Kodak EasyShare DX6490 4MP Digital Camera with 10X Optical Zoom
By: Kodak Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 80
More Information
 On: 2008-05-12
I picked this camera over 3 years ago and am still using it, and selling some of the pictures I take. The depth and clarity of this camera is almost as good as my Rebel xti but whereas one is a serious camera, the kodak is my hiking, kayaking, biking, camping and everyday camera. Its taken quite a few bumps and knocks and bounced back.
Not to heavy or cumbersome, a fantastic camera. As a matter of fact Im actually looking to buy another one for my son.
 On: 2007-07-25
this digital camera is easy to use. of course, you must read the owners manual to use it properly. it is a bit bulky, but it takes good pictures and , yes, you can share your pixs with friends and family.
On: 2007-06-03
I have had this camera for a little over 2 years, and it still takes better pictures than most other point and shoot digital cameras out there. Im not a professional photographer or even a very serious amateur, but with this camera I have been able to get great shots of families, little kids, animals, sports, flowers, close-ups, landscapes, and fireworks . . . it even outshoots the cameras my other family members own, and they spent extra money to get higher resolution cameras with even more zoom power. It doesnt compare to an SLR, but it wasnt designed to.
I recently bought an ultra-compact point-and-shoot camera at a "day after Thanksgiving" sale, thinking it would be an easier-to-transport alternative to the Kodak. Even though it has higher resolution, I still rarely use it and wind up taking the Kodak with me anyway. The picture quality is so much better that I dont care how much the camera weighs or how big it is. I bought this camera because of the big lens, not in spite of it. If you read the manual and learn to operate the PASM functions, you can get good shots in almost any light.
This camera is pretty durable - like any other well-used camera, its been (accidentally) dropped, subjected to high and low temperatures, gotten water on it, and been handled by several kids, and it still works just as well as the day I bought it. Its survived 2 years of day camps, fairs, cooking lessons, and even family Christmas dinners. Everybody wants to borrow this camera, even though most of them own newer, more expensive cameras. The battery lasts an amazingly long time - you will find if you do buy a small camera that runs on disposable alkaline batteries, the extra weight and space you thought you saved will be taken up by spare batteries.
A brief warning: to get great photos out of this or any other camera, digital or film, takes PRACTICE. You should always try using the camera yourself before you buy it, even if its just in the camera department at a store. I must warn you that if you dont know much about photography, it wont matter what kind of camera you buy - knowing how to compose a shot, how a camera works, and how to edit photos are vital to getting outstanding pictures.
One thing I would suggest is this: dont waste your time installing the software - buy a cheap USB card reader to transfer your pictures to the computer. Better yet, make sure your next computer has a built-in card reader. It saves a lot of time, and if you want to do a lot of editing the included software has only very limited options. I have found that its also difficult to find photos that have been stored using the Kodak software if you want to open them in other applications. That is the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five.
I recently thought about upgrading my camera, but other than the newer SLRs I havent found anything better that is reasonably priced.
On: 2006-11-29
I bought this camera new, and it is worth every penny. Ive used it for photos for many websites, personal pix of family, friends and pets, and every picture turns out great. The multiple autofocus options, various settings for daytime, flash, night, sport and portrait photography make picture taking almost fool-proof. Plus, the video cam is great for those times when I just want to pick up a quick short video without hauling out the full-size video camera. The rechargeable battery lasts a long time between charges, so I can take tons of pictures without worrying about losing power. This workhorse lives up to the Kodak reputation.
 On: 2006-11-03
Ive had this camera for 2 years this Christmas. Overall, for the price it is pretty descent. The biggest problem I have with it is that indoor pictures are always grayish, unless in a super bright area, with like flouresent lights!
Outdoor pictures are great. To sum it up, great for beginners, and very well lit outdoor settings.
 On: 2006-05-28
We have had this camera for over a year now. We have had previous good experiences with kodak cameras, so when we bought this one we were confident that it would take great pics. What a disappointment when we realized that it takes horrible lowlight pictures (I mean, really bad!). Outside in perfect daylight, the pictures are clear and really great. Inside or outside in lower light settings, the pictures do NOT turn out at all. I would not buy this camera knowing what I know now. Too bad - Kodak had our loyalty until this experience! We are planning a trip across the US this summer and are going with a different brand hoping for better overall picture quality as we treasure our family pictures and want good quality for them. Our advise is to not buy this - it is not worth the price.
On: 2006-05-25
This camera is a very good camera for what it is. I have taken some great shots that have made excellent 8 x 10S. The fact that it has the capability to use an external flash really helped with night time action shots. I shoot football and racing and it has worked for both. The only complaint with the racing photography was there is some shutter delay but if you pan with the subject it does a decent job. If you learn to use the manual modes on the camera you can adapted to most photography situations. I pushed this camera to its limits for over 7,000 shots and videos combine. The video mode is nice and does a decent job. As far as durability it is great I have droped it, subjected it to intense amounts of dust and dirt, and temperature changes and it has held up great. Although the battery does tend to drian faster in colder temperatures. Overall for a point and shoot it is very adaptable and can shoot in various conditions.
On: 2006-04-23
I have had mine for 2 years, and never a problem. Ive taken it out with me camping and hiking dozens of times, and while I take great care never to drop it it has bounced around in backpacks and is quite scuffed from use.
Its easy, takes amazing pictures, and its never malfunctioned on me. Ive taken (and kept, at least) almost 5 GB worth of photos. It also takes newer large-capacity memory cards.
ONE complaint I have is the way it turns on. Its on a wheel, which I find a touch annoying, and is fixed in newer versions.
When I bought this camera it was $400, and worth it. THe fact that I see it for $175 here is a total steal - you wont regret it!!
On: 2006-01-30
I decided to buy this camera close to a year ago because a friend had one, and I love it. (I replaced a lower MP camera I had) We use it all the time for family pictures as well as my sons football games. This is where the zoom and action/sports mode come in handy (no more pictures of the whole field, and using a magnifying glass to find the "star" of the picture).
With my older camera I always had problems with the AA batteries draining very fast. This camera has a rechargeable battery, that I have probably only had to charge about four times in the last 10 months, and I have taken hundreds of pictures. The preview screen is also large enough to actually be able to see the pictures.
I always have people asking me about the camera and where I found it. I have been very pleased with this camera, and am not looking for a replacement any time soon!
On: 2005-10-25
I own a DX 6490 for two years, I have use it in different circunstances and scenarios, I think is a very reliable camera with some outstandings features (for the camera price) like the 10x zoom and the photos shapeness, the 10X optical zoom is something difficult to find in a low-price camera, I know that it is not perfect but I think is good enough for the price payed for it (back in 2003 were about 400$). The photos quality is pretty good enough I have published some of my pictures on magazines and they look "professional" also I have printed some of them and the result is very good, more than what I expected, ofcourse before sending the pictures to printing I did some corrections with Photoshop or ACDSee but thats was just to find the perfection and to correct photografer mistakes not camera flaws.
If I have to point some flaws of the camara I have to say that the main problem is the: fast secuence shooting to fast moving objects, because after the first picture is taken the LCD goes black until the camera process that picture (4-5 seconds) I can shoot more pictures but without looking through the LCD so I have to "guess" were to aim (remember that the object Im shooting is moving) and that could generate some empty photos or "cut" objects. Also if I shoot five or six pictures in fast secuence the camera would need some 20 seconds to processing all the pics and be ready for the next pictures, in some ocassions that time is just too much (in my case that is a problem, specially when I shoot airplanes flying).
About the camera I have to say that the battery is also excellent for me, I have tested it several times to the limit, the battery fully loaded can be good enough for taking between 350 and 400 pictures within some 6 hours with the camera on (obviously using the flash would reduce the number of pictures), thats is equal at the 16MB internal memory and an 256MBs SD memory card almost fulled (so over 260MBs in total), for me that is just enough for a long day of taking pictures free of thinking in the battery life or in the memory space, if you buy a 512MBs you would have to know that it wont be possible to full it whithin a battery load, so the appropiated SD card is the 256MBs, but if you are planing to use your camera in several days trips(without taking a laptop to download the pictures) a 512MBs SD memory card would give you more space (so if a 256MB gives up to 350pics a 512MBs would provide some 700 pics).
I also recommend to buy the Kodak leather small bag, it is just great for carring the camera on the belt or with the shoulder strap.
 On: 2005-10-07
This camera developed an autofocus problem during warranty and was fixed. The same problem developed out of warranty and the repair was quoted at $175. Total garbage. Ill never buy Kodak again.
On: 2005-10-06
This camera developed an autofocus problem during warranty and was fixed. The same problem developed out of warranty and the repair was quoted at $175. Total garbage. Ill never buy Kodak again.
On: 2005-10-05
After a month of research I have found a dream camera. The picture quality is perfect for me (an average user)I feel as if I can do so much more than before. The powerful zoom takes some getting used to but reading the manual helped out, and when it works it amazes me just how much I can zoom in. The video quality is great too. The easyshare software that came with the camera is hard to use, but that takes nothing away from this camera. I just dont use the software and find that works best. Thanks for all the reviews on this camera they came in very handy and you (most) were right.
On: 2005-09-26
This camera is a fantastic entry level camera for someone beginning to explore digital photography. The controls are standard and very user friendly, and the photo quality is very good. The manual controls seem tricky at first, but after reading the page in the manual about them theyre very easy to use and understand. Yet another A+ product from Kodak!
On: 2005-09-26
Im amazed at the pictures Ive taken. The printer dock photo quality is the best as well.
On: 2005-09-26
The ad sounded great. The viewer screen is sharp bright but the focus was the worst I have ever sceen. On a standard landscape shot with auto, it too 10-15 seconds to be ready. When trying Close-ups it never went green(Ready). I took the camera to a high end camera shop to see if I was doing something wrong. They said was the camera and they wont even sell the DX6490. Back to my Canon and Fuji.
On: 2005-09-25
The ad sounded great. The viewer screen is sharp bright but the focus was the worst I have ever sceen. On a standard landscape shot with auto, it too 10-15 seconds to be ready. When trying Close-ups it never went green(Ready). I took the camera to a high end camera shop to see if I was doing something wrong. They said was the camera and they wont even sell the DX6490. Back to my Canon and Fuji.
On: 2005-09-21
This was my first digital camera so I didnt really know what to expect. I suppose my greatest hope was that it would take great quality pictures with little or no input from me.
And it does a pretty good job of that, for what I have discovered is a really good price.
The reasons it doesnt quite earn that fifth star are;
1) The dial is pretty stiff
2) Exposure and processing time is slow (dont have your one-year-old son do something cute or funny shortly after taking a photo. Make him wait five seconds.)
3) Indoor shots without sufficient light are either blurred (if you dont use the flash) or have a very dark background (if you do).
On: 2005-09-19
So easy to use I cant beleive it. I am not good with gadgets at all. The more basic the better. With this camera I have the option to be basic or detailed with my photos. Thats a great choice that Kodak has given me! I did a lot of research before buying a camera with Consumer Reports and other resources before I bought. It took me over two months to compile my information and purchase this camera. Im glad I waited. My daughter has just returned her second camera (not a Kodak) due to problems she was having with them. Too bad I didnt use the same process when picking my ex-husband! :)
On: 2005-09-18
I bought this camera a couple of weeks back. I took more than a couple of hundreds of photos by now and they really cameout wonderful. The image sharpness is stunning. 10X zoom is more than enough for my level of photographer.
I read some reviews about transferring image to computer. I have absolutely no issues transferring images to my computer. It happened within a minute. I like the software that came along with the camera. I am using 512MB SD Card to store pictures. Lot of room for photos.
I try to upload some snaps here. Overall, its a wonderful camera with stunning image qualities. So, 5*s :)
On: 2005-09-04
This is my second Kodak EasyShare digital camera. I purchased this model primarily for its 10x optical zoom. It took me a bit to get used to the EVF though. I shot over 200 photos while on vacation in Maine and the battery held up fine. I did purchase an extra battery to have on hand when I need it. I am learning how to use all the other options and have taken some incredible photos.
On: 2005-09-02
This is a great camera at a great price and free shipping you cant beat it not even at Wal Mart LOL. I have two of these cameras, I just purchesed some filters and extra lens for it and its better than my SLR most of the time
On: 2005-08-31
We love this camera. It is so easy to use and takes beautiful photographs. My husband had a professional photographer tell him that he was impressed with the photos he took with this camera! You really dont have to know much about cameras to use this one and the screen is large so you can see your pictures better after you take them. The best camera we have ever had. Thanks.
On: 2005-08-27
I have found this to be a very high-quality camera. The 10X zoom makes for exceptional pictures. It is of the same quality and versatility as an SLR.
On: 2005-08-21
This was the first proper digital camera Ive bought. I fell in love with it at first, but as I learned more about cameras and wanted to do more things, I noticed its shortcomings.
Its a very nice camera for the price, but there a couple cons that really got me:
- The autofocus gets confused. While trying to focus, it sometimes gets in focus but then changes and locks in blurry (especially when trying to take close-ups).
- While it has a couple things you can set manually, it really doesnt have enough. (Especially with the dodgy AF.) Id recommend going to a store and trying all the settings before buying it.
On: 2005-08-19
very good camera, nice amount of features, the night mode could have been better,pictures show a high amount of detail even when using the optical zoom. The ability to choose color settings and the large display were greatly appreciated. Most ppl rated the camera lower than it deserves cause of the software it comes with but what they should realise is that use of the software is optional you can always use other programs to obtain your pics from the camera.
On: 2005-08-16
I bought my first DX6490 about two years ago. It has produced some great results and some not-so-great. Biggest problem - lag, esp. indoors. Recycle and "boot-up") time isnt great either. Some fuzzy pics indoors w/o flash. The little wheel to turn it on / select mode is stiff.
For all that - I just bought another for my daughter. For price and quality I couldnt find anything close. The 10X zoom was a big factor. Lens quality. Sound on the video (some in the price range had no sound).
So - I like it; very often the biggest problem is behind the camera. Some pics (more later) at http://www.keith.crossley.name/Travel. My daughters a better photographer; wait till I get hers up.
KMC
On: 2005-08-14
This is my 2nd Digital camera (3rd if you count my digital Camcorder, a Canon Optura 200mc which also takes pretty nice still photos) but I wanted a new digital camera just for better quality still photos. I got that and more with this camera! I came on here to read customer reviews after seeing the camera on sale at Circuit City. For the price I cant beleive all of the features, my favorite being the option to take pictures in black and white or sephia, or the timer button and the ability to take pictures in quick succession for sports, or my daughter on her swing! the picture quality is incredible. to round out the whole package I just finished creating my first album through the Kodak website (the software is included) and e-mailed an invitation to friends and family to look at it. I had figured i would probably join shutterfly or similar to do what the kodak website offers for free! I know some reviewers complained about the software but I experienced no problems whatsoever. I dont know how much space the pictures took up, im just not that computer savvy to really care. I do know ive got plenty of space available but I suppose if it was a problem the software offers an option to burn your albums to Dvd. if you are looking for an easy to use camera with alot of incredible features at a great price look no further!
On: 2005-08-12
I just came back from vacation & took 250 pictures. They came out great! Everybody that saw my camera loved it. Im very happy with it!
by: darksky42 On: 2005-08-01
For a long time Ive had a little baby normal camera. Finally, I bought myself a digital camera to see what all the fuss was. And now I know.This is a great camera.
Pros:
> Amazing memory. I took over 400 pictures and still had room for more.
> Has an LCD screen, which really helps out night to see what youre taking pictures of.
> An incredible (almost overwhelming) selection of styles to take pictures. You have night pics, normal, manual, portait, camera...I could go on for ever.
> Disturbingly good zoom. You can zoom as far as to see the color of someones eyes at at least 100yds. away. The zoom on this camera is scary good.
> For camera mode, the videos created are surprisingly clear with good sound. This is a great camera to double as a camcorder.
> Normally this camera takes excellent pictures, but, there are...
Cons:
> A wee bit bulky. Easy to hold in ones hand, but difficult to shove in a camera bag.
> The time lapse from the moment you press down on the picture button and the time the camera takes the shot is a little bit too long for my liking.
> Sometimes, the camera has a really difficult time to focus on stuff.
> While on camcorder mode, you cannot zoom in or out of a shot.
> If youre taking a picture into the sun, the picture comes out a little bit funky looking.
Im being a little bit negative. I should stay on the positive. This is an amazing, stunning camera, worth every penny. I love it, and wont be buying a new digital anytime soon because I am really happy with this one. A must-have for any tourist on a trip or photography loving dork like me.
On: 2005-07-28
The Kodak DX6490 camera is a quite respectable camera. Its most noticable fault is its poor low light focus problem which they have changed in the newest model. The software problems are very simple to solve. Dont use the software. Windows XP can handle all the transfer of photos from the camera easily and Adobe photoshop has an entry level free program that does quite nicely. As for the complaints about the video shortcomings, Isnt this a still camera that will take videos as an added attraction? If you want good video buy a video camera.
On: 2005-06-22
This camera does indeed have respectable images, useful zoom, and a great LCD display. As with all Kodaks, however, it lacks severely in the software department.
http://www.assassinationscience.com/johncostella/kodak/
From its first digital cameras, Kodak has forced owners to use its bloated, unstable software. The software runs and consumes resources constantly, and can cause a computer to lock up or crash. Other cameras simply use Windows drivers & utilities.
Picture capture and colors are above average, but they are compressed severely in storage, even on the best setting. The highest quality pictures from this 4 megapixel camera are half the size of those from my 3 megapixel Canon!
Movies are only 320x240 (half size of my ancient Canon), and are stored in the proprietary Quicktime .MOV format. You have no control over the compression of the movies, and theyre incompatible with Windows Media Player or anything but Apple hardware/software. It is convenient that movie length is only limited by your storage card.
Comparing this camera to a Gateway!?!? Gateway is not an imaging company, digital or otherwise. Compare this to a Fuji, Nikon, or Canon.
Contact for comments http://www.evansomd.com
On: 2005-06-21
This camera does indeed have respectable images, useful zoom, and a great LCD display. As with all Kodaks, however, it lacks severely in the software department.
http://www.assassinationscience.com/johncostella/kodak/
From its first digital cameras, Kodak has forced owners to use its bloated, unstable software. The software runs and consumes resources constantly, and can cause a computer to lock up or crash. Other cameras simply use Windows drivers & utilities.
Picture capture and colors are above average, but they are compressed severely in storage, even on the best setting. The highest quality pictures from this 4 megapixel camera are half the size of those from my 3 megapixel Canon!
Movies are only 320x240 (half size of my ancient Canon), and are stored in the proprietary Quicktime .MOV format. You have no control over the compression of the movies, and theyre incompatible with Windows Media Player or anything but Apple hardware/software. It is convenient that movie length is only limited by your storage card.
Comparing this camera to a Gateway!?!? Gateway is not an imaging company, digital or otherwise. Compare this to a Fuji, Nikon, or Canon.
Contact for comments http://www.evansomd.com
On: 2005-06-02
Great camera, nice large screen, great resolution and color.
Worst Software anywhere on earth. I would not reccomend this camera based solely on the software. It is impossible to do simple things like hook it up to a computer and drag your pictures into the folders that you want to put them into. You are forced to use kodaks rotten software and lousy drivers to hook it up, spend half a day finding where it decided to put your pictures then doing it again. lousy on windows 98, 2000, macintosh 9.22 and Os X. Avoid like the plaque, do not think you can simply work around this issue.
On: 2005-05-31
Ive had this camera for 7 months. I like it, but Im not completely pleased with it. There are some things I dont like about it: 1) It has some trouble focusing, most times in low light, you might get a blurry picture sometimes; 2) It takes too long to focus; 3) In low light, black doesnt always look completely black; 4) Its flash isnt so good. It also has good features: 1) Great zoom; 2) Resolution; 3) PASM mode is good; 4) Very easy to use; 5) Can use accesories (slave flash, filters, etc.); 6) Monster LCD screen.
This camera is good, but in my opinion it is best for daylight photography rather than night (indor/outdor).
On: 2005-05-19
I Love this camera and the picture quality. The 10x optical zoom blows any 3x away and is worth any extra money. this camera has many extra features to enhance many ways you may want to take pictures. My only disapponitment is that either the zoom doesnt work in video mode or the manual doesnt explain how to use it. I believe the zoom is only for pictures. But it is still a great camera, just not perfect.
On: 2005-04-26
Very impressed with this awsome digital. I have a Gateway T150 which is a waste of good money. This camera is far superior. The zoom is right on, and the color saturation really comes through. My partner took his on our recent trip and got awsome great nature shots of eagles and ospreys. Good enuff that he can sell them. My gateway was left in the dust, so I went out and bought this camera and found it is worth every penny. Anyone want to buy a gateway 5 megapix???
On: 2005-04-09
I recieved this camera several months ago as a gift. I had never considered using a Kodak camera before as we were very happy with our Canon and had planned on purchasing a better model Canon Powershot. Well much to my surprise this camera is better than I could have imagined!
The macros I can get with this camera blow me away. The SLR like grip and style are VERY nice. The 10x optical zoom is amazing. I cannot be more thrilled with this camera.
My only complaint is, it does have some difficulty in low light indoor situations. This can be corrected for the most part through image manipulation software however. Outside shots are utterly amazing however.
This camera is a keeper. It is super afforable too. I highly recommend it for anyone, beginner to enthusiast!
On: 2005-04-05
ALERT: My favorite feature by far is the 6 shot burst. It lets you hold the trigger and take 6 pictures in 2 seconds. If you are trying to capture good action shots or get the perfect smile you need this. When the kids are playing or the parents are visiting I just hold the trigger. Take 20 or 30 shots and discard most of them. However, with this method you will capture photos that will make you the super-hero photographer of the family. The newer 5 megapixel camera cannot do 6 shots (only 5) because is doesnt have enough processing power to capture 6 shots at 5mp. Jumping to 5mp is only necessary if you are going to be printing poster sized pictures or if you dont like to aim. Then you can just blow up your pictures to see if you got anything good and crop out the rest.
This camera is awesome. It has terrific accessories. It is simple to use with automatic settings for your spouse who hates your tech toys.
Everybody raves over my photos. The camera gets most of the credit. Its also much cheaper than the newer kodak model.
Everybody I know who bought a camera with 3x optical is mad at themselves when they see what this 10x model can do.
On: 2005-04-05
In short, all the reviews that I read about this camera really solidified my decision to purchase this camera and since I did I have not been disappointed in the ease of use and being that its a digital camera if you dont like the shot just delete it and take another one. I also purchased a 512MB memory card and this has increase my memory to over 130 shots in Better quality (3-star), but that can be boosted up to over 600 shots is you go down to the lowest quality possible (1-star). I take shots using the viewfinder rather than the LCD screen because using my face as a prop for my camera gives it a more steady platform instead of trying to hold the camera steady with just my hands as I look into the LCD screen.
I have used most of the features on the camera. The most used feature is the Sport setting because I take a lot of close up shots and this allows for the involuntary shaking that most of us have, especially me. I have also used the Burst mode, which takes up to six shots in quick order. I used this when my kids were riding their bikes in the day time. Using the Video feature is just too easy. Again, like the other reviewers had mentioned, dont expect video quality from this camera because its a Camera. Buy yourself a Video Cam if you want the features, but this camera did very well in both daylight and lowlight for me.
All in all this has to be one of the best cameras I have ever had the privaledge to own and operate. My father also loved how much this camera can zoom in and get right "in your face" shots without having to get in anybody elses way.
Dont try to use the Sport setting in lowlight events and youre zooming in. I tried to and the shots came out very dark, probably due to the fast shutter speed. Youd probably be better off using the Manual Modes to get the settings just right. Thats the next feature Ill try. Good camera. Cant get disappointed even if I tried.
On: 2005-03-25
I bought this camera because of the Schneider lens. Schneider usually makes lenses for view cameras and medium format cameras. My other camera is a Hasellblad. The lens is as good as I had hoped. It provides all of the crispness that can be had in a 4MP image.
When using this camera, keep in mind that the full zoom (optical + digital) is equivalent to a 1320mm lens on a 35mm camera. This setting is not suitable for hand held photography. If you dont use a tripod or other support you shuld expect blurred images. Even the optical only max. of 380mm is not considered a good bet for hand held pictures.
The most important missing feature is a cable (or wireless remote) release. When you do use a tripod with such a light camera you dont want your hand causing it to wiggle.
On: 2005-03-05
I have this camera for about a year. I am happy with the quality of the pictures and the controls I have, and I like the large LCD display. I would have given the DX6490 5 stars if it is easier to turn ON and OFF. The ON/OFF function is on a small dial with the rest of the controls. The tiny handle used to turn the dial is not too easy to control, especially when I am in a hurry.
On: 2005-02-17
I just had to write a review for this camera. Even though I have only had it for about 2 months and havent been able to really practice with the camera as yet and Im strictly an amateur trying to learn. I really like this camera. It takes great pictures especially on the manual settings but the Kodak product support is TRULY incredible. I read a review on Amazon.com that really influenced my purchase. The review really gave a rave for the Kodak support getting his camera back before the Christmas holidays. He was not kidding. I purchased the camera from Ebay and it still had about 2 mos left on the warranty. Well the Easyshare camera dock stopped working so I called the support line. I was advised to ship the camera and dock together even though I only had a problem with the dock and the camera worked fine. Well, not only was the camera and dock back in my hands in approx. 4 business days but they replaced the dock AND checked out and cleaned the camera. Also, I called the support line for a problem with the camera making a noise while shooting videos. It turned out to be the autofocus. The tech support told me to turn it off when shooting video and it fixed the problem immediately. Hows that for great technical support. Im telling you, you cant go wrong with a Kodak product, the service alone is worth the price, especially today with most service centers being really poorly trained and I didnt wait on hold for twenty minutes either it took approximately 5 minutes. I could make a commercial for KODAK. I love it.
On: 2005-01-31
If you want to be serious in photographing, but you dont have too much professional knowledge about it, this camera is a good start for you. At least it can provide you with some basic functions of manual photography.
The functions of this unit are very user-friendly, even though it took me some time to master all the functions in the beginning. Its a bit hard to control the right amount of light entering the lens in the beginning, but after you get acquainted with all its light functions, you should not have a problem.
The price of the unit is very reasonable and the quality of the picture is no doubt. I especially like the 10x optical zoom. With such a reasonable price, you can hardly get something so elaboraed.
On: 2005-01-26
Ok, before I got this camera I put alot of thought in it. I had previously owned an Olympus c-720 which was dropped and broken at a club one night. This weekend was my second weekend in a row using the camera. It was great. You can view my pictures at www.lovinglynam.com/gallery and www.lovinglynam.com/concertgallery2 and view the pics from weekend 1/14/05 and above.
Naturally when buying this camera I was looking for great zoom (10X is great for optical zoom) and good in low light conditions. I have seen a couple reviews where people have said it doesnt do well, but take a look at my pics, I beg to differ. I am in no way a professional photographer, so also keep that in mind. The battery life has been exceptional, I shot over 200 pics on Saturday night and did not even have a low battery warning, yet I used the LCD and flash all night.
The only downfall I have seen to this camera is the redeye, but I have yet to find a camera that has great redeye reduction, in dark areas even more so.
If you have any questions about this camera, feel free to email me at c_lisa28@hotmail.com
I was torn between this one and the 7590 but the only difference I have seen is the 7590 is one mp higher...thats about it. For the $100 I say stay with the 6490, amazing camera!
On: 2005-01-02
My husband got me this camera for Christmas with the dock/printer. I love the 10X zoom on this camera! If youre a parent, you have got to look into this camera for those plays, games and events your children are in. The camera is so easy to use, you barely need the manual. The settings range from action, night, portrait, movie etc and are very self explanatory. The shape and weight of the camera is equivalent to that of a film camera. Ive had digital cameras that are just to small and too light and not comfortable to hold. The bottom line is that the pictures are clear, crisp and vivid. Ive only had the camera since Christmas Day, but Ive already shot, edited (software could be better), and printed many pictures. I love this camera!
On: 2004-12-26
The interior shots, no matter how bright it is in the room, is terrible. The quality of the image is very good, but everything around it is completely black. The sun can be pouring into the window, the flash can be on, the interior lights can be on, but everything surrounding your subject in the photo is completely black. When I contacted Kodak, they responded that I should "lighten each photo that is too dark"; like Im going to take the time to lighten each of my photos.
Good quality if youre taking photos outside in the daytime. If youre going to take photos inside (oh, say, during Christmas), buy a disposable and youll get better pictures. I wish I hadnt wasted my Christmas money on this. My last digital (Sony-awesome camera) was a million times better than this.
On: 2004-12-24
I think for just under $330 this is the best deal for such a high quality camera. Apart from taking still images you can also do movie recordings. We have a 512 MB SD card, which is good enough to take about 250+ pictures along with several short movie clips of 2-3 minutes (although the amount of movie you record is restricted by the size of your memory, so it could go as high as 1hr too if using a 1GB for example)
The small disadvantage, a design consideration I would say, is that flash doesnt open atuomatically in dark, so if you forget you could miss a short.
I see there are high praises for their newer version DX7590, so with the dropping prices, that seems to be a better deal.
Just like to say that dont think a lot if you are researching to buy a camera, go for either a DX6490 or the DX7590, both are excellent.
On: 2004-12-20
I absolutely love this camera. I take a lot of personal photos of friends, family, and sunsets ect.. and then frame them for my walls. I was paranoid to switch to a digital camera at first. I bought this camera when it first came out a year ago and if anything was to happen to it I would replace with the same one or possibly there new one.
I also own a website for real estate rentals that I photo each and every room of the properties and display on the site. I have never been more impressed with a camera than this one. I was always an Olympus Fan and Kodak to me was bottom shelf for beginners. I am so glad I took the chance.
It is easy to us for beginners, and easy to learn the more advanced steps. I have used it for Fireworks displays, (including Disney) with out a tripod in night mode and could not believe the results.
For the down side I dont care for the software program they use. However, it is great for beginners to learn on and I do use it to keep my photos organized in albumns.
I do most of my editing and so forth thru Adobe photo suite.
If you are leary about this camera, dont be. My webmaster (who owns a $1000 Minolta) went and bought this camera after using mine for a day. We both have had photos purchased from us that were just look and shoot photos, spur of the moment shots.
On: 2004-12-18
I got a DX6490 in June for a trip to Scotland in July. I love the camera and the excellent picture quality. I took over 300 pictures and a few videos on my trip and have really enjoyed sharing them with family and friends since then.
There are plenty of reviews here about the camera and its features and I wont repeat any of them. But I do want to add comments about the excellent service I have recieved from Kodak.
The camera came with a battery charger for the Li-On battery, but it did not include the adaptors for non-US electric outlets. (The charger, when purchased as a separate item, comes with 6 adaptors). I called Kodak to see if I could get *just* the adaptors without buying another entire charger. At first they said that was not possible, but we continued to talk and I explained that I would be going overseas and already had the charger, just missing the overseas adaptors. After awhile I was put on hold and soon the service rep came back and said they were sending me the adaptors, no charge!! GREAT.
This Fall my camera started giving me problems turning on. It got to the point that most of the time it would not turn on at all; the screen displayed "B03" error and said to refer to the manual. I changed the battery, I cleaned the battery compartment, I wiggled the lens barrel; sometimes it would come on but usually not. So in late November I called Kodak again. They ran me through a few things to try (most of which I had already done) and finally said I would have to ship the camera to Rochester for repair. I packed it up and sent it in on December 1; I figured there was no way it would be back before Christmas. Well, much to my surprise they checked it into their system on December 7, fixed it and shipped it back to me on December 10!! It arrived on December 15 and works like new. The repair slip says they replaced the "MCU PCB" whatever that is; plus they did a complete cleaning and restored it to it original condition.
So this is twice Ive been pleasantly surprised and delighted with Kodaks customer service. This makes an EXCELLENT product all that much better!
On: 2004-12-16
Buying this camera has taught me a very valuable lesson...NEVER buy an expensive camera unless you have used a friends in a few different conditions! I am hugely disappointed with this camera. Unless you are in bright light and not using the zoom, it is virtually impossible to get a crisply in focus best resolution shot. Although I love the feel of the thing and the large view screen, I would not recommend it to anyone.
On: 2004-12-11
This is a camera for everyone. Its easy to use- non techies can get. It has amazing quality for its range, and options and zoom for price- good for photographers as well.
But what makes this camera so good? Is it possible that it is cheap (for its type)? How about the 10x optical zoom? Great color? Great focus? All of the above, and more. The first thing you notice is the size. Not exactly very small, but nothing too big. Turn it around. HUGE display- better then on most cameras.
Turn it on. Its no speed demon, but it gets the job done fast enough for most people. When you take a picture, youll notice the amazing focusing power this has, from 1x zoom to 10x zoom, from day to night. Next youll notice superier quality and color. The colors on tihs camera, I kidd you not, blow away many cameras, including all competitors. When taking pictures, even on regular/auto mode, the camera picks the best settings for your picture to give you optimum quality, color, and focus. I can go on talking about it, but it still easily beats competitors in that area.
Next, you download the pictures onto a PC. A quick breeze, even if you have only USB1, and dont use Kodaks Easyshare. Theres rarly a need to edit pictures, because more often then not, they come out amazing, even for an amatuer photographer.
The bottom line: I highly recommend this camera. Its easy to use, has great quality, and is an all around great camera. After using it, you will be comvinced in it. All the people so far who have used mine were very impressed, and went out and got it. Ive had many cameras before this, yet this is my favorite by far. The only setback is the speed, although its still pretty fast (against speed demon Konica Minolta Z3, it destroys it on everything except speed).
On: 2004-11-12
My husband purchased this camera for me Christmas 2003. I love to take pictures using my daughter as the subject. This was my first digital camera. I love the quality of the pictures and its ability to capture images in b/w, sepia, color... It is very easy to use. However, the software is not so fantastic. The worst part is that when upgrades to the software become available you have to download them from the computer which takes over an hour. Kodak will not send you a courtesy upgrade cd. I would even pay a few $ for this convenience. They do provide online help where they respond to your email the very next day. I did have loooots of problems with this software and I am familiar with technology. I was impressed when I found out that other lenses could be purchased (I guess it is sort of a SLR camera a little...). I turned off the lights and took a picture of my daughter with her lighted jack-o-lantern for Halloween and took a picture using the night vision and it was so clear, you would have thought that the lights were on. Overall, good camera, not so sure about the software.
On: 2004-11-04
Before I bought this camera "refurbished" (slightly used but in appearance like new), I did quite a bit of research, including reading all the customer reviews on the Amazon website.
There are features to like about this camera. One is the large, easy-to-see LCD display. The second is the excellent layout of the controls, particularly the review and delete buttons.
The test of a good camera, though, is whether it accurately exposes in a variety of lighting conditions, and the DX-6490 does not. You can get excellent pictures with this camera some of the time if you are willing to make the effort to learn to use it, but I think it is flawed in two ways. First, it tends to overexpose in bright light and underexpose in dim light. Second, the image you see in the LCD display is not necessarily the image you get when you make the exposure.
Its true that you can dial in exposure compensation, but this is a nuisance if you have to do it often. Worse is that an image that in dim light appears correctly exposed on the LCD display will turn out to be dark or even invisible. You can use the flash, but I feel that what you see on the LCD display is what you ought to see when the exposure is made.
My first digital camera is a two-megpixel Olympus D-380. The exposures are excellent in virtually any kind of lighting. White balance is superior to that in the DX-6490, and I feel that color rendition is better too. I wanted a zoom lens, and I wanted higher resolution, but the various exposure flaws in the DX-6490 are a major disappointment to me.
Would I choose this camera again if I could choose? No. From now on I will buy a camera only if I have the option of returning or exchanging it if I do not like its performance.
On: 2004-10-18
This is my third digital camera in five years. I take a lot of pictures, and this camera is the best I have ever used. I have owned this one for about four months and have used it in every lighting condition capturing great photos each time. The 10X optical zoom is wonderful. In good light with a steady hand even the 40X (10X optical by 4X digital) takes high-quality photos.
In low-light (without the flash), you will want to use a tripod or set the camera on a steady surface because the slow shutter speed will give result in a blurry picture. The manual settings give you the freedom and versatility to take pictures in all conditions.
If there is one thing that I would change it is the amount of time that it takes between pictures. It is better than most cameras, but the Kodak DX6490 is such a top-performer you will expect more.
It did not take me long to decide to purchase a 256 MB memory card for the camera. Without it, the camera holds about 15 pictures. With the card I have taken close to 200 pictures over a three-day outting and did not run out of memory or battery power.
The video mode is great too. It is much higher quality than I was able to capture with my Sony Mavica.
This camera takes great pictures, is easy to use, and will allow you to take professional quality photos with minimal effort. I highly recommend it!!!
On: 2004-10-18
Ive had several digital cameras over the past few years and this one is by far the best. I did lots of research before selecting the DX. I was looking through Consumer Reports magazine and noticed that this particular model is the best they tested in the 4MP group. The zoom is great, I took it to a basketball game and was able to take pictures of my friends way on the other side of the court.
On: 2004-10-17
Ive had several digital cameras over the past few years and this one is by far the best. I did lots of research before selecting the DX. I was looking through Consumer Reports magazine and noticed that this particular model is the best they tested in the 4MP group. The zoom is great, I took it to a basketball game and was able to take pictures of my friends way on the other side of the court.
On: 2004-10-13
First let me say that Im an experienced 35mm photographer. Having used everything from an Exakta VX to Nikon N90s, and using a Canon EOS Elan IIe for the last several years, I didnt expect to find a digital that I could afford that I would be happy with. I saw this camera a while back at Wal-Mart, and looked at it because I thought it was an SLR. I was impressed by the price and the Schneider-Kreuznach lens, but a little disappointed that it wasnt really an SLR.
Last week, I found it on clearance at Staples for $100US less than it usually sells for elsewhere and bought it. Im not sorry at all. In everything from convenience features to quality, Im still thrilled. Pictures are sharp, properly-exposed, and colorful, just like they should be. The preview screen is the largest available, and excellent. The electronic viewfinder works well and is nearly as sharp as the screen on back. Its easy to use, takes great pictures, and is essentially silent if you turn off the ersatz "motor drive" sound.
Let me address the shortcomings mentioned by other reviewers.
1. Blur. Many people mention blurry pictures as a criticism of this camera. They probably dont mention that they were trying to handhold shots at full zoom. The lens is 38-380 equiv. in 35mm terms. I always used 1/focal length as a shutter speed guide. It would be bright conditions indeed for the camera to select 1/380 sec. The camera can shoot from ISO 80 to 400 with acceptable results, but 80 is by far the best and the camera does default to 80 if it possibly can make the shot that way. This might sometimes mean that you have a vivid picture thats motion-blurred. If you can keep a reign on trying to use more zoom than you have the hands for, you wont encounter blur. Also remember that focus precision is more important at longer focal lengths. It takes longer to focus when its zoomed all the way out.
2. Bad night pictures. Ive not encountered a camera that has a night mode thats better than I am. If you take over control of this camera, you can get great night pictures. I shot pictures of the stars last night, and they came out perfect. Most of that was because I knew to shoot on manual, bracket exposures, and have realistic expectations. No cameras automatic modes will let you shoot pictures like in National Geographic or the Neiman Marcus catalog.
3. Rechargable battery. Many people wish it used AA batteries so you wont be tied to a charger. Dont worry about it. It will shoot hundreds of pictures on one charge, so just remember to charge the battery after a long day of shooting. Big deal. I like that I wont have to buy AA batteries for it. The cost would add up.
4. Lack of "raw" image format. I havnt had a problem with this, and noone short of a real pro is likely to. It does store pictures only as JPG, but I havnt seen any problems one would normally associate with that. YMMV.
5. Slow movie framerate/noisy movies/no zoom in movie mode, etc. This is not a camcorder. The movie mode is like a freebie for me, and I recognize the reasons for these weaknesses. If you really want to shoot movies, buy a MiniDV camcorder instead. Youll be a lot happier with it.
6. Non-pocketable size. How could you possibly expect it to be much smaller?
7. Uncomfortable grip. Ive got bear-paw hands, so its not as comfortable as the meaty contour grip of my EOS. Its not the worst Ive felt, but they couldve gotten this a little better by adding a little more size to that end of the camera. I dont think that it would hurt anyones feelings if that end were just a smidge larger. See #6
8. Controls. These are some of the best and most intuitive controls Ive seen in a long time. However, it seems that way to me because they so closely mimic the controls on my EOS. I especially like the fact that the control dial is lighted. Expect to stumble through it a little if you arent generally used to using versatile cameras, but youll quickly find that it can do most of what youd expect from a 35mm SLR and then some.
And now my own criticisms:
1. Software. Once I got it installed, it works flawlessly and easily. However, it required a service pack update to my Windows 2000 that gave me a BSOD and required a full reinstall. Ouch. That upset me a little, but I did fix it. That wasnt really Kodaks fault, but just be warned.
2. Power up takes a little longer than I would like, mostly because the lens folds itself into the body when the camera is powered down. It takes it about a second to reach shooting position. Once there, focusing and zooming do not change the length of the lens barrell.
3. Using "speeds" higher than ISO 140 gets grainy in a hurry. It looks remarkably like enlarging old high-speed film. Dark areas get a random blotchiness that averages to the right color, just like the Konica 3200 color print film used to. If you can stick to bright lights or the tiny flash. An external flash can be used for better range. Vivitar 283 fans, rejoice! It doesnt require a dedicated flash.
On: 2004-10-12
First let me say that Im an experienced 35mm photographer. Having used everything from an Exakta VX to Nikon N90s, and using a Canon EOS Elan IIe for the last several years, I didnt expect to find a digital that I could afford that I would be happy with. I saw this camera a while back at Wal-Mart, and looked at it because I thought it was an SLR. I was impressed by the price and the Schneider-Kreuznach lens, but a little disappointed that it wasnt really an SLR.
Last week, I found it on clearance at Staples for $100US less than it usually sells for elsewhere and bought it. Im not sorry at all. In everything from convenience features to quality, Im still thrilled. Pictures are sharp, properly-exposed, and colorful, just like they should be. The preview screen is the largest available, and excellent. The electronic viewfinder works well and is nearly as sharp as the screen on back. Its easy to use, takes great pictures, and is essentially silent if you turn off the ersatz "motor drive" sound.
Let me address the shortcomings mentioned by other reviewers.
1. Blur. Many people mention blurry pictures as a criticism of this camera. They probably dont mention that they were trying to handhold shots at full zoom. The lens is 38-380 equiv. in 35mm terms. I always used 1/focal length as a shutter speed guide. It would be bright conditions indeed for the camera to select 1/380 sec. The camera can shoot from ISO 80 to 400 with acceptable results, but 80 is by far the best and the camera does default to 80 if it possibly can make the shot that way. This might sometimes mean that you have a vivid picture thats motion-blurred. If you can keep a reign on trying to use more zoom than you have the hands for, you wont encounter blur. Also remember that focus precision is more important at longer focal lengths. It takes longer to focus when its zoomed all the way out.
2. Bad night pictures. Ive not encountered a camera that has a night mode thats better than I am. If you take over control of this camera, you can get great night pictures. I shot pictures of the stars last night, and they came out perfect. Most of that was because I knew to shoot on manual, bracket exposures, and have realistic expectations. No cameras automatic modes will let you shoot pictures like in National Geographic or the Neiman Marcus catalog.
3. Rechargable battery. Many people wish it used AA batteries so you wont be tied to a charger. Dont worry about it. It will shoot hundreds of pictures on one charge, so just remember to charge the battery after a long day of shooting. Big deal. I like that I wont have to buy AA batteries for it. The cost would add up.
4. Lack of "raw" image format. I havnt had a problem with this, and noone short of a real pro is likely to. It does store pictures only as JPG, but I havnt seen any problems one would normally associate with that. YMMV.
5. Slow movie framerate/noisy movies/no zoom in movie mode, etc. This is not a camcorder. The movie mode is like a freebie for me, and I recognize the reasons for these weaknesses. If you really want to shoot movies, buy a MiniDV camcorder instead. Youll be a lot happier with it.
6. Non-pocketable size. How could you possibly expect it to be much smaller?
7. Uncomfortable grip. Ive got bear-paw hands, so its not as comfortable as the meaty contour grip of my EOS. Its not the worst Ive felt, but they couldve gotten this a little better by adding a little more size to that end of the camera. I dont think that it would hurt anyones feelings if that end were just a smidge larger. See #6
8. Controls. These are some of the best and most intuitive controls Ive seen in a long time. However, it seems that way to me because they so closely mimic the controls on my EOS. I especially like the fact that the control dial is lighted. Expect to stumble through it a little if you arent generally used to using versatile cameras, but youll quickly find that it can do most of what youd expect from a 35mm SLR and then some.
And now my own criticisms:
1. Software. Once I got it installed, it works flawlessly and easily. However, it required a service pack update to my Windows 2000 that gave me a BSOD and required a full reinstall. Ouch. That upset me a little, but I did fix it. That wasnt really Kodaks fault, but just be warned.
2. Power up takes a little longer than I would like, mostly because the lens folds itself into the body when the camera is powered down. It takes it about a second to reach shooting position. Once there, focusing and zooming do not change the length of the lens barrell.
3. Using "speeds" higher than ISO 140 gets grainy in a hurry. It looks remarkably like enlarging old high-speed film. Dark areas get a random blotchiness that averages to the right color, just like the Konica 3200 color print film used to. If you can stick to bright lights or the tiny flash. An external flash can be used for better range. Vivitar 283 fans, rejoice! It doesnt require a dedicated flash.
On: 2004-10-01
I just upgraded to this camera and I have been very pleased with its performance. I like the DX6490 because it is a nice even balance between "point & shoot" capability and added functionality for more adventurous photography. I also picked up a lens adapter which allows me to utilize filters and different types of lens. If you want a great camera that takes crisp, clean shots and has a variety of functionality, this camera is for you!
The only downside is that it is somewhat bulky but, its very lightweight which makes up for it. I find it to be a nice compromise between a point & shoot and the large, very expensive digital slrs
On: 2004-09-21
I had lots of problem with this digital camera. I am not new to digital camera so looks like I am not doing anything wrong. I owned my older kodak camera for about 4 years and that is much better than this one. Mainly the indoor picture quality is the worst. I called Kodak support and the answer was "that is the quality" that is it !! If you want little camera for the worth of the price $400, try something else
On: 2004-09-12
I have owned this camera for almost 1 year. I love it! The picture quality is phenomenal. The pictures I print far surpass any I get from negatives at a store. It is very easy to use, but you can customize some of the settings to allow more flexibility, and the zoom is awesome. The only problem is the flash is not bright enough indoors with zoom feature. So you will need to invest in an external flash and as of yet kodak does not make one; so you must go with another brand. The lithium ion batteries hold a charge for a very long time. Lets just say I have never needed to use the 2 back up batteries I bought and I have used my camera for 200 pictures at a time and used many of the advanced features. You cant go wrong with this camera. It is larger than most cameras, so if you want a small, compact camera, find another one. Happy shopping and enjoy!
On: 2004-09-11
My fiance and I are getting married in June and we wanted to make sure that we had a nice digital camera before the wedding so that we can document stuff leading up to the big day and honeymoon. We had seriously considered getting a less flashy camera and then save up for a nicer one for later on (with a big zoom etc...). We got this one for several reasons. If you are just interested in a "is it good or not?", my short answer is yes and it will be worth your money spent. If you would like a more detailed analysis, read on.
We were looking for a digital camera with lots of automatic functions, the ability to do things manually if we choose, and a nice zoom. We wanted four megapixels, not really more or less. It will be really rare for us to print any pictures larger than 4X6, but we wanted to be sure that we had the option of 8X10 (hence higher than 3.2 megapixel). The difference between a 4 MP and a 5MP camera as of 9/04 is about a hundred USD, so we decided that we didnt need to spend an extra hundred for one more megapixel. We are both biologists (me a teacher, she in environmental biology). It is really important for us to be able to zoom in when at a zoo or in natural areas. We ARE NOT professional photographers and are just getting into understanding manually setting the shutter speed, ISO etc.
We looked at the Canon S1 IS, the Panasonic FZ15 or FZ20, the Minolta Z series, and the Fuji E550. All of these, PLUS this camera (the KODAK DX6490) had cons that we didnt like. It really frustrates us that the current state of the digi cam market within our price range ($400 USD) does not have a combination of all the features we want. So, if you are shopping around, dont necessarily expect to find a camera that has all the features you want.
A brief list of the cons of the cameras above: Canon: only 3.2 megapixel and confusing menus, Panasonic: most of the features really great, but not available at any of the retail stores where we could get the no interest financing that we really needed, Minolta Z series: very small (1.5") LCD screens, Fuji E550: only 3X optical zoom, expensive picture cards, movie format is AVI, not quicktime. Ill give a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of the Kodak 6490 below.
Now, all of those cameras above are really nice cameras within that price range. The Panasonic and the Fuji E550 were top choices for a while. We did a lot of internet research into a lot of different cameras, some lacking zoom, some with, some in a much lower or higher price range. So, our choice was a choice of what we considered to be the best combination of what we wanted, not because the Kodak was unbelievably better than any of the others.
We have now had the camera for about a week and are very pleased with it. The camera is very easy to use in many ways. The buttons on the actual camera are obvious in terms of their use. It takes a very short read of a few pages of the manual to understand what the very few "not so obvious" buttons do. The menu navigation is incredibly simple. Every option selected has a message in the upper right hand corner of the screen telling you what that menu selection does. The screen has the capability of showing you a lot of info about your settings, or you can turn it off. The choice is nice. The software is also really easy to use. Its not like high quality software that you buy, but it does its job. The software is very similar to iPhoto, and unlike my version of iPhoto (which is very new), the Kodak software will find and catalog every picture on your computer. The other nice thing about the Easyshare system is that you can upload picture directory names (called albums) to your camera and then tag pictures with those album names so that your pictures will automatically be sorted to the directory you want. Today I noticed that the Easyshare software will "auto-detect" other digital cameras and download the pictures for you. This is a great aspect to those that have another digital camera with bad software. Olympus software is horrible and it took me one tenth of the time to download my last pics from the old camera before I sold it to someone!
Feel free to read other reviews about the "share" button. It is a nice feature, but since I dont have an internet ready computer at home (only at work) and since I cant afford a nice photo printer (or even the Dock after buying this : ) ), the feature is kind of useless to me. It doesnt surprise me that Kodak has developed features to streamline photo printing, but you have to have the equipment to email, photo print, etc, and on my salary and with a wedding coming up I just cant afford those accessories.
This camera has an awesome zoom. Ill discuss more of the cons of a zoom this big later on during the "cons" section. The 10X is really nice and you can and should turn off the digital zoom as it reduces picture quality.
I really like that the camera allows you to select picture quality settings. You can save pictures as 4MP, 3.5MP, 2 MP or 1.1 MP. Each is good for different applications and is nice to be able to choose. A real bonus is that if you KNOW that a picture you are taking will only ever be printed in 4X6, you can reduce the quality to 3.5MP, still get photo quality printing, but save space on the memory card.
The movie mode with sound is great. It takes movies at 320X240 at 24 FPS (movie theatre frame rate is EXCELLENT), which is not big enough for a TV screen, but a great size for the computer. Honestly, if you want to take video and project it on your TV screen, I recommend just buying a digital camcorder. Movies are saved as Quicktimes. With my 512 MB card that I stuck in it, I can get 30 minutes. The movies are ultra smooth and the microphone picks up sound at a decent range. Its nice to be able to take some nice quality video, even if that is not the point of a digital camera.
This camera has the largest LCD currently available on the market at 2.2". Its great to have a big picture of what you just captured. On a quick side note, the camera does have an electronic viewfinder that you can look through and conserve battery power while still reviewing.
We have had the camera for a while and the picture quality looks good to me. I havent printed anything yet so I cant really comment on that yet.
Probably one of the best features is the rechargeable Li battery. My previous camera (an Olympus D-380) had great battery life with CRV3 lithiums, but those batteries are $20 USD a piece! It is awesome to not have to buy separate batteries and will practically pay off the camera over the years. We have taken over 60 pictures so far with LCD on and with the flash and so far the battery is still going. The manual says to expect to get 160-210 pictures before you need a charge. I assume the 160 is if you use the LCD and flash every time. Thats pretty good! I know spare batteries are available, but I have no idea what they cost. The battery charged up in just over 2.5 hours.
The camera has 16 MB of internal memory. Many people would say "Foul, it should have more memory than that!" I sympathize with this viewpoint but I think it is important to remember that most cameras dont even come with ANY internal memory. Having the internal memory allowed me to still play with the camera while saving money by buying a separate card online. SD/MMC memory are the more affordable memory types as well. CompactFlash and xD-picture cards are retail almost double the price at Best Buy. The manual only gives storage estimates up to 256 MB, but you can put any size card in it you want. My 512 MB card holds 384 pictures on highest quality. I plan to always split that between pictures and video.
The negatives of this camera are few. My first problem is that the images can look really blurry at 10X zoom. I havent had many problems with taking pictures at 10X so far but they looked horrible when I tried it at Best Buy. I plan on getting a tripod. I hear this is a standard way of going about things for large zoom on ANY camera. The image stabilization that Canon and Panasonic have on the cameras mentioned above would make this one near perfect.
My fiancé does not like the "color enhancement" feature that is on the camera. Basically, the chip enhances all of the colors so they look really bright. My fiancé thinks that sometimes the pictures look unnaturally colorful as a result of this. You CAN turn this feature off by setting it to "neutral color", but you have to do this every time you turn on the camera. The manual claims there is a way that you can set it to PASM mode and always keep the "neutral color", but this is one of the very few things I havent been able to figure out how to do. I personally dont think the color enhancement looks unnatural, but I also have really poor vision. I did a test with "saturated" and "neutral" color of my fiancé, and her lips look rosier with the color enhancement. I dont think they look freakishly rosy.
One minor gripe that could be fixed is that while in movie mode, you cannot use the zoom feature. You can set the zoom ahead of time and then capture the video, but some cameras (like the Canon S1 IS) allow you to zoom while shooting video.
I want to echo the reviewer above that the plastic door to the USB port looks like it will eventually break. Not a big deal, but worth noting.
One thing to note about digital cameras in general, is that different cameras have different chips that convert the optical image in the lens to digital pixels in a file. They are called CCDs (Charge Coupled Device) and have ratings of 1/some number. Basically, the lower the number, the smaller the pixels put in the file. The smaller the pixels, the more crisp the image. Most digital cameras on the market have a rating of 1/2.5. The DX6490 has that rating. Fuji has just finished some "super" chip that has a CCD of 1/1.7. That is the best we have been able to find in the $400 USD price range. So, the CCD on this Kodak camera isnt the best, but it is no different than most other cameras, and the pictures look fine.
I think that this is a great camera and a great product. The cons that I have mentioned are more annoyances than real problems. Kodak has just come out with a 5.0 MP version of this camera that may be worth checking out if you want higher resolution pictures. I would buy this camera again.
On: 2004-09-10
My fiance and I are getting married in June and we wanted to make sure that we had a nice digital camera before the wedding so that we can document stuff leading up to the big day and honeymoon. We had seriously considered getting a less flashy camera and then save up for a nicer one for later on (with a big zoom etc...). We got this one for several reasons. If you are just interested in a "is it good or not?", my short answer is yes and it will be worth your money spent. If you would like a more detailed analysis, read on.
We were looking for a digital camera with lots of automatic functions, the ability to do things manually if we choose, and a nice zoom. We wanted four megapixels, not really more or less. It will be really rare for us to print any pictures larger than 4X6, but we wanted to be sure that we had the option of 8X10 (hence higher than 3.2 megapixel). The difference between a 4 MP and a 5MP camera as of 9/04 is about a hundred USD, so we decided that we didnt need to spend an extra hundred for one more megapixel. We are both biologists (me a teacher, she in environmental biology). It is really important for us to be able to zoom in when at a zoo or in natural areas. We ARE NOT professional photographers and are just getting into understanding manually setting the shutter speed, ISO etc.
We looked at the Canon S1 IS, the Panasonic FZ15 or FZ20, the Minolta Z series, and the Fuji E550. All of these, PLUS this camera (the KODAK DX6490) had cons that we didnt like. It really frustrates us that the current state of the digi cam market within our price range ($400 USD) does not have a combination of all the features we want. So, if you are shopping around, dont necessarily expect to find a camera that has all the features you want.
A brief list of the cons of the cameras above: Canon: only 3.2 megapixel and confusing menus, Panasonic: most of the features really great, but not available at any of the retail stores where we could get the no interest financing that we really needed, Minolta Z series: very small (1.5") LCD screens, Fuji E550: only 3X optical zoom, expensive picture cards, movie format is AVI, not quicktime. Ill give a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of the Kodak 6490 below.
Now, all of those cameras above are really nice cameras within that price range. The Panasonic and the Fuji E550 were top choices for a while. We did a lot of internet research into a lot of different cameras, some lacking zoom, some with, some in a much lower or higher price range. So, our choice was a choice of what we considered to be the best combination of what we wanted, not because the Kodak was unbelievably better than any of the others.
We have now had the camera for about a week and are very pleased with it. The camera is very easy to use in many ways. The buttons on the actual camera are obvious in terms of their use. It takes a very short read of a few pages of the manual to understand what the very few "not so obvious" buttons do. The menu navigation is incredibly simple. Every option selected has a message in the upper right hand corner of the screen telling you what that menu selection does. The screen has the capability of showing you a lot of info about your settings, or you can turn it off. The choice is nice. The software is also really easy to use. Its not like high quality software that you buy, but it does its job. The software is very similar to iPhoto, and unlike my version of iPhoto (which is very new), the Kodak software will find and catalog every picture on your computer. The other nice thing about the Easyshare system is that you can upload picture directory names (called albums) to your camera and then tag pictures with those album names so that your pictures will automatically be sorted to the directory you want. Today I noticed that the Easyshare software will "auto-detect" other digital cameras and download the pictures for you. This is a great aspect to those that have another digital camera with bad software. Olympus software is horrible and it took me one tenth of the time to download my last pics from the old camera before I sold it to someone!
Feel free to read other reviews about the "share" button. It is a nice feature, but since I dont have an internet ready computer at home (only at work) and since I cant afford a nice photo printer (or even the Dock after buying this : ) ), the feature is kind of useless to me. It doesnt surprise me that Kodak has developed features to streamline photo printing, but you have to have the equipment to email, photo print, etc, and on my salary and with a wedding coming up I just cant afford those accessories.
This camera has an awesome zoom. Ill discuss more of the cons of a zoom this big later on during the "cons" section. The 10X is really nice and you can and should turn off the digital zoom as it reduces picture quality.
I really like that the camera allows you to select picture quality settings. You can save pictures as 4MP, 3.5MP, 2 MP or 1.1 MP. Each is good for different applications and is nice to be able to choose. A real bonus is that if you KNOW that a picture you are taking will only ever be printed in 4X6, you can reduce the quality to 3.5MP, still get photo quality printing, but save space on the memory card.
The movie mode with sound is great. It takes movies at 320X240 at 24 FPS (movie theatre frame rate is EXCELLENT), which is not big enough for a TV screen, but a great size for the computer. Honestly, if you want to take video and project it on your TV screen, I recommend just buying a digital camcorder. Movies are saved as Quicktimes. With my 512 MB card that I stuck in it, I can get 30 minutes. The movies are ultra smooth and the microphone picks up sound at a decent range. Its nice to be able to take some nice quality video, even if that is not the point of a digital camera.
This camera has the largest LCD currently available on the market at 2.2". Its great to have a big picture of what you just captured. On a quick side note, the camera does have an electronic viewfinder that you can look through and conserve battery power while still reviewing.
We have had the camera for a while and the picture quality looks good to me. I havent printed anything yet so I cant really comment on that yet.
Probably one of the best features is the rechargeable Li battery. My previous camera (an Olympus D-380) had great battery life with CRV3 lithiums, but those batteries are $20 USD a piece! It is awesome to not have to buy separate batteries and will practically pay off the camera over the years. We have taken over 60 pictures so far with LCD on and with the flash and so far the battery is still going. The manual says to expect to get 160-210 pictures before you need a charge. I assume the 160 is if you use the LCD and flash every time. Thats pretty good! I know spare batteries are available, but I have no idea what they cost. The battery charged up in just over 2.5 hours.
The camera has 16 MB of internal memory. Many people would say "Foul, it should have more memory than that!" I sympathize with this viewpoint but I think it is important to remember that most cameras dont even come with ANY internal memory. Having the internal memory allowed me to still play with the camera while saving money by buying a separate card online. SD/MMC memory are the more affordable memory types as well. CompactFlash and xD-picture cards are retail almost double the price at Best Buy. The manual only gives storage estimates up to 256 MB, but you can put any size card in it you want. My 512 MB card holds 384 pictures on highest quality. I plan to always split that between pictures and video.
The negatives of this camera are few. My first problem is that the images can look really blurry at 10X zoom. I havent had many problems with taking pictures at 10X so far but they looked horrible when I tried it at Best Buy. I plan on getting a tripod. I hear this is a standard way of going about things for large zoom on ANY camera. The image stabilization that Canon and Panasonic have on the cameras mentioned above would make this one near perfect.
My fiancé does not like the "color enhancement" feature that is on the camera. Basically, the chip enhances all of the colors so they look really bright. My fiancé thinks that sometimes the pictures look unnaturally colorful as a result of this. You CAN turn this feature off by setting it to "neutral color", but you have to do this every time you turn on the camera. The manual claims there is a way that you can set it to PASM mode and always keep the "neutral color", but this is one of the very few things I havent been able to figure out how to do. I personally dont think the color enhancement looks unnatural, but I also have really poor vision. I did a test with "saturated" and "neutral" color of my fiancé, and her lips look rosier with the color enhancement. I dont think they look freakishly rosy.
One minor gripe that could be fixed is that while in movie mode, you cannot use the zoom feature. You can set the zoom ahead of time and then capture the video, but some cameras (like the Canon S1 IS) allow you to zoom while shooting video.
I want to echo the reviewer above that the plastic door to the USB port looks like it will eventually break. Not a big deal, but worth noting.
One thing to note about digital cameras in general, is that different cameras have different chips that convert the optical image in the lens to digital pixels in a file. They are called CCDs (Charge Coupled Device) and have ratings of 1/some number. Basically, the lower the number, the smaller the pixels put in the file. The smaller the pixels, the more crisp the image. Most digital cameras on the market have a rating of 1/2.5. The DX6490 has that rating. Fuji has just finished some "super" chip that has a CCD of 1/1.7. That is the best we have been able to find in the $400 USD price range. So, the CCD on this Kodak camera isnt the best, but it is no different than most other cameras, and the pictures look fine.
I think that this is a great camera and a great product. The cons that I have mentioned are more annoyances than real problems. Kodak has just come out with a 5.0 MP version of this camera that may be worth checking out if you want higher resolution pictures. I would buy this camera again.
On: 2004-09-07
Extreamly slow shutter speed, even on sports setting, hard to get a clear picture of active children, which was the point of buying it in the first place. thank God circuit city was kind and allowed me to exchange it.
On: 2004-09-06
Extreamly slow shutter speed, even on sports setting, hard to get a clear picture of active children, which was the point of buying it in the first place. thank God circuit city was kind and allowed me to exchange it.
On: 2004-08-20
I love my DX6490, I did so much research before buying it to go on holiday a few months ago. I am a rubbish photographer, but get great shots, my brother-in-law is a good one and gets awesome shots. It took a couple of days of slightly blurred pictures before I got a handle on how to use the camera, so Id reccommend buying it a week or so before the big event! I also struggle with the zoom when it is right out, but am stunned by the results when I manage to get past the shake. I think that next time Ill go for a smaller zoom. The macro is fantastic. My inside shots became really good once I got into the habit of putting up the flash! I get frustrated by the fact that the manual is on disk, as I usually need to read it when I am away from my computer, but this would be my biggest gripe.
I now have hundreds of photos on my computer and can never decide which to use on my desktop, they all look really good.
On: 2004-08-11
I truly loved my digital Elph. While this Kodak cant match the Elphs convenient size, our new Kodak EasyShare is awesome! My wife and I love the 10x zoom which blows away any comparably priced cameras. The viewer is huge. If you turn off the "preview" option, the camera can snap photos in pretty rapid succession. We bought the camera mainly to get better quality photos of our newborn baby, and its been more than adequate for that. Our camera came with the docking station too, but I dont really see that as any big asset. We would like the camera with or without the dock.
Complaints? The only real problem Ive had with the camera is taking photos outdoors in bright sunlight. Ive had a tough time seeing through the viewer (but I am probably doing something wrong in all honesty). Im not a huge fan of the wheel that turns the camera on and changes modes, just a minor complaint. And, again, I wish the camera was a little bit smaller.
On: 2004-08-10
I have read everyones review before writing mine.
Plus Points
1. Price is good considering 10X OPTICAL zoom.
2. Quality of Close up pictures under bright/low light are EXCELLENT in Color and detail.
3. Video capability is very good and useful.
4. Great LCD. I always love bigger LCD. (Luck me, I have Samsung Camcorder with very large LCD)
5. Compact and looks good
6. Very user friendly.
Minus Points
1. Doest capture good photos in dark. May be thats the case with other cameras too.
2. Hand-shake during photo spoils the photo.
Before buying this camera on Amazon checkout if they provide the docking station thats useful for recharging and transfering photos to your computer with one touch.
- regards
Rajesh Kamisetty
On: 2004-08-09
I have read everyones review before writing mine.
Plus Points
1. Price is good considering 10X OPTICAL zoom.
2. Quality of Close up pictures under bright/low light are EXCELLENT in Color and detail.
3. Video capability is very good and useful.
4. Great LCD. I always love bigger LCD. (Luck me, I have Samsung Camcorder with very large LCD)
5. Compact and looks good
6. Very user friendly.
Minus Points
1. Doest capture good photos in dark. May be thats the case with other cameras too.
2. Hand-shake during photo spoils the photo.
Before buying this camera on Amazon checkout if they provide the docking station thats useful for recharging and transfering photos to your computer with one touch.
- regards
Rajesh Kamisetty
On: 2004-08-09
The Kodak DX6490 is an amazing camera to use. For the price, far below other hi-end digital cameras such as Nikon and Canon, you get fine pictures, excellent control, features that allow you to treat the DX6490 like an old-fashioned SLR, and an effective lens whose clarity astonished me.
From the hugh LCD readout, the the pop-up flash, I found the DX6490 easy to use. Unlike older digital cameras, the DX6490 has little lag time between the shutter button and the exposure.
I found that when I set my ISO manually to 400, I could take pictures I only dreamed about with my older DC3400, capturing watersplashes, tightly focused portraits, and usable digital video.
I bought a Kodak SD 256 card to go with the camera, having learned my lesson with my old 8 card for my DC3400. Of course, the DX6490 has an interal drive so you could use the camera without a card if need be.
I was shocked pleasantly when I got home after a day of shooting and plugged my card into my computer and opened the pictures in Photoshop CS. I was thrilled by the detail, the range of lighting, the excellent contrast, and the work of the manual mode which froze motion like the best old Nikon.
Some weak points: I am now tied to the Li-On battery instead of easily availible and cheap AA batteries. Expect to use a tripod to get a sharp picture using the portrait mode and the 10X zoom together (but any serious photographer would expect the same from any camera). The Camera is consumer oriented, with built in album naming and email capability which I know people might use. I would have prefered more battery power for extended use.
On the whole, this is fine camera for a great price. I bought mine at Wal-Mart and I paid less for the DX6490 than any of the advertised prices on Amazon. Anyone interested in a controllable digital camera without taking out a second mortgage will find themselves more than pleased with the DX6490. How good is this camera? My wife forgave me for buying it when she saw the pictures.
On: 2004-08-06
I purchased this camera as an upgrade to another digital Kodak I picked up about 2 years ago. I loved the idea of the zoom & sports setting, because I attend many professional wrestling events a year. Its nice to be able to snap photos of my wrestling heroes in action & this camera allows it w/no blurring. Lighting @ the events is minimal, but every shot came out perfect when I used the flash setting. It is *so* simple to use its unreal.
I recommend picking up the largest SD capture card you can find. I use a 512mb SD card & it holds around 350 photos in the highest quality. Im waiting for the SanDisk Ultra II 1GB card to come out, thatll be my next "upgrade". Ultra has one of the fastest write speeds available & my dad has a Ultra CF for his Canon camera, it makes the unbearable "pause" time between photos vanish, so I look forward to buying that when it comes out in a few months.
I picked up the EasyShare Printer along w/the camera & have already printed 50+ photos. The photos print crisp, clear, & look like they came from a professional lab. I highly recommend it along w/the camera, youll love it. The prints come out *beautiful* when printed @ any size.
My only worry was that the Printer refill packages would cost a lot more than taking the photos to the store for printing, but they cost around 30 cents a photo which is even better than most online printing sources.
Just as I thought I couldnt live w/out my other Kodak, I have no idea how Ill live w/out this one.
On: 2004-08-05
I purchased this camera as an upgrade to another digital Kodak I picked up about 2 years ago. I loved the idea of the zoom & sports setting, because I attend many professional wrestling events a year. Its nice to be able to snap photos of my wrestling heroes in action & this camera allows it w/no blurring. Lighting @ the events is minimal, but every shot came out perfect when I used the flash setting. It is *so* simple to use its unreal.
I recommend picking up the largest SD capture card you can find. I use a 512mb SD card & it holds around 350 photos in the highest quality. Im waiting for the SanDisk Ultra II 1GB card to come out, thatll be my next "upgrade". Ultra has one of the fastest write speeds available & my dad has a Ultra CF for his Canon camera, it makes the unbearable "pause" time between photos vanish, so I look forward to buying that when it comes out in a few months.
I picked up the EasyShare Printer along w/the camera & have already printed 50+ photos. The photos print crisp, clear, & look like they came from a professional lab. I highly recommend it along w/the camera, youll love it. The prints come out *beautiful* when printed @ any size.
My only worry was that the Printer refill packages would cost a lot more than taking the photos to the store for printing, but they cost around 30 cents a photo which is even better than most online printing sources.
Just as I thought I couldnt live w/out my other Kodak, I have no idea how Ill live w/out this one.
On: 2004-08-03
I am happy with my camera. However, I was VERY disappointed and surprised that the ad claimed to have a dock included in the box, which was one of the reasons I bought this item. That claim has since been removed.
On: 2004-08-01
Bought this camera a month ago, and it is definately one of the best digital cameras, especially for its price. The quality of the pictures that this camera takes really pushes the limit of a 4 megapixel camera, and takes analog quality pictures.
On: 2004-08-01
You like the LCD size and res. , It uses SD which is great, but a camera is judged based on its picture quality according to its features, every camera is good in good light and low zoom (like up to 4X) but this one fails to perform at its 10X zoom unless a tripod is used.
I would not recommend it, currently there are a number of good zoom cameras with added features to compensate for long zoom, hand shake and low light conditions.
On: 2004-07-31
You like the LCD size and res. , It uses SD which is great, but a camera is judged based on its picture quality according to its features, every camera is good in good light and low zoom (like up to 4X) but this one fails to perform at its 10X zoom unless a tripod is used.
I would not recommend it, currently there are a number of good zoom cameras with added features to compensate for long zoom, hand shake and low light conditions.
On: 2004-07-25
This camera has almost all the features someone would need in a camera. Where to start...okay lets start with the aesthetics. I chose this camera for its size, looks, and the way it felt in my hands. The camera looks like its ready to work and its size is big enough not to misplace but not too big that I wouldnt want to carry it. I also bought it for the different shooting modes (including the manual modes). Theres the auto mode where the camera does all the work, the sport modes for action shots (I needed that for I have a 2 yr old), the portrait mode, the night mode and last but not least the P.A.S.M (manual) modes. There are three other features that can be used with each mode: close up, landscape, and burst. The Easyshare feature makes it easy to get the pictures from the camera to computer at the touch of a button. You can also designate what pictures you want to send in e-mail before you even transfer them to your computer. The LCD screen was the biggest and best on the market at that time (2.2 inch, high def). You can view your pics no matter what kind of light youre in. The pictures come out great if you let the camera do its job. Most of my pictures are frame-worthy and the colors are great. You can also set the color mode too. Plus the electronic viewfinder eliminates the image parallax problems, what you see is what you get...no chopped off heads!!! There are so many other features that I wont mention because this review is getting too long.
As wonderful as this camera is, it is not without its flaws. The 4 megapixels can limit the size you can enlarge your pictures. There is no image stabilization at max zoom (not a major flaw as long as you let the camera focus on the subject). You cant adjust the JPEG compression (the new DX series camera have that option). Slow auto-focus in low light (sometimes has trouble focusing in very low light even with the flash operating if subject is a good distance away). All the flaws are defeatable if you take the time and learn the camera. Practice...Practice...Practice!!!
All-in-all a wonderful product. If Kodak goes back and addresses the flaws AND contain the price point it would definately have the camera to beat. Put it like this...I would buy the new version in a heart beat.
On: 2004-07-24
This camera has almost all the features someone would need in a camera. Where to start...okay lets start with the aesthetics. I chose this camera for its size, looks, and the way it felt in my hands. The camera looks like its ready to work and its size is big enough not to misplace but not too big that I wouldnt want to carry it. I also bought it for the different shooting modes (including the manual modes). Theres the auto mode where the camera does all the work, the sport modes for action shots (I needed that for I have a 2 yr old), the portrait mode, the night mode and last but not least the P.A.S.M (manual) modes. There are three other features that can be used with each mode: close up, landscape, and burst. The Easyshare feature makes it easy to get the pictures from the camera to computer at the touch of a button. You can also designate what pictures you want to send in e-mail before you even transfer them to your computer. The LCD screen was the biggest and best on the market at that time (2.2 inch, high def). You can view your pics no matter what kind of light youre in. The pictures come out great if you let the camera do its job. Most of my pictures are frame-worthy and the colors are great. You can also set the color mode too. Plus the electronic viewfinder eliminates the image parallax problems, what you see is what you get...no chopped off heads!!! There are so many other features that I wont mention because this review is getting too long.
As wonderful as this camera is, it is not without its flaws. The 4 megapixels can limit the size you can enlarge your pictures. There is no image stabilization at max zoom (not a major flaw as long as you let the camera focus on the subject). You cant adjust the JPEG compression (the new DX series camera have that option). Slow auto-focus in low light (sometimes has trouble focusing in very low light even with the flash operating if subject is a good distance away). All the flaws are defeatable if you take the time and learn the camera. Practice...Practice...Practice!!!
All-in-all a wonderful product. If Kodak goes back and addresses the flaws AND contain the price point it would definately have the camera to beat. Put it like this...I would buy the new version in a heart beat.
On: 2004-07-23
There is a Kodak case made for the 6490. You can see it, under accessories on the Kodak website. Cost is around $23 and it fits the camera perfectly (you remove the insert...it even has a little padded back to protect the viewing screen!). The case also has a special space for BOTH addtl. battery and SD card. Recommend getting the case. Very nicely made. Gives peace- of-mind to have it fit perfectly.
On: 2004-07-21
OK, Ive had the camera for a week, but took it to an important family party last weekend and shot about 80 photos--different modes, light, etc. Then took it to WalMart Kodak Picture Maker machine and got 2 CDs made, some enlargements and lots of 4x6s. This camera is wonderful. I did a lot of research before buying. Its true, you can use this camera "out of the box." The clarity (resolution) is so good, its almost too good. With the 10x optical zoom, Im seeing (in the prints) veins on flowers, imperfections on human skin, every last detail! I didnt even realize it also gives you the option of "dialing down" to lower megapixels if you want to save space, and the lower resolution also produced beautiful pictures. I bought a 256 MB memory card so dont have to worry about running out of room. The "burst" mode worked great for action shots. The video mode worked great. I havent had a chance yet to try the manual mode, but its nice to have that option. Check out the other features Im not even mentioning here (slide show on TV, for example). Some reviews on other web sites voiced concerns about battery life. I shot pictures over several hours, with the LCD viewfinder on, plus shot a short video clip with the camera, and never ran out of battery power. Ive shown the results to people who know a lot more about photography than I and they were impressed. I even enlarged one photo to 8x10 to be hung on the wall, it is so clear, light-balanced, artistic (I didnt even try that hard!) etc. And remember, this was my first time out with this camera! Ive already sold two other people on this camera, after seeing my pictures. I cant think of any negatives (no pun intended), other than I am still trying to find the right camera case for this. I had used my daughters Easyshare on a previous vacation, and was impressed with the ease of use. I upgraded to this camera specifically for the 10x optical zoom, it was worth the extra money. Did I mention this is a great camera?? Buy, and enjoy!
On: 2004-07-10
WOW! I had this camera given to me as a gift knowing its quite demanding price of $500. But its worth every penny! It has everything! You can take any shot you want to with every feature known to man to help you out. Check it out:- PASM mode equipes you with not only full creative control of F-Stops and aperture, but also with a 16-second to 1/1000 of a second shutter speed to really keep the action shots sharp or to create a purposely fuzzy image - Burst feature helps you really get multiple great shots at say, fireworks, or a baseball swing. This feature can shoot six photos per second! - Ten-second timer - Once you have focused on the image, the camera will give you warnings if you are about to take a pretty crappy photo! - Multiple zoom zones so putting what you want to see into focus is easy - Catch a beautiful, wide lake, or a tiny red flower with the landscape feature, and the close-up feature! - Flash modes include:
- red-eye
- automatic flash adjustment (auto)
- regular flash - You can choose weather you would like the date stamped onto each picture - You can also choose between many different special effects (this list includes some effects you can use on the free software)
- sepia (western)
- black and white
- saturated color (intensified color)
- cartoon
- coloring book
- fish-eye - You can tag a photo to be emailed right when you dock it into your computer - You can even protect a photo from being deleted - With a four megapixel sensor and a whopping ten-x optical zoom, you can still have a breath-taking photo from a distance! These are just a few of the hundreds of features on this camera! I would seriously suggest this for your all purpose shooting! -
On: 2004-07-05
As my familys main photgrapher, I always wanted to buy a digital camera. The problem was that it was too expensive. Fortunateyl, Chirstmas puts love in your heart and takes cash out of your wallet, and my parents got me one. Boy, was I surpised by how great it was.This may well be the best digital csmera ever. The zoom is great, and its easy to use. There are four ways to take pictures with it: Auto - used for general picture taking and the one I mostly use. PASM: Used to access manual camera settings Sport - Used when object is in motion Video - Used to capture motion and sound (I dont use this one because this one takes up too much space) Portrait - Used for full - frame photos of people and other subjects Night - Used at night to capture subject and background This are the explenations as written on the camera screen. My favorite feature of the camera is that you can change the colors of the pictures. Theres "saturated" (which is the one I usually use), "neutral", "black and white" and my personal favorite "sepia". I am also glad that you can delete pictures you dont want. You dont kow how many pictures I had to get rid of with throwaway ameras. Plus it saves film and money. I highly recommnd this digital camera. Its a photgraohers dream that you can take anywhere. My only gripe is that it doesnt come with the chip. I once took a whole batch of pictures without a chip and as a result couldnt print them.
On: 2004-06-19
This is one of the best cameras anyone could ever buy. So easy to use, itll make you want to take it everywhere. I sure do! The cameras ready right out of the box. The pictures come out wonderful and the battery life is great. Only a few minor flaws (no image stabilization on extreme close-ups and the auto-focus makes you wait sometimes before you can snap the picture) but they do not transfer onto the pictures. Even with the jittery close-ups(when you use the digital zoom @ its max) the pictures come out clear. With the auto-focus problems you just have to wait for the green light when the cameras ready. All-in-all you cannot go wrong with this camera. It, as with any new piece of equipment, takes time and practice to learn how to use it (to get the full advantage of its features). So just practice, practice, practice!!!! I took some pictures of my son in the park playing...they almost look like I hired a professional and I only have had the camera since December 2003. I would recommend this camera from the beginner to the enthusiast. Its worth the price just for the zoom and manual controls it offers.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-06-14
I had been researching my digital camera purchase for some time. We have SONY digital cameras at work and this one is easier to use. Rarely do products do more than claimed. These are some of the features we found out about after the purchase:Additional lenses - With the purchase of a 55mm screw on adaptor, 55mm lenses and filters can be used with this camera. Kodak offers a telephoto and a wide angle adaptor. Photo album - You can browse through the photos you have taken with the camera from either viewing area. This allows you to see numerous photos at once and pick the one you want without scrolling through every photo sequentially. PASM - This camera has 3 automatic modes or is fully adjustable. You can set the Fstop, the speed, etc. Windows XP compatiblity - Windows XP reads the camera as another hard disk. You can attach images into an eMail while they are still on the camera. Images can also be deleted or opened from XP while still on the camera. Red eye reduction - Didnt know it had it and that I can turn it on or off. AC power - The camera can be run with an AC adaptor Internal Zoom - Images can be zoomed in on from the within camera. Photos with this camera have been outstanding! The files have actually been rather large for eMailing. For eMailing you may want to lower the resolution. The whole family is interested in photography thanks to this camera. I have already had to wait in line to use it! The 10x optical zoom really gives you the freedom to be creative. The only better cameras than the DX6490 cost more than twice as much.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-06-08
KODAK COULD ONLY IMPROVE THIS CAMERA IF IT CAME WITH A HIGHER MEGAPIXEL. THIS CAMERA ROCKS! WHEN I TAKE IT TO A PARTY, GUESTS LINE UP FOR THEIR TURN; EVERYONE WANTS TO TAKE HOME A PICTURE THAT THEY WATCH COME OUT OF THE PRINTER DOCK 6000. THE EASE AND QUALITY RAISE EYEBROWS FROM EVEN THE MOST CRITICAL EYE! I TAUGHT DARK ROOM TECHNIQUE ON THE COLLEGE LEVEL, AND HAVE DONE PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT WORK WITH LARGE FORMAT CAMERAS; I AM NONE-THE-LESS IMPRESSED WITH THE KODAK DX6490...CHECK OUT THE LENS; IT IS A FIRST RATE SCHNEIDER. KODAK GETS MY BOW!
by: Anonymous On: 2004-06-05
I have had 4 kodak digital cameras and recently got the dx6490 as a gift. It is a really stable and powerful camera that takes excellent pictures. The low cost, high quality and simplicity are all reasons to buy this camera. Night shots work better than most snap and shoot digital cameras that I have seen. Outdoor and indoor shots are so simple, the only thing that takes some getting used to is the joystick function for moving up and down. While it is small - it takes a few days to get used to, mind you the large viewing screen will impress everyone. Buy this camera - its worth every penny.
On: 2004-06-04
Tested at least 20 different digital cameras (ranging from $300 to $1000+) before deciding to buy the Kodak DX6490. This camera is awesome...a digital treasure. I also lucked out (accessory-wise) when I bought it ($399). Among the INCLUDED items were a 128MB SD card, 6000 dock station, battery AND charger, leather camera bag. Liked the camera so much that a week later I also bought two extra 256MB SD cards (just wanted to play safe). Am a professional photographer and have never used a digital camera until now. The DX6490 is now attached to my hip, along with my Nikon F4 and Fujifilm GA645Zi (medium format). Both of these cameras (combined) cost well over $4000...so that should tell you how much the DX6490 impressed me. Its a lifetime keeper!!! Anyone interested in buying an exceptional digital camera at an affordable price would be downright foolish to overlook the DX6490!!!!!!! Besides being an exceptional digital machine, it has a professional look as well (unlike some other digitals which cost MUCH more). Added note: its unusual to find a built-in flash (in an affordable camera) that can take good pics up to 16 feet away. This one does it famously!!! And the 38-380 zoom is phenomenal. Superb results!!!!!! All the way!!!! Kudos to Kodak on this baby!!!!!!!!! Wonder if this camera is Kodaks flagship camera. If not, it should be!!
On: 2004-05-27
Ive had this camera for 7 months and, in that time frame, Ive also tried out 2 other digital cameras. A Pentax Optio S4i and the Sony T-1. Here are my comparisons and observations.Ill start with the flaws. The first and most annoying (and the reason I didnt give it 5 stars) is that this camera has difficulty focusing in low light (by "low light" I mean any time you might be required to use the flash). Many times, it just doesnt achieve a proper focus. This results in either a blurry, unfocused photograph or missing the shot all together. The Sony T-1 takes care of this by shining a red light on the subject so it can achieve a proper focus. The Kodak DX6490, and a lot of other digital cameras, badly need this feature.
The second flaw might not be a flaw to many of you. I personally think that this camera is too big and bulky. Obviously, that is the trade off for the huge zooming capabilities. But still, the Sony T-1 is so compact and easy to carry! The Kodak DX6490 needs a big carrying case. You cant just clip it to your jeans or put it in your shirt pocket. You have to have to carry it around like a purse. Its like carrying and old 35mm camera. Definitely not very convenient. And since its not convenient to carry around at all times, youre going to miss some shots `cause you didnt have your camera with you!
Also, the start-up time takes too long. 4-5 seconds vs. the T-1s 1.5 seconds. As for the good stuff, I have |
