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Kodak DCS Pro 14n Digital SLR Kodak's latest digital SLR brings full-frame, 13.7 megapixel resolution to market for under 5,000. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet Pro 14n Photo Gallery! Pro 14n Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on Pro 14n Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Design :(Previous) | (Next): Optics>> Page 4:Viewfinder Review First Posted: 03/23/2003

Viewfinder

The 14n is a digital SLR, meaning that it has a true, TTL (through the lens) optical viewfinder. A digital display at the bottom of the viewfinder's image display reports the basic exposure settings, such as aperture and shutter speed, and any exposure compensation dialed in. Additionally, a variety of icons in the information display indicate various other camera settings, from metering mode to exposure mode. A set of focus brackets in the central portion of the display show the available autofocus sensors, and indicate the currently-selected AF area by glowing a dull red when the AF is active. Through the camera's Custom menu, you can turn on an alignment grid, which displays a light grey grid pattern over the subject area. The 14n's optical viewfinder also has a diopter adjustment switch, which adjusts the view for eyeglass wearers, although its range doesn't seem to be as wide as that of many cameras on the market, covering value from -0.8 to +1.8 diopter

 

 

The illustration above shows the exposure and other information that's reported in the viewfinder display.

The 14n's viewfinder presents a very wide field of view, no doubt thanks in part to the full-frame sensor and the wider frame that it calls for. One side effect though, seems to be that the eyepoint is a bit lower than I've become accustomed to on other SLRs, forcing me to press my eyeglass lenses right against the eyepiece bezel to see the full frame. - People with unusually thick eyeglass lenses my have trouble seeing all of the frame at one time.

Though not available for use as a viewfinder, the 14n does have a two-inch, 130,000-dot, low temperature polysilicon TFT LCD display. The LCD monitor display images while in review mode, and also provides access to the camera's settings menus. During image review, the LCD monitor offers one of four display modes, changed via a small sub-menu that appears on-screen momentarily during image review. Review modes are Single Image, Histogram, Zoom Image, and Multiple Image. Single Image mode displays only the captured image, without an information overlay. In Histogram mode, a thumbnail of the image is displayed, along with a small histogram of the image and the exposure information. Zoom Image mode lets you enlarge the current image, using the arrow keys to pan around within the expanded view. Finally, Multiple Image mode displays four thumbnails on the screen at one time.

The 14n's Histogram display is unusual, in that it reports extended-range exposure information, as preserved in Kodak's "ERI JPEG" (Extended Range Imaging JPEG) format. A full discussion of ERI JPEG technology is beyond the scope of this article, but it's basically a (very) clever way of recording all the information that would normally be preserved in a RAW-format image, but lost from a JPEG file. The really clever part is that ERI JPEGS can still be read just fine as normal JPEGs (minus the ERI data) by standard imaging software. The extended-range information won't be available in such programs, but they'll at least be able to read all the basic JPEG information in these files. In the 14n's histogram, the extended-range information appears in a grey-tinted area to the right of the standard histogram plot. (Think of this data as corresponding to "super highlights," brighter than the 100% level of the basic JPEG data, but with valid tonal data recorded in the ERI file.) Information represented by this part of the graph won't be visible in standard JPEG images, but can be recovered by using Kodak's ERI JPEG plug-in for Photoshop(tm). The screen shot above right shows an image with some highlight information that pushes up into the "ERI" range of the histogram.

Two smaller status LCDs are also on the 14n, one on top for a quick view of basic camera settings, and a second one on the back panel that reports on the camera's digital functions. The smaller digital status LCD on the back panel has a dynamic display that reports either capture-related information, review-related information, or helpful messages. Capture-related information includes explanations of the digital buttons and their shortcuts, the number of captured images on either the CF or SD/MMC card, the current aspect ratio, RAW and JPEG resolutions, white balance, and ISO. In Review mode, the display reports basic image information such as the file name and image number, as well as the folder, file format, and resolution. During camera operation, either in a menu or not, this smaller LCD also shows descriptions for menu selections or shortcut keys. (For example, it may indicate to press the right and left buttons to change one setting, and the up and down arrows for another.)

 

 

The slightly larger LCD data readout on the camera's top panel displays information about more conventional camera settings, such as shutter speed and aperture, metering modes, exposure compensation, etc. Most of the external camera controls for frequently-used functional settings work in conjunction with this display to show you the setting value you've selected.