"Picky Details" for the Kodak DX3500 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
We measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a proprietary Imaging Resource test system. Here are the numbers we collected for the Kodak DX3500:
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| Power On -> First shot |
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A little slow.
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| Shutdown |
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Can be pocketed immediately (no lens to retract), this
is the time to finish saving a large/fine file to the memory card. Pretty
fast.
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| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured. Pretty fast.
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| Record to play |
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Time to display a large/fine file after capture. Pretty
fast.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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Pretty fast. (Fixed-focus lens?) |
| Shutter lag, prefocus |
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button.
A bit slower than average
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| Cycle Time (shot to shot delay) |
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Saves threee shots pretty fast (2.0 seconds between each), then drops to 6.9 seconds after the memory buffer fills. |
The DX3500 is a tad slow to start up, but once running, is pretty speedy. The fixed focus lens helps with shutter lag, and the camera appears to have a 3-frame buffer that lets you shoot up to three shots in pretty quick succession without pausing for the camera to save the images into its flash memory. (Whether internal or a removable CF card.)
Power
The DX3500 uses two AA cells for its power source, and doesn't do too badly in the battery life department, although we generally like to see longer life than it delivered. Despite its relatively low power consumption, with only two AAs to power it, don't by any means plan on using anything other than rechargeable NiMH cells. As always, we *strongly* recommend buying a set of high-capacity rechargeable NiMH AA cells and a good charger. (Kodak's Camera Dock kit comes with a rechargeable battery pack and built-in charger. We highly recommend it.) The table below shows the DX3500's power consumption in various modes, and approximate run times for each, based on a pair of 1600 mAh NiMH cells (the capacity of the pack that comes with the Camera Dock):
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(@7v, into dock) |
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| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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| Capture Mode, no LCD |
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| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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Overall, not too bad for a 2-battery camera, but longer would definitely be better. Definitely get a set of high-capacity NiMH batteries and a good charger. (If you run the camera with the LCD off most of the time, you could conceivably shoot much of the day on one set of batteries.) Click here to read a review of our recommended battery charger. - Even if you buy the Kodak Camera Dock, which includes a battery pack and charger, we strongly recommend that you pick up a set of high-capacity NiMH batteries, so you can bring along an extra set or two on any extended outings.
Storage Capacity
The
DX3500 stores its photos either in its 8 megabytes of internal memory or on
an external CompactFlash (Type 1) memory card.(We strongly recommend buying
at least a 16MB card, preferably a 32 MB one, to give yourself extra space for
extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored in the
8 MB internal memory at each size/quality setting.
| Resolution/Quality vs Image Capacity |
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One
of the first things any new digicam owner will need is a larger memory card
for their camera: The cards shipped with the units by the manufacturers should
really be considered only "starter" cards, you'll definitely want a higher
capacity card immediately. - Probably at least a 32 megabyte card for a 1.3
or 2 megapixel camera, 64 megabytes or more for a 3, 4, or 5 megapixel one.
(The nice thing about memory cards is you'll be able to use whatever you buy
now with your next camera too, whenever you upgrade.) To help you shop for
a good deal on memory cards that fit the DX3500, we've put together a little
memory locater, with links to our price-comparison engine: Just click on the
"Memory Wizard" button above to go to the Kodak memory finder, select your
camera model , and click the shopping cart icon next to the card size you're
interested in. You'll see a list of matching entries from the price-comparison
database. Pick a vendor & order away! (Pretty cool, huh?)
Jump to Comparometer(tm) to compare with other cameras
Or, Back to the DX3500 Main Review.
Or, up to Imaging Resource Cameras Page.
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