Dec 19, 2008 04:47 PM
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Worlds best photographer: Not only was my Nazarein good, I also always had a good eye. So naturally I was good at capturing beauty not just with my eyes, but with any available cameras too! ;-) But what made someone call me ‘worlds best photographer without a own camera’ was that I had no digital camera except for 2 film roll camera, which I haven’t touched in the last 4 years – thanks to my friends who always lent me their digicams whenever I wanted. Infact the best photos from their camera came when I was behind it!
Having handled feature-rich, DSLR like megazoom cameras like the sony H series, Canon S2, S3, S5 & Kodak Z series. I was only inclined to buy one of these & had done a lot of research on cameras that had more than 12x optical zoom. All this knowledge came handy for my friends who sought my advice & even company when they went digicam shopping. My after-sales role included training them on the usage, in return of which I got the camera whenever I wanted. All this said & done I was still without a own digicam despite having shortlisted my model & wanting even to get it from US.
Mom’s words of wisdom: I don’t belive in the term ‘cash crunch due to economic slowdown’ because even when ‘india was shining’ or ‘economy was blooming’ I didn’t have money to buy my camera ;-). So days passed as I kept waiting for the prices to come down here. Getting cam from US didn’t make sense as dollar kept gaining against the rupess – rendering the price difference to the least in most cases. Everyday a flower bloomed in our pots, I used to tell my mom how beautiful a close-up of the flower wud look. She too was fed up of my ‘research’ & ‘postponing’. Finally she said “don’t wait for the next flower to bloom to capture it on cam, instead get a cam today & capture the flower as it blooms, not when its withering” . effectively what she said was “kal ho na ho” & “apne aukad pe aana & buy a camera that fits ur current budget”. I decided to obey my mom. ;-)
Offer: I was looking for offers on digicams when during diwali Kodak came with real-tempting offer. On the menu was a Kodak easyshare C713 camera, 2GB SD card, Kodak charger + 2 rechargable cells, 2 alkaline cells, pouch – all for 5K. I did quick research on this model of camera & compared it with basic 3x optical zoom cameras from other makers & was convinced that this one was a good deal. I also checked a similar model from Kodak, which a friend had & found it good enough considering the cost & features & performance.
Features: As I have said in video, this is one of those cameras which can be listed under ‘basic digital cameras’, hence its features are something a basic aam aadmi can be happy about. It has 3x optical zoom (which any digicam will have these days) & 5x digital zoom ( don’t use it ever). In aam aadmi terms what 3x means is “imagine taking a pic of a TV from 2ft without zooming, the same can be achieved with zoom, standing 6ft away”. But please note that while zoom can reach, flash may not reach there! ;-)
Product Features:7-megapixel resolution for stunning prints up to 20 x 30 inches, 3x optical zoom lens, 5x digital zoom; HD still capture and VGA video
2.4-inch indoor/outdoor color LCD, Digital image stabilization reduces blur ( to some extent, but not like optical image stabilization)
optical_sensor_technology: CCD, Optical zoom: 3x
maximum_aperture_range: F/2.7-4.8
Minimum focal length: 36 millimeters
Maximum focal length: 108 millimeters
Lens Type: Zoom lens
optical_sensor_size: 1/2.5"
Included Flash Type: Built-in flash
Display Size: 2.4 inches
light_sensitivity: ISO 100, ISO 800, ISO 400, ISO 200, ISO 80, ISO auto (80-200), ISO 1250
Shooting Modes: Frame movie mode 640x480, 320x240
Exposure Control Type: Candle, Beach, Document, Snow, High sensitivity, Landscape, Portrait mode, Close-up, Museum, Back light, Night portrait, Self-portrait, Children, Fireworks, Night landscape, Flower, Sports mode, Sunset
Width: 3.6 inches Depth: 1.5 inches Height: 2.6 inches Weight: 136grams
Plus points: 7Mega pixels ensures pics of resolution 3056x2292 which are good enough clear for large prints too. The optical zoom is much better than I expected. Also the lens movement is smooth without any noises. We can also use optical zoom while video recording. The display is good & energy efficient but in bright lights its difficult to see, as there is no settings separately for the LCD. Very lightweight & fits well in one hand too. I also like the photo & video editing options included in the camera.
Negatives: only 3x optical zoom ( but then I have seen my friend who with even 12x zoom says its not enough, yeh optical zoom ki greed kabh bhujegi? ;-) . If only Kodak had included EVF, we could save LCD display use in daytime, which is not clearly visible in bright sunlight anyways. 10 seconds delay between pics is too much, its must be adjustable, say by turning off the image preview as the user needs.
Observations: I have used it nearly 2 months & taken 1200+ pics & many videos. We also have printed around 100 pics in 4x6 sizes. I am happy with the results. Also I am one of those who belive ‘good photography is not just in the camera’, I am sure I can come up with greater pics with this basic digicam. The cam is as good as any for normal bright outdoor pics. If one explores the various scene modes one can come up with the best options to use in indoor & low light settings.
Verdict: having compared similar featured cameras from various makers, I am convinced that this is the best buy – for no other is offering these features, these freebies at this low cost. C713 is an example to prove “impressive need not be expensive”. I will be surely upgrading to high end, mega zoom cameras when the economy looks good (??) but until then this will be the lab where I do all my digital photography experiments. This is best buy for someone who wants to explore digital photography at low cost, with lots of features.
