Kodak M340 Review

The Kodak EasyShare M340 combines a ten megapixel 1/2.3" CCD imager and a Kodak-branded 3x optical zoom lens with a 35 - 105mm equivalent focal range, a rather tight wide angle to a moderate telephoto. For framing images, there's a 2.7-inch LCD display of unspecified resolution, but no optical viewfinder. They're an increasingly rare option these days, but one that adds a good degree of versatility, letting you get the shot when you can't make out the LCD in bright sunlight, or save battery life by disabling the LCD when accurate framing isn't vital. Images are stored on Secure Digital / MultiMediaCards including SDHC types, or in 16MB of internal memory.

The Kodak M340 offers a generous 18 scene modes to help beginners achieve the results they're looking for without the need to understand subtleties like shutter speeds, apertures and the like. The M340 includes Kodak's face detection technology, which locates up to five faces and automatically adjusts the focus and exposure. The M340 determines exposures with a multi-pattern, center-weighted, or center spot TTL metering system, and offers 2.0EV of exposure compensation in 1/3EV increments. Five white balance settings are available including an auto mode, and ISO sensitivity is controlled automatically or manually from 64 to 1600. The EasyShare M340 also offers a movie mode, capturing VGA (640x480) clips at 24 frames-per-second or QVGA (320x240) clips at 24 frames-per-second, in QuickTime MotionJPEG format.

The M340 offers standard-definition NTSC / PAL video output. Images and movies captured on the Kodak M340 are transferred to your computer over a USB 2.0 High Speed connection. Power comes from a proprietary KLIC-7001 lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack, and an AC adapter for in-camera charging is included in the bundle.

Pricing for the Kodak EasyShare M340 is approximately US$150, and the camera is available in body colors including silver, blue, green, and red.