Digital Camera Review
Oct 07, 2005
- By James Murray
The Kodak EasyShare C340 takes its 5 megapixel images with a 1/2.5” CCD and a 3x optical zoom lens. Captured images can then be viewed on the camera’s 72,000 pixel 1.6” LCD or in print form using the camera’s Print/Share button and a compatible printer dock or PictBridge compliant printer. Still images can be shot with 12 shooting presets, and video can be captured at 640 x 480 at 13 fps or 320 x 240 at 20 fps. With a suggested retail price of $249.95, the C340 is less expensive than competitors with similar resolution and optics, though it lacks some of the amenities and style of more expensive compacts. The EasyShare C340 does however continue Kodak's tradition of simple, easy-to-use cameras and can currently be found online for under $200.
Picture Quality / Size Options (6.5)
The picture quality and size options for the Kodak EasyShare C340 are found through the shooting menu in all still and movie modes found on this camera, and they are simple to locate. When shooting in still modes the four image quality settings are: 5.0 MP Best (2576 x 1932); 4.4 MP Best 3:2; 2.1 MP Better; and 1.1 MP Good. When shooting in movie mode, the user can decide between settings of 640 x 480 at 13 fps or 320 x 240 at 20 fps. Both settings will provide users with less-than-stellar quality video thanks to the excessively slow frame rate.
Picture Effects Mode (6.0)
The picture effects modes are not as numerous as those found on many of the point-and-shoot cameras by Canon, though the C340 does offer the expected triptych of color, black and white, and sepia mode for in-camera digital effects. These three modes are found in the standard shooting menu under the submenu heading of color mode, and they are available in all still shot modes. For more serious color manipulation, it's best to shoot in standard color mode and import the images into an image editing program like Adobe Photoshop. The EasyShare software included with this camera also provides black and white, sepia, and color control settings.