Rating: Summary: Works great with Windows 98, doesn't work with new Compaq/ME Review: This camera worked great with Windows 98 on my Compaq laptop. Then I bought a new Compaq desktop with Windows ME. Kodak has software you can download to make it run on ME operating system. But it doesn't work with this Compaq. So if you buy this camera and decide to upgrade your computer be for warned. Anyone want to buy a brand new Kodak 280, email me erw192@hotmail.com
Rating: Summary: A Question Review: Does anyone know if this camera has a timer setting so you can set it up and take pictures automatically?
Rating: Summary: Great Camera for the First Time Digital Camera User/Buyer Review: This is the first digital camera I have ever purchased and with so many choices on the market I was very concerned about deciding which camera was the best for me. After reading all the reviews on Amazon.com I decided on the Kodak DC 280 and what a GREAT choice. The camera is VERY easy to use. I am digital camera stupid and even I was taking pictures within 10 minutes of opening the box. MEMORY. I took the advice of most reviewers and bought a 32MB flash card. A very good decision which I highly recommend. What none of the reviews told me was that the 32MB card holds about 50 pictures when you have the camera on the highest reslution. If you go for medium or lower resolution you of course get a lot more. I just use my camera for everyday pictures and the 32 MB card is just fine. SOFTWARE. You must have software to download the pictures from the camera. The DC 280 comes with Kodak's camera control software, a very simple picture manipulation software called Arcsoft, and Adobe's photodeluxe 2.0 and Adobe pageMill 3.0. The Arcsoft program is baby simple and I was using it with no problem to do my first picture downloads. It even lets you do basic picture manipulation. If you just want to take pictures for everyday memories or internet postings then this is all the software you will ever need. I was a little scared that the PhotoDeluxe software would be to complicated to use so I didn't download it till last week. Turns out It too is a piece of cake to operate and its much more powerful than the Arcsoft software. I now use the Photodeluxe software over the Arcsoft. Bottomline, the software that comes with the camera is VERY easy to use and unless you are a big time or serious photographer its all the software you need. DONLOADING PICTURES. I download pictures directly from the camera to the computer and its doable but slow, especially if you downloading the entire memory card. My next purchase is to buy one of those flash card readers which other reveiwers recommend. BATTERIES. The camera comes with one set (4) rechargeable batteries and a recharger. I would definately get a second set of rechargeable batteries, but not another recharger. As long as you have one set of batteries ready to go you will be fine. And if you don't have any batteries recharged ready to go you can always use regular batteries. If you take pictures using the normal and recommended "Capture" mode the batteries will last through an entire 32MB memory card - no problem. Plus they only take a couple of hours to recharge. CHARGER. If you do not get one of those flash card readers I would difinately buy the AC/DC adapter. When you download pictures directly from the camea you are using up battery power. It would be much easier to plug the adapter into the camera instead of having to change out batteries which typically happens to me somewhere in the middle of downloading my pictures. CASE. The camera doesn't come with a case and I wish I had one. I would recommend you buy one. BOTTOMLINE. I recommend you buy this camera, a 32 MB memory card, a memory card reader, an extra set of rechargeable batteries, an AC/DC adapter, and a case.
Rating: Summary: Great camera for the price Review: I bought this product from Amazon several months ago. I was debating on whether I should get this one or the Sony Mavica FDC-90 which I use at work. I feel the quality of the photos from the Kodak were much better than from the Sony camera (I took identical photos, printed them on a color laser and compared them!). Manuevering through the different features and menus are not as easy to pick up as they are for the Sony camera, but I feel that the quality of photos from the camera are the most important thing. I have not used the camera enough to test battery life, but the camera does come with both rechargeables and a set of "regular" batteries. I feel the range of zoom on this camera is fairly limited, but that is a feature that I probably won't utilize a whole lot anyway. Overall, I feel that at this price, this is one of the best digital cameras on the market.
Rating: Summary: Easy to use, great features! Review: I bought this digital camera for use at work. It has loads of features (optical AND digital zoom, exposure adjustments, ability to imprint custom borders / date & time stamp) that make it a versatile tool for business and personal use. It's as easy to use as a point-and-shoot but steps up with advanced capability when needed. Image resolution is great - takes exceptionally clear photos. I use it at its' highest resolution and it gives me 11 images on an 8MB card, 25 images on a 16MB card. USB connection makes downloading a breeze and makes it quick too! Go for it - you'll enjoy this camera.
Rating: Summary: One of our most terrific decisions ever Review: was to purchase the Kodak DC280. We did a great deal of research before purchasing this camera, including reading reviews of many different digitals from customers on Amazon and other sites. We quickly learned what the major issues of importance to us would be: (1) picture quality; (2) battery life; (3) convenience/ease of use; and (4) overall value, considering 1-3. We decided on the DC280 because of the features, above average customer reviews, and the price. That said, we remained a bit concerned about battery life and convenience. As you can see from all the reviews, digital cameras (this one included) have the reputation for eating batteries and we didn't want to trade film and development costs for battery expense and the hassle of always changing and buying them. Take this as gospel: if you do not use the LCD screen as a viewer to set up your shots, you will enjoy surprisingly long battery life. We regularly snap more than 100 shots (a week's worth or more) and then pass the camera around to let everyone review them on the LCD screen. The batteries last if you just take reasonable, minimal care, and with an extra set of rechargables you will probably never feel the crunch, even as snap-happy tourists on vacation somewhere. Second, we had read that upper-end cameras (in the $600-1,000 range) could snap pictures rapidly one after another but that cameras such as the DC280 had an infuriatingly long lag time from one shot to the next--up to 12 to 15 seconds--while the camera processed and saved the data. We braced ourselves for this inconvenience. STUPID US! It took two weeks before we realized by accident that you can take up to four or five pictures in very rapid succession before finding the need to cool it for a few seconds. That is fine, and since we're not professionals needing to do rapid bursts for sports shots all day, we find no difference compared with how strenuously we used our film cameras (in fact, we get a whole lot more out of this one than our film cameras). There is a lot more I could go on about, but the short of it is that this camera is amazing and has itself dispelled many falsehoods we read about cameras in its price range (and higher). We have two little children and buying film, developing it, making duplicates, and mailing them out to family everywhere had become a real financial burden and hassle. Consequently, we barely took any pictures anymore. With the DC280 now, we have snapped more than 600 pictures in 5 weeks (the equivalent of 25 rolls, $250 for film and development). Everyone in our family already has a CD with 500 pictures on it, with more on the way. And we now have photos for our own collection that we otherwise would never have had. If you have any doubts about which digital camera to choose anywhere near this price range, jump at this one before you miss out. You'll love it.
Rating: Summary: Did the research and got the Kodak DC280 Review: I actually did the research and told my family what camera I wanted for my birthday. I checked the reviews on Amazon and CNET. I compared the specs against other cameras, most notably the small Canon's. I decided on the Kodak DC280 and have been extremely pleased. I can't complain about battery life or screensize like I read in other reviews. I've played with all the settings by taking low light photos, close-ups, auto pictures, borders, etc. When I send pictures to my subjects, they all comment on the quality of the photos. The funny thing is that I'm taking pictures on medium quality with the lowest resolution! I do wish that it was a little smaller, but I knew it would be larger than an Elph. I would buy this camera again without hesitation.
Rating: Summary: Outstanding Camera Review: I wanted to write a review of this camera because I hope it will help someone like myself that almost did not buy this great camera. This was my first digital camera purchase. The reason I ultimately bought it was because it was a great value--including many extra items ( both 4 alkaline and 4 NiH rechargeable batteries, battery recharger, Adobe software, UBC Cord, etc.)that the others did not. However, I was concerned because there were reviews that mentioned that the Adobe software was difficult to use and you could not e-mail pictures using it. Both negative comments were dead wrong. First, I must say that the camera takes truely OUTSTANDING pictures. It is also relatively easy to use. The manual that comes with it is well written and easy to understand. It comes with a quick-guide and you can literally be taking pictures within minutes. The Adobe software is truely outstanding too. Its only negative is it does not come with a manual so you have to plow through the instructions on the computer and very often use the help screen. However, you can make all kinds of adjustments to your pictures and come out with a first rate pictures. I like to save the pictures to my hard drive in the JEP format. If I want to e-mail them, I simply send the pictures as attachments from there. No problem. Regardless, the pictures and the software are great and any negative comments you may read from others probably are from first time buyers like myself who got frustrated with the learning curve and time it takes to get to know a new camera, new technology, how to use the software and how to print photographs. For a novice, it takes considerable time to learn. There are no shortcuts. However, once you get the hang of it, you get fantastic results!!! One mistake I made was buying a card reader. I have a 800mh processor and the USB cable that comes with the camera literally takes seconds to transfer. If you have a slow processor, you may need a card reader. One thing I definitely advise you to get is an AC adaptor. It is a must or you will drain the batteries. If you are going to go for a long weekend or plan to take a considerable number of pictures, you may want to buy both extra rechargeable batteries and an extra picture card. Ihave a HP deskjet 952 printer. I have found some Kodak 4X6 borderless print paper. It comes with one or two pictures per page. For the single page, I turn it upside down in my tray (with the Kodak name up) and locate it all the way to the far right. I set the settings just the way the instructions say and I get the most unbelieveable pictures you can imagine. Once I got the hang of it, people in my office asked me where I was getting them developed! Another major positive is that Kodak has a "technical help desk." I called them a couple of times regarding how to use the new paper with my particular printer. They have an 800 number,answered right away, and were incredibly helpful and knowledgable. This was a major plus and helped me over several frustrating humps. Regardless, this camera is a great value since it inclues many extras and provides outstanding quality pictures. Beginers do need to invest time--and be forewarned it can get very frustrating but it all falls into place with time. If you are on the fence, buy it. You will love it! Enjoy!!
Rating: Summary: Awesome Review: This camera is great. I took it out on the weekend, and took tons of pictures. All the pictures came out so clear. Everyone is complaining about the battery life, but that is normal w/ most digital cameras. I basically took 90 + pictures on 8 double A's. It already comes w/ 4 rechargable NIMH batteries. Just buy another 4 pack (13 bucks) and your set for a long time. I think that is more than plenty for the average user. Furthermore, with the USB cable that it comes with, I was downloading so fast. In addition, I bought a 64 mb compactflash card for this camera. (note: Make sure you buy compactflash and not smartmedia - size differences) This allowed me to have 108 pictures of highest quality and resolution. It was well worth it.
Rating: Summary: Good all around camera.. Review: Let me start my review by saying this is an excellent camera and I would highly recommend it for a beginner like me. I do feel a review should be about the not so bright points however because the manufacture will tell you all the good things for me. To start on the bad list would have to be the battery life. This camer ,and other camers as I've read, is the battery destroyer. I first took it out of the box and right away started to take pictures. (the camera's controls are easy to use and well placed) The first set of disposible battery's lasted about 35 shots. (or 4 times through the memory card that's included, but we'll get to that later.)Lucky for me tho they include a set of rechargeable batteries and the wall charger for them! I was delighted to see that they actualy would include these things knowing we (the consumer) would need them later. Second on my "I wish it was better list" would have to be the memory card. The camera comes with a mesily 8mb flash memory card. Let me tell you unless you only want to take about 8-10 picutres this is not enough. A acceptable replacement for the mem card can be had fr around ($) here on amazon. Now for some points I really did like about the camera that I haven't already mentioned. The picutre quality is astonding for the price. As mentioned before it was very easier to use and well layed out. The software bundle included was easie enuff to use (even though I use photoshop 5.5 instead). The USB connect was not only fast but stable. I would recomend however that you buy a USB flash reader as well so you don't have to leave the juice gobbling camera on while your transfuring photos. All in all I just don't think you can do better for your money than this camera even with the small mem card and battery issues.
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