Kodak DC4800

Opinion: The Kodak DC4800, although quite old nowdays is a shining example of a great enthusiast compact from Kodak with a large 1/1.8" 3MP CCD.

It has a a superb wide-angle lens (wide end starts at 28mm, telephoto is 84mm)-max aperture starts at f2.8 which is fantastic for indoor,scenery nature and landscape photography or fitting more in your photos and as it's a enthuaist compact, there is no movie mode but a there is variety of creative control-like aperture settings on the mode dial and manual shutter speeds to choose from.

I found the DC4800 be suitable for low-light photography, especially when used in conjuction with a connected external flash unit.

ISO 100-200 photos show little noise, at ISO 400 there's some noise (but not too distracting to me).

A nod to old film cameras, there's even a dial for EV compensation and there's a lot of WB controls like the option of color temperature setting for WB in the Kelvin scale, plus manual WB (with WB shift) and several presets , so you can set the WB to whatever you need it to be. This is something that's missing on newer Kodak cameras with the exception of the discontinued P series (that had manual WB, but no color temperature setting for WB).

There's a PC sync socket for external flash units and a great yet easy to use menu based selection of shutter speeds, with aperture priority on the mode dial in f stops of f2.8./5.6/8, plus program mode, color filters-the usual sepia and B&W, plus many color options like neutral and satured and B&W Y/R filters for great effects and ISO 100-400.

A uncompressed TIFF mode is available-and works well with easily available CF cards (supports cards upto 2GB only).

The KLIC-3000 battery is very similar to the NP-80 as used in Fuji cameras from 2000.

It's unusual to see a enthuiast compact from Kodak nowdays-so the DC4800 is a great gem of a camera to own, I suggest find one on eBay if you can.

Opinion: I have owned a DC4800 for about 3 years. It is difficult to rate the camera now as it has been overtaken by newer models. I have therefore rated it as I would have when I bought it. I have some excellent pictures, particularly in good bright daylight conditions.

I have now upgraded to a Nikon Coolpix 5700 but still keep my DC4800 as a backup.

Opinion: I've used this camera for portrait photography for a leading singles organization in the Chicago area. The camera's CCD has a bias towards the color red. For instance if someone is wearing read, then the whole picture becomes red, unless I dominate the photograph with a light blue background. Even at the highest JPEG setting the pictures still have grain, enough so that you cannot enlarge a picture to an 8x10 size without losing the overall quality of the picture. The viewfinder has paralax error, when you put the camera in the virtical (for portraits) it has an off centered target.
The one good thing is the menus are easy to navigate, and has manual settings, very important for portraiture.

Opinion: Picture quality is very good. Controls are well placed and intuitive. Long shutter delay limits this camera's use for subjects in motion.

Opinion: I traded in my Kodak DC290 (it had focus problems) for the DC4800. Two years and 8000 pictures later I am generally pleased with the camera. A good general purpose camera that has survived the "drop test." Works best outdoors. For samples shots visit: www.pbase.com/qleap
TIFF is superior to JPEG, but high compression JPEG looks great. People complain about battery life, but on power save mode (and no strobe) you can get 300+ shots on one charge. Shots with strobe are its weak spot. Not a great performer in low light, but I have taken great lightning shots with it. Too long between dual flashes for red-eye. View finder is accurate. User menus are simple and easy.

Opinion: I write this as I have been shopping for a 4MP replacement with the features I have now. And you know what, I'd have to spend a lot more than the $375 I spent on the DC4800. I have really learned photography with this camera and I'll be suing it until it dies.

My only wish is that Kodak had evolved this camera like Minolta and Nikon have done to theirs. This is a solid base for future features but Kodak has headed another direction.

Opinion: I have used this camera for about 2 years, now and was very satiisfied with it. I recently upgraded to a Minolta 7Hi, but the faithful DC4800 will remain in the family as a quick, "instamatic" type camera.
Its size, picture quality and many features make it a very powerful camera for the medium to advanced amateur.

Opinion: I have been using my DC4800 for over a year, and found it well-built and good for taking stunning outdoor pictures. It is also a good looking camera, it doesn't have that destinctive (and often annoying) 'digital' look that many other models do, except for the LCD on the rear. Battery life isn't too bad with the supplied battery on a 64MB card, as long as you dont use the flash and LCD too often. However I do carry a spare and recommend anyone else to do the same. The LCD seems to have good frame coverage, and has a clear picture compared to many others I have seen. It can be hard to see in sunlight though, although this is probably to help conserve battery life. It's also nice that it supports CF cards, as these tend to be my favourite storage by a long shot. Lastly, it's is very easy to use which is handy when somebody else is behind it!

Opinion: I've used this camera extensively for two years now. Aside from a couple quirks, I must say I am extremely pleased with the beautiful images which I have taken with this camera. I especially love the 28mm (eqv) wide angle and the PC flash connector which allows me to use it with my studio strobe system. The quality and consistency of the images exceed any comparable 35mm point-n-shoot I have ever owned. Keep this thing at ISO 100 and you can't go wrong for the $$$.