Kodak EasyShare C643

Manual Control Options
The Kodak EasyShare C643 offers no manual control of shutter speed or F-stop; no Kodak C-series cameras do. However, users can impose control over exposure using the EV compensation setting. Users can also select ISO sensitivity and white balance from a list of presets.

Focus
Auto Focus
Two different patterns are provided for autofocus: center zone and multi-zone. Kodak lists the following focus ranges: normal from 2 ft to infinity; macro from 0.43 ft to 2.3 ft in wide angle; 0.73 ft to 2.3 ft in telephoto; and 32.8 ft to infinity in landscape. These ranges are in line with ranges of competing cameras.

In use, the autofocus worked quickly, even in dim light.

Manual Focus
No manual focus is provided, but on a Kodak C-series camera this is not surprising.

Metering
Metering in the C643 is center-weighted only. No pattern was described. This is a basic system and can be tricked by extreme backlight.

Exposure
Kodak is one of the few manufacturers that still offer exposure compensation adjustments in 1/2 stops rather than 1/3 stops. Some users may find fault with this, but C-series cameras are meant to be simple, and plenty of users in the intended market will rarely if ever use this feature at all. Exposures can be adjusted in a range of +/- 2 EV in 1/2-stop increments, with adjustments easily accessible in the menu offerings.

White Balance
Kodak has kept the white balance options on the simple side: Auto, Daylight, Tungsten and Fluorescent. There is no manual white balance. This range of settings is smaller than that found on competitor’s cameras, but possibly like the truncated exposure compensation options, it is a deliberate decision to avoid confusing the beginning photographer.

ISO
Multiple settings besides Auto are provided: 50, 100, 200 and 400. You can get to these easily via the menu. This is a fairly average range, though other manufacturers are offering higher ISOs this year.

Images taken on the PMA show floor at an ISO of 400 showed more noise in shadow areas; however, it was no greater than observed in competitive models.

Shutter Speed
There is no adjustment for shutter speed. The auto setting can range from 4 seconds to 1/1400 second, and certain scene presets have different fixed ranges.

Aperture
There is no adjustment for aperture.