Improvements zoom on digital lightweight camera by Kodak

The zoom lens-equipped Digital Camera 50 is both a great sequel to Kodak's ground-breaking DC 40 camera [GCN, Sept. 4, 1995, Page 1] and a missed opportunity.

For less than $1,000--about the same as last year's model--you get a pushbutton 3X zoom that equals what you'd see in a 37- to 111-millimeter zoom lens on a low-end 35mm camera. Even better, a PC Card slot now lets you plug in flash memory cards for 2M to 40M of extra storage.

The 1-pound, 6-ounce unit that I tested came with a 5M FlashDisk memory card from SanDisk Corp., providing a second path to extract photos from the DC 50.

As before, you can attach the DC 50 to the serial port of a Microsoft Windows or Macintosh PC to download all the images. Or you can store them on the memory card instead, then hand it off to someone else for downloading while you take pictures.

That's a great bonus for military users or government inspectors in the field. It's perfect for capturing up-to-the-minute images to post on your agency's Internet Web pages.

Data moves off the card about twice as fast as through a cable--a real speed advantage. Any type of PC Card slot will work, with no special drivers needed. If your desktop system has no slot, you still can read the card through the cable.

Now for Kodak's missed opportunity. The DC 50 still doesn't have a preview function like that in Casio's QV-10 LCD. Even though the Casio takes lower-resolution, 480- by 240-pixel pictures, its 1.8-inch color LCD panel shows what you've just photographed.

The Kodak has the highest color resolution--756-by-540, 24-bit--of any digital camera under $10,000, but you still can't tell whether you've captured the perfect shot unless you run back to the computer.

I'd hoped for two other things in this new Kodak model. First, I wanted more on-board memory. The addition of the flash memory card might make the amount of in-camera memory seem a minor quibble. But the 1M on board limits you to seven high-resolution photos (14 or 21 at lower resolutions), which means you must keep several flash disks handy if you plan to take dozens of shots.

Second, I wanted a little more control over the lens. I know, Kodak is the point-and-shoot king. But I can't help wanting to play with shutter speeds, focus and f-stops to build a better picture.

Minor adjustments to the auto-exposure and focus settings can be made from a small, black-and-white LCD screen at the rear, but it's not very flexible. This panel also shows battery life and number of exposures remaining, based on available memory.