Sincerely,
Biju Shrestha

I went to a couple of camera shops around Dallas, TX, but apparently only Kodaks service center in Illinois has access to replacement parts.

Called Kodak and got the address to send it to along with an authorization number. They wanted $342 to replace the firmware. It only cost $369 when new! When I refused to pay this, they still charged me $45 to get it mailed back.

I will never buy another Kodak, and if this review sways others from buying a Kodak - I will be happy. **Kodak: This is terrible service and disrespect to customers who drop a lot of money for one of your products.**

If anyone wants to offer me anything for this camera (maybe someone out there knows how to repair it), feel free to contact me with an offer. (11-October-2003) Sorry, but Amazon wont let me leave my email address. ~Joe Pool

I am completely satisfied with the quality of the pictures this camera takes. I also purchased an 80 Megabyte Compact Flash card when I got the camera, therefore expanding my possibilities.

The thing I am not happy with is the rate at which the camera eats through batteries. I literally cannot enable the 2inch LCD for more than 5 minutes on a NEW SET of batteries, before it is warning me of Low Batteries. Even without the LCD on, the camera will only last (maybe) an hour. I dont know if this is a faulty characteristic of the Camera in general, or JUST MY camera, but it is quite costly when you add in all the batteries I go through in any given time that I use my camera. It is also Frustrating to have to CONSTANTLY worry about the battery power on my camera. I ALWAYS have to bring 2 sets of batteries with me if I plan on using the camera for any events where I plan on taking pictures, etc.

Anyhow, I figured I would put this word out for everyone to see, so if they see it multiple times.. it may be a consistent problem that would prevent you from wanting this particular model.

Good luck, and happy hunting!
Mike J
...

I like the size of the camera and the easy menu. The good, better, and best settings are easy and the 2.1 resolution (compressed) pics are of high quality on better, but the lower res work well when sending pics by e-mail. The TIFF (uncompressed) delivers great 8 by 10s on my HP PhotoSmart 1115CV printer. All buttons, ports, switches, etc. are top dollar. One complaint is the flexable cover over the LCD, I would rather it were glass for easy cleaning (Scotch Tape does the cleaning job however)! Also the fash can wash out pics indoors so I use a shoe with my SLR flash. Also I use PhotoShop and MS PictureIt to work with my pics.

This will be a camera I will not sell even though it does not do video. I use a Camedia 3040 at work and the vid is not that great. The DC 290 does allow for audio (15 sec) on pics, and the programming feature is great (I just downloaded a bracketing feature). I got the camera for $225.00 through a Amazon.com source. The box had been opened but never used as all batteries and materials wer still in their bags and wrapping. If you can find one, this is a terrific but. Its bullet proof and not too bad on batteries (I have two sets of NIMH and the charger that comes with the system). Five Star for me!!!

Pictures are clear, crisp and can be cropped nicely without losing clarity. Colors are vibrant and 20 meg flash card can hold 28 pictures at best resolution before having to download. More if you use lower resolution. This camera can generate 8x10 prints that are sharp and colorful. The included photo editing software is basic but there is so much on the market today you can supplement for little money.

Built in flash works very well indoors and does a very nice job filling in shadows outdoors.

Anyone can get quality results from this camera. It gives you professional output without the professional price.

More great features about this digital camera are the ability to connect it to your television. This is a great idea, especially for parties. Instead of passing around pictures, you can easily hook up your camera with the cable included in the package to your tv, the same way you connect your vcr. Your images will be on your tv so everyone can enjoy them together.

Next, the ability to fix your pictures is a huge plus. You can take out all the stuff that got in your shot, so its just what you want. No more having someone you dont know on the side of your picture. Also, you can dramatically change the lighting. If it was cloudy, the computer software (included) will fix it so your picture is easier to see. The computer software can do so much more too. I just made a collage of pictures from a recent vacation. There are 9 pictures in one, which makes it kind of look like a postcard.

This camera is FANTASTIC and you should seriously consider getting one. If not this one, then at least replace your old camera with a digitial camera. They are not hard to use at all, in fact, I think are even easier to use. Go digital, you wont regret it!!

For the price, it should whistle a tune for you while your reading the user manual. When you want to look something up, you get only half the information and are told to turn to 2 or 3 other pages for information, rather than just telling you the whole story in one place.

There are some negatives about this model, too. One is the size; it is a bit large compared to other, smaller models. This may or may not be a problem for many people, but I prefer a smaller camera. The other is the power button; you have to hold it down for an undisclosed amount of time to get it to go on/shut off. These are not big complaints, but the camera could have been better. Kodaks customer service has been top notch.

The driver that came with the camera for USB connection is very buggy. It caused my computer OS (98SE) to go unstable. I have had many GPF and lockups since installing the software that have never happened before. The Windows would also not shut down. The Kodak site has new drivers to fix the shut down problem, but installing them after the previous installation was very difficult. I had to load and remove the original software three times to get the new drivers to load. Both my image editing software packages get GPF errors on certain pictures. That is something I have never seen before in using either editor for over two years.

The DC290 pictures look as clear as the Advantix. The color is great and the ability to reach into dark areas and get the detail is better than the DC120. I recently tried it for some back-lite photos at a wedding reception and it did great.

Disadvantages are ones normal to digital cameras: fairly long cycle time between photos, poor battery life and limited space on the supplied flash card. The view-finder is in a funny location, but if you use your right eye you wont smudge the LCD display. My son-law-recently bought a Canon PowerShot S300 Digital ELPH for my daughter and we were comparing the two cameras. I think the Kodak creates better pictures, uses standard batteries and costs less right now. The Canon is smaller and has better lens protection. For pure pictures good with the Kodak. If size is important go with something like the Canon.

The DC290 is last years model (Kodak lists as discontinued at their web site) which is why the price is so good.

I frankly was disapointed that my month old camera in great condition was replaced with a refurb that was obviously much older with obvious signs of wear and tear, plus a couple dead pixels on the display. All of which are considered "okay" by Kodak. I really felt like I paid a new camera price for a used camera.

Other than impressive picture quality, the machine performs pretty good in low-light conditions. Flash has a very good range, which allows you to have bright and vivid pictures at home.

The lcd size is large enough to review the photos. The machine comes with enough software and cables to review the photos on TV and computer, and the hookup for both is pretty simple.

However, it does not let you take any picture for 15-20 seconds after you shot several pictures. The flash light keeps blinking and you can not take any picture. I am not sure this is a problem with my own machine, but it should not wait that longer.

If you buy this machine, I would suggest you to buy an additional 64 or 128MB memory, especially if you go outdoors and take tens of high quality shots.

Opt for an additional memory card and the additional lense kit. The lens kit if used properly, increases the your picture taking abilities.

Another great feature is the built in mic. We took a picture of the kids singing a Christmas song and sent it off to my parents just before Christmas. They really enjoyed it.

Ive read about the camera being a battery hog or having corrupted memory cards. Ive had the camera five months and have not experienced any problems. I do keep an extra set of batteries with me at all times just in case.....

Its a little big for suitcoat pockets, OK for most jacket pockets. My wish list would include a 200mm-equivalent telephoto and elimination of the buffer-emptying 20-30sec pause when you shoot four 1800x1200 pictures in rapid succession.

The 2nd best feature is the time lapse up to 16 seconds. I got a terrific lightning strke - which is something you need to leave the camera open while you wait. I love shooting light trails in the darkness of any sort. This one is the best.

The giant uncompressed TIFF format allows you to save details you will only see on a jumbo 10 by 14 print - now who wants a picture that big anyway? The colors are beautiful and devistatingly accurite. Youll be going to the mirror with your glasses off to see if IT is really true.

Most places allow you a 30 day return without questions - do it - indulge yourself. You wont be returning this one. Its the BEST. Let the rest of them just - eat cake.

Ive taken the camera to lots of places, is everything but fragile, the rechargable batteries (included) lasts for about 60 pictures in best resolution.

You can update the operating system via internet so you can add new features to the camera, also you can download and create scripts for speacial functions, like picture bracketing.

Very recommended!

The DC290 can also take great shots at night and in other low-light environments. I once had to take pictures from a nighttime football game. The DC290 delivered. The pictures were clear and surprisingly bright.

The camera is also very simple to use. Transferring files to the computer is easy and fast to do with the USB cable.

The price tag is a little high, but if photo quality is most important, the DC290 will not let you down.

I have had no complaints about battery life. I do not use the LCD screen much because of warnings from other users about the battery drain this causes. The shutter delay is noticeable, but if you pre-focus (by half depressing the shutter) its not too bad.

I have had no trouble with uploading to my W98 PC via a USB port. Usually about 5 sec for a high quality image. I use photoshop to edit the images, but find surprisingly, that most of the images are prety good in terms of exposure, colour, hue and contrast.

The only problem i experienced was that the battery charger supplied by Kodak blew up after about 2 weeks, but Kodak Australia replaced it fairly quickly.

I only gave this camera 4 stars because of the price. It cost me over $1200 Aus which is about $600 US. I could buy an F series Nikon for that.

Still, I am growing to love this camera.

If there is a downside, it is perhaps too much versatility in the menu system: too many useless options, such as creating an "album" on the flash card; "watermark", date and time. Another useless feature is the ability to record audio messages. Like the "Album" feature, who needs it?

Four rechargeable AAA batteries plus a charger are included as well as a 16MB flash card and a USB connecting cable.

The good features include optional manual setting of distance and exposure time; daylight, fluorescent or tungsten light. Thus it functions as both a point-and-shoot, and also as a camera for the more advance user.

- My camera came with 20MB of memory. That is enough to take ~40 pictures at the second to highest quality level. Well within acceptable limits considering that if you run out of pictures, you can just transfer them to a computer and re-format the card.

- The interface is a little touchy if editing on the camera. I prefer to edit all the settings by communicating directly with the camera.

- Transferring the images off of the camera directly was a problem for me. Sometimes the software wouldnt work (under Windows 2000). I havent used it with Windows 98. I havent heard too many similar complaints so I assume other people arent having this problem. However, I bought a Compaq flash card reader (USB) and it works fine.

- Again, image quality is superb.

- Ive seen some people complain about the delay the camera experiences when taking a snap. I found this not to be exactly true. If I hold the button down until the green light comes on (indicating that everything is ready) and then I depress the button all the way, the camera takes a snap right away. However, if I just depress the button all the way initially, it does take a few seconds for the picture to be taken

- Battery life. The camera takes 4-AA batteries. The camera lasts for probably a little more than an hour as long as you dont use the preview mode (sucks up charge like you wouldnt believe). The package doesnt come with an AC adapter (*SMACK* Kodak). You have to buy it separately. All considered though. I can take a good number of pics before I have to recharge. Just make sure to bring an extra set of batteries with you.

I highly recommend this camera even to enthusiasts. You probably wont be disappointed.

AVOID the DC290 1.2 software they ship. Go to their web-site and download version 1.3 which is stabler.

Technical Support is awesome - there is absolutely no wait period and reps are very helpful.

The only reservation I have, is that the 16Mb compactflash that came with the camera, and the 64Mb (Kodak brand) compactflash card I purchased to go along with it have had some problems caused by the camera. When the camera is connected to my Win98 PC via USB, the camera properties would work fine, but the flash card would not appear as a drive letter. When using the other flash card, it would appear correctly. I called Kodak, and they told me that my flash card had become corrupted, and needed to be formatted. To make it worse, it could not be formatted in my camera, it had to be formatted in a card reader device. Well, I used the Digita File to transfer the images from the card I could not read from, to the one I could, and got all the pictures off the cards. After that, I used the cameras format command on the misbehaving card. After that I could read from both cards again. Since then, both cards started misbehaving and could not be read into my PC. Well, I was forced to purchase a card reader (I got the SanDisk SDDR-31 one). Well I got all the pictures off, and formatted the cards. I dont expect any more problems, but I would reccommend buyers of this camera (maybe it is all digital cameras, Ive only owned this one) do one of the following:

1. Make sure you change the batteries as soon as they start getting low. If you have taken quite a few pictures in rapid succession and the batteries run low enough to cause the camera to shut off, you will corrupt your card. Also make sure you never remove a card while that light underneath the lever is blinking.

2. Purchase a card reader (Mine cost $30)

Also beleive everything youve heard about battery consumption. As others say - be smart and avoid the LCD. Youll still get a quick "preview" after each photo is taken without burning up the batteries by using the LCD as a viewfinder.

If youre hemming and hawing about going digital - just do it. No regrets here.

One other word of advice - save your photos in non-pdd or non-pds format for use with EZ Photo software. I wasted a few hours trying to get the slideshow and screensaver features to work - this is the trick. Check out the Adobe tech support archives and search under "EZ Photo" if you need more info - very helpful.

Enjoy!!

You can get over 25 pictures on the 16MB card on the high quality setting, as good as a roll of film - or much more on the standard quality setting.

The USB transfer is fast and easy, I dont think a card reader is necessary, so long as youve got the AC adapter(not included) to conserve battery life. The camera appears as a drive on your PC.

The only major drawback of this camera plagues all digital cams from what Ive read - battery life. Its really poor. I killed the first set in only a couple hours with minimal LCD screen use and this wasnt continuous use. Even if youre conserving battery life by all means possible youll need a backup set of rechargables, or 2 or 3 backup sets.

Also, for [the price] they shouldve thrown in the AC adapter and maybe even a case.

I researched many cameras before deciding to buy. This one seemed to be the best quality for the price. The two main enhancements in this camera v.s. the DC280 are the support for uncompressed pictures and the ability to record audio annotations to accompany the pictures. These two features swayed me to the DC290. In all honesty, I find that I am not even using these features. The uncompressed format takes up way too much memory (you would need to buy 128mb storage card to get around 16 uncompressed pictures at the highest resolution). I have found that the best quality jpeg compression produces fine quality (I can print great-looking 8x10s) and I can fit 10 times more pictures on the memory card.

The DC290 also has slightly better max resolution (1,792 x 1,200 v.s. 1,760 x 1,168). The DC290 also supports a 2,240 x 1,500 resolution that is accomplished using interpolation, but this probably wont produce any different results then enlarging a 1,792 x 1,200 image using PhotoShop or some other software.

I have found that battery life isnt a problem (as some suggest) if you use NI-MH rechargeable batteries. They seem to have a much better life than alkaline batteries (rechargeable or not). I also limit my use of the display, which is not difficult since I tend to prefer using the viewfinder. This *significantly* reduces battery usage. The only draw back is that you cant use the digital zoom without the display. This is also not a problem for me because the optical zoom has been sufficient for my usage. Also, digital zooming in general tends to produce poor quality pictures, although I cant personally attest to quality of Kodaks digital zooming.

The one problem I have with this camera is the delay between the time when the button is pressed and the time when the picture is taken. Its a least a second or two, which makes taking action photos very difficult--its hit or miss with the timing. I tried to use the burst feature, but I found that to have limited usefulness. I was use to using the completely manual, tried and true, Pentex K-1000 SLR. Without being overburdened by a lot of electronics, there was very little latency. I suppose going to any automatic camera, digital or not, could produce the same frustration.

All-in-all, I love this camera. It takes great quality, high resolution pictures. However, I would also look at the DC280 as a less expensive alternative.

***Update 7/21/01 Ive owned this now for over a year. Ive really come to love it. When I bought this camera it was a couple hundred dollars more than what it is now, but I decided it was going to get treated like any other camera that I have owned. Which means Ive done everything except try to pound nails into wood with it. I bought a 128mb CF card to go with it- a must in my opinion. I wanted to upgrade to the Kodak DC4800, but that was a mistake. The DC4800 is a mess compared to the DC290. (the only thing good about the DC4800 was the software upgrade. My computer used to take about 15 minutes to shutdown, now it takes seconds. If you buy the DC290 get the latest software and drivers from Kodak) If you already own the DC290 and are thinking about taking Kodak up on there trade-in towards a DC4800, dont do it. The DC4800 has so many dead pixels that color rendering is atrocious, its also so cheaply put together that I would be scared to treat it the way I do my DC290 . The DC290 may be oddly shaped and heavy, but its a sturdy workhorse.

The software that comes with it isnt the greatest. I recommend Photosuite III or MS Home Publishing to get the most out of your digital pictures.

Extra memory is also a must have. Invest in a 32 or 64 mb memory card and you can take pictures all day.

The camera "feels" good and is easy to hold. The controls are all well placed. The .5 to 1 second lag between the time you push the shutter release and the time the picture is actually taken, does take some getting used to. This is a bad feature on all digital cameras I have used. It takes about 2 to 4 seconds to "process" the picture but this time is a function of how fast your Compact Flash memory card is as well as the camera itself.

I appreciate the "scripts" that can be downloaded from various websites into the DC290. These allow you to "change" the functionality of the camera or add features such as auto-bracketing, or putting your name and phone number on the startup screen. I also purchased the Kodak lens kit for the camera. I have played with the various lenses but have not done anything serious with them. My main observation is that the wide-angle lens seems to cause a noticeable loss of contrast on the final print. The 2X lens works fine as do the close-up lenses. And, I purchased a couple of extra sets of rechargeable batteries, mostly for convenience rather than necessity. While the camera is a noted battery hog, I can take 45 to 60 flash pictures, displaying each shot on the LCD for 5 seconds before the batteries give out. Its nothing to change the batteries.

The 16 MB card that comes with the DC290 is adequate to get you going. Sooner or later, though, you will want to get a second memory card that probably has a larger capacity. You get about 25 high res, best quality pictures or in standard resolution and good compression, about 250 pictures on a 16 MB Compact Flash card. If you download any scripts to the camera, they take up room (not much) also. Downloading from the camera is fast if you use the USB connection. That eats batteries also and Kodak suggests you AC power the camera while doing this. I, instead, opted for a Compact Flash card reader. It cost about $35 and is so much more convenient. You just pop the Compact Flash card out of the camera and into the reader and it shows up as a hard drive on your system. You just access the pictures as you would any other file. Each high Res, best quality picture (about 550K) takes about 1 to 1.5 seconds to download. I did not try the standard serial port connection.

The LCD viewer is wonderful indoors or outside out of bright light but is all but useless in sunlight. This is a drawback because using menus visible through the LCD viewer sets most of the camera settings. However, some of the more common settings are viewable and changable from an LCD on the top of the camera but nothing fancy is adjustable without using the main color LCD viewer.

Overall, I highly recommend the camera. I used one at work first for several weeks and still decided to purchase one for myself.

I found the camera a snap to operate out of the box. The menu is user friendly and easy to operate. I dont use the display much to conserve battery power. However,it is useful for close range shooting.

Another great feature is the external flash mode. Ive used it successfully. The scripts that can be downloaded (free) making the capabilties of this camera a great buy.

I upgraded from a Kodak DC50 which also gave me great service. This camera is a truly great value in the tradition of the Kodak Company. ...

When you consider that we were spending over $200 per year on film and developing anyway, going digital just made sense. I like the ergonomics of the camera and the menus are easy to use - just spend a few minutes with the manual. I was switching between a variety of modes at the museum to get the best photos possible and it wasnt that difficult. I havent had this much fun since I bought my first SLR. Coworkers were amazed by an 8x10 portrait of my wife that I took with the DC290 and printed on photo quality paper. Kodak provides support through their web page including OS upgrades to the cameras software.

Recommendations: Get a case and one or two extra sets of NiMH batteries. I havent bought the AC adapter for it but I can see how it would be useful to some because it takes about 8 hours to recharge the batteries. The batteries will last longer if you use the viewfinder instead of the LCD. The LCD is essential for close up shots and the digital zoom only works with the LCD. A large compact flash card is a good idea if you intend to use the best quality at high resolution since the picture size in that format are usually around 500K. The graphics software that comes with the camera is OK but better programs are available for any serious photo editing you might want to do.

The ease of use for this camera and the results you can get are worth the price alone. But to be able to manipulate the files from your keyboard directly on the camera is ingenous. I, too, took pictures within all kinds of lighting conditions (including one of a full moon at night) and was never disappointed.

To reiterate a point another reviewer made, it is a little disconcerting that you must buy an AC adapter separately - but thats the only real criticism by this non-professional user.

The ease of use for this camera and the results you can get are worth the price alone. But to be able to manipulate the files from your keyboard directly on the camera is ingenous. I, too, took pictures within all kinds of lighting conditions (including one of a full moon at night) and was never disappointed.

To reiterate a point another reviewer made, it is a little disconcerting that you must buy an AC adapter separately - but thats the only real criticism by this non-professional user.

The software which came with it (v1.0) is NOT complete at all... you *must* d/l the v1.3 at Kodaks site (4.5 MBs) or the drivers may not appear at all on your HD.

F stops? The camera claims to have them... well... yes, again, like the manual focus... SORT OF. You guessed it, loads of button pushing in sub menues on the tiny LCD and they are lost when you shut it off. Practically worthless.

NO AC ADAPTER INCLUDED... grr... a trip to radio shack can fix that but for $600? cmon throw in the $10 item!

Clearly a camera NOT designed by anyone who takes any sort of decent photographs... this one is engineer-designed by boys in cubicles who would rather be playing video games.

Its ok though... all non-slr (ok, I know a digital is not SLR under any circumstances, but any camera where the viewfinder is NOT the shot you get is non-slr in my book) digitals suck at this time. This on isnt the worst out there, but the technology is NOT matured yet in my opinion and is almost worthless for non-web work that is not merchandise oriented. 5 years ago when I shot for a magazine I couldnt wait for DCs to hit the market and take over from film for most purposes... but that time is still not here.

The software which came with it (v1.0) is NOT complete at all... you *must* d/l the v1.3 at Kodaks site (4.5 MBs) or the drivers may not appear at all on your HD.

F stops? The camera claims to have them... well... yes, again, like the manual focus... SORT OF. You guessed it, loads of button pushing in sub menues on the tiny LCD and they are lost when you shut it off. Practically worthless.

NO AC ADAPTER INCLUDED... grr... a trip to radio shack can fix that but for $600? cmon throw in the $10 item!

Clearly a camera NOT designed by anyone who takes any sort of decent photographs... this one is engineer-designed by boys in cubicles who would rather be playing video games.

Its ok though... all non-slr (ok, I know a digital is not SLR under any circumstances, but any camera where the viewfinder is NOT the shot you get is non-slr in my book) digitals suck at this time. This on isnt the worst out there, but the technology is NOT matured yet in my opinion and is almost worthless for non-web work that is not merchandise oriented. 5 years ago when I shot for a magazine I couldnt wait for DCs to hit the market and take over from film for most purposes... but that time is still not here.

The interaction and placement of the controls are quite good. There are a few key rubber finger and grip affordances to make the shooter feel in control. The only cheap part is the zoom lever. Its a small horizontal lever, that has to be kicked way over to one side or the other, and the time delay to lens movement is sluggish. The overall construction of the entire body and finish is very nice. Theres plenty of standard features like burst, time-lapse, etc. to keep most digital camera enthusiasts happy. A real nice package bonus was the 4, AA NiMH rechargeable batteries and charger + 16MB storage card. At least Kodak was thinking about the entire user experience.

Oh, the PC software interface is rather silly. The childlike icons and metaphors for album creation, etc. makes you create a parallel cognitive hierarchy model for what is essentially folders/files on your computer. Something more straight forward with clear icons and interface is all we want. Use the quick access download near the clock once youve installed the software.

I wish Kodak had Windows2000 drivers out already; also, the 2" LCD display shows Battery Low when the top B&W LCD shows battery full. Ive learned to ignore the 2" displays warnings.

I wish Kodak had Windows2000 drivers out already; also, the 2" LCD display shows Battery Low when the top B&W LCD shows battery full. Ive learned to ignore the 2" displays warnings.