Kodak EasyShare C340 Digital Camera Review

by James Murray
Published on October 07, 2005

Navigation
Intro	Testing / Performance
Physical Tour	Components
Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters
Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Specs / Ratings

 

 

Likes

- Lens extends out from camera body, minimizing potential to obstruct shot - Large button size and intelligent placement contribute to ease of use - Cropping feature available in review mode - Menu is simplified and basic, offering a large font face and descriptions - Printing ease

Dislikes

- Substandard 1.6-inch LCD with just 72,000 pixels - Surprisingly large camera body, devoid of good finger grips - Poor movie mode provides a maximum frame rate of 20 fps at a resolution of 320 x 240 - Small flash unit will cast hard shadows and contains considerable Delay

 

The Kodak EasyShare C340 is a simple camera for people who don't want to bother with excessive manual controls and exposure adjustments. With a 1/2.5-inch 5 megapixel CCD and 3x zoom lens, the C340 is equipped to provide nice 5 x 7-inch prints with minimal effort required by the photographer. Unfortunately, the camera only contains a 1.6-inch 72K pixel LCD display.  This screen is about as bad as it gets these days and to point-and-shooters, this will be a substantial sacrifice.  Users will loose both compositional precision and sharing ability in the deficient screen. 

 

While the lack of manual controls and video capability will not be missed by many potential consumers of the C340, those with some flexibility in their camera budget would be much better served if they spent $275 on a far more capable camera with a 2.0 or 2.5-inch LCD than a sub-$200 camera with entry-level components. The bargain available is for those looking to purchase the printer dock with the camera. In that package, consumers will get a capable entry-level recording and printing tandem with a simplified interface that will produce 5 x 7-inch prints in 90 seconds. However, as a camera alone, most consumers should look into other alternatives.