The Camera Dock II — sold separately — is designed
to simplify the process of downloading images, while recharging the batteries,
simultaneously.
The
Camera Dock II kit includes an AC power adapter, a Ni-MH rechargeable
battery pack, a universal insert to fit all DX cameras, and the Camera
Dock itself.
The
Kodak DX series cameras are the result of intensive market research conducted
by the company. Research that identified a significant segment of the
marketplace as being somewhat mystified by the use of digital cameras.
Working from this information, Kodak engineers designed a system that
simplifies all aspects perceived as too complicated, and thereby hopefully
removing some of the hurdles that prevent potential users from migrating
from film to digital.
The
DX4330 and its optional Camera Dock II are the fruits of their labours.
The Camera Dock acts as the home base for the camera when it isn't in
use; as a painless way to transfer images to the computer; and, using
the Easy Share software included, as a means to get the photos from the
computer to either a printer or a printing service.
The Mode Dial serves to turn on the camera and select the type of photo
that will be taken. Reinforcing
the use of the modes and the meaning of the icons on the dial, the DX4330
displays a text reminder of the mode's use on the screen each time one
is selected:
For
general picture-taking. Automatically sets exposure and focus. Flash
fires if needed.
For
subjects that are in motion. Shutter speed is fast. Flash fires
if needed.
For
night scenes or low light conditions. Captures close and background
subjects. Flash fires if needed. In dark scenes, the shutter speed
is set between 1/30 and 1/2 second.
For
distant subjects. Flash does not fire unless turned on.
For
subjects 7 to 70 cm (2.8 to 28 in.) from the lens in wide angle,
or 28 to 70 cm (11 to 28 in.) in telephoto. Flash fires if needed.
The video mode on the Mode Dial is separated by the Off position, making
it a clearly separate function.
Captures
video with sound. Flash does not fire.
The other controls of the DX4330 are laid out around the periphery of
the LCD screen. The upper right part supports the zoom control,
while the other buttons are arranged closer to the protective cover of
the screen. Starting on the upper left, just below the viewfinder, the
Delete button can be used to immediately stop an unwanted
photo from behind saved, or used on Playback to erase an existing image.
Below
is a 4-direction control with an OK button
at its centre. The 4 arrows serve to navigate the menu, or to change from
one image to another, in Playback. The centre button is to confirm a selection
made in the menu.
The Menu button calls up the menu. The menu is composed
of 2 sections, the second being Setup which is accessed as a sub-menu.
The
Review button, on the lower right of the screen starts
the Playback mode. The camera must be powered on (lens extended) for
Playback to be available. This button will not turn on the camera. Touching
the shutter release, or pressing the Review button a second time returns
the camera to shooting mode.
Finally, the Share button at the upper left side of
the LCD screen, is a new addition to a DX camera. With the LCD screen
on, every time a photo is captured, "Share" is overlaid on
the upper part of the screen for a second or so.
The feature serves to tag images for one of three things:
Tagging
the image as one to be printed,
Tagging
the image as one to be sent by e-mail,
Tagging
the image as one to be added to a "Favorite" directory when
the photos are transferred to the computer later.
With this
model, Kodak has used a reflective LCD screen, visible when the sun strikes
it directly and when it would otherwise overwhelm the fluorescent backlight.
Although the screen is a 1.8 inch, it only has 72,000 pixels which yield
a fairly low resolution. To ascertain image sharpness, an option of the
Playback menu allows an image to be magnified (up to 4X).
The DX4330
is also equipped with an optical viewfinder but it's exit pupil is quite
small, and not ideal if the user wears eyeglasses.
