Kodak, DC265 Digital Camera
1.5 Million Pixels, with "Pro" options like External Flash & Manual Focus
Enhancements: Faster startup, more full-res shots without stopping, lower-compression image-quality setting.
("First Look" review date: 15 March, 1999 - Full review posted 16 April, 1999)
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1,536 X 1,024 pixel resolution |
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External flash sync, w/manual aperture | |
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Optional manual focus setting | |
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3X optical zoom, + 2X digital | |
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Improved startup time, up to 6 full-res images in rapid succession. | |
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Reduced image compression with "Super
Quality" mode. |
| Too much info! - Split review format:
There ended up being SO much to write about the DC265, that we've split-off our user-interface coverage, as well as coverage of the Digita F/X application we tested with the camera. The "EZ Print" page below includes all of the elements, to faciliate printing it all in hardcopy form. Follow the links below, or in the main body of the text to see other portions of the review: |
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Preface
Kodak has long been a leader in digital imaging, having created some of the
very first all-digital cameras as long ago as 1991. Kodak opened new territory
last year, with their DC260, which combined high resolution with the then-brand-new
Digita scripting language from FlashPoint. They thus addressed not only the
upper end of the picture-taking marketplace (with features such as external
flash sync), but also offered more opportunities for third parties to integrate
the camera into customized applications and workflows. Full details on Digita
were a bit slow in coming, and only now does it seem to be reaching its full
potential. Nonetheless, the DC260 was an important step in the ongoing integration
of computer and camera.
Now, Kodak has significantly enhanced the capabilities of the DC260 in
the upgraded DC265 model. The new unit boasts a substantially faster processor,
improved power management, much larger "buffer" memory for longer
shot sequences without pausing, and more-extensive use of the Digita scripting
language in the as-shipped unit. It also includes a lower-compression "Super"
image-quality mode. Other pluses include faster LCD refresh, and the inclusion
of high-capacity NiMH rechargeable batteries and charger. Although not mentioned
in the Kodak literature, our tests indicate that Kodak has also improved the
color-handling and increased image contrast somewhat. The result takes the famous
"Kodak color" that has characterized Kodak's digicams to a new level.
(We also observed this new level of color in the other models recently introduced
by Kodak, the DC200 and DC240.)
Kodak officially rates the DC265 as capable of producing photo-quality
output up to a 8x10 print size, and we agreed, finding that even full-page 8x11
(~A4) images hold together surprisingly well on high-quality inkjet printers.
High-Points Overview
- 1.6 Megapixel Plus CCD sensor delivering up to 1536 x 1024 pixel resolution
- 3x optical zoom lens with additional 2x digital zoom
- 2.0 inch color LCD for preview and review of images before and after capture, as well as an optical viewfinder for framing and capturing images
- Lens focal length 38 mm to 115 mm equivalent
- ISO 100 equivalent with f3.0/4.7 (wide angle/tele) maximum lens aperture
- 1/4 to 1/400 second shutter speed
- Focus distance from 12 inches to infinity (To 8 inches in our tests)
- Built-in flash with four settings: Auto, Off, Fill, and Red-Eye settings
- Flash range up to 9.8 feet
- Optional external flash sync
- Timelapse option to capture shots at pre-defined intervals up to 24 hours
- "Burst" option captures up to 6 images at high and medium resolutions, and 24 images at standard resolution, with selectable frame rate from .1 to 3 frames per second
- 16 MB picture card included for in-camera storage and for transferring images to PCs
- Speedy transfer of images to PC through a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port or standard RS-232 connection
- IrDA interface for camera-to-camera transfer of images
- Enough detail to produce photo-quality prints up to 8 x 10 inches
- Video out capability in either PAL or NTSC format
- Stores images in standard JPEG or FlashPix formats
- Easy-to-navigate menu system for customizing your picture-taking experience
- Includes Kodak Picture Easy software, as well as TWAIN software for Windows systems and PhotoShop plug-in modules for Macintosh systems
- Includes Adobe PageMill and PhotoDeluxe software for Windows and Macintosh systems
- Includes 4, AA Alkaline batteries and 4, NiMH rechargeable batteries with
charger (hooray!)
EZ Print Link
Readers have requested free-formatted versions of our reviews (without the graphical
accouterments of our page design), to make printing easier. We are accommodating
this request with special copies of each review, formatted to allow the text
flow to be dictated by the browser window. Click here
for a print-optimized page. (For your convenience, this version of the review
also incorporates the review sections on the DC265's user interface, and FlashPoint's
Digita F/X application, which otherwise appear as separate files.)
Design
The DC265 has the identical body used for the DC265 (and the DC220), following
the design style established by the earlier DC210, but in size and layout more
of a departure from the appearance of film-based point & shoots. It does
still look more like a camera than a computer peripheral, preserving the visual
familiarity of the DC210. The DC265 is clearly not intended to be a "pocket"
camera though, weighing in at a hefty 1.2 pounds (525g) without its four AA-cell
batteries installed, and measuring 4.6 x 2.2 x 4.2 inches (118 x 57 x 106 mm).
Viewfinder
The DC265 provides both an optical viewfinder and 2-inch LCD panel, which can
be turned on when the camera is in capture mode, to "preview" images
before they're captured. At other times, the LCD is used for reviewing previously-captured
photos, or to display menus used for setting camera status. (The DC265's LCD-based
menu system is a model of clarity and ease-of-use: See the screenshots later
in this article.) Like all current-technology LCDs though, the view panel in
the DC265 is power-hungry: Either get some extra rechargeable batteries, or
limit your LCD usage!
The optical viewfinder of the DC265 is clear and bright, and varies its
focal length to track the operation of the zoom lens. It is a bit more accurate
than is typical for digital camera viewfinders, showing slightly more than 90%
of the CCD frame. Our test sample's optical viewfinder had an annoying defect
though: The entire image was rotated 2-3 degrees relative to that captured by
the CCD sensor. Because ours was one of a small number of hand-assembled preproduction
units, we're guessing that this rotation was simply a preproduction glitch caused
by an inaccurate assembly jig: We previously have seen this phenomena on one
other camera in preproduction (from a different manufacturer), and it was corrected
in the final production units. We can't imagine a flaw this trivial to address
persisting into Kodak's production models.
The optical viewfinder has a moderately high "eyepoint," making
it usable for eyeglass wearers, although no diopter adjustment is provided to
compensate for impaired vision directly. The viewfinder also has the desirable
characteristic of being relatively insensitive to lateral eye position: The
view doesn't change at all if your eye happens to be off-center in any direction.
Finally, addressing a complaint we had with the DC210, the viewfinder and LCD
panel are placed such that most folks' noses won't smudge the LCD while they're
looking through the viewfinder.
We've found the LCD viewfinders on Kodak cameras to be significantly
more accurate than those on most digital point & shoots, and the DC265 continues
this welcome tradition: When operating in viewfinder mode, the '265s LCD is
absolutely accurate, and can be relied upon to display exactly what the CCD
will capture, at within the limits of the 2" LCD. Our one gripe about the
LCD viewfinder on the DC265 is that, while it has a fairly rapid refresh rate
(seemingly a good bit faster than that of the DC260), the way in which data
is clocked from the CCD to the LCD still results in a lag between updating of
the red image and the blue/green channels. This produces a fairly severe separation
of the image into red- and cyan-colored ghosts when the subject moves rapidly,
or when the camera is panned at all quickly. We found this rather distracting,
although it isn't an issue for most subjects. Action sports shots could be rather
difficult with the DC265 though
Accessory Threads!
One of the most frequently-heard user requests for the DC260 was for some way
to attach accessory lenses for close-up shooting, color correction, etc. Unfortunately,
the normal thread-mounting approach used for accessory devices wouldn't work on
the DC265, because the telescoping mechanism of the 265's lens assembly wouldn't
be able to stand up to the torque required to remove a balky lens filter. For
a long time, it looked like DC260 owners would have to forever eschew accessory
optics. Fortunately, coincident with the release of the DC265, both Kodak and
an independent company have developed solutions for mounting accessory lenses
on both the 260 and 265. (In preparing this review, we didn't get a chance to
use Kodak's solution, but it apparently is very similar to the Xtend-A-Lens
product we tested from Williams & Associates.)
The
trick to both the Kodak and Xtend-A-Lens gadgets is to friction-mount a tubular
adapter to the heavy plastic body ring that surrounds the base of the lens. This
adapter has standard filter threads on the other end of it, to which you can mount
all manner of accessory gadgets. (The photo at right shows the Xtend-A-Lens adapter
mounted on the DC265. It provides standard 49mm filter threads just ahead of the
lens' maximum extension.) When we first heard of this solution, we confess to
being a little skeptical about the robustness of a friction-mount on the body
ring: Could it possible stand up to a stack of dual-element macro lenses, or a
hefty tele-adapter? We're happy to report that the Xtend-A-Lens was a very pleasant
surprise in this regard. While we didn't test it with a massive tele-adapter,
we did hang a couple of 62mm dual-element Nikkor macro adapters off the front,
and never felt the slightest qualm about their security there. Sounds great, you're
saying, but what's it cost? - How about nothing? (Well, maybe $5 or so for the
raw materials.) Williams & Associates has even posted a set
of instructions for making your own adapter at no charge! We suspect though,
that most people will opt to pay them the very reasonable $20 they ask for fully-assembled
units. Click here for more details and
sample images. For those wanting the official Kodak solution, it's only
slightly more expensive, at $24.95, and can be ordered from dealers as part number
867-5027. (Note that the Kodak unit has 37mm filter threads, vs the 49mm threads
of the Xtend-A-Lens.) Kodak doesn't sell the device on-line, but does have a web
page on their site describing it.
We just spent a fair amount of time and space dealing with a relatively
minor, third-party accessory; something we normally don't do. In this case though,
we felt the topic well worth it, as SO many DC260 users have begged for a solution
like this for so long. The ability to add front-element accessories corrects what
many had seen as a serious handicap of the DC260, and opens new creative vistas
for it and the 265.
Image Size
As we write this (Mid-April, 1999), there's been a lot of "buzz" and
interest about the 2 megapixel cameras many manufacturers are introducing. We
usually avoid pixel-counting exercises, encouraging people to look instead at
our test images, and decide for themselves how much resolution a given camera
does or doesn't have. There's been such a frenzy though over the magical 2 megapixel
designation though, that we feel compelled to include a brief mention of it here:
All of the 2 megapixel cameras we've seen to date have a maximum image size of
1600 x 1200 pixels. That's a lot of pixels, but note that it's only 64 pixels
wider than the 1536 captured by the DC265! (The vertical dimension adds a bit
more, 176 additional pixels.) To be sure, there's a fair increase in overall area
with the 2 megapixel units, but perhaps not as much as the current feeding frenzy
in the marketplace would suggest. Our point here is that people looking for a
high-end "prosumer" digital camera shouldn't discount the DC265 too
much relative to 2 megapixel designs, as the difference may be less than you'd
expect... (For a bit more discussion on this, and some "theoretical"
sample images, check out our "How
many pixels" article.)
Exposure
Kodak rates the DC265 at an equivalent ISO speed of 100, and available lens apertures
range from f3.0-f14 at the maximum wide-angle setting, to f4.7-f22 at maximum
telephoto. The autoexposure system provides exposure times ranging from 1/4 to
1/400 seconds, although a special time-exposure mode lets you manually set exposure
times from 1/2 to 16 seconds, in 1/2-second increments. Again, this is a significant
upgrade from the DC260: It had a maximum exposure time of 4 seconds, although
you could get out to 16 seconds through the use of the Digita scripting. (While
a few of the latest competing high-end digicams now have time-exposure capabilities,
long time-exposures capability are still a rare feature in the marketplace.) (April,
1999) Based on its published specs, the DC265 should be able to handle light levels
ranging from EV -0.5 to EV 17.5, an incredible range. In our actual testing though,
we found the camera performed well only down to an illumination level of about
EV5, although it produced a somewhat-usable picture as low as EV4. This is VERY
dim though: Unless you're trying to take pictures by moonlight, you'll probably
find the DC265's performance in this area satisfactory.
Given the unusual flexibility of its focusing options, the 265's single
auto-exposure mode seems limited by comparison. While the exposure lock (mentioned
in conjunction with focus lock earlier) and the EV-compensation (discussed below)
are helpful in dealing with difficult exposure situations, we would still like
to see a spot-metering mode. While you can fudge with the EV control and exposure
lock to make the best of an inaccurate autoexposure setting, spot metering will
often let you reach out and expose for exactly the right part of the subject.
On the other hand, we found the 265's exposure system to be more accurate than
most, handling our difficult outdoor portrait test subject with much greater accuracy
than we're accustomed to seeing.
Following Kodak tradition, the DC265 provides a +/- 2f-stop (+/- 2 EV unit)
exposure override capability in 1/2 stop increments, easily accessible via the
top-panel buttons adjacent to the LCD screen. This does much to increase the usefulness
of the camera, allowing the operator to adjust the exposure to compensate for
backlighting, or light subjects against dark backgrounds. Also accessible via
the top panel, a 10-second self-timer feature lets the photographer get in the
picture with the subjects.
The built-in flash has an effective range of 1.0 to 9.8 feet ( 0.3 to 3.0
m). Its five operating modes include auto, red-eye reduction, fill (in which the
flash always fires, regardless of the overall scene brightness), fill with red-eye,
and off. In our testing, the flash performed well within its specified range,
and was also able to throttle-down effectively for "macro" work, at
the 12-inch minimum focusing distance. (This last has been a rarity for point
& shoot cameras in the past, as they tended to badly wash-out closeup shots
when the flash was used.)
A major feature of the DC265 is its ability to work with external flash
units. (While the DC265 no longer stands alone in the marketplace with this capability,
as the DC260 did, effective coupling with external flash is still fairly rare.--
April, 1999) A standard "PC" connector on the side of the camera body
provides the physical interface, and a special "external flash" exposure
mode lets you explicitly set the lens aperture in one-stop increments between
f3.0 and f22. Although we didn't test this feature quantitatively, we did plug
a generic autoexposure flashgun into the the PC jack and played around a fair
bit with the combination. The results were very encouraging: The explicit aperture
setting allowed us to regulate exposure while using the flash, and flash timing
seemed well-synched with the shutter. While some digicam owners have experimented
with slave-triggered external strobes, the DC265's ability to control the lens
aperture independently puts its flash capabilities into an entirely different
league.
Shutter Lag and Cycle Times
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time before
the shutter actually fires. This time is to allow the autofocus and autoexposure
mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some
situations. Since this number is almost never reported on, and can significantly
affect the picture-taking experience, we now routinely measure it, using a little
Windows utility developed by Digital Eyes.
We measured the DC265's shutter delay at between 1.3 and 2.1 seconds with
full autofocus, 0.6 seconds with manual focus, and 0.3 seconds with the focus
and exposure preset by half-pressing the shutter release prior to the shot itself.
The variation in the full-autofocus number is due to the variable behavior of
the autofocus system, depending on the distance to the subject: It appears that
the lens starts its autofocus cycle focused on infinity, and then racks in until
accurate focus is achieved. Thus, the closer the subject, the longer it takes
the lens to achieve focus, with the maximum time being about 2.1 seconds in our
tests. This full-autofocus performance is toward the slower end of the range for
high-end digicams, but performance using the pre-focus option is quite fast and
on a par with other models on the market.
Shot to shot cycle time on the DC265 is very good, taking advantage of
its huge buffer memory and fast processor. We measured cycle times ranging from
4.1 down to 2.9 seconds, depending on image size and autofocus setting; excellent
performance for a camera of this resolution level. After 6 high-resolution shots
had been taken, the camera took about 15 seconds to process enough image data
to allow the next picture to be taken. (This is also a substantial improvement
relative to the earlier DC260.)
We've commented on this aspect of digital camera operation before, but
it deserves special attention: Cycle time is an easy parameter to ignore, but
has a tremendous impact on the picture-taking experience. The greatly improved
multi-shot cycle time of the DC265 made a huge difference in our experience and
perception of the camera, and was an important part of why we liked the upgraded
model so much.
The Digita Operating Environment and Scripting Language
When the DC260 was announced, it was the first camera to use the Digita environment
and language from FlashPoint, and information on the scripting language, its capabilities,
and development tools was hard to come by. A year later, the software
developers kit (SDK) is readily available from FlashPoint on-line, people
are routinely developing programs in it for various vertical applications, and
some genuinely useful functions are being implemented. (We used the "resolution
series" script to automatically capture images at every combination of image
size and compression ratio, for many of our test shots. This app saved us literally
hours of picture-taking time!)
A full treatment of the Digita language is far beyond the scope of even
an Imaging Resource camera review, so we'll instead refer readers to several online
resources for more information, including FlashPoint's
own site, and the DigitaCamera web
site. We did want to give some sense of what can be accomplished in Digita,
so we present here a brief sketch of FlashPoint's just-released
"DigitaFX" application, which provides for rudimentary image
manipulation within the camera itself(!)
Operation and User Interface
(The DC265's user interface is so "deep" that we felt it justified a
completely separate review section to cover it. We present below the basics of
the camera controls, but have packaged the complete user interface description
as a separate document. - Click here for the full document,
or here to skip over the portion that's
duplicated below.)
The user interface and operation of the DC265 is easily one of its most
distinguishing characteristics, and probably the feature most likely to spark
debate as well. As the one of a still limited number of cameras incorporating
the "Digita" camera operating system and scripting language (two others
being its little brother the DC220, and its predecessor the DC260), the DC265
offers new capabilities for modifying the camera's behavior to suit specific applications
and worfklows. Kodak has always maintained an excellent interface for third-party
developers, but the release of the Digita operating system extends this further
than has ever been the case before.
As wonderful as the computer-like capabilities of the DC260 were, we complained
a fair bit about the computer-like need for the camera to "boot up"
prior to use. In the case of the DC260, this process required fully 15 seconds
or more, removing some of the spontaneity that digital photography offers. In
the DC265, a faster processor and firmware changes have reduced this start-up
time to on the order of 10 seconds. Likewise, shutdown time has been cut to a
maximum of 5 seconds, whereas the DC260 could take as long as 40 seconds if it
needed to process images in the buffer memory. (The DC265 still has to process
any data in the buffer memory before it turns the power off, but it retracts its
lens and goes into "shutdown mode" within 5 seconds of pressing the
power button.)
While we're once talking about the power button, it's worthwhile pointing
out another minor but useful change Kodak's made on the DC265: A frequent annoyance
on the DC260 was the tendency for users to hit the power button by mistake when
intending to take a picture (it's located on top of the camera, just behind the
shutter button). This initiated a shutdown, and required waiting through the lengthy
re-boot before you could finally take the shot. On the DC265, a delay has been
inserted between pressing the power button to shut down and actually powering-off
the camera: You now have to hold down the power button for about two seconds before
it will shut down the camera. In our experience, this has now all but eliminated
the problem of accidental shutdowns.
The handling of "buffer memory" and "background" processing
of images is an area of huge improvement in the DC265 over the DC260. As digital
camera resolution has increased, the time required to process the images and save
them to the camera's memory has increased as well. Although faster processors
have helped somewhat, until recently, digital cameras lagged far behind film-based
units in their responsiveness and shot-to-shot cycling. We discussed the DC265's
excellent shot-to-shot cycle time performance earlier, but some further discussion
of buffer memory and camera operation is warranted here, as this is an area where
the DC265 really shines.
The DC260's buffer memory was sufficient to allow you to capture two maximum-resolution
images in rapid succession, but would then require you to wait for a fairly long
time (20-30 seconds) after that, before you could take the next shot. The ability
to grab two pictures fairly quickly was great, but the long delay before the third
could be taken was frequently an annoyance. Also, while the camera was processing
images, you couldn't change settings, or otherwise get ready for the next shot.
With the DC265 though, all this is changed. First, a *MUCH* larger buffer memory
lets you capture up to 6 full-resolution images before having to pause, and the
camera requires only about 15 seconds to free-up enough memory to allow capture
of picture number 7. In practice the 6 full-resolution images were enough that
we almost never found ourselves waiting for the camera between shots. Even better,
essentially all camera controls remain "live" while the DC265 is processing
images in the background. This makes it easy to change flash or white balance
settings, image resolution, exposure compensation, etc, without having to wait
for the camera to get done with its processing. This may seem like a relatively
minor issue, but the difference in the "feel" of the camera is enormous.
Not having to plan your shots around the camera's ability to process them greatly
frees the creative process: If we had to pick one characteristic of the DC265
that we liked most over the DC260, the improved "burst" performance
would have to be it!
The
feedback the DC265 gives you on its memory and image-processing status is very
useful as well: Two indicators relating to memory performance and availability
appear in the LCD viewfinder display. In the image at right, the upper row of
blocks correspond to available space in the CompactFlash memory card: Red-filled
blocks indicate used space, while white-filled ones show available storage. The
horizontal, thermometer-style display under the row of red and white blocks shows
buffer memory status: The gray portion of the bar shows buffer memory currently
in use, holding images waiting to be processed, while the white portion shows
available buffer memory. Although our usage of the camera rarely exercised the
buffer memory to its fullest extent, we can envision sports or other applications
in which the photographer may want to wait before beginning a sequence of images
until sufficient buffer memory had become available.
As was doubtless evident in our earlier comments, the DC265 is an unusually
flexible device with many options (external flash, time exposure, time-lapse photography,
multiple focus modes, etc). It should come as no surprise then, that the user
interface needs a lot of screens and menu options to manage all this functionality.
Kodak has created a very clear series of screens and menus to control the camera,
but the result is still a "deep" interface that can take a little while
to navigate. Fortunately, the most-frequently accessed controls can be reached
through the top-panel LCD and pushbuttons, which provide a much shorter route
to the desired functions. (Top-panel controls available in capture mode include
flash functions, +/- EV compensation, still/burst/time-lapse enabling, compression
level selection, and self-timer enabling.)
Camera setup is effected through a combination of a back-panel mode-select rotary switch, a 4-way rocker button located inside the mode-select ring, "display" and "menu" buttons to the left of the LCD panel, and three unlabeled "soft buttons" arranged along the bottom of the LCD. Extensive use is made of the LCD panel for displaying menus and option choices, which are then selected through a combination of the various buttons and controls.
Overall operation of the DC265 is divided into four modes, of which only 3 actually affect camera operation. The four modes, selected by a back-panel rotary switch, are Capture, Review, Connect, and Info. These are fairly self-explanatory, except perhaps "Info" mode. Presently, selecting "Info" displays a screen on the LCD panel showing the camera's firmware version, and directing you to a web location for the "latest info", or to the FlashPoint site for information on the Digita language and operating environment.
With the preceding as background, we'll look at some of the external controls on the DC265:
Self-Timer Mode
The Self-Timer mode has its own button on the top of the camera. You can use the self-timer in conjunction with any of the camera settings you've enabled, like many other camera models. Depressing the Self-Timer button provides a 10 second delay between when you press the Shutter button and the when the shutter fires.
Scroll and Select Buttons
Also located on top the camera are the Scroll and Select buttons, shown below. These buttons provide you with a way to quickly change the flash mode, exposure compensation, picture type (still, burst, or time-lapse), and quality settings to meet your needs without entering the LCD menu system. Simply press the scroll button until the setting you want is flashing on the Status display. Then, press the select button to move through the available options. Pressing the Scroll button a second time confirms what you selected, or if you don't press a button for 5 seconds, the current selection is automatically confirmed.
Zoom Toggle
The Zoom Toggle switch is located on the back of the camera, in the top-right corner. Move the switch to the right to zoom in (3x) on your subject, to the left for a wide-angle shot. Turning on the LCD and moving the toggle switch to the right enables the camera's (2x) digital zoom capabilities.
Mode Dial & Four-Way Controller
The DC265 Zoom Camera can operate in one of four different modes. You use the Mode Dial button on the rear of the camera to select the mode in which you want to operate:
Capture - To capture your images, and set camera options using the LCD menus.
- Review - To review the images you've captured, and edit and organize the images.
- Connect - To connect the camera to a computer for downloading your images.
- Info - To view information specific to the camera.
The Four-Way Controller button is on the rear of the camera in the center of the Mode Dial. The Controller contains up/down and left/right arrow buttons that you use to scroll through the camera menu options on the LCD, and to scroll through pictures.
Softkeys
Located just under the LCD, these buttons are used to confirm selections displayed just above the button on the LCD screen. You use these buttons, in conjunction with the Four-Way Controller, in Capture and Review Modes when choosing camera settings and reviewing images.
Display and Menu Buttons
Display-Activates the LCD for viewing of images and menu options.
Menu-Displays the available menu options when in Capture or Review Mode.
Record Button
After choosing an image in Review Mode, or QuickView mode after capture, press this button to record up to 45 seconds of audio data for the current image.
There's More!
This is the point at which we chose to truncate the user-interface description in the main body of the review. Click here for a complete discussion of all the controls, menu options, and operating modes.
Image Storage and Interface
The DC265 has no "hardwired" permanent memory, relying instead on removable "Kodak Picture Cards," which are tiny (1 3/8 x 1 5/8 inch) (35 x 41 mm) flash memory cards conforming to the CompactFlash (CF) standard. A 16-megabyte (MB) Picture Card ships with the camera (up from 8 megs with the DC260), and additional cards ranging in size from 2 MB to 128 MB (!) can be readily purchased on the open market. With a standard PC Card adapter, you can read images directly from the Picture Cards into computers equipped with PCMCIA slots or PC card readers (see the notes below on "finished file format"). Depending on the image size and quality setting chosen, a 16 MB card will store anywhere from 11-174 pictures. Given the current low cost of memory, we heartily recommend a second memory card as an accessory for digital cameras that support removable storage.
Standard RS-232 serial port technology is beginning to show its age badly in digital camera applications, simply taking too long to move the 200-600 Kbyte files that have become common. Recognizing this, the DC265 also includes USB and IrDA ports for much higher-speed data transfer. Support for both USB and IrDA was rather spotty under Windows '95, but improved dramatically under Windows '98. In our case, our Windows machine lacks IrDA ports, but has USB ports built-in. On the Apple side of the world, new Macs now routinely come equipped with USB ports, offering a high-speed interface, which Kodak now supports directly, "out of the box."
If your computer has either a PC Card (also called PCMCIA) slot, or a PC Card reader, you'll really appreciate the "Finished File Format" feature of the DC265: Files are stored on the Picture Cards in the final format needed by your computer. This means that when you plug a Picture Card (in the optional PC Card adapter or an external card reader) into your computer, you can immediately read, view, or copy the images on it either from the computer's desktop, or directly from within your favorite image-handling software. The "finished file" format is no longer "news" in the digicam world, as essentially all current models provide this feature. We mention it here though, for those readers who may only be familiar with Kodak's earlier cameras, such as the DC120: Those models used proprietary file formats inside the camera, requiring the use of Kodak's software to get images off the memory cards. - The "finished file" approach is much more convenient.
Album Settings
The CF storage cards used by the DC265 are available with very large capacities (cards as large as 128 megabytes had been announced at this writing, in April 1999, and 80 megabyte units were currently shipping). This means you could potentially have hundreds of images in the camera's memory. That large a quantity of images could be very unwieldy, if your only option were the scrolling filmstrip interface we describe earlier in the Review Mode functional description. To handle such situations, the DC265 provides an "Albums" option, by which you can define and manipulate groups of images. Once one or more "albums" are defined in the camera's memory, you can send any new pictures captured to the album of your choice, or select "No Album" to let new images accumulate in the general storage area. (Recognizing the dual home/business usage of many digital cameras, "Albums" can be a great way to separate family images from those captured for business.)
Video Out
The DC265 can also display photos directly on TV monitors, supporting both American (NTSC) and European (PAL) signal formats. This makes the camera a very useful presentation tool, particularly when equipped with a higher-capacity storage card. Some cameras support playback of images modified in the computer to add titles or other markings, but others do not. Happily, the DC265 is in the former category: We modified an image from it, adding a caption using Paint Shop Pro on a Windows machine, and successfully displayed it after loading the modified image back onto the CompactFlash memory card. This dramatically improves the camera's usefulness as a presentation tool. The only drawback is that the reloaded image lacked the low-res copy that the DC265 uses in "index" mode, and to display the images quickly when scrolling through them. Thus, the modified image took longer to display on-screen than an unmodified one. On the other hand, when working with "standard" resolution images (768x512 pixels), the display time is only about two seconds per image, a very workable speed for presentations. Bottom line: The DC265 can easily serve double-duty as an effective portable presentation tool (including up to 45 seconds of audio per slide - see below)!
By the way, don't think the video-out capability is restricted to business uses! -- A slide show of a business trip can do a lot to help reconnect the harried business traveler to his or her family upon their return. Even better, "real time" slide shows of family get-togethers can be great fun as well. Overall, you may find yourself getting more use out of the video output than you initially think...
Sound Recording
That's right - sound! The DC265 contains both a microphone and speaker, so you can attach sound directly to any image file. You can record sound for a picture anytime the picture is being displayed: Either during the "review" display in capture mode, or while viewing the image in review mode. To record, you press the small black "record" button on the left-hand side of the camera back, and speak in a normal tone of voice. You can review what you've recorded, and either save it or delete it and record a new copy. Once saved, sounds stay with the picture files, unless you explicitly delete them. Images displayed during a slide show will play their sound clip as well. The manual makes no mention of how long a sound clip can be attached to each image: In our experimentation, we could record a maximum length of 45 seconds, quite a bit of talking!
When downloading files to the computer, attached sound data can be saved to disk as separate .wav files, either with the same name as the main picture, or under a different name altogether.
Power
Power for the DC265 is provided by 4 internal AA batteries, or by an optional AC adapter than can significantly extend battery life if you're doing a lot of downloads via the serial port. As we mentioned earlier, LCD panels on digital cameras really "eat" batteries, and the DC265's is no exception. Fortunately, one of the enhancements of the DC265 over the earlier DC260 is that the '265 includes a set of high-capacity (1450 mAh) rechargeable NiMH batteries and a charger in the box! (Big kudos to Kodak for this: Rechargeable batteries are a necessity with any digicam, so their inclusion with the '265 will save you $40-50 or so.) Note that while Kodak doesn't specifically prohibit any battery type in their documentation, the do particularly caution against operating the unit with the LCD panel on for more than 30 minutes when using Lithium batteries, because they could "heat up significantly." (You'd better believe it!) Although Lithium batteries have very high power capacities, we don't recommend them in high-power cameras like the DC265. - Save yourself a lot of grief, and buy an extra set or two of rechargeable batteries!
Included Software
The DC265 ships with a very capable software package, including programs for both the Mac and Windows operating systems. For both platforms, Kodak includes copies of Adobe's PhotoDeluxe software (the new "business" edition on the PC side, the standard one on the Mac), and their very user-friendly web-page editor, PageMill (version 3.0, as of this writing in April, 1999.)
On the PC, several pieces of software are provided to help you connect to the camera, and manage your images once they're imported to the computer. Camera connectivity is provided in two forms, via "Mounter" software and TWAIN drivers. The "Mounter" software is unique, and makes transferring images to the host computer completely trivial, by letting the camera appear to the computer as a disk drive. (That is, it shows up in Windows Explorer as if there were a drive named "DC265". It doesn't get assigned a drive letter, but in all other ways acts like a read-only disk.) This arrangement is pretty slow (the term "glacial" comes to mind) when using a standard serial-port connection, but is quite speedy, and very useful when the camera is connected via a USB port. The Mounter application works with Windows 95, 98, and NT (now referred to as "Windows 2000).
The TWAIN drivers work like any other such software that we've used on the PC, allowing images to be imported into a wide range of programs: Just select the driver for the DC265 in your application's "Select TWAIN driver" menu option, and then do a normal TWAIN image-import. The Kodak TWAIN software is quite versatile, even allowing a picture to be taken under computer control, while the camera is connected.
A third piece of software is provided for the PC, called "DC265 Properties". This program allows the computer to see and control all of the DC265 settings and options that are normally controlled via the LCD menu system.
The last (and largest) piece of PC-specific software Kodak provides is their "Picture Easy" program, which provides for virtually all aspects of image management, from capture and download through management using "albums" on your hard drive, to manipulation and color correction, printing, and even email. The albuming and easy printout capabilities of Picture Easy are very handy, although our personal preference is to use individual, dedicated-purpose software for each of the functions Picture Easy provides. Admittedly though, the various pieces you might assemble from various software vendors wouldn't integrate as seamlessly as the various parts of Picture Easy, not to mention they'd cost a fair chunk of additional money. All things considered, Picture Easy provides a comprehensive image-management and -manipulation capability in a single package. (And it's free with the camera.)
On the Mac side, there are two different camera-control applications: The Kodak DC265 Zoom Plug-in, and a copy of Digita Desktop for the Mac, from FlashPoint. Due to the rather delicate software state of our main Mac system at the time of this review, we didn't load and test either of these, but would anticipate that their operation would be very similar to the equivalent programs on the PC side. Important to note too, that USB is fully supported on the Mac platform as well, not only for machines with built-in USB, but apparently also for those with USB provided via a PCI-bus card.
Test Results
In every Imaging Resource product review, we encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed: In keeping with our standard policy, the comments here are highly condensed, summarizing our key findings. For a full commentary, see the DC265 Pictures page. (You're also welcome to download the images (for personal use only) to see how they look when output on your own printer.)
Overall, we were quite impressed with the DC265: The earlier DC260 had done a generally good job, but there were a number of areas that begged for improvement. The first and most obvious was better responsiveness: Although the 260's buffer memory allowed two shots in rapid succession, in practice, we found ourselves waiting for the camera far too much. Many users also clamored for an uncompressed image-storage mode. While the DC265 still compresses the image files, even in its highest image-quality mode, the amount of compression is less, and the image quality noticeably improved thereby. Much of the experience of the DC265 though, is made up of subtle improvements, which in themselves would seem insignificant. The sum of them though, is to substantially improve the "friendliness" (for lack of a better term) of the camera.
On the image quality front, the DC265 did quite well: You'll have no qualms about printing its images at 8x10 (well, maybe 6.66 x 10, that being the aspect ratio of the 265's images), and color was noticeably improved beyond the already-excellent level of the DC260. Contrast also appears to have been boosted, producing "snappier" images, but also making the camera more prone to losing detail in the highlights or shadows. Our personal preference is for somewhat flatter (less contrasty) images, relying on post-processing in an image-manipulation program to arrive at the final result. Setting our prejudices aside though, we note that most people probably prefer a camera that produces good prints with little fiddling, and the DC265 fills that bill very well indeed.
Detail and resolution are very good, with visual resolution of about 700 lines per picture height in both horizontal and vertical directions. Performance at far field (focused at infinity) is very good also.
The LCD viewfinder has the dead-on accuracy we've come to expect from Kodak digital cameras, showing exactly 100% of the final image area. The optical viewfinder is less so, but still more accurate than most, a bit more than 90% of the final image. (Our prototype unit had a "twist" of about 2 degrees in the optical viewfinder though: We're pretty confident this is a preproduction, hand-assembly glitch that won't be an issue in final production models, but feel compelled to mention it, as we did in fact observe it.)
Low light performance of the DC265 is quite good, the camera producing very usable images down to a light level of about EV6, although we observed some artifacts in the image when taking very long exposures.
Macro performance of the DC265 was quite good also, capturing a minimum area of 2x3 inches (51 x 76 mm) at the 8-inch (20 cm) minimum focusing distance. The availability of both Kodak and third-party filter-thread adapters extends this performance considerably though, depending only on how much glass (in the form of accessory macro lenses) you want to hang on the front. (Per our earlier note, although our tests produced the results just described, Kodak's official specs for the camera call for a 12 inch minimum focusing distance, and this is the value readers should count on in final production units.)
Conclusion
The Kodak DC265 is an evolutionary product, basically an enhanced version of the groundbreaking DC260, as it's model number indicates. The impact of a year's worth of user input and feedback is very apparent though, in the numerous minor enhancements (and some major ones) relative to its predecessor. The overall package ends up being more than the sum of its parts, retaining all the capabilities of the DC260, yet resulting in a much more responsive-feeling picture-taking tool. It's hard for us to quantify this effect, but our overall impression was that of a camera that's much more "comfortable" to use for taking pictures - having all the capabilities, but removing some of the ergonomic annoyances we found in the DC260. The DC260 was a huge success for Kodak, and we expect that the DC265 will be as well.
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