Kodak DC215 Zoom review

Gallery

Verdict:

A fun camera with good features for the price, but image quality just isn't up to scratch.

Review Date: 1 Nov 2000

Price when reviewed: (£222)

Our Rating 3 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

Kodak's budget camera, the DC215 is fun, friendly and eminently easy to use.

However, it does lack any serious muscle in the quality department.

Image

Kodak instantly shoots itself in the foot by using a fixed focus lens - most odd, seeing as it manages a 2x zoom. Fixed focus negates the need for complex autofocus technology, but usually means nothing is ever properly in focus. The only film cameras you'll find with fixed focus lenses cost around £20.

The DC215 suffers badly from poor focus. The results aren't unusable, but they're far from impressive. At least colours are vibrant, and at the lower 640x480 resolution, quality is reasonable enough for web publishing. However, the DC215's worst crime is evidence of compression artefacts, even at the highest quality setting.

Features

Navigating the Kodak's menus and controls is a doddle - you may never need to touch the manual, although the icons could sometimes do with some explanation. It offers all the joys of a point-and-click camera: easy access to basic functions and little else to get in the way.

The serial interface is a nuisance for those with vacant USB ports, and the 4Mb memory is on the stingy side, although upgrading won't break the bank. However, the alkaline batteries are inexcusable.

Overall

First impressions of this camera were great, but as soon as we plugged it into a PC our enthusiasm waned. Compared with a film camera for around the same price, the fun factor and benefits of going digital don't justify the trade-off in image quality.

Author: Ben Pitt

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