a day you won't be spending only $155 on a camera will you? Another $100 gets you better build quality but not necessarily a better, easier to use camera. This camera has a decent sized glass lens and enough zoom to cover the 3 lenses I had with my SLR, 35mm to 102mm. The lens has a built in auto lens cover. 2 Ni-metal AA's gets me through more than a day's worth of vacation shooting, at least 50 with the screen on all of the time (then I recharge every evening, so can't tell you how many per charge.) Both the view finder and the screen show the zoom.

I administer a small computer network and I deal with complicated computer issues sometimes, which is another reason I like this camera and the software, its so simple you hardly need a manual for it, and that makes it fast to learn and fast to use.

Technically speaking, this camera has quite good exposure latitude, being able to turn a dusk photo into a daylight looking one, when on a tripod. Exposure compensation is broad, if you like to play with that, and the various exposure modes will cover all of the situations for normal and travel photography, enough for any one who doesn't require a full manual capable SLR. The shutter's maximum speed is well over 1/1000 sec. This camera like all consumer digi cams has a lag before firing the shutter, but it is much quicker than my 2 MP Olympus, this C340 laging no more than 1 sec., and usually much less, according to the daylight situations I usually shoot in.

Unless you plan on making large prints, eg 10 x 16 on a regular basis, or shooting in volume, this is plenty of camera. Frankly if you need more camera than this one, you'd know that already.

The Kodak software is very good and very easy to use and learn, and has many practical features.

This camera can act as a camcorder and it has replaced my analog camcorder. I get 45 mins of video (with 2 gig memory) at full resolution (640 x 480) with audio and the camera plays back the video with the audio! The quality of video doesn't match a true camcorder but this it is so great and simple having both in one, I don't mind. No more $7 tapes to buy and I can edit the films on my laptop.

Now can they put a phone into it?

I am a long-time Kodak fan and user of their cameras and printer docks. After dropping and breaking my CX7430 (I also reviewed this camera and the 6000 printer dock), my husband bought this camera for me this past Christmas. Although I am happy with the overall performance, it is not without flaws, some of which could be a dealbreaker. I much preferred my CX7430 to this model, but I must admit the C340 is growing on me, despite its faults. I'm an avid scrapbooker, and my toddler-aged son and husband are the main "targets" of my photography obsession.

POSITIVES: Thus far I am very pleased with the print quality. It is outstanding, and up to the standards you expect from Kodak. I get fantastic enlargements from Snapfish, thanks to the generous megapixels for a reasonable price. The controls are well laid-out and easy to use. The size is perfect, small enough to easily carry in a purse or bag, yet large enough for a comfortable hold.

It performs well in low light, and the screen gains up considerably to give a good LCD view. The LCD is remarkably bright and visible even on days where the sun is bright and glare seems to be everywhere. The macro function produces breathtaking results, which we thoroughly enjoyed testing at the Butterfly Conservatory. Outdoor shots are captured quickly and easily, with very little lag between rapid "firing". The Sport function is excellent for subjects in motion, and captures fast-paced moments in time beautifully. It also creates really fun shots if you're shooting, say, a child splashing around in mud puddles. The flash does a great job of auto-adjusting. The self-timer is also great! Perfect for quick group portraits.

For only $9.99, I was able to purchase a dock adapter that allowed me to continue to use my EasyShare 6000 printer dock, rather than be forced into unnecessarily purchasing another dock. My 6000 prints quality pictures that I am exceptionally happy with, and from my personal experience are the exact same quality of the newer docks.

NEGATIVES: The battery life on this camera is absolutely terrible. I use a rechargeble Kodak battery pack and my printer dock as the charging station. I am able to get no more than 50 pictures before the battery is completely drained. I have tried everything imaginable to fix this - regular AA's, a new Kodak battery pack, and many different name-brand rechargable batteries. I *might* get an additional 5-10 pictures from the Kodak pack, but overall the effect is the same. With my CX7430 I could get an average of 300 pictures before the battery began to blink out. An e-mail to Kodak Tech Support suggested doing all of the things I have already done (does anyone bother to read what we write?), and no further assistance was offered after I pointed out that these things had been done.

Additionally, the main control disc is VERY loose, and the camera is easily powered on when placed inside a purse, bag, or even its custom case. This drains the battery incredibly, even if only left on for a short time. Even if you double check the camera after placement into the bag, the simple motion of walking is enough to jostle the control and power the camera back on. It is more than a little disappointing to leave for a function with fully charged batteries, only arrive there with a dead camera. Knowing that you have spare batteries isn't reassuring, knowing that each expensive set of batteries will net you only 50 or so pictures, and a lot of time and frustration.

Overall, if you are unconcerned with frequent battery changes and charges, you will receive an excellent picture quality for a great price. However, I can't say I'd count on this model if you're like me, and enjoy taking hundreds of successive shots to capture that one photo you can't live without. The time is takes for frequent battery changes is a PITA, and more than once I have lost a moment thanks to yet another set of dead batteries.

I purchased the bundled after a long research process. I love the camera and dock. The camera takes great pictures, and has so many options to ensure your pictures turn out great. The printer dock pictures come out great and at the quailty that you would pay for at a local store. I reccommend it!!

I like the c340 for it's user friendliness. It has a slight problem with the control knob rotating too easy which results in the turning on in the case or when taking in or out.
The real problem is that camera died 1/2 year after the purchase (used just slightly ~100 shots). Though it wasn't that easy to find the phone number, Kodak service line was quite friendly so far. Camera was mailed for service. I will update!

Update: Kodak's warranty turn-around was great! Camera was repaired and DHLed to me in 4 days. All took less than 10 days.
They have a nice service-tracking site too.

WOW! What a great camera bundle.

+Love that dock for charging. All you have to do is plop it on there and pretty soon your camera is all fully charged and ready to go. No switching batteries or hooking up cables.

+Love those photo lab quality prints. No streaks or grain like ink jet.

+Love that SHARE button. Take a bunch of pics and then browse through them on your camera. "Tag" the ones you want to print with the SHARE button, and all you have to do is set it on the printer dock and press print. It KNOWS which shots you want to print. So cool.

+Love that little knob that switches between modes. I don't have to browse through the menu looking for that scene mode. Switching modes with the 340 takes 2 seconds.

-Ok there's one minus. I wish the LCD was bigger, but that's no reason to pass up this great camera. SO USER FRIENDLY. (check out kodak's website for tips on how to use scene modes and auto focus to your advantage)

I am so happy with my kodak c340 purchase. The camera is so easy to use. It takes excellent pictures!I wish it came with more memory.