Kodak EasyShare LS743

Snapshooters who want good image quality and ease of operation and won't miss manual controls will love the Kodak EasyShare LS743, a slim and totable 4-megapixel model. While its zoom range is limited to 2.8X, close focusing, a good burst mode, and extralong battery life make this a versatile camera, especially for photographers whose enthusiasm for picture-taking exceeds their technical skills.The panorama layout of its 4.3-by-1.2-by-1.9-inch all-metal body lets the 6.5-ounce Kodak EasyShare LS743 slip easily into the narrowest of pockets, but its wide shape and the placement of the shutter release and zoom controls make it awkward to use this camera one-handed. For best balance, brace the left side of the LS743 with one hand, place your right index finger over the top onto the shutter release, and let your right thumb find the zoom toggle on the back panel. Those with large hands may find the mandated grip a bit awkward.

Top-mounted controls include a power-on button illuminated by a blue LED that's bright enough to read by, a flash-mode key, and a rotating wheel that cycles through the main shooting modes, which are displayed on the back panel. When the icon for the mode you want (Auto, Portrait, Close-Up, Scenes, Video, or Favorite Review) is illuminated, you press the jog wheel to activate it. Selecting Scenes produces an LCD menu of choices such as Night or Sport. Because the mode indicators are each illuminated by a flashing red LED and described on the LCD, it's easy to choose these settings under the dimmest ambient illumination.

The back panel is clean and well laid out. The 1.8-inch LCD is centered and flanked on the left by Delete, Menu, Review, and Share buttons and on the right by a four-way controller pad that rocks up, down, left, and right to navigate menus or controls and is depressed to activate a selection. The zoom toggle is concentric with the four-way button.

Shooting options other than flash mode require a trip to the well-designed menu system, where you can make adjustments to exposure compensation, white balance, ISO setting, focus zone, and metering mode. You'll also find the burst mode and self-timer there. Unfortunately, most settings other than picture quality return to their defaults once you turn off the camera. A second menu layer invokes a setup menu for more permanent settings, such as picture review, sound volume, and date stamps.

The upper-left corner of the back panel includes the optical viewfinder and a "ready" LED that turns green when autofocus and exposure are set and flashes when an image is being stored.

Although the Kodak EasyShare LS743 sports a 2.8X zoom lens instead of the more common 3X type, you probably won't notice the difference. The 36mm (35mm-film-camera equivalent) wide-angle view is broad enough for most indoor shooting, and the 100mm (equivalent) telephoto setting actually shaves just 8mm from what you'd get with a full 3X magnification. The Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon lens name lends some cachet and nostalgia for film-camera veterans but, more importantly, focuses down to 2 inches at the wide-angle setting in macro mode and 12 inches at full telephoto.

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