Kodak EasyShare CX4200 Digital Camera
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- Digital Zoom: 2x
- Camera Type: Standard Point and Shoot
- Weight: 0.44 lb.
- LCD Screen Size: 1.6 in.
- Resolution: 2 Megapixel
- Optical Zoom: Without Optical Zoom
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2 Megapixel Camera without optical zoom.
Pros
Inexpensive , easy to use , uses AA.
Cons
No optical zoom , No Video , the Dock.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This is easy to use camera. Do not go for dock. Also look for other cameras for optical zoom and compare prices.
I already had the Kodak CX4300 which is a 3 Megapixel camera without zoom. So when I had the opportunity to look at the 2 Megapixel version CX4200 , I decided to write down the review for the CX4200 too. There are few other difference in CX4300 and CX4200 besides the megapixel. The lens cap design is different. In CX4200 there is a metal window on the lens that exposes the lens when the switch is made ON. In CX4300. Besides that CX4300 and CX4200 are exactly same.
Resolution
The highest resolution is 1632 x 1232. Now how does it translate it to actual viewing. If you are using the camera mostly in digital form and emailing then this is more than sufficient. Most of the today's monitor are still have resolution less than 1623 x 1232. It will mean that if the image has more resolution than screen , you will have to compress the image to display it completely on the screen. But of course the biggest advantage of the higher resolution is that you can resolve a part of the photo. As far as print quality is concerned , it is good upto 8 x 10 sizes. But most of us use 4 x 6 images for most photos , so it will be good for prints. But I still think that fewer people use prints from digital. But it should become common in the coming months. At 49 cents a photo for 4 x 6 , I think that it is still quite higher than film printing cost.
Battery
The camera uses 2 AA size battery. The original box comes with 2 Alkaline AA batteries. But I find that supplying the AA batteries is ridiculous. When anyone gets the camera for the first time , there is a tendency to have a look at the camera and its menus. That keeps the LCD in ON position for long time. And by the time he is about to complete his learning and has taken few scope shots the battery is gone. The camera does not has an inbuilt charge. At this point the user has no option but to look for a chargeable battery and a charger. It would have been better had Kodak supplied with chargeable NiMH AA batteries with the ability to charge the batteries from the camera itself. But there is one positive thing – the batteries are AA and even the chargeable NiMH and the charger comes inexpensive. You can afford to keep an extra set of chargeable AAs. The battery life is quite good. It will take about 200 snaps.
Memory
The camera has 16 MB of inbuilt internal memory. That will give you about 24 photos with highest quality or at 1632 x 1232. The medium quality at 800x600 will get you 48 photos. That is not bad. Lower resolution camera has the advantage of requiring lesser memory. But if you are on an outdoor shooting , you will require extra 32 MB or 64 MB Mutimedia or SD card.
LCD Display
The LCD display quality is not good. You will be able to review the photos but you will not be able to asses the quality of the photos until you download it to computer and look it.
Video Out
The camera provides ability to view the images on TV using an AV cable. The AV cable is provided. It is possible to create a Video that will successively show the photos. It is a good idea to keep a Video aside for the photos. Every time you download the photo to computer , you may make a point to create a Video cassette of the photos. But I do guess that very few people will use this feature. I never used it.
Close Up
There is a close up setting in the menu that can take close up snaps. I would recommend every user to get familiar with the close up mode. If you are taking any photograph that is closure than 12 inch you are should keep the Close Up setting ON in the menu .The focal lengths are 0.3 meter to infinity in auto mode and 0.15 meter to 0.5 meter in close up mode.
Exposure Setting
I will also recommend every user to get familiar with the exposure setting mode in the menu. When taking photographs in the extreme dark or extreme sunlight , the shutter speed is varied by setting the Exposure setting in the menu. You can vary the exposure compensation value in the menu from i.5 to 2.5 in steps of 0.5. The value 2.5 is to be set when it is extreme dark. It will expose the photographs for a longer time and make the photos look brighter. When you are shooting in sunlight reduce the exposure by setting the Exposure Compensation to -0.5 , -1.0 or -1.5 according to sunlight intensity.
The Dock
Kodak provides a separate "dock" for charging the batteries and for transferring the photos to computer. The transferring of photo to computer is also possible directly from Camera using the provided USB cable. So the only advantage of the dock is to charge the battery at a heft cost of $70. The advertisements say " one touch transfer ". You may better buy a separate charger and chargeable batteries that will cost about $20 and use the camera to transfer the photos directly instead of using the " one touch transfer " of Kodak. To me, it seems a gimmick of Kodak to earn through the sale of the accessories.
The Good
The camera comes cheap. Interface with the computer is easy with the USB cable. The camera provides the close up option and the Exposure setting which are very useful. It uses AA batteries that are widely available at inexpensive cost. There is a timer setting for including yourself in the photo. The picture can also be viewed on TV using the AV port. There is time / date stamping which can be made ON or OFF.
The Bad
The resolution falls a little short of the present higher megapixel digital cameras. There is no optical zoom. You can not create short videos like many brands of cameras provide. I do not like the "Dock" idea of the Kodak. The battery charger could have been in built into the camera. That would have been more useful than the Video Out feature.
Final Thought
At this price this camera could have been an excellent choice about two years ago. It still is a nice camera but for few of its shortcoming. Although picture quality is nice the camera does lack few things.
On final thought , I may recommend the camera for its low cost. But if the buyer is not careful he may finally end up paying more by purchasing dock and the additional chargeable batteries. It does not has the optical zoom. So, it will be worthwhile to compare other digital cameras with similar features before taking buying decision.
You may also like to review the Kodak CX4300 , successor of CX4200 , a 3 Megapixel camera.
http://www.epinions.com/content_86515814020
Resolution
The highest resolution is 1632 x 1232. Now how does it translate it to actual viewing. If you are using the camera mostly in digital form and emailing then this is more than sufficient. Most of the today's monitor are still have resolution less than 1623 x 1232. It will mean that if the image has more resolution than screen , you will have to compress the image to display it completely on the screen. But of course the biggest advantage of the higher resolution is that you can resolve a part of the photo. As far as print quality is concerned , it is good upto 8 x 10 sizes. But most of us use 4 x 6 images for most photos , so it will be good for prints. But I still think that fewer people use prints from digital. But it should become common in the coming months. At 49 cents a photo for 4 x 6 , I think that it is still quite higher than film printing cost.
Battery
The camera uses 2 AA size battery. The original box comes with 2 Alkaline AA batteries. But I find that supplying the AA batteries is ridiculous. When anyone gets the camera for the first time , there is a tendency to have a look at the camera and its menus. That keeps the LCD in ON position for long time. And by the time he is about to complete his learning and has taken few scope shots the battery is gone. The camera does not has an inbuilt charge. At this point the user has no option but to look for a chargeable battery and a charger. It would have been better had Kodak supplied with chargeable NiMH AA batteries with the ability to charge the batteries from the camera itself. But there is one positive thing – the batteries are AA and even the chargeable NiMH and the charger comes inexpensive. You can afford to keep an extra set of chargeable AAs. The battery life is quite good. It will take about 200 snaps.
Memory
The camera has 16 MB of inbuilt internal memory. That will give you about 24 photos with highest quality or at 1632 x 1232. The medium quality at 800x600 will get you 48 photos. That is not bad. Lower resolution camera has the advantage of requiring lesser memory. But if you are on an outdoor shooting , you will require extra 32 MB or 64 MB Mutimedia or SD card.
LCD Display
The LCD display quality is not good. You will be able to review the photos but you will not be able to asses the quality of the photos until you download it to computer and look it.
Video Out
The camera provides ability to view the images on TV using an AV cable. The AV cable is provided. It is possible to create a Video that will successively show the photos. It is a good idea to keep a Video aside for the photos. Every time you download the photo to computer , you may make a point to create a Video cassette of the photos. But I do guess that very few people will use this feature. I never used it.
Close Up
There is a close up setting in the menu that can take close up snaps. I would recommend every user to get familiar with the close up mode. If you are taking any photograph that is closure than 12 inch you are should keep the Close Up setting ON in the menu .The focal lengths are 0.3 meter to infinity in auto mode and 0.15 meter to 0.5 meter in close up mode.
Exposure Setting
I will also recommend every user to get familiar with the exposure setting mode in the menu. When taking photographs in the extreme dark or extreme sunlight , the shutter speed is varied by setting the Exposure setting in the menu. You can vary the exposure compensation value in the menu from i.5 to 2.5 in steps of 0.5. The value 2.5 is to be set when it is extreme dark. It will expose the photographs for a longer time and make the photos look brighter. When you are shooting in sunlight reduce the exposure by setting the Exposure Compensation to -0.5 , -1.0 or -1.5 according to sunlight intensity.
The Dock
Kodak provides a separate "dock" for charging the batteries and for transferring the photos to computer. The transferring of photo to computer is also possible directly from Camera using the provided USB cable. So the only advantage of the dock is to charge the battery at a heft cost of $70. The advertisements say " one touch transfer ". You may better buy a separate charger and chargeable batteries that will cost about $20 and use the camera to transfer the photos directly instead of using the " one touch transfer " of Kodak. To me, it seems a gimmick of Kodak to earn through the sale of the accessories.
The Good
The camera comes cheap. Interface with the computer is easy with the USB cable. The camera provides the close up option and the Exposure setting which are very useful. It uses AA batteries that are widely available at inexpensive cost. There is a timer setting for including yourself in the photo. The picture can also be viewed on TV using the AV port. There is time / date stamping which can be made ON or OFF.
The Bad
The resolution falls a little short of the present higher megapixel digital cameras. There is no optical zoom. You can not create short videos like many brands of cameras provide. I do not like the "Dock" idea of the Kodak. The battery charger could have been in built into the camera. That would have been more useful than the Video Out feature.
Final Thought
At this price this camera could have been an excellent choice about two years ago. It still is a nice camera but for few of its shortcoming. Although picture quality is nice the camera does lack few things.
On final thought , I may recommend the camera for its low cost. But if the buyer is not careful he may finally end up paying more by purchasing dock and the additional chargeable batteries. It does not has the optical zoom. So, it will be worthwhile to compare other digital cameras with similar features before taking buying decision.
You may also like to review the Kodak CX4300 , successor of CX4200 , a 3 Megapixel camera.
http://www.epinions.com/content_86515814020
