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LS443- anyone satisfied?

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Holding the camera and using it in "Night Mode" will result in blurry pictures. Night Mode for the LS443 should be same as DX4330. You'll need a tripod or flat steady surface for the camera because it will be set for a longer exposure. Shutter speed will automatically be set between 1/30 and 1/2 second.

With hands shivering it would be VERY hard to get a decent pic. Thanks for going thru the trouble of freezing your fingers and giving your review.

Prior to purchasing my DX4330, I considered buying the LS443. The focus assist light interested me. Can you tell me how well it works? Can you (in Auto) shoot in pitch black or moon-lit setting and get sharp pics?

Napjun
Dennis Greenstein said:
Ill try some outside shots with AF to get a feel for those, but,
the more I shoot, the less enthused I am- again, not any better
than the 4330, thus far. btw- what is OCD??
DG
Raist3d said:
Dennis, congratulations on trying out a decision for yourself... I
can imagine if I was in your shoes my touch of OCD would get in the
way! :-)

Enjoy your new camera.
  • Raist
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Ill try tomorrow morn, early, while its still dark, and advise.

My kids took some pics of us outside at night, nut they were too blurry. It was a bit strange to see a white light come on prior to the flash!
Ill try to set up a tripod for this, to judge the sharpness.
thks
dg
napjun said:
Napjun
Dennis Greenstein said:
Ill try some outside shots with AF to get a feel for those, but,
the more I shoot, the less enthused I am- again, not any better
than the 4330, thus far. btw- what is OCD??
DG
Raist3d said:
Dennis, congratulations on trying out a decision for yourself... I
can imagine if I was in your shoes my touch of OCD would get in the
way! :-)

Enjoy your new camera.
  • Raist
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Raist3d said:
If that was your main feature, I would honestly have stayed away
from the LS443 because the movie quality simply can't compare vs
the S230 or P7.
Click to expand...
That may be so, however, my main concern was that the movie with sound was an option, and not so much the quality of the movie, so long as the photo quality was good, which I why I also wanted 3MP or higher.
Member said:
Why not the S230? Was it because it wasn't out at that time?
About Sony- the P7 is actually pretty decent. I agree the software
bundle might not be as good as Canon's or Kodak's.
Click to expand...
Correct, the S230 (and the S45 for that matter) had been announced in press releases around that time, but not in stores until last month. Also, the S230 and the Sony P7 both have 1.5 inch LCDs, and the LS443 had 1.8 inch. Combined with the other features, reviews, and pricing, it seemed like a great choice for my first digital camera (not counting an intel pocket webcam/travel camera); easy to use, dock for fast uploading, and enough manual features to try so you weren't limited to just using as a point-and-shoot.

Of course, when one does so many side-by-side comparrisons of cameras or most other products for that matter, a few models/brands will always out-perform most of the others. And most will all have their good points and bad points. I didn't really have the luxury of side-by-side comparrisons, and while I can be critical of pictures, too, I am clearly not as critical as some of the more "professional" or experienced users like yourself.

Once again, I have not experienced the washed-out faces, the blurry pictures, or otherwise just-plain-obvious-to-the-average-person bad looking photos that I have read about in this forum. Most pics look pretty good and have enough detail and clarity to satisfy emailing/photo printing needs, and for caputuring typical friends/family, site-seeing, and overall fun type of photos. It may be performing at a 3MP level and not a 4, but it's been good so far. I hope to get my money's worth out of it over the next year or two, and then with all the upcoming technology and price drops, perhaps the next one I buy will be a high-end five or six megapixel for less than the current purchase prices...LOL
  • Cindy
 
Dennis, to be fair, on any low light situations, virtually all consumer level digital cameras have to be put in a stable surface or a tripod. Reason is the camera needs to leave the shutter open for longer to capture more light, but moving objects or your own breathing from the body will cause photos to blur.

What I also do in my case with the S230 is I put the selftimer to 2 seconds, put the camera on a stable surface (or new mini tripod I got), then press the shutter so the camera has 2 seconds to stabilize from the moment I pressed the shutter. Try that out and you will probably see a huge improvement there.

The complaints I have had on the LS443 picture quality has nothign to do with blur in those situations, since it's normal for cameras to do so- onless you had a very noise-free ISO 1600 camera- but those are in the $1,200+++ US range.
Dennis Greenstein said:
ok, Raist- seems you are quite possibly correct on the LS443.
I just took some outside night shots of Xmas trees. Used the night
settings. All shots were somewhat blurry- I guess, as I held the
camera, I was not as steady as I should have been (I was actually
shivering in the cold!).
Some in the home shots of family members came out very nice, tho-
pictures right on the money, ALMOST AS GOOD AS MY DX4330!

Ill try some outside shots with AF to get a feel for those, but,
the more I shoot, the less enthused I am- again, not any better
than the 4330, thus far. btw- what is OCD??
Click to expand...
OCD = obsessive compulsive disorder. It can take many forms as I understand it. It's my way of making a joke at myself about my obsession when I buy something like an electronics gadget :-)
  • Raist
Dennis Barak said:
DG
Raist3d said:
Dennis, congratulations on trying out a decision for yourself... I
can imagine if I was in your shoes my touch of OCD would get in the
way! :-)

Enjoy your new camera.
  • Raist
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Cindy333 said:
Raist3d said:
If that was your main feature, I would honestly have stayed away
from the LS443 because the movie quality simply can't compare vs
the S230 or P7.
Click to expand...
That may be so, however, my main concern was that the movie with
sound was an option, and not so much the quality of the movie, so
long as the photo quality was good, which I why I also wanted 3MP
or higher.
Click to expand...
But again, according to those two criteria, the other cameras would have more than sufficed.. both of the other cameras also capture sound.
Cindy333 said:
Cindy333 said:
Why not the S230? Was it because it wasn't out at that time?
About Sony- the P7 is actually pretty decent. I agree the software
bundle might not be as good as Canon's or Kodak's.
Click to expand...
Correct, the S230 (and the S45 for that matter) had been announced
in press releases around that time, but not in stores until last
month. Also, the S230 and the Sony P7 both have 1.5 inch LCDs, and
the LS443 had 1.8 inch.
Click to expand...
Yes but the LS443 LCD resolution is simply AWFUL You can't even tell really if a picture is in focus or not. I mean, seriously, compare it - it's horrible (same goes for most Kodak LCD's in their digicams resolutions at the consumer level).
Cindy333 said:
Combined with the other features, reviews,
and pricing, it seemed like a great choice for my first digital
camera (not counting an intel pocket webcam/travel camera); easy to
use, dock for fast uploading, and enough manual features to try so
you weren't limited to just using as a point-and-shoot.

Of course, when one does so many side-by-side comparrisons of
cameras or most other products for that matter, a few models/brands
will always out-perform most of the others. And most will all have
their good points and bad points. I didn't really have the luxury
of side-by-side comparrisons, and while I can be critical of
pictures, too, I am clearly not as critical as some of the more
"professional" or experienced users like yourself.
Click to expand...
Well to be frank I am pointint out that the reasons that made you go for the LS443 are reasons that It hink should have triggered a serious look athte cameras I mentioned since they pretty much do those features you mention better. Except the docking craddle/easier to use. I'll give that to Kodak. And I will also say that if that was priority one for you then I agree it's better to have gone that way.
Cindy333 said:
Once again, I have not experienced the washed-out faces, the blurry
pictures, or otherwise just-plain-obvious-to-the-average-person bad
looking photos that I have read about in this forum. Most pics look
pretty good and have enough detail and clarity to satisfy
emailing/photo printing needs, and for caputuring typical
friends/family, site-seeing, and overall fun type of photos. It
may be performing at a 3MP level and not a 4, but it's been good so
far. I hope to get my money's worth out of it over the next year
or two, and then with all the upcoming technology and price drops,
perhaps the next one I buy will be a high-end five or six megapixel
for less than the current purchase prices...LOL
Click to expand...
Hehehe :-) If they don't all change memory standards :-)
  • Raist
Cindy333 said:
  • Cindy
Click to expand...
 
It's now the moring after.

Went out in the pitch black outside with a tripod, and took a few shots in Night Mode. The Focus Assst Light worked fine for close objects.

Went inside to a dark room ,and, again, pictures came out pretty good. Took shots of books on a bookshelf, from about 6-8 ft away, and the titles came out fairly sharp. This feature seems to work.
dg
napjun said:
Napjun
Dennis Greenstein said:
Ill try some outside shots with AF to get a feel for those, but,
the more I shoot, the less enthused I am- again, not any better
than the 4330, thus far. btw- what is OCD??
DG
Raist3d said:
Dennis, congratulations on trying out a decision for yourself... I
can imagine if I was in your shoes my touch of OCD would get in the
way! :-)

Enjoy your new camera.
  • Raist
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Good morning Dennis. Thanks for your low-light review of the dc. In my opinion, point and shoot cameras are supposed to give good shots in most variety of settings, including very low light such as walking thru forest at night, dimly lit restaurant, weddings, and other indoor venues where lights are turned up and down. I think most dc's should have this feature without having to spend $500 and up.
Thanks again and I'm looking forward to your next review.

Napjun
Dennis Greenstein said:
napjun said:
Napjun
Dennis Greenstein said:
Ill try some outside shots with AF to get a feel for those, but,
the more I shoot, the less enthused I am- again, not any better
than the 4330, thus far. btw- what is OCD??
DG
Raist3d said:
Dennis, congratulations on trying out a decision for yourself... I
can imagine if I was in your shoes my touch of OCD would get in the
way! :-)

Enjoy your new camera.
  • Raist
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Dennis Greenstein said:
I've been reading all of the neg. feedback on this camera in this
forum.
Most other articles that Ive read , typically by reviewers, both
oin the Web and in magazines, give this camera a decent review,
especially for hobbyists, point and shoot photographers,
entry-level, in short, every type of photographer except for the
professional, type, or even semi-pro, or pro-sumer.
Is there anyone out there who is genuinely satisfied with this DC?
The disparity of opinions really amazes me, and I just would like
to hear from folks who are satisfied with their purchase, before I
do mine (possibly)
Thank You.
Click to expand...
I am very satisfied with my LS443. I think it does a great job in 90% of the situations. I get some overexposure on shots if I am to close or if there is alot of white in the backround, but all around a great camera.

Hey, if Kodak comes out with a firmware fix that improves image quality even more then I am all for it. But I still think that the LS443 does an excellent job for the market it is targeted at.

I'll take a little less image quality (and to me I don't see alot of difference between my G2 and Ls443) to have a camera that has great color, ease of use, and in general very good exposure 90% of the time.

By the way has anybody ever noticed that the files transfer about 2 times as fast with the LS443 than their other cameras. The easy share transfers FAST, and my G2 running through a USB is SLOWWWW.

Call me funny, but I still think the LS443 is a home run.
 
Ive taken lots of flash pictures in the past few days- most of which were fine.

Im not enough of a"maven" to understand what's going on with your pics, but maybe some setting got set that shouldn't have.
dg
ticotico said:
are this examples a 4.0 Mp camera ?

http://www.pbase.com/ticotico/ls443

rubbish,
more when you try to run the camera with flash !

where are the white objetcs detail ?

flash burn all white colors aslo, in manual.

pls suggest
Click to expand...
 
Brian-
I'm satisfied, too.

Im just a bit upset that I have yet to see that this camera is better than my DX4330, which, when taking into account the dock, is still about $80 cheaper. There are some features that are in favor of the 443, but Im not sure if the $80 diff is justified.

As time goes on, Ill give more input, but, I understand that while us hobbyists can be satisfied, or even happy with this camera, there are others out there who are more discriminating. Frankly, I don't have enough time to play with settings, etc., so Kodak is great for me.
dg
Brian Salyer said:
Dennis Greenstein said:
I've been reading all of the neg. feedback on this camera in this
forum.
Most other articles that Ive read , typically by reviewers, both
oin the Web and in magazines, give this camera a decent review,
especially for hobbyists, point and shoot photographers,
entry-level, in short, every type of photographer except for the
professional, type, or even semi-pro, or pro-sumer.
Is there anyone out there who is genuinely satisfied with this DC?
The disparity of opinions really amazes me, and I just would like
to hear from folks who are satisfied with their purchase, before I
do mine (possibly)
Thank You.
Click to expand...
I am very satisfied with my LS443. I think it does a great job in
90% of the situations. I get some overexposure on shots if I am to
close or if there is alot of white in the backround, but all around
a great camera.

Hey, if Kodak comes out with a firmware fix that improves image
quality even more then I am all for it. But I still think that the
LS443 does an excellent job for the market it is targeted at.

I'll take a little less image quality (and to me I don't see alot
of difference between my G2 and Ls443) to have a camera that has
great color, ease of use, and in general very good exposure 90% of
the time.

By the way has anybody ever noticed that the files transfer about 2
times as fast with the LS443 than their other cameras. The easy
share transfers FAST, and my G2 running through a USB is SLOWWWW.

Call me funny, but I still think the LS443 is a home run.
Click to expand...
 
Hi tico,

Have you tried covering half the flash with your finger (or try black tape) when taking pics of bright or white objects? Give that a try if you think it will work.
ticotico said:
are this examples a 4.0 Mp camera ?

http://www.pbase.com/ticotico/ls443

rubbish,
more when you try to run the camera with flash !

where are the white objetcs detail ?

flash burn all white colors aslo, in manual.

pls suggest
Click to expand...
 
Brian Salyer said:
Dennis Greenstein said:
I've been reading all of the neg. feedback on this camera in this
forum.
Most other articles that Ive read , typically by reviewers, both
oin the Web and in magazines, give this camera a decent review,
especially for hobbyists, point and shoot photographers,
entry-level, in short, every type of photographer except for the
professional, type, or even semi-pro, or pro-sumer.
Is there anyone out there who is genuinely satisfied with this DC?
The disparity of opinions really amazes me, and I just would like
to hear from folks who are satisfied with their purchase, before I
do mine (possibly)
Thank You.
Click to expand...
I am very satisfied with my LS443. I think it does a great job in
90% of the situations. I get some overexposure on shots if I am to
close or if there is alot of white in the backround, but all around
a great camera.

Hey, if Kodak comes out with a firmware fix that improves image
quality even more then I am all for it. But I still think that the
LS443 does an excellent job for the market it is targeted at.

I'll take a little less image quality (and to me I don't see alot
of difference between my G2 and Ls443) to have a camera that has
great color, ease of use, and in general very good exposure 90% of
the time.

By the way has anybody ever noticed that the files transfer about 2
times as fast with the LS443 than their other cameras. The easy
share transfers FAST, and my G2 running through a USB is SLOWWWW.
Click to expand...
How are you measuring this? Are you looking at the transfer rate per second of infomation in kilobits or bytes, or at the number of photos transfered? Because if it is the number of pictures, then check the file size for each one.

If I set my S230 to capture photos in most compression at 640x480 the pictures transfer super-fast :-)
  • Raist
Brian Salyer said:
Call me funny, but I still think the LS443 is a home run.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Dennis,

I rationalized the price difference with the assumption that the extra pixels and the supposedly better lens was worth it (the body looks nicer too). I didn't want to spend the next five years thinking, "I should have spent the extra money". Kodak's marketing knows how to get to my OCD.

Not having a DX4330 to compare against, I've been content to believe that there "must" be a difference between it and the LS443. I still want to believe that. Your observations serve to point out the value of the simplicity of these cameras. I bet I'd only notice the image quality issues doing direct comparisons with another camera. Frustrations with missing a shot while I fiddled with white balance or other controls is something I'd notice all the time. The camera meets the purpose for which I bought it.

== Steve ==
Dennis Greenstein said:
Brian Salyer said:
Dennis Greenstein said:
I've been reading all of the neg. feedback on this camera in this
forum.
Most other articles that Ive read , typically by reviewers, both
oin the Web and in magazines, give this camera a decent review,
especially for hobbyists, point and shoot photographers,
entry-level, in short, every type of photographer except for the
professional, type, or even semi-pro, or pro-sumer.
Is there anyone out there who is genuinely satisfied with this DC?
The disparity of opinions really amazes me, and I just would like
to hear from folks who are satisfied with their purchase, before I
do mine (possibly)
Thank You.
Click to expand...
I am very satisfied with my LS443. I think it does a great job in
90% of the situations. I get some overexposure on shots if I am to
close or if there is alot of white in the backround, but all around
a great camera.

Hey, if Kodak comes out with a firmware fix that improves image
quality even more then I am all for it. But I still think that the
LS443 does an excellent job for the market it is targeted at.

I'll take a little less image quality (and to me I don't see alot
of difference between my G2 and Ls443) to have a camera that has
great color, ease of use, and in general very good exposure 90% of
the time.

By the way has anybody ever noticed that the files transfer about 2
times as fast with the LS443 than their other cameras. The easy
share transfers FAST, and my G2 running through a USB is SLOWWWW.

Call me funny, but I still think the LS443 is a home run.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Stephen- now that Ive found out what OCD is , I can sympathize. While Im not a high-tech person, the male urge in me wants to acquire every newer "better" gadget that hits the marketplace. I have to rein in my impulses. But, I've given some cameras as gifts (in-laws, and kids), so I get to "play" with them first. The truth is, this camera is good. I recently had a Canon S30, that took great shots. I typically had to consult the manual with every other shot, so I sold it to a friend with OCD, and got the DX4330, and have been extremely happy ever since. The book stays home, the camera in my coat pocket, just as it should be!
Dennis
Stephen Rosenfeld said:
Not having a DX4330 to compare against, I've been content to
believe that there "must" be a difference between it and the LS443.
I still want to believe that. Your observations serve to point out
the value of the simplicity of these cameras. I bet I'd only notice
the image quality issues doing direct comparisons with another
camera. Frustrations with missing a shot while I fiddled with white
balance or other controls is something I'd notice all the time. The
camera meets the purpose for which I bought it.

== Steve ==
Dennis Greenstein said:
Brian Salyer said:
Dennis Greenstein said:
I've been reading all of the neg. feedback on this camera in this
forum.
Most other articles that Ive read , typically by reviewers, both
oin the Web and in magazines, give this camera a decent review,
especially for hobbyists, point and shoot photographers,
entry-level, in short, every type of photographer except for the
professional, type, or even semi-pro, or pro-sumer.
Is there anyone out there who is genuinely satisfied with this DC?
The disparity of opinions really amazes me, and I just would like
to hear from folks who are satisfied with their purchase, before I
do mine (possibly)
Thank You.
Click to expand...
I am very satisfied with my LS443. I think it does a great job in
90% of the situations. I get some overexposure on shots if I am to
close or if there is alot of white in the backround, but all around
a great camera.

Hey, if Kodak comes out with a firmware fix that improves image
quality even more then I am all for it. But I still think that the
LS443 does an excellent job for the market it is targeted at.

I'll take a little less image quality (and to me I don't see alot
of difference between my G2 and Ls443) to have a camera that has
great color, ease of use, and in general very good exposure 90% of
the time.

By the way has anybody ever noticed that the files transfer about 2
times as fast with the LS443 than their other cameras. The easy
share transfers FAST, and my G2 running through a USB is SLOWWWW.

Call me funny, but I still think the LS443 is a home run.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Some last thoughts on user-friendly. I just bought my son a Canon S230 after his S110 stripped something in its autofocus mechanism. He wanted another Canon so he could reuse his cards, case, and other accessories. It's a very cute camera, but you need miniature fingers to operate it. Not so with the LS443. I'm also pleased that I can take my SD card out of the camera and plunk it into my Palm Pilot and voila! show others my photos (and movies). Not the greatest of quality, but acceptable and a fun thing to be able to do.

== Steve R. ==
Dennis Greenstein said:
Stephen Rosenfeld said:
Not having a DX4330 to compare against, I've been content to
believe that there "must" be a difference between it and the LS443.
I still want to believe that. Your observations serve to point out
the value of the simplicity of these cameras. I bet I'd only notice
the image quality issues doing direct comparisons with another
camera. Frustrations with missing a shot while I fiddled with white
balance or other controls is something I'd notice all the time. The
camera meets the purpose for which I bought it.

== Steve ==
Dennis Greenstein said:
Brian Salyer said:
Dennis Greenstein said:
I've been reading all of the neg. feedback on this camera in this
forum.
Most other articles that Ive read , typically by reviewers, both
oin the Web and in magazines, give this camera a decent review,
especially for hobbyists, point and shoot photographers,
entry-level, in short, every type of photographer except for the
professional, type, or even semi-pro, or pro-sumer.
Is there anyone out there who is genuinely satisfied with this DC?
The disparity of opinions really amazes me, and I just would like
to hear from folks who are satisfied with their purchase, before I
do mine (possibly)
Thank You.
Click to expand...
I am very satisfied with my LS443. I think it does a great job in
90% of the situations. I get some overexposure on shots if I am to
close or if there is alot of white in the backround, but all around
a great camera.

Hey, if Kodak comes out with a firmware fix that improves image
quality even more then I am all for it. But I still think that the
LS443 does an excellent job for the market it is targeted at.

I'll take a little less image quality (and to me I don't see alot
of difference between my G2 and Ls443) to have a camera that has
great color, ease of use, and in general very good exposure 90% of
the time.

By the way has anybody ever noticed that the files transfer about 2
times as fast with the LS443 than their other cameras. The easy
share transfers FAST, and my G2 running through a USB is SLOWWWW.

Call me funny, but I still think the LS443 is a home run.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Stephen- wow! it never dawned on me to "mate" my SD picture card to my Palm! Ill try that tonight! Thanks for the idea (that shows how imaginative a photographer I am!)
Dennis
Stephen Rosenfeld said:
== Steve R. ==
Dennis Greenstein said:
Stephen Rosenfeld said:
Not having a DX4330 to compare against, I've been content to
believe that there "must" be a difference between it and the LS443.
I still want to believe that. Your observations serve to point out
the value of the simplicity of these cameras. I bet I'd only notice
the image quality issues doing direct comparisons with another
camera. Frustrations with missing a shot while I fiddled with white
balance or other controls is something I'd notice all the time. The
camera meets the purpose for which I bought it.

== Steve ==
Dennis Greenstein said:
Brian Salyer said:
Dennis Greenstein said:
I've been reading all of the neg. feedback on this camera in this
forum.
Most other articles that Ive read , typically by reviewers, both
oin the Web and in magazines, give this camera a decent review,
especially for hobbyists, point and shoot photographers,
entry-level, in short, every type of photographer except for the
professional, type, or even semi-pro, or pro-sumer.
Is there anyone out there who is genuinely satisfied with this DC?
The disparity of opinions really amazes me, and I just would like
to hear from folks who are satisfied with their purchase, before I
do mine (possibly)
Thank You.
Click to expand...
I am very satisfied with my LS443. I think it does a great job in
90% of the situations. I get some overexposure on shots if I am to
close or if there is alot of white in the backround, but all around
a great camera.

Hey, if Kodak comes out with a firmware fix that improves image
quality even more then I am all for it. But I still think that the
LS443 does an excellent job for the market it is targeted at.

I'll take a little less image quality (and to me I don't see alot
of difference between my G2 and Ls443) to have a camera that has
great color, ease of use, and in general very good exposure 90% of
the time.

By the way has anybody ever noticed that the files transfer about 2
times as fast with the LS443 than their other cameras. The easy
share transfers FAST, and my G2 running through a USB is SLOWWWW.

Call me funny, but I still think the LS443 is a home run.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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