nüvifone™. The navigation phone.
CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 01/26/2003
- Updated on: 01/29/2003
- Released on: 10/14/2002
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| Unlike on most cameras, the LS443's mode dial sits on its left side. | Kodak keeps the controls simple. |
A clearly labeled Menu button summons the operating menu. Though the menu text is extremely legible, its large size limits the number of visible options to three, which requires the user to scroll excessively. Each option goes two levels deep, with each main choice leading to a single screen below it. An exception to this layout is Setup, which adds one more level of screens. Given that you won't need to use this menu often, the extra level of complexity isn't a fatal flaw. Once you're in the menus, you easily navigate by pushing up, down, or sideways on the small, joysticklike button that sits in the center of the mode-selector knob. You press the same button to choose menu items.
We think that the most annoying aspect of the camera is the proximity of the bright, green/orange ready light to the small optical viewfinder (sans diopter adjustment). The light is so bright that it renders the finder nearly useless under dim lighting. In most situations, we framed our shots using the 1.8-inch LCD as a viewfinder; while this approach shortens battery life, it beats an LED in the eye.Automatic and more automatic describe the LS443's feature set. Its main mode is full program, where the camera selects the aperture (between f2.8 and f9.6) and shutter speed (between 1/2 and 1/1,000 second). The Kodak's four scene modes afford some exposure control, though they are preconfigured for shooting under particular conditions.
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 The LS443's dock provides upload and recharging support. |
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We like the camera's orientation sensor, which automatically rotates images shot in portrait format so that you can view them later without turning them in the software or performing neck contortions.
The metering system offers through-the-lens-matrix, center-weighted, and spot-metering options. Users can configure the autofocus for three multizones or center focus. There's also a selectable autofocus illuminator that helps the camera operate in very dark conditions. Like many useful features, it shortens battery life, but it's worth expending the juice.
One point in the LS443's favor is that it accepts lens converters for wide-angle, close-up, and telephoto shooting. Many other compact cameras with fully retractable lenses don't offer this flexibility. However, the camera is like its competitors in that it cannot connect to an external flash. This Kodak really isn't geared toward users who would miss that option, though.
The camera can save images in three flavors of JPEG. At the best, 4-megapixel setting, the LS443's internal memory holds 12 pictures. Unlike with most cameras, the size of the storage media is the only limit on the length of a video capture. This Kodak's 16MB of internal memory can hold about 1 minute, 10 seconds of action with sound. An optional Secure Digital or MultiMedia Memory card will increase the camera's capacity.
But Kodak's main claim to ease-of-use fame isn't on the camera at all; it's the bundled EasyShare dock. While the LS443 is docked, you can perform a variety of activities via the Share button. For instance, you can import an address book into the camera and use the Share button to mark an image to be sent to a particular e-mail address when that shot is downloaded through the dock. You can also tag images as favorites or for printing; this will activate the EasyShare software's image-management and printing features when pictures are downloaded via the dock.This camera is a pretty average performer for its class. Powering up takes about four seconds, and there's a shutter lag of approximately one and a half seconds. Shot-to-shot time in Auto mode is about three or four seconds. Burst mode lets you pop off three shots in rapid sequence, but since the flash doesn't fire in this mode, it is best used in bright light. Flash recycle time is fairly negligible.
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 The battery should last for more than 200 photos. |
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The otherwise bright LCD makes it possible--but not effortless--to read menus in direct sunlight. The camera offers 2X and 4X magnification in image-review mode, but even when you zoom in, fine details are not ultraclear in the panel. We also wish that the display's brightness level could be adjusted.
As billed, the flash's working range is about 10 feet when zoomed to a wide field, but beyond that, it tends to vignette. In macro mode, the flash is automatically disabled, though it can be turned on manually. Macro shooting with flash usually requires exposure compensation to avoid washing out the subject.
One push of the EasyShare dock's Connect button automatically transfers images from camera to computer. This process is fast, thanks to the dock's USB-based connection. The same dock charges the proprietary lithium-ion battery in a couple of hours. Spare batteries are optional, though one charge should last longer than it takes to fill even a large memory card. Rated life between charges is 200 to 300 images with slight use of the LCD.In general, we aren't thrilled by the camera's images, which tend to be oversaturated and have too much contrast. Though the LS443's white balance is accurate, the dynamic range is compressed, with washed-out highlights. Images also show significant noise in dark areas and become excessively noisy overall when shooting at ISO 400. We were able to obtain acceptable exposures by tinkering with the exposure compensation, but this camera is supposed to be fairly fiddle-free. In addition, exposure compensation isn't conveniently accessible via a button--you have to delve into the menu system to use it.
 Though the LS443's white balance is excellent, its dynamic range falls short for details in dark and light areas. |
 Images are crisp with clearly delineated edges but tend to be soft and lack detail in nonedge areas. |
 The pics are surprisingly noisy, even with light sensitivity set at ISO 100. |
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