Kodak DC4800

Kodak's DC4800 is the highest resolution camera the company has produced for the sub-£1000 market, but unlike the 2048 x 1536 pixel images produced by other 3.3 megapixel cameras we've tested, Kodak has gone for a new 2160 x 1440 pixel, 3.1 megapixel CCD.

This perfectly matches the 3:2 aspect ratio of 35mm film, producing pictures that are half as wide again as they are tall. Interestingly, several 3.3 megapixel cameras also offer a 3:2 aspect ratio mode, but do so by cropping the vertical resolution of the image and slightly reducing the quality.

Using the generally accepted rule that a colour inkjet printer is happy being fed around 200 pixels per printed inch, the Kodak DC4800 is capable of producing prints up to 12 x 8in before you start seeing the pixels.

The maximum 3.1 megapixel resolution is available at two levels of jpeg compression and in an uncompressed 9Mb tiff mode. Lower resolution 1800 x 1200, 1536 x 1024 and 1080 x 720 pixel modes are also available, all in the 3:2 aspect ratio.

At the best quality 3.1 megapixel jpeg setting, our file sizes measured between 450Kb and 950Kb, although it averaged at around 600Kb. Considering other 3.3 megapixel cameras we've tested produced best-quality jpeg files ranging from 800Kb to 2400Kb, the 4800 has its compression turned up quite high.

Memory-wise, Kodak has stuck with the Compact Flash (CF) format and supplies a 16Mb card as standard, good for about 16 pictures at best jpeg quality. Sadly the 4800's CF slot will not take IBM's Microdrive hard disk.

Like most cameras in this price bracket, the 4800 features a 3x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28mm to 84mm on a 35mm film camera; the actual specification is 6mm to 8mm, f2.8~4.5.

The widest focal length that most digital cameras achieve is equivalent to somewhere between 32mm and 40mm, so the wider 28mm setting on the 4800 is both unique and very welcome; note that at 28mm, the tip of the lens barrel is visible in the optical viewfinder.

In macro mode, the 4800 focuses no closer than 20cm, which is the same as Epson's and Olympus' latest, but nowhere near the 4cm and 2cm of the Sony S70, Nikon 990 and Sony F505V.

Kodak has fitted a 1.8in TFT screen, although the 3:2 aspect ratio of its images means there's a thin black bar running along the top; in playback mode you can zoom in two or four times. As with earlier Kodak cameras, the menu navigation and icons are colourful and friendly.

The flash, which pops up manually, can be forced on or off, left on auto or set to red-eye reduction. The relatively small 4800 weighs 320g without battery and features easy-to-access adjustment dials on the top.

One dial directly adjusts exposure compensation from +/-2EV, albeit in 0.5 steps compared with most camera's one-third steps, while the other switches between automatic, playback, setup and the three aperture priority settings of f2.8, 5.6 and 8.

You can manually choose 19 shutter speeds from 0.5 to one-thousandth of a second or from 0.7 to 16 seconds in long exposure mode, but these are all only accessible from within a menu system - not particularly convenient. Within the menus you'll also find three metering options as well as the facility to create images with increased saturation.

Interestingly, Kodak has dumped its traditional set of four AA batteries for a single rechargeable lithium ion - the bundled power supply recharges this in four hours, although an optional one-hour fast charger is also available. Connection to your PC is with USB, after which the camera's memory is mounted as a removable drive from which you can drag files.

There's also a video output to your TV, although disappointingly no movie-capture mode. Writing tiffs takes 50 seconds, which is par for the course, although at 15 seconds to view one, it's fairly nippy.

Images certainly look pretty good, but the high level of compression at even the best-quality jpeg setting can be slightly unforgiving and eliminates ultimate detail in many compositions. Admittedly you have to look very closely, but directly compared with others, you can spot it.

Coupled with the lack of video capture, Microdrive incompatibility, modest macro and slightly convoluted control over shutter speed, the 4800 loses brownie points.

On the upside, the 3:2 aspect ratio is a preferable shape and the wide 28mm lens much appreciated. Ultimately, we prefer the broader features of 3.3 megapixel models from Sony, Olympus and Epson at this price range, but the 4800's wide lens and 3:2 images may swing it for some users.

Contact Kodak 0870 243 0270

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