CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 11/14/2003
- Released on: 08/15/2003
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 Switching from auto to program mode requires seven steps, at least one of which will call up an unwanted help screen. |
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Weighing a moderately heavy 10 ounces, the plastic DX6440 feels sturdy but isn't terribly pocketable. The two-tone silver body isn't especially good-looking, either. But what the DX6440 lacks in style, it makes up for in newbie friendliness. The Flash/Status and Self-timer/Burst Mode buttons on the camera top offer ready access to frequently used features. Other keys flank the almost centered 1.8-inch LCD: Menu and Review are on the right; Delete and Share are on the left, along with the mode dial and the navigation joystick. While the control layout is nice, our right-handed reviewer did need some time to get used to left-handed manipulation of the mode dial.
The joystick, unlike some we've used, was responsive and accurate. On the other hand, the mode dial felt stiff, and you have to click over seven notches to switch from auto to program mode. Along the way, at least one identification screen pops up to explain what the current mode does and when to use it. The feature slows you down, though it's a great help to beginners. The menu system is clear, navigation is simple, and the large text is easy to read.
Like all its EasyShare compatriots, the DX6440 helps newbies and snapshooters by simplifying and automating various functions. The Share button tags pictures for printing and e-mailing (you enter e-mail addresses into the camera). Uploading images to a computer is a matter of pressing one key on the bundled dock. For uncomplicated snapshot printing, Kodak also offers an optional dock with an attached printer.
The feature set offers beginners an automatic mode, five scene presets, and a bit of room to grow. The few advanced features include exposure compensation and modes for aperture- and shutter-priority operation. But don't buy the DX6440 if you plan to use those options frequently. Instead of having their own notches on the mode dial, they all live in the single PAS (program/aperture/shutter) mode, and you cycle through them with the joystick. You won't get much latitude with white balance or ISO, either; there's no manual white balance, and the camera automatically picks ISO speeds between 100 and 200 unless you trigger a manual override to choose ISO 400.
The 4X Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon zoom lens covers a focal range of 33mm to 132mm (the 35mm-film equivalents). That takes in a good amount of territory, though landscape and architecture enthusiasts may find the widest angle a bit narrow. The lens accepts an adapter for attaching accessory lenses and filters.
The DX6440 runs on one disposable CRV3 lithium cell or two rechargeable nickel-metal-hydride AA batteries; the dock serves as a charger. You can capture photos to SD/MMC media or internal memory; the built-in 16MB hold about 17 to 19 images taken at the best of the three quality settings. A bonus is the camera's ability to automatically switch storage locations when one is full.
Although the camera will record as much video with sound as your memory card can hold, the best the movie mode can do is 320x240-pixel resolution at 15 frames per second. A fixed six-shot burst mode is also available for capturing action. You get a couple of quirky little extras. For example, to get a head start on image organization, you simply create and name albums in the EasyShare software, upload them to the camera, and place pictures in them as you shoot. Plus, the LCD indicates when a selected mode offers additional settings--helpful when you can't refer to the manual's matrix of functions.
With few exceptions, the DX6440 performed well. The time between start-up and the first shot ran a tad long at about 4 to 5 seconds, but afterward, the camera shifted into gear. Shutter lag in good light was fairly average at just less than 1 second, but the fast autofocus kept the delay from exceeding 1.2 seconds even under difficult focusing conditions. The AF accurately zeroed in on computer cables under a desk using nothing more than the red light from a power strip. And shot-to-shot time was a pretty zippy 2 seconds, even with the flash; the speed is due in part to the shutter's ability to release before the flash is fully recharged. In its six-shot burst mode, the camera grabbed a photo approximately every 0.04 second.
The flash is a step up from that of most competitors. It covers almost 17 feet when the lens is at its widest angle. As you'd expect, the range drops to less than 8.5 feet at the telephoto end. Even when we used it for macro shots, the flash produced good exposures.
The camera ships with a disposable CRV3 lithium battery, but even with two Kodak 1,850mAh nickel-metal-hydride rechargeables, we obtained more than 570 shots, almost 60 percent of them with the flash and all with heavy LCD use.
The 4X zoom lens is quiet and responsive, with no significant distortion at either extreme. The LCD is bright and clear outdoors, even in the midday sun, and the view isn't bad indoors, either. But the optical viewfinder is too small for comfort, even though it has a diopter for adjusting clarity to your eyesight.
We give the DX6440 a thumbs-up for its well-exposed, pleasingly saturated, low-noise, and reasonably sharp images, but on some counts, they still don't quite measure up to the photos from the best 4-megapixel competitors. For instance, our test pictures showed some clipping in the highlights and the shadows, poor detail resolution, blurry patches, and jagged edges.
Good exposures and pleasing colors characterize the DX6440's images.
The Tungsten white-balance preset was a little pink, and the automatic settings were a bit cool, but they all delivered solid results, falling well within the acceptable range. We had to rely on exposure compensation to remedy some under- and overexposures, but when we took macro shots with the fill flash, the exposures came out quite good. And the fill flash helped with backlit subjects.
As expected, we spotted some noise in solid colors under low light and images snapped at ISO settings of 200 and 400. The problem was less visible in outdoor shots. Some photos had purple fringing, but for the most part, it was relatively subtle.
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Close-up, you can see artifacts, such as the bright line along the edge of the car's body (left) and purple fringing on high-contrast borders (right). |
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"Very good pics, very good manual adjustments, Very easy to use but very slow."
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