"Picky Details" for the Kodak EasyShare CX6330 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the EasyShare CX6330:
| | ||
| | (secs) | |
| Power On -> First shot | | Time is for lens to extend fully. |
| Shutdown | | Lens has to retract. |
| Play to Record, first shot | | Time until first shot is captured. |
| Record to play | | Time to display a large/fine file after capture. Second time is for display after processing has been completed. |
| Shutter lag, full autofocus | | First time is for wide angle, second for telephoto. |
| Shutter lag, prefocus | | Time to capture, after half-pressing Shutter button. |
| Cycle Time, max/min resolution | | First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. In large/fine mode, the first three shots occur this quickly, after which the buffer memory is filled, and cycle times stretch to ~5.8 seconds. Oddly, the small/basic images take longer to process than large/fine ones, but there's less of a pronounced pre/post buffer-fill time difference. In small/basic mode, the first six shots have an average interval of 3.13 seconds, after which, the average increases to 4.81 seconds, with significant variation from shot to shot. |
| Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution | 2.5/2.7fps | First number above is for large/fine, second for small/basic files. Numbers beneath are corresponding frames per second. Camera captures four shots in either large/fine or small/basic mode before slowing to cycle times of 7.5 and 6.5 seconds respectively, to write to the memory card. |
The CX6330 is reasonably fast for an inexpensive model. Its shutter lag times are on the good side of average, and shot to shot cycle times are good if not spectacular. Its four-shot buffer should be adequate for most consumer-level shooting.
Power
The EasyShare CX6330 uses two AA-type batteries for its power source, or the optional AC adapter. The table below shows the 6330's power consumption in various modes, and approximate run times for each, based on four 1.2v NiMH batteries with a combined (true, not advertised) 1600 mAh capacity. (Note that I continue to use 1600 mAh batteries as a benchmark, to maintain compatibility with earlier reviews. Modern NiMH AA cells have true capacities as high as 2100 mAh, so you should be able to achieve run times at least 25% longer than those shown here.)
| | (@3.0 volts on the external power terminal) | (Two 1600 mAh NiMH cells) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD | | |
| Capture Mode, no LCD | | |
| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD | | |
| Half-pressed w/o LCD | | |
| Memory Write (transient) | | |
| Flash Recharge (transient) | | |
| Image Playback | | |
This is pretty good battery life for a camera powered by only two AA cells. (And keep in mind that you'll see times a good 25% higher than these if you use the latest, highest-capacity NiMH AA cells.) The run time with the LCD off is particularly good, but the somewhat imprecise optical viewfinder will force you to use the LCD more often than you might otherwise. As always, I highly recommend purchasing two sets of batteries and a good charger along with the camera.
Storage Capacity
The EasyShare CX6330 stores its photos either on its 16 megabytes of internal memory, or on SecureDigital (SD) memory cards. Given the somewhat limited capacity of the 16 MB of internal memory, I strongly recommend buying at least a 64MB capacity card to provide plenty of space for the camera's highest resolution setting. The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the 16MB internal memory at each size/quality setting.
| Resolution/Quality 16MB Internal Memory | ||
| Best 2,032 x 1,524 | Images (Avg size) | 17 941 KB |
| Approx. Compression | 10:1 | |
| 2,032 x 1,354 | Images (Avg size) | 831 KB |
| Approx. Compression | | |
| Better 1,656 x 1,242 | Images (Avg size) | 621 KB |
| Approx. Compression | | |
| 1,200 x 900 | Images (Avg size) | 325 KB |
| Approx. Compression | | |
Download Speed
The EasyShare CX6330 connects to a host computer via a USB interface.
Downloading files to my Sony VAIO desktop, 2.4 GHz Pentium IV, running
Windows XP ("VAIO"), I clocked it at 525 KBytes/second. This
is a fairly fast performance. (Cameras with slow USB v1.1 interfaces
run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast ones run as high as 600 KB/s.
Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces range from ~600 KB/s to several MB/s.)
CX6330 Test Images
CX6330 Specifications
CX6330 "Picky Details"
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