Product Reviews

After the criticisms raised in MacUser's recent Labs test (8 November 1996, p160), Kodak has responded by releasing the DC25, a low-end digital camera which includes an LCD panel among its easy-to-use features.

The panel differs greatly from those offered by other cameras at the same or a higher price in that it can't be used as a viewfinder. This means you still have to peer through a conventional offset lens to see the image being captured. Once taken, pictures can be instantly reviewed on the panel, enabling you to check exposure and framing. While it may seem a potential drawback, this system greatly extends battery life. The LCD panel uses far more power when switched on, but you can choose to leave it off entirely. This is just as well since the camera uses expensive 3V lithium batteries rather than the standard 1.5V AA type.

Unlike more expensive cameras, the DC25 only captures at a maximum of 493 by 373 pixels in 'high' mode, or 320 by 240 pixels in 'standard' mode. It can hold 14 high-resolution or 29 standard images. At these sizes, there's no pretence that the camera can be used for print purposes, although it's adequate for home

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use and ideal for Internet publishing.

The camera has a built-in flash and automatic time, and is capable of focusing from two feet to infinity. A useful extra is the PC Card removable storage card, which effectively allows unlimited numbers of images to be taken on a shoot, as long as you have enough cards to store them. The images are surprisingly crisp, with good colour balance and a fair tonal range. The compression does, however, cause a degree of 'artefact' creation - pixels of random colour appearing on flat surfaces and in areas of shadow.

The Kodak DC25 ships with two pieces of image editing software. Picture Easy is a simple program that enables users to view, download, save and print images from the camera. In addition, images can be be rotated 90¡. More functional is Photo Enhancer Special Fun Edition, a useful low-end image editor. Areas of the picture can be lightened, shaded, sharpened and colour corrected with intuitive tools which conceal a sophisticated package.

Text and clip art can also be added to the picture for print cards and calendars, and a variety of special effects filters include the ability to emboss, threshold and motion-blur the image.

As a bonus, the camera also includes Kai's Power GOO, the clever image-distortion program that allows anyone to create instant caricatures and movies.

The DC25 won't prompt a revolution in digital imaging, but for the home user or Web designer it's the most cost-effective way of getting images into your computer. It's certainly the best camera in its price range (you'd have to spend £160 more for the next step up). And while the image size is too small for serious publishing, it's a very useful tool for catalogue work and multimedia.