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Kodak DC4800 Zoom Kodak's first true 3 megapixel consumer camera has excellent color and *amazing* low-light capability! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet DC4800 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 DC4800 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Operation & User Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Image Storage & Interface>> Page 9:Camera Modes & Menus Review First Posted: 7/31/2000

Camera Modes and Menus

Setup Mode: Accessed by turning the mode dial to the Setup position, this mode instantly pulls up the following settings menu:

• Power Save: Controls the camera's power consumption by altering a few settings such as LCD brightness, image preview frames per second, slide show looping, simultaneous LCD and television display and the automatic quickview. Options here are Off, Standard and On. (Default is Standard)
• Digital Zoom: Turns on the 2x digital telephoto function, with options for Continuous, Pause and None. Continuous sets the camera to progress immediately from optical to digital zoom once the end of the zoom range is met, and Pause tells the camera to wait a moment before passing into the digital zoom. (Default is Pause)
• Camera Sounds: Allows you to set the camera sounds to Off, Selected On (only for shutter sounds and camera warnings) and All On. (Default is Selected On)
• Date / Time Set: Allows you to set the camera's date and time.
• Video Out: Sets the video out signal to NTSC or PAL. (Default is NTSC in the US)
• Language: Changes the camera's menu language from English to French, German, Spanish or Italian. (Default is English in the US)
• Format Card: Formats the CompactFlash card and erases all images, even write protected ones.
• Reset Camera: Resets all the camera settings to the factory defaults.
• About: Displays an information screen that reports the camera's firmware version and the actual camera name.

Review Mode: Turning the mode dial to the Review position puts the camera in Playback mode, where you can review and manage captured images. Here you have the power to delete, write protect or review images in a slide show. Pressing the Menu button calls up the Playback menu with the following options:

• Magnify: Allows you to magnify the currently displayed image to 2x or 4x.
• Delete: Accesses a submenu that lets you delete the currently displayed image, all captured images or exit the submenu.
• Protect: Hitting "OK" on this option write-protects the image currently on the screen, denoted by a lock symbol at the top of the screen. Hitting "OK" a second time removes the protection.
• Slide Show: Activates a slide show for viewing all of the images stored on the card.
• Print Order: This option lets you set up images on the memory card for printing, in compliance with DPOF standards.
• Picture Info: Retrieves an on-screen display listing the file name and directory, capture date and time, and all of the exposure settings.

Program AE: This mode is marked on the mode dial simply with the letter 'P'. In this capture mode, the camera controls the shutter speed and aperture settings. You have control over the remaining exposure options through the Record menu, in addition to the flash, exposure compensation, macro mode, landscape mode, self-timer and burst photography mode. The Record menu accesses the following settings:

• White Balance: Sets the camera's white value to Automatic, Daylight, Flash, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Color Temperature (2,500 to 10,000 Kelvin) or Manual (provides color coded arrows for manually adjusting the white value). See the "Exposure" section of this review for details on how the Manual and Color Temperature white balance settings work. (Default is Auto)
• Color Mode: Provides access to several special color effects, including Saturated Color, Neutral Color, Black and White, Black and White (Y filter), Black and White (R filter) and Sepia. (Default is Saturated Color)
• Quality: Lets you select from among the following options for image quality. (Except for the three full-resolution options, each quality setting provides a single combination of image size and JPEG compression ratio):
  • 3.1 megapixels (uncompressed)
  • 3.1 megapixels (normal compression)
  • 3.1 megapixels (high compression)
  • 2.2 megapixels
  • 1.6 megapixels
  • 0.8 megapixels
• Exposure Metering: Changes the camera's metering area to Multi-Pattern, Center-Weighted or Center Spot. (Default is Multi Pattern)
• Sharpness: Sets the camera's image sharpness to High, Standard or Low. (Default is Standard)
• ISO: Allows you to set the camera's sensitivity to Automatic, ISO 100, ISO 200 or ISO 400 to match shooting conditions. (Default is Auto)
• Shutter Speed: This option can only be set to Auto when in Program AE mode. In aperture modes, you can select Auto (the default), or shutter time from 16 to 1/1000 seconds.
• Date / Time Stamp: Puts a date and time stamp on all captured images.

Aperture Priority Mode: Setting the mode dial to f/2.8, f/5.6 or f/8.0 accesses the Aperture Priority mode. Here, you have all the same exposure control options as with Program AE, with the added ability to change the lens aperture setting through the mode dial.

Manual Mode: To enter into full manual exposure mode, the mode dial must be set to either of the three aperture positions (f/2.8, f/5.6 or f/8.0) and the Shutter Speed option in the Record Menu set to Manual or Long Time Exposure. All of the same exposure options as in Aperture Priority are available, with the same Record menu. The only change is with the Shutter Speed option, which offers the following choices:

• Auto: Lets the camera select the appropriate shutter speed.
• Manual: Allows you to select the shutter speed from a listing of available speeds from 1/2 to 1/1,000 seconds.
• Long Time Exposure: Provides a selection of longer shutter speeds, ranging from 0.7 to 16 seconds in a total of 10 individual settings.