Kodak Easyshare DX6490 Review
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Review
Date: Feb 20, 2004 |
Image Quality
The
Kodak Easyshare DX6490 has 4 megapixels
resolution and its image quality is comparable
to other 4 MP digital cameras.
Two very pleasant surprises:
- No
noise at ISO 80. At higher ISOs, noise is quite
acceptable for display purposes at 1024x768
pixels.
- Auto
White Balance outdoors seems to work very well.
I was expecting to have to fiddle around to
get my snow, well, snow white, but the DX6490
takes care of it without any adjustment on my
part.
Since most of you are interested in the Kodak
DX6490 because of the long zoom, I have taken
a number of the picture samples at that focal
length. Of course, I have also included pictures
at other focal lengths and in different lighting
situations. The long zoom opens up picture possibilities
once reserved only to those who could afford expensive
long zoom lenses for the professional SLR or dSLR
category.
For this review, I used the following settings
as my preferred settings:
-
Shooting Mode: Programmed Auto
-
Metering Mode: Spot
- ISO:
80
- Image
Size: 2304x1728 (4M)
- Image
Quality: Can't be set (the DX6490 firmware unfortunately
compresses the output)
- White
Balance: Auto
All the pictures on this and the other pages (including
the navigation pictures at the top of each page)
have been taken by the Kodak Easyshare DX6490
for this review. The pictures on this page provide
a good sample of what the DX6490 is capable of
and I have provided the800x600 version. Remember
that this version is of slightly lesser quality
than the original 2304x1728 version. Please open
and download only once to your hard drive -- and
save me some precious bandwidth. Thanks!
| Clicking
on a picture will display the 800x600 image
in a separate window. Leave that separate
window up for all the other images will also
display in that same separate window. |
Note
that Kodak Easyshare software reports focal length
in 35mm equivalent, so that is what you'll read
below and on the other pages.
 Wide-angle.
Kiriya Park covered in snow. Here is the wide-angle
6.3mm coverage (35mm equivalent = 38mm). The Auto
White Balance does a pretty good job here and I
did not have to use exposure compensation to compensate
for the brightness of the snow (I will usually dial
in a +0.3EV). Focal Length 38mm, Programmed Auto,
Spot, shutter speed 1/500 sec., aperture F4.0 and
ISO 80. [File size: 922 KB]
 Same
scene but zoomed to the maximum focal length of
63.2mm (35mm equivalent = 380mm). Once you experience
the kind of images you can obtain with 10x optical
zoom, you may never want anything less. Here again,
snow is brillant white and details on the column
are reproduced well. Focal length 380mm, Programmed
Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/500 sec., aperture F5.0,
ISO 80. [File size: 1.2 MB]
 Sympatico's
".ca" ads on the side of buses and on
billboards are quite showstoppers. Simple, to the
point, arresting images. For this picture, I roll
down my car window and snap a quick shot as we wait
for the traffic light to turn green. The DX6490
captures the smoke, dirt, bolts and scratches. Focal
length 48mm, Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/45 sec.,
aperture F3.2, ISO 80. [File size: 809 KB]
 OK,
I admit this place looks quite spooky at night.
It is in fact a stairway popular to joggers living
in the area. This picture demonstrates the night
shooting capability of the DX6490 using ISO 400.
Noise is quite apparent in this low-light shot at
original size. Focal length 38mm, Programmed Auto,
Spot, shutter speed 1/15 sec, aperture F2.8 and
ISO 400. [File size: 1.3 MB]
 Another
low-light shot, this one indoors. I had to use an
ISO of 400 to provide a fast enough shutter speed
to prevent camera shake. Though noise is also apparent
here, the shot would not have been possible at a
lower ISO. What's important here is that it is possible
to capture those indoor events with the DX6490 with
results that are quite acceptable. Focal length
105mm, Programmed Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/90
sec, aperture F3.2 and ISO 400. [File size: 1.4
MB]
 And
here's the same <<bonhomme de neige>>
all by itself. I decide to test out ISO 800 for
this shot, which automatically reduces the image
resolution down to 1 megapixel. Noise is visible
in the image but I find it is quite acceptable here,
too. It is a matter of choosing between not being
able to capture anything at all and a slightly noisy
image. Of course, at 1 MP resolution, you are limited
to displaying on screen or 4x6 in. prints. Focal
length 105mm, Programmed Auto, Spot, shutter speed
1/90 sec, aperture F3.2 and ISO 800. [File size:
584 KB]
 The
sun is out for only short periods and I profit by
literally trudging over snowbanks to capture this
playground waiting for warmer days. Colours are
reproduced faithfully. I find it is very easy to
obtain well exposed images with the DX6490 in a
point-and-shoot mode. Focal length 38mm, Programmed
Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/180 sec, aperture F2.8
and ISO 80. [File size: 834 KB]
 Now,
it is -35 Celsius and you would think a touque is
de rigueur. So, imagine my astonishment as I wait
to turn left onto Front Street and see this group
with about half in the crowd with absolutely no
head covering! Eh bien, Canadian, eh? One Front
Street is also the Canada Customs office to register
your brand new digital camera if you intend to take
it across the border. This way, you won't be challenged
crossing back into Canada that you purchased it
outside of the country. It's free to register --
just bring your digital camera with you to the customs
office. Focal length 139mm, Programmed Auto, Spot,
shutter speed 1/90 sec, aperture F3.2 and ISO 80.
[File size: 606 KB]
 Freezing
rains with a nasty wind. As I drive pass this lonely
pedestrian fighting the elements, I wish I can take
a picture. Fortunately red lights and very slow
moving traffic allow her to pass by me again. I
have time to take a quick snap and the picture "unfortunately"
suffers from camera shake. But I like it, and I
think the slight blurry effect adds to convey the
mood of the cold, stormy weather. It looks quite
nice with a Watercolor
Effect applied to it. Focal length 105mm, Programmed
Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/10 sec., aperture F3.2,
ISO 80. [File size: 541 KB]
 Here
is a macro shot using fill-in flash from the camera's
onboard flash. I've tried this shot with other cameras
with varying success, but the DX6490 does a pretty
good job here. The flash did not overexpose the
image (automatically decreasing the light output
at close range) and I was able to handhold the shot.
Focal length 38mm, Aperture-Priority, Spot, shutter
speed 1/60 sec, aperture F6.3, Fill-in Flash and
ISO 80. [File size: 701 KB]
 The
shadows of the trees on the snow bring out the testured
hills and valleys of an otherwise white expanse.
This is our "tree branches against bright sky"
test shot and there's not much purple fringing noticeable.
I like being able to take quality images with point-and-shoot
ease. Focal length 38mm, Programmed Auto, Spot,
shutter speed 1/500 sec., aperture F4.0, ISO 80.
[File size: 1.2 MB]
 Tall
grass that in warmer days would have been green
now look golden against the white snow. A little
bit of sharpening, either in camera or in post processing,
should make the grass stand out nicely. Focal length
38mm, Programmed Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/500
sec., aperture F4.0 and ISO 80. [File size: 1.6
MB]
 Here
is our "from deep shadows to bright sky"
test shot. Because I was using Spot metering, the
pine trees in the foreground are perhaps just a
tad darker than I'd like. The structure and snow
on the roof come out perfectly exposed. Focal length
38mm, Programmed Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/750
sec, aperture F5.6 and ISO 80. [File size: 847 KB]
 The
colours of the bell peppers are reproduced quite
nicely by the DX6490: yellow, orange, red, light
and dark greens co-mingle in their display cases.
I use fill in flash inside this food market to ensure
correct exposure. Focal length 38mm, Programmed
Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/60 sec, aperture F2.8
and ISO 80, with Flash. [File size: 991 KB]
 A
couple more weeks and we are in March. The school
is already making plans for the March Break! Spring,
at last, just around the corner! Just think about
it.... The sun, the flowers, the birds, the grass...
oh, the grass to mow.... :( Focal length 75mm, Programmed
Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/60 sec, aperture F3.2
and ISO 80, with Flash. [File size: 741 KB]
This
3-D pet mural is outside the pet store at the
Square One Centre in Mississauga. It is in deep
shadows but the on-board flash of the DX6490 is
strong enough to open up the shadows and give
proper exposure. Very nice fish specimens and
fish tanks in that store! Focal length 38mm, Programmed
Auto, Spot, shutter speed 1/60 sec, aperture F2.8
and ISO 80, with Flash. [File size: 1.4 MB]
For
our panorama shot of the Mississauga Centre Library,
I take 4 landscape shots on a tripod. However,
since the tripod socket is not right under the
lens, there is a bit of skewed perspective. To
stitch the shots together, I use the Merge function
of Photoshop Elements, which is not the greatest,
and requires me to match by hand. [I really have
to sharpen my panorama stitching skills.] Focal
length 38mm, Aperture-Priority, Multi-Pattern,
shutter speed 1/10 sec., aperture F8, +0.3EV and
ISO 80.
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a place to upload your photos? Free photo sharing
and photo hosting web site at cassepoze.
A
Personal Word
The
image quality on the Kodak DX6490 is excellent
and it is regrettable the output is compressed
so much, resulting in the loss of some detail,
especially at full telephoto. Set on Programmed
Auto mode, and used in a point-and-shoot capacity,
pictures consistently come out true in colour
and perfectly exposed. That includes indoors shots
in low-light (though this requires the use of
a higher ISO).
Noise is not an issue at ISO 80. At higher ISOs,
noise is present but I believe it is quite acceptable
since it allows you to capture pictures you would
not otherwise be able to take. For screen display
and 4x6 in. prints, the noise would be barely
noticeable.
All the exposure modes and metering modes are
available, though I find the Kodal DX6490 performs
very well on Programmed Auto mode and using Spot
metering.
The
Kodak Easyshare DX6490 will give you great images
in Programmed Auto mode. In addition, the availability
of full exposure flexibility means that you will
be able to express your creativity whenever you're
ready to explore and try out the other exposure
modes.
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