Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

The Kodak EasyShare LS743 is equipped with a Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon 2.8x optical zoom and 10x total zoom lens, but lacks accessory lens options. The CCD measures 1/2.5 inches, with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and has 4.23 megapixels. The camera has 16MB of internal memory, and with the addition of accessory memory cards it is capable of reaching a total of 256MB of memory. This would allow it to capture 80 minutes of continuous video. The Kodak EasyShare LS743 has an optical real image viewfinder and a 1.8-inch, 134,000 pixel LCD monitor. It is capable of printing up to 20 x 30 inches, and comes with Kodak EasyShare printing software, and direct printing capabilities. The MSRP for the Kodak EasyShare LS743 is US $349.
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Auto Mode (8.0)
The automatic mode on the Kodak EasyShare LS743 takes control over the digital camera’s exposure settings, focusing, and built-in flash. Aimed at the point-and-shooter who wants the digital camera to do all the work, the Kodak EasyShare LS743 is great for general usage. Although most settings are still adjustable in auto mode, the default settings appropriate for most shooting situations are in place.

Movie Mode (5.0)
Movie mode features are available on the Kodak EasyShare LS743, though many of the features available for still shots are unavailable or must be preset prior to shooting, if movie mode is enabled. It is possible to capture up to 80 minutes of video, although this is entirely dependent on the user’s SD/MMC card. Kodak gives two size options: QVGA (320 x 240) and VGA (640 x 480) which capture at 20 fps and 13 fps, respectively.

Drive/Burst Mode (7.5)
In addition to single shooting mode the Kodak EasyShare LS743 offers a burst shooting mode. The burst mode is accessible by pressing the menu button, scrolling down using the down button on the four-way controller and then pressing OK. Once this has been selected, the user can activate/deactivate the burst mode setting by highlighting and pressing enter. The burst mode can capture up to 6 frames in a sequence at approximately 3 frames per second.

Playback Mode (7.0)
To view pictures in a thumbnail view on the Kodak EasyShare LS743, the user must enter the review mode by pressing the review button to the left of the LCD screen. To scroll between thumbnails, merely press the left/right buttons one at a time. To skip between rows, merely press the up and down buttons on the four-way control. To display a single view of a picture, select the picture and press OK.

The Kodak EasyShare LS743 also gives the user the option to view their images as a slideshow by pressing the review button, and the user will be able scroll left/right through the pictures by using the corresponding buttons on the four-way controller of the Kodak EasyShare LS743.

It is possible within the review portion of the Kodak EasyShare LS743 to crop/zoom on a specific element of a previously taken photograph/video. By pressing the OK button once the image will be magnified 2x; press again and get 4x; and to return to original size, press a third time. To see different portions of a picture within review mode, once magnified, press the options on the four-way controller. However, there is no way to take the image that is magnified and make it a new image. To do so, the Kodak EasyShare software programs for the user’s personal computer would have to be used in conjunction with the previously taken image.

Custom Image Presets (7.5)
The custom image presets for the Kodak EasyShare LS743 are accessed through the dial located on the top of the camera body, in front of the shutter button. When the dial is rotated, the different selections are lit by LED lights on the back of the camera, to the right of the LCD screen. Auto mode resides at the top of the choices and is symbolized by a camera icon. Below the auto selection is the portrait selection, best if used with a full frame shot of a person at least six feet from the lens of the camera. This feature is represented with a profile shot of a head. Beneath this is the close up setting, best used with subjects that are within 100 cm of the camera lens, and is represented by a tulip icon. Next is the scene mode, which when engaged the user can use the left/right portions of the keypad to choose between night, night portrait, sport, landscape, snow, beach, party, self portrait, and manner/museum. These presets selections are available for the user who wants to shoot in different environments, but doesn’t want to think about how to do it. Beneath this setting is the movie mode feature, which will engage both audio and moving image capture. And finally, the favorites setting will allow the user to choose specific images to have on a readily available basis when in review mode.
Design / Layout Page 6 of 12 Control Options Kodak EasyShare LS743 Digital Camera Review Navigation
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