Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)For most people, 3 megapixels is all you need. And while I wouldn't have chosen the Kodak CX7330 for myself, my wife bought it for me to replace our old 3-megapixel Konica, and it's quite a capable little machine. Despite extensive photography experience for over 20 years, I'm surprised how much more I use it because I don't have to make so many decisions about the pictures I take.
The CX7330 takes great snapshots, just don't expect much manual control over them. Whether this is the camera for you depends on whether you want that control (in which case you should pick another model), or just want to take decent photos (in which case this one is quite good).
The camera body is not especially small and all plastic, but (other than the memory card door) feels solid and is comfortable to hold. The controls are very straightforward: choose one of five photo modes, or one movie mode, then press a button to shoot. Since the camera has a good lens and intelligent electronics, the results are generally very good, with much better auto-white balance than on many other comparable cameras. For novices or those who don't have or don't want to use a computer to process their photos, the Share button and available dock and printer could be handy, though they're not for me.
Low-light performance without a flash isn't so great. There is no way to force long exposures, the camera lacks an auto-focus assist lamp like Canon models have, and the lens is a bit slow. Startup and shot-to-shot times are decent, but not all that fast, and fairly typical of this class of camera. Battery life, using either NiMH rechargeables or the included lithium expendables, is fabulous, the best I've ever seen from a digicam using just two AA batteries -- and a huge improvement over many other battery-eating models.
The only control you have over the camera is to choose the shooting mode, set how the flash behaves (auto, forced on, forced off, or red-eye reduction), decide on a resolution (you have no control over how much compression the camera uses, just photo size), and set the self-timer or nice 3-shot burst mode if you want. You can adjust the exposure compensation to take longer or shorter exposures, but there's no way to set the shutter speed, focus, or f-stop directly.
One useful option is a 3-megapixel 3:2 ratio size, which makes shots that fit on the longer 4x6" prints from most photo stores, without needing to be cropped. The movie mode (if you're into that) is quite good for this sort of camera: 320x240 pixels with sound, 15 frames per second, with no limit on time other than the size and speed of your memory card. There is also a neat onscreen display of little "brackets" showing where the camera is focusing, though there is no way to change that other than to recompose your photo.
A few other quirks: Other than the image size, most other parameters (like flash mode) reset themselves when you turn the camera off and on. You can choose either to use the internal 16 MB memory OR an SD/MMC memory card (if present), but not both, i.e. there's no easy way to use an external card until it fills up, then switch to the internal memory automatically. You must make the switch using a menu, or remove your memory card. Finally, while the optical (lens-moving) zoom works all the time, the digital zoom (always a misomer; it's really "in-camera cropping") only operates if you have the LCD screen turned on.
So this is not a camera for serious pro or "prosumer" photography, but for carrying around all the time as a family snapshot camera, or as a backup when you just need to get the picture, it does the job well. And for the price, it's quite a deal.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Kodak EasyShare CX7330 3.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
The Kodak EasyShare CX7330 is ideal for the digital photographer who wants great photos from an easy-to-use camera. The CX7330 offers 3 MP resolution, a 3x optical zoom lens, 16 MB of internal memory, compatibility with SD and MMC memory cards, and a movie mode that continuously captures video up to the full capacity of your card.
Optics and Resolution The CX7330 has a maximum resolution of 3.1 megapixels, for prints at 2,032 x 1,524 pixels (for 10 x 13-inch enlargements). It features a Kodak Retinar all-glass, aspherical 3x optical zoom lens, 3.3x advanced digital zoom, and a multizone autofocus system for crisp prints. It has a 35mm equivalency of 37-11mm.More Features
Bright 1.6-inch indoor/outdoor LCD that makes it easy to view images, even in direct sunlight
Automatic picture rotation
Multizone autofocus easily handles pictures with multiple subjects
Built-in flash with auto, redeye, fill, and off modes
Print directly from your camera on any PictBridge-compatible printer
Multiple scene modes: auto, sport, landscape, close-up, and night
Storage and Transfer Images can be stored within the CX7330's 16 MB internal memory or on optional Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards. The camera connects to Macs and Windows PCs via USB 1.1.
Power and Size The camera is powered by 2 AA batteries (alkaline included; NiMH rechargeables recommended). It measures 4.0 x 2.6 x 1.5 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 6.8 ounces without batteries.
What's in the Box The package contains the Kodak EasyShare CX7330 digital camera, 2 AA alkaline batteries, a USB cable, a wrist strap, and a custom camera insert for optional EasyShare Camera and Printer Docks.
Like all EasyShare cameras, the CX7330 includes Kodak EasyShare software for Windows and Mac, providing effortless transfer, organization, basic editing, sharing, and printing of digital photos. The software's exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature--which takes advantage of proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak--helps Windows users get vibrant, true-to-life prints from home inkjet printers while significantly reducing the trial, error, and waste usually associated with home photo printing.
