Kodak LS743 digital camera
$299.99 suggested retail
Eastman Kodak Co.
www.kodak.com
While working as a newspaper photographer 30 years ago, Kodak’s black-and-white film was the industry standard. Now Kodak’s digital products have nothing to do with film.
I’m no longer a photographer; rather I spend my day editing the work of other pros. And as my job has changed, my needs shifted to a 35 mm one-touch film camera and a Polaroid. They were just fine.
But I’m quickly becoming a digital convert–you can do so much more.
I tried out the LS743, a 4-megapixel model that fits in your hand. For such a small camera it offers a lot of features, including a 1.8-inch color screen for viewing the photos you just shot. The design is efficient, with buttons and dials in handy locations.
The camera has several capture modes, such as portrait, close-up and landscape, that are selected by pressing a dial on the top of the camera. That mode remains until another is selected or the camera is shut off. It always returns to auto.
There is a flash mode to reduce red-eye and modes to select image quality. I primarily used the best image mode, which provided about 18 pictures before the internal storage was full. At that point I used the review and delete buttons to the left of the screen to edit out the lousy photos so I could keep shooting.
I took the camera on vacation and used it primarily to document the 110-year-old house I’m working on, but it also served to take photos of friends, white tail deer, just-picked strawberries and even toadstools.
I carried it everywhere and used it often.
I like the no-film aspect of digital cameras. As a photojournalist, film was a commodity and I used it without regard to cost. After becoming an editor and just shooting photos for fun, I eagle-eyed every frame, sometimes taking weeks or even months to use up a 36-exposure roll of film. Well, no more scrutinizing each precious frame of film with digital.
And there is no disputing the handiness of immediate gratification. While working around the house, the camera was invaluable for those hardware store runs in search of the proper replacement hinges for the screen door.
If you are like me and have never used a digital camera, this one is easy to learn. If you’re familiar with digital, using the LS743 should be a snap.
The camera has 16 megabytes of internal memory and a slot for an optional MultiMediaCard or Secure Digital card for additional photo storage.
The Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon 36-100 mm f/3.0-4.9 lens is protected by an in-camera cover that opens and closes when the camera is turned on and off. The lens quality is crisp and beautiful, and the photos show it. It’s gratifying to have such a high-quality lens on a camera intended for amateurs.
The camera comes with a neck strap, a dock insert, USB cable, rechargeable batteries, battery charger and audio/video cable for viewing pictures on television. The insert is part of the connection to the Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock.
Also included is the EasyShare software CD. The instructions caution the user to install the software before downloading the photos to a computer, but I skipped that step. I have a Mac with iPhoto installed; downloading was as easy as connecting the camera to the computer via the USB cord, turning the camera on and clicking on Import when iPhoto came up.
My complaints are few: The date stamp does not include time, and when switching from color to black and white or sepia it bounces back to color when the capture mode is changed.
I still have my 35 mm one-touch film camera and my much-used Polaroid, but I’ll probably move to digital. There are three rolls of film in the drawer awaiting processing.
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Add digital camera, and printing is easy
The EasyShare printer dock ($149.95 list price) is a swell little device that makes 4-by-6-inch color prints from images taken with a Kodak EasyShare digital camera.
The color prints are crisp, and setting up the printer is a snap.
The EasyShare printer comes with everything needed for printing: color cartridge, paper, universal camera insert and AC power adapter.
Loading the ink cartridge and paper is quick and easy. You drop the insert onto the printer, connect the camera via the insert, and you’re ready to go. Use the toggle switch on the top of the printer to select the image in the camera, press Print and wait for the final product.
While the printer dock is easy to use, Kodak has caused some confusion in the market.
Kodak also offers a “camera dock” that transfers photos to your computer and also recharges the camera’s battery. It does not print.
Since Kodak calls both of these devices “docks,” buyers may think they are buying a printer but end up with a dock that recharges the battery.
The camera dock lists for $79.95.
— Maggie Walker
