Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

The Kodak EasyShare C340 joins the crowd of simplistic digital cameras aimed at first-time users or consumers who don’t want to bother with manual modes. With 5.36 total and 5 effective megapixels, the C340 has plenty of resolution on its 1/2.5-inch CCD. The sensor is complemented by a Kodak Color Science Chip, ensuring quality images. The C340 caters to consumers who value strong, instantaneous pictures without the fuss of intricate manual modes or complicated image transfer. While the Kodak C340 eliminates the manual mode from its selectable options, users still have the option to manually choose the ISO, exposure metering, and focus zones. The compact EasyShare C340 aims for simplicity, stocking 12 scene modes, in-camera cropping, 16 MB of internal memory, and a one-touch printing Share button. Rounding out the features are a Kodak Retinar 3x optical zoom lens, a 1.6-inch LCD screen, and a movie mode that records with audio. The EasyShare C340 will be available in May 2005 for an estimated $249.95 (USD).
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Front
The front of the Kodak EasyShare C340 has several different textures on it, which give it an interesting feel and unique look. The left side, which serves as a grip, has a dark brushed steel texture to it. The top and bottom of the left side ascend until they reach a smooth pinnacle in the center of the left side of the front of the camera. At the top of the hill is a polished silver-colored name plate, tagged: “Kodak.” In the center of the camera, the dark textured material meets a lighter silver cheesecloth-textured plating. On the dark side, the words “Kodak EasyShare C340” are vertically aligned. Atop the “340” is the self-timer lamp. The lighter side of the camera appears to be busier with features — almost representational of the functional weight (e.g. Pompidou Center) it carries. The lens extends from the Kodak C340 in one section on the light-toned right side. Around the rim of the lens are the words “Kodak Retinar Aspheric All Glass Lens 34mm-102mm (Equiv.) AF 3x Optical.” Around the base of the lens is a rim of polished silver, adding even more interest to the multi-textured C340. On the top left of the lens is the in-camera microphone, which looks like an air vent with three horizontal slits. The rectangular flash sits above the microphone. To the right of the lens and the flash is the optical viewfinder.

Back
The Kodak EasyShare C340 has a more traditional layout than the C300. The 1.6-inch LCD screen is located on the left side and surrounded by a black border. Within the black border on the bottom are the words, “Kodak EasyShare C340.” The screen and border are both surrounded by a slightly raised portion of the camera. On the right side are four buttons, lined vertically aside of the raised segment. From top to bottom, they are: Delete, LCD, Menu, and Review.

Above the LCD screen on a more prominently elevated panel is the optical viewfinder. To its right is an LED light. In the top right of the back of the C340 are the zoom buttons. The ‘W’ button on the left zooms out; the ‘T’ button on the right zooms in closer to the subject. Below the zoom buttons are a triangular set of raised dots, meant to act as a grip for the right thumb. Below the grip is the four-way navigational dial, with an OK button in the center to make menu selections. In the bottom right corner is the infamous Kodak Share button, highlighted in red.

Left Side
A textured plate runs down the center of the left side, likely for aesthetic appeal. The plate has the words “5.0 Megapixels” printed on it. The left side also has an open DC in jack toward the back of the camera.

Right Side
When the front of the camera is placed upwards on a flat surface, the sloping right side looks like a cross-section of a hill. The middle of the right side has a polished metallic plate that has a wrist strap loop on one end, and it extends to the front of the camera where the name plate rests. Near the back of the right side is a plastic door that opens to the USB port and SD card slot.

Top
On the left side is the speaker for the EasyShare C340, which looks like a rectangular series of nine dots. On the right side is the mode dial, with the raised shutter release button in the middle. The mode dial has small notches on the outer edge, so rotating it is easy. The following modes are available on the dial: Off, Auto, Scene, Favorite, Portrait, Sports, Landscape, Macro, and Movie. There are also two small buttons on the top: one is for activating the self-timer and the other is for adjusting the flash mode.


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