Product Reviews

Kodak has recently shed 10,000 workers worldwide, which some industry analysts have partially attributed to its dogged pursuit of digital domination. The company expects to lose $400 million dollars (£248m) this year alone in its digital business, and as a result must be desperate to show that the sacrifice is paying off.

Kodak has undoubtedly been at the forefront of digital photography so far, specifically with its DC120, which was the first digital camera capable of taking 1.2 million pixel images for under £1,000 (reviewed issue 35, p166). Its latest camera, the DC 210 can do the same, but features a true one million pixel CCD - 1,011,520 pixels to be precise - unlike the DC120 which uses interpolation and an 836,400 pixel CCD to achieve its high resolution.

Unfortunately, the DC210 doesn't offer the option to save full resolution uncompressed images like the DC120. Instead, you have to choose between saving in JPEG or FlashPIX formats, both of which use slightly lossy compression, even in best quality mode. Whichever you choose, it doesn't make much difference to the image quality or size. Images hover around 250Kb in the best quality mode, and you'll fit around eight such pictures on the 2Mb Compact Flash card supplied. The camera features a choice of three compression settings, and you can choose between taking pictures at full or standard resolutions (1,152 x 864 and 640 x 480 respectively). The image quality compares favourably with the Canon PowerShot 600 which won a Quality award winner in the digital camera Labs (issue 38, p122) in terms of detail and colour reproduction.

Following in the footsteps of the DC120, the DC210 features a 2x, 29 to 58mm zoom lens, which translates to a focal length of 4.4mm to 8.8mm in 35mm camera terms. For close-up work the camera also has a macro function, with which you can get as close as 20mm. You'll need to use

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the LCD screen, however, because at close range the viewfinder doesn't frame the image properly.

Through the 1.8in colour LCD panel, you can also use the mini GUI to adjust the full range of settings available, and use a number of flexible tools to review the pictures you've already taken. A thumbnail view lets you select individual pictures for further inspection. You can then view the picture full screen, or zoom in close and scroll around. From the settings menu you can access an exposure compensation function for taking pictures in dark or bright conditions, adjust screen brightness, select the format of the video out signal - PAL or NTSC - and toggle QuickView on and off; a useful feature that displays the picture you've just taken for a few seconds afterwards.

Getting the pictures from the camera to your PC can be achieved in a number of ways. You connect the camera via a serial cable or use an infrared link, both at a speed of 115Kbits/sec. The software sets up the camera so that it's represented in Windows as a logical drive. To get your pictures, just drag and drop the files. Alternatively, you can use the supplied TWAIN module.

The DC210 looks more like a traditional automatic camera than Kodak's previous high-range models, which often resembled camcorders. The shutter button is found on top of the camera on the right-hand side, and a rocker switch for the zoom sits neatly under your right thumb. Although this traditional shape will be comfortably familiar to most people, it doesn't necessarily follow that it works for this type of camera. For example, the viewfinder is located so that anyone with even a moderately-sized hooter will find it pressed against the 1.8in LCD screen when squinting through it. Indeed, the ergonomic design of the case means it's not the easiest of cameras to grip.

Power comes from four standard AA batteries which don't last long, even if you limit your use of the LCD panel. Every time you switch the camera on, the lens extends to its full length and, to add insult to injury, you have to pay a ludicrous £47.50 extra for the AC power adaptor. A rechargeable pack would be a more sensible option.

Despite these gripes, the DC210 produces the best picture quality yet seen from a digital camera, and the LCD screen GUI and software are both extremely easy to use and install. It's another step forward for the technology, and at £637, the DC210 is less expensive than the DC120 when it first appeared.