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Photography Question 

James Greff
 

Kodak DCS Pro 14n, What do you think?


High Folks,
I was active in Photography several years ago but slowly shyed away because of many different reasons.
Now (happly:-)I'm back into it and by the looks of the digital camera I bought, It's serious. I also have a Nikon film camera. I would very much like your (open to all)thoughts on the digital camera, which is a Kodak DCS Pro 14n. I've read several comments on it from reviews,but most of them of course from owners. Some comments good some not. I've been giveing it a few test. Like trains, cars speeding by. Landscapes, and people. I really haven't noticed any noise and I am pleased with the shots. I am no pro though, and that is why I would really like your thoughts,because I haven't had any trouble with the camera.I'm not just going to use it for inside work.This camera will be used for everything. Thanks, Jim


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March 16, 2004

 

Wing Wong
  Hi Jim,

The 14N is Kodak's first 13.5MP digital camera. The criticisms of the camera are as follows:

- weak battery life
- slow startup
- bad sensor performance in less than ideal light conditions

Kodak has released a newer version of the 14N(the model number escapes me...) which replaces the sensor with a better one and changes the algorithm. The newer version has better performance with sensor and battery life, but still falls short of most other camers.

For the going price of $4000-$5000 for the 14N and it's replacement, it's a good investment. Whether it is right for you will depend on the pictures you take.

For portraiture, landscape, and studio product shots: great.

For fast action and poor light condition shots: not so great.

Granted, what I know of the camera is based on Kodak's site, review sites like luminous-landscape.com and dpreview.com, both of which have performed hands on tests of the camera as well as technical tests of the camera.

If you need the MP size, then it is the cheapest camera that will give you that. If you want an all around great camera, I would recommend the Canon 1D Mark II (8MP, 8.5fps for 40 frames in JPEG+RAW). It would be in the same price range, but the MP rating will be less.

You didn't mention the lighting conditions under which you took your pictures. I would highly recommend that you take a variety of pictures like you normally would under a variety of light conditions. In and of itself, it is a fine camera, but you should be aware of the camera's shortcomings.


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March 17, 2004

 
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