Impressive, high-quality camera!

When you think of film, you probably go for Kodak. When you think of digital cameras, you probably opt for the major Japanese brands like Sony, Canon, and Fuji etc.

If you too are a brand snob like myself when it comes to electronics, open your eyes! This Kodak DX6440 is very impressive! Not only is it 4 megapixel, but it has perhaps the best color reproduction of ANY digital camera I have seen or used before. On to the review..

Picture quality: ****/*****

Upgrading from a 0.85 megapixel Sony Mavica FD-81, the clarity and color quality blew me away when I set the thing in 4 megapixel mode! The perfect test for megapixel quality is to take a picture of scenery with trees in the background. The tree leaves and limbs should be clear and defined, not blurry or washed out.

Color, even on "Auto" mode is nearly 'perfect'. No blue, pink, or orangish tints to the pictures, just the same raw colors you see from your eyes. The DX6440 has included, a high quality lens made by Schneider Kreuznach in Germany. The focus quality and speed are excellent as is the smoothness of auto-focus. Unlike some digitals, the DX6440 has an excellent auto-focus that is very forgiving and quick to respond. Even if you shake a little bit before you snap the shutter all the way, the picture still comes out crystal clear.

Features: ****/*****

-4 Megapixel capability @ 2304 X 1728 pixels
-4 quality modes (Best (4mp), Best 3:2(3.5mp), Better(2.1mp), Good (1mp))
-8 modes: Movie, Auto, Sport, Portrait, Night, landscape, macro, and 'PAS' (Program/Aperture/or Shutter priority mode)
-4x optical zoom, 3.8x Advanced digital zoom, 15x total.
-Unlimited video length capability (go as long as your memory will allow!)
-Low-light auto-focus
-16mb of internal memory free external memory slot.
-Matrix metering
-Three zone auto-focus capability
-Video plus audio capability, DX6440 also has built in speaker for review.
-10-second self-timer
-USB '2' transfer capable
-Auto camera orientation sensor (rotates image depending on whether you take the picture vertically or horizontally)
-Included Docking station, Rechargeable 1800mah NiMH battery, CRV3 Lithium starter battery

Build Quality: ***/*****

Although maybe not built quite as well as a Sony, this camera still looks good. The plastic doesn't creak, and the materials used are durable and look good. The only thing that looks somewhat cheesy is the viewfinder. It has that "last minute, slap it on" look. Eh, who really cares though, right? I am an engineer though, so I have to complain about stupid things. :)

Battery life: *****/*****

AA Alkalines- 100-150 pics
AA NiMH 1800mah- 200-225 pics
Kodak Rechargeable Battery- 200-225 pics
CRV3 Lithium Battery- 365-400 pics

For extended battery life, use the viewfinder for picture taking rather than the LCD screen.

Honestly, you can't complain about it when you can recharge the battery pack up to 500 times and nearly for free.

Negatives:

The only annoyance that comes to mind is the rotating mode dial. The power on/off function needs to be separate so that you don't have to rotate the thing all the way over everytime for PAS mode. This wouldn't really be a problem if the dial wasn't so stiff to move.

What else does this camera do?

-If you are a control freak, not to worry. The DX6440 has three manual shooting modes to choose from. Shutter priority, Aperture priority and Program are all available. In this modes, you also have control over metering selection, and auto-focus zones.

-There are 4 flash types to choose from. Auto, OFF, Fill, and red-eye. Flash intensity is adequate. Flash capacitor charging time is short.

-Shutter lag is very low, almost nonexistent.

-Perhaps the thing I love most about this camera is that it accepts a wide variety of battery choices! You can use: Lithium/Li-Ion, AA Alkalines, Kodak rechargeable AA pack, or your own choice of AA NiMH.

-Transferring pictures to computer could not be any simpler. You attach the camera to the dock, and press a button on the dock. Thats it! The on-screen menus route you through the rest.

-Movies record with sound, at 15 frames per second, and are recorded as .mov files. Make sure your quicktime software is up to date as the Kodak software might crash when trying to load movies.

Final word:

Think before you buy...

The biggest factor in buying a digital camera is color reproduction. Every camera out there differs a great deal with this. Other features like clarity and feature setup are usually pretty competitive between brands, but color reproduction is technology usually engineered for every camera in a unique way. Make sure this is the way you want! I can guarantee you though, if you want a high-quality, well built digital camera that takes "as the eye can see" pictures, you will be safe with the Kodak DX6440. Plus, you won't have to shop for a dock later on as it comes with the camera.

EXAMPLE PICTURES I have included a link to some example photos taken with my DX6440 camera.

Copy and paste the address below to view album:

http://community.webshots.com/album/106999758ibURGC?293

Best of luck with your decision!