Kodak clearly designed the DX3500 digital camera with ease of use in mind. This sporty-looking 2.2-megapixel camera has a 3x digital zoom (no optical zoom) and handles like a point-and-shoot. It contains 8 MB of internal memory, and is compatible with the optional Kodak camera dock, which will upload your photos straight from the camera to your computer at the push of a button. The camera dock even recharges the camera batteries while connected to your camera.
In addition to its internal memory, the DX3500 has a CompactFlash card expansion slot if you want to add additional memory capacity. Its 2.2-megapixel sensor creates quality prints up to 8-by-10 inches at a maximum resolution of 1,800 x 1,200 pixels. You can also shoot at a lower resolution of 900 x 600 pixels. This DX3500 kit comes with the camera, two AA lithium batteries, video cable, USB cable, wrist strap, Kodak Picture Software CD, documentation, and a custom camera insert for optional Kodak camera dock. It has a USB port and is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh systems.
1 Not Satisfied
At the moment i am very tired, having spent 6 hours trying to update the software to the new Easy share. I have had nothing but trouble since updating to Easy share. I owned a Dx3500 and then a DX3600, which I was satisfied with until I upgraded the PC to Windows XP. Now I have the latest Kodak LS753, and the software CD included will not install and even when i down load from the net I get a message saying that there is an error. I have checked for virus, turned off all programs etc. and still no luck. I have never had such problems and I will be certainly returning to the shop with the camera and exchanging it, and I will be letting everyone know the problems. I feel so angry that I have wasted so much time.
2 Kodak camera
I bought the Kodak camera and the dock for my wife for Christmas two years ago. It is easy to operate and to load the pics into the camera, but as other reviewers have stated it uses a lot of power. The docking system seems to help to keep the batteries charged. A minor annoyance is that sometimes the shutter does not open when I turn on the camera. I give it a few good whacks with my hand and it will open. Not high tech, but it works. My friend's camera did the same thing and Kodak, with some prodding, fixed it for a modest fee. My wife uses it for work and in general it is a rugged camera. I may upgrade in the future, but for now I will keep it.
3 You Get What You Pay For
Pros: Cheap price, durable (I have dropped it often, and it still works fine), 2 megapixels
Cons: All pictures look unfocused, batteries get eaten up quickly (try 20 minutes), only digital zoom which is horrible
I recommend the Canon A60, or if your willing to step up to 3 megapixels, get the Canon A70, which is the best camera for your money.
4 Best Digital Family Oriented
I bought this simple digital camera (sorry to say it, but...) with low expectations. But then again Kodak surprised me, all i could do was to love this easy to use, reliable digital camera. Its colour deph its outstanding and it works nice on poor light conditions. May be there are other new models, but this one it sure pays out every cent u pay for it.
5 READ THIS CAREFULLY
Ok, yes, the camera is easy to use and it's not expensive, but don't let that fool you (it fooled me and now I'm stuck with it), this camera is very very bad. First of all, even with 2.2 MP resolution the pics don't look that much great than if taken with a webcam. Second and most important thing THIS CAMERA EATS BATTERIES ALIVE!!! How can someone design a product that consumes that much energy?, if you use a fully recharged or new pair of batteries with the macro option (for close ups) they won't last any longer than 15 mins. I've seen myself waste 4 or 5 pairs of batteries in a photograpgh session, I've tried rechargeable, metal hydride, nickel cadmiun, alkaline, everything, nothing works well, with the exception of buying another expesive thing, a camera dock, so you can recharge batteries (there goes the "cheap price"). It is unbeliavable that such an enegry devouring product doesn't have the option to plug it to an AC adapter. Third, lighting... want to take some pics indoors or at night? Well you can't, they'll be so dark not even trying to fix them will work, the flash isn't powerful enough, not to mention even in the auto setting it is always on (meaning there's never enough lighting).
My advice, spend 50 more (the cost of the camera dock) and buy something else.
6 I Took 6,000 pictures with this camera!
I've had this DX3500 for a little over a year and have worked with it several times a week, under many different conditions. I absolutely love it and have had no trouble whatsoever. I print up to 8x10 on a Lexmark printer and it is still going strong after 6,000 shots. I did not purchase dock, and use Kodak rechargeable battery pack that came with accessory kit. The Energizer blue and silver AA batteries also give dependable use. I also used Kodak's customer service for advice and they were very helpful.
7 First-time Digital Camera User
My husband received this camera free at a conference. It sat in a cabinet for about six months. Finally I opened the box and figured out how to use it. It produces great photos to e-mail. I have printed 5 by 7's that are quite clear.
8 Just an example of the Photo's this camera takes
You can find images taken with the Kodak DX3500 at http://www.renderosity.com/gallery.ez?ByArtist=Y&Artist=ransim.
All of these images are unedited except for cropping. These were taken under the good quality setting (not even the best) during my vacation in august to the Smokie Mountains National Park.
This camera takes beautiful pictures, they absolutely stunned me and blew me away after my trip. It gave me truely memorable pictures for my vacation. I've also begun to use it to photograph my friend's and Washington, DC.
And I will also note, i have some photography experience but i AM NOT a expert. Simply an amateur who likes to take photos. Enjoy these representations of what this wonderful camera can do.
9 Good little camera -- Hidden costs down the road, though!
For good, old-fashioned family snapshooting and for dabbling in the hobby of photography, this is a great camera. At the highest resolution, the images are very sharp and the colors vivid. Even with a cheap printer, you can get some high-quality prints out of this camera. The on-screen menu is self-explanatory, as is the computer software that comes with the camera. The bells and whistles abound.
On the downside, the auto-flash often makes incorrect decisions. There's also a split-second delay between the push of the button and when the camera actually records the image, so if you're trying to catch a "moment," you'll miss it half the time. Every once in a while, a picture comes out blurry, but you don't know it at the time because the preview window looks just fine. And forget about using the "digital zoom" - it's the same thing if you just take a regular image and enlarge it in Photoshop, because it doesn't enhance the quality whatsoever.
Like any affordable digital camera, it chews up batteries and doesn't come with nearly enough internal memory -- so count on dropping a significant wad on some NiCad batteries and CompactFlash cards.
Other than that, it's a fun little camera and well worth the price tag.
10 Good basic camera
This is a nice "point and shoot" digital camera, with very good resolution. Don't get fooled into thinking that digital zoom means anything significant. It simply enlarges the image, and decreases the resolution.
Nevertheless, 2.2MP resolution is quite good enough for nearly everything you'll want to do. How often do you enlarge photos beyond 8X10"? If you do that frequently, get a better camera. Otherwise for the current price, this is a very usable camera. Remember, the higher the resolution the larger the picture file. 2.2 MP is a very good compromise. You'll want a couple of 64 Meg or larger memory cards (Compact Flash).
The 3500 is light, and the pictures look great. Battery life is very good. Buy 4 additional NiMH batteries and a charger.
You will have to learn to use this camera however. You'll want to learn the menu structure, and the quirks of the camera. The flash is typical of such cameras, usable only for close snapshots. The optics are fine. It's fixed focus. The shutter speed is (probably) fixed and fairly slow - HOLD THE CAMERA STEADY! The manual simply says the exposure is "automatic." Don't worry about the learning curve. Take your time. Erase the bad pictures - they're FREE!
This camera has been available for a while so you may want to look at the newer offerings. But then look at the current price of the 3500.
11 Great product for the price
I'm pleasantly surprised how easy this camera is to use and considering the low price, the quality is outstanding.
This is my first digital camera so I wanted something simple, but decent, and cheap.
It takes great pics outdoors and the flash is all you need for wonderful indoor shots.
12 Great camera for beginner or intermediate
This is my first foray into the digital camera world, but I am SO glad I bought this camera! Although I bought it partly on price (it is last year's model, so I got a break), I am pleasantly surprised at the features and GREAT battery life (lithium batteries that come with the dock) it has. I went on vacation and took about 100 pictures (90% in the daylight) and the batteries were never recharged, and there was still battery life when I got home. I only used the screen five times to site the pictures, instead just siting them through the viewfinder. You need the screen to allow the digital zoom to work, because the camera doesn't have any optical zoom. From what I've heard - there are lenses that allow an optical zoom, but I haven't checked that out.
The software that comes with the camera is definitely up to the task for handling the pictures, but I decided to spend the few bucks and buy a separate program for classifying and editing the pictures. The 2.2 megapixels take a REALLY clear picture, and I've even blown a few of the pics up to double and triple size and the pictures still look great.
All in all - I rated this camera a 4 out of 5 only due to the lack of an optical zoom. The battery life is spectacular and the pictures are great!
A definite buy for the beginner!
13 Great Camera!
This is a great camera for a amatuer photographer. I personally do web design, and needed something that would give me nice pictures without breaking my pocket, after several months of research i broke down and bought a refurbished Kodak DX 3500.
I will say I am immensely impressed, the camera is easy to use, takes wonderful pictures even on the lowest settings and allows me to take 40 pictures with just the internal memory. The digital zoom, tho everyone seems to complain works wonderful for up-close pictures, I mean like right ontop of the subject/object it definately removes the haziness you would normally get, but using it at distances cause it to blur which is normal for any digital zoom.
The tranfer to my Mac is absolutely simplistic, it took awhile for me to get all of the automatic stuff like the transfer utility and the web browser popping up on start up to go away. I don't recommend using the tranfer utility on a mac it always locked mine up, i have a 233mhz 128 meg first series iMac with OS 8.6. Instead i just let it mount the camera icon to my desktop then drag the pictures from the camera folder to where i want them and it transfers quickly and smoothly.
The camera itself feels a bit flimsy, but i wouldn't worry much, i'm hard on equipment and its managed to take the beating i've given it, even been dropped a couple times.
Another plus to this camera is that it takes GREAT night pictures, and works wonderfully if you are trying to get that artsy effect, i definately like being able to turn off the flash.
Now for my downsides, this is definately NOT a professional camera, don't expect it to be, you can't manually adjust the zoom, you can't manually do anything. Also the menus can be confusing until you figure them out or read the manual, it took me about 2 days to get it all down. Also the memory in the camera isn't much if you plan on a long trip, i advise a compact flash card, i've order a Viking one since they seem recommended for kodak for mine.
And the last downside is that the pictures on the LCD can be deceiving as to what they will look like. I advise only using the LCD, as you would for almost any type of camera with an LCD, just to make sure you got the area you wanted, don't trust color, brightness/darkness with it.
All in all this is a good camera, if you want professional be prepared to spend more, but if you want something to take good pictures, this is your camera, its easy, functional, a good design and takes wonderful pictures. Definately worth my money.
14 Great Camera!
I got a DX3500 about a week ago, i purchased mine refurbished from the Amazon marketplace. I must say i love it, it has great pictures even at night and with low light without a flash, it allows me to do wonderful things artistically speaking. I wouldn't tho recommend this for a professional photographer, but for the amatuer this camera would be perfect. The images even on the lowest level are crisp and clear and the colors look beautiful.
For as much as everyone has complained about the digital zoom I've found it works well for close up objects it tends to make the picture a bit more crisp otherwise i wouldn't use it.
All in all, I have no gripes. The camera does what i want it to do, it fits nice in my hand, it does feel a bit fragile, but its plastic and not a really expensive camera. And transfering files on my macintosh is incredibly fast and easy to do, i don't even have to use the transfer software it links the camera as an item on my desktop and i can just drag and drop.
Again I highly recommend this item, but make sure you get a compact flash card as well, and they are much cheaper online then at a store. I got a 128MB card for $ on amazon instead of $ in the store.
15 //
I purchased this camera in late November of 2001, I had about 250 dollars to spend on one and this one looked pretty good.
I was thrilled with this camera when I first got it, it seemed pretty good, I bought 2 extra memory cards, a flashcard reader and some rechargable batteries as well as a few other accessories to get me all set.
I took a walk around the neighborhood one afternoon with a friend and we took random pictures of whatever just to see how it works out.
First of all, the pictures with this are huge, being a 2MP camera, but like someone else said, there are only 2 settings and even with the 'good' quality the pictures are still pretty big.
Second, digital zoom is stupid. I didn't really know what this feature was at first, I thought it was just some kind of zoom on digital cameras that was actually useful, but as I found out, it was not.
When using digital zoom it just makes a total blur of what you think you are zooming in on.
The camera is pretty easy to operate, but it is a pain to keep changing settings for each picture you take, so there's another down side to it.
Like other people said, this camera seems quite flimsy, as in if you drop it it seems like it just might break. If not the camera itself, something inside at least.
Something else I noticed is that this camera isnt that great with its little viewfinder, I don't know. My pictures often come out with things cut off that I thought I was getting in the picture.
After a few months of having this camera I realized that it wasnt quite what I had wanted.
Also there is no way to add any zoom lenses to this camera so even if you buy it thinking you could get things like that for it, you can't.
16 Bad quality/prize ratio
The first impression i've got with this camera is weakness. Seems that if camera falls to the floor (more usual than you 're thinking),it'll be destroyed in million pieces. Plastics are bad and termination isn't good.
Another big drawback is that it hans't any kind of optical zoom or in defect intechangeable lenses. The digital zoom is the least chance because you'll loose resolution and quality. A wide angle lens could be a good optional item.
The photos aren't awesome, too dark and automatic modes are terrible ... Zoom is underpowered.
I've got an SLR and the results and i dind't find any digital with their performance ( my SLR is a Yashica FX-3 , full manual). The best digital camera i've seen is the new nikon 5000 but for that prize i could manage a Contax Aria with Zeiss lenses.
17 A wonderful beginner's camera
Even though this is a beginner's camera, it is doing everything I want beautifully, except for the pretty useless digital zoom. I use my Pentax rangefinder if I want to use zoom. My Kodak DX3500 is a joy. It's very easy to use, the software is excellent, the prints are beautiful (as you'd expect from Kodak). I use it at least three times a week. I.E. I run outside to take a picture of a plant to send to my gardening e-mail buddy, download it, save it and e-mail it to her in about three minutes. I can take 30 pictures of my granddaughter and have them ready to show to my daughter when she comes to pick up the baby. I used a 64MB picture card for a trip to Arizona; I show those pics as slideshows on my family's and friend's TVs. I took a laptop computer on a month long trip to South Carolina, loaded the software on it, have all the photos saved on the hard drive; I took the laptop to my mother's nursing home to give her a slideshow. I have NO complaints about this camera. I MIGHT buy a more high end camera in a few years, but I doubt it.
18 Easy to use, but fuzzy zoom
This was my first venture into the digital camera arena, so I wanted something easy with high resolution. This camera makes great clear pictures, but DON'T USE THE ZOOM. The digital zoom is always fuzzy. Next time, I will not buy without an optical zoom.
The camera dock is great! My wife and kids can use it with no problem. The extra memory is a must. If you take high quality pictures, the 8MB on board is just not sufficient.
Bottom line. If you want a good, easy to use, decent quality, reasonably priced digital camera without a zoom, this camera is for you.
19 devolops great quality pictures
I am so pleased with how well the pictures devolop. I have had so many compliments from people on the quality. So detailed. Also the camera is easy to use. The only problem is I can't get the battery to last very long.
20 I feel like a professional...
I am not a professional photographer, but I feel like one when I use my Kodak DX 3500 camera and docking station. The docking station is a definite plus. I can easily upload the photos and then crop and/or make other changes with Kodak's software or with other computer software (presently MS PhotoDraw 2000 V2, but advancing to Adobe PhotoShop 7.0).
I also have the CompactFlash Memory Cards to take more photos at higher resolution while away from my computer. I haven't come across a portable battery charger for this camera (the batteries will quickly run low within a week), but I've taken the docking station and used it as a charger while away from my computer for an extended period of time (it doesn't charge the batteries on its own; it needs a 110 electrical outlet), but that seems to fill the need.
I'm sure there are more updated cameras since I bought this one this last year, but it still meets all of my needs very well.
21 Good camera, Support bad, dock flawed
I really love the camera because of its simplicity. But the dock that goes with it has some problems. i cant transfer the pictures and the camera disappears from the device manager.
When i called Kodak Support, they were mumbling so i couldnt hear them. Then, when i was finally transferred to Technical Support, the people kept on shouting at me.
Finally, I got it fixed, only to find out the same problem happened again.
Support Hours are only 5 days a week and its bad support.
I rated it 4 stars though since of its ease and simplicity. But i am not buying from Kodak again. Most likely, I'm going to go for an HP.
22 Kodak 3500
This camera has been a source of much frustration for me.
I have continuous problems downloading. The camera works about one forth of the time. It will be the last Kodad camera I buy.
Caroline Murray Marks
23 $-comparison between KodakDX3500 and HP318
I've bought two camaras; Kodak's DX3500 and HP's 318.
DX3500
HP318
(at [a local store], 2/19/2002)
I feel the quality, ease of use, looks, ect. are about the same(or read more articles here for other opinions). The only difference for me is that DX3500 does NOT accept regular alkaline-AA batteries while HP318 does. therefore, DX3500 will cost you extra money...
All up to your habit. If you take lots of pics weekly you may prefer DX3500 w/ dock. Or if you use it only twice per year(vacation) like myself, HP318 w/ regular AA's may be smart. I'd like to give 4 stars to DX3500, 4.1 stars to HP318.
24 Great entry-level digital camera
I purchased a DX3500 after a week's ownership of an HP 318 that I returned. The DX3500 is an extremely capable camera that is easy to use for beginners and sophisticated users alike.
Compared to the HP 318, the DX3500 offers superior picture quality. Fine details are not lost in the 'grain' of the image. Colors are well balanced and smooth. Setup and operation are easy with the single function knob and easy to navigate menus displayed on the rear LCD.
One feature that should be mandatory on digital cameras is a lens cap or cover. This model has a lens shutter that turns off the camera when closed. In addition, there are guide lines on the viewfinder that show you where the edges of your picture will be so you don't cut off what you're trying to photograph.
Battery life is okay with alkalines although they aren't recommended for use with this camera because of the high drain. Kodak includes a Lithium Ion battery pack with this camera that provides a lot of use out of the box. Another plus is that this camera only requires two AA batteries as opposed to other units that require four.
The included software installed smoothly on Windows XP and when the camera is attached via the USB port, it shows up as a removable drive under the file manager. You can transfer files with either file manager or the Kodak software. Using the Kodak method is easier and allows you to automatically clear the camera when the pictures are downloaded.
I purchased two NiMH batteries and a charger for less than twenty dollars instead of buying the Kodak camera dock and rechargeable batteries. The dock simplifies image transfer and would be useful if you're doing a lot of picture-taking. It can also charge Kodak batteries when your camera is docked.
At medium resolution, the camera's internal memory stores 48 images. That supports 5x7 inch prints and I find this a very good amount of storage capacity in case you forget your Compact Flash card at home.
The manual is easy to read and gets the first-time digital camera user up to speed quickly. All features of the camera are covered with step-by-step instructions.
The drawbacks? They're nit-picks really.
* I'd prefer a little more heft and size to the camera to make it easier to grasp.
* The construction is not as solid-feeling as the Kodak DC series of cameras although this unit has very good fit and finish.
* Only two picture resolutions: high and medium. A low (640x480) resolution would be nice for web imaging.
* The camera does not support USB-Storage protocols. You must have the Kodak software or a compact flash card reader to transfer images to your computer.
* No provison for an AC adapter for studio use.
25 Great Camera!
I recently bought this camera I did a lot of research.
for the price I doubt you can get a better camera , I have used a digital camera before, and I don't think there is too much else you could ask for.It takes supurb pictures.
We were even able to catch water in mid-air. and take pictures of documents. It's an unbelievable, Camera. you won't regret this purchase..
26 Battery Life
I got the DX3500 for Christmas and I'm VERY pleased with it. I have a real nice Nikon camera for sale now. The only thing I have against this product is the short battery life. I guess it takes a lot more juice to run digital. I think I will invest in a camera dock for rechargable batteries. I have been looking at the DX3900 from Costco ... and that comes with a dock and rechargable batteries, but for now I'm having fun with my new toy. I wish I had something like this when I was in the Navy many years ago. One thing about it is I can rephotograph old pics and send them email. Too cheap to buy a scanner.:)
27 High quality, simple to use
I received my camera as a Christmas gift. It's my first digital camera. It is nice looking and surprisingly light. I'm a novice user, and getting started with the camera is a piece of cake. I was taking pictures before the presents were all unwrapped. I also reveived the dock that's used to download pictures into my computer. This is a must have. It is unbelievably simple. Literally put the camera on the dock, and press one button, and the system does the rest. The Kodak software opens, and the pictures are displayed right in front of you. Picture quality is outstanding. I think 2.2 megapixels is plenty. I've printed out 8x10s, and they come out sharp.Here's an unforseen serendipity: It feels great having the freedom to snap away, and just delete the pictures I don't want instantly. The feeling of losing that tense, "make every picture count" feeling you get with a regular camera is beautifully liberating. Which leads me to another must have: an external memory card to insert into the camera. This will increase the amount of pictures you can take from about 20 with just the camera alone to about 50 for the smallest memory card. They're fairly inexpensive and well worth it. Downside: The camera has a digital zoom, but no optical zoom. In other words the lens doesn't physically extend when I want to zoom. I press a button, and it will zoom digitally. But in order to see how close you're getting using the digital zoom, you must look at the LCD screen, and not the viewfinder, which requires pulling the camera away from you face. It's awkward, and I would GLADLY pay the extra money for the next model up with the optical zoom. Great quality camera, simple simple simple to use.
28 Great Camera/Poor software
This camera is the greatest!! Very fast transfer of photos from camera to computer. Longer battery life than other digital cameras. Very simple to operate. Very good quality of photos. User friendly. The software to download from camera to computer is fast and simple. The Kodak Photo software that comes with it is terrible. No option to delete photos you don't want without going to hard drive, finding file and deleting. Don't understand why there is not a delete option in the software. I use a different program for editing photos. Also, no option to easily reduce pixels or size in their software.
29 Very Handy
It took me a few minutes to get used to it but, once I got the hang of it, I found it very easy to use. The first thing that threw me off was the fact that it comes with a lithium battery pack (this is the version without the docking station). I spent a while trying to figure out how to charge the batteries before I realized I didn't need to.
Most of the time, it's easiest to use it like a regular camera -- point and shoot. If you use the digital zoom or the cloeup setting, though, you're better off using the viewing screen to line up a shot.
Another unexpected feature was the way it interfaces to a PC. I expected the device driver to use twain protocol. Instead, the camera, when plugged into the USB port, acts like an extra disk drive. The internal memory and memory card show up separate folders, each of which contain JPEG images, one for each picture taken. I can load, edit, save and delete the images using my favorite software. Couldn't be easier.
I've seen a number of reviews saying that the images are blurry. The only way I could manage to take blurry pictures was to turn off the flash and take a picture in low light, but that's true of any camera.
Using the digital zoom feature tended to result in pictures that were a bit grainy. That was pretty much what I expected, though. It's probably better to move closer to the subject when possible.
Overall, I found it hard to take bad pictures with this camera and, when I did, it was easy enough to delete them.
30 I really like this camera!
Good all around camera. Comes with detailed, yet easy to read manual - not that you'll need it after the first day or two - USB & video cable, batteries -only needs 2 AA's - and easy to install and use software.
I've tried this camera, and it is a nice camera for those who want great pictures without a lot of trouble. Pictures tranfer to the computer very easily with the enclosed software and cable. While it doesn't come with all of the bells and whistles of the more expensive cameras, it also doesn't burn batteries like there not tommorrw either.
I would highly recommend this to anyone.
31 I outgrew this camera very quickly
Don't be fooled by this camers 2.2 Megapixels. It may be able to shoot at high resolution, but it applies to much compression to the images it shoots to make them fit onto the card. The result is that the images apear grainy when fully zoomed in. Also, the digital zoom only enhances this graininess. It looks like someones merely cropped the image and then enlarged it to full size (blurry and low quality). This camera also is terrible for film exposure (I know it doesn't have film, but still). My pictures are always come out to dark or too light and I have to use photoshop (Making copies of layers and setting them to screen or multiply) to set the values right. The only plus about this camera is that it has a good OS, and has the novelty of being able to hook up to a TV. I would reccomend stepping up to Nikon Coolpics 775 (about 80 bucks more) because there is a huge chance you will outgrow this camera like me.
32 This is THE camera to get for this awesom price!!!!
I've had this camera for about 1 week now... and there's nowhere I havn't taken it with me to! It's durable, easy to use and the quality is amazing. 2.2 megapixel is an amazing deal for the low price this camera is going or. I don't recommend getting the package that includes this camera and the charging/share dock though. You're just paying way too much money for something you don't even need, the dock. This camera is already easy to hook-up and though it does suck up batteries, you can just buy some rechargable batteries and a battery recharger. This camera is awesome! BUY IT NOW!
33 Kodak DX3500 EasyShare Digital Camera -- Reasonable price
Very happy with product. Very easy to use point and shoot digital camera. This feature packed camera is reasonable priced. Not to fancy, yet does everything the average comsumer would want. Best if used in conjuction with Kodak EasyShare Camera Doc. (I have also reviewed this item.)
Note: If you use the LCD screen to "take" pitures it uses the battery faster. This camera has a digital, but no optical zoom.
34 Great outdoor shots
I've been using the Kodak DX3500 for about 3 weeks and have been very successful in good lighting conditions. Indoor shots are a little dark, because the flash is not effective beyond 8 feet or so. The usb connection for uploading to the computer is very fast, so bypass the docking station. One trouble I've encountered is when uploading to the computer, the picture loading software freezes after uploading 24 pictures or so. I need to disconect and restart to get the remaining pictures loaded. Overall, this camera is a great value. Simple to use, no complicated features, and picture quality is high.
35 Horrible print image quality
If you just want a camera to email pics, this is a fine camera. I purchased it, however, to take pictures of my newborn son and email them to family so that they could print them out and frame. I have been unable to get ANY acceptable printed images from this camera. I've tried all sorts of lighting, indoors, outdoors, and even running the pictures through Photoshop filters. I could not even print out a 3" x 5" picture that was not grainy. DO NOT purchase this camera if you want to be able to print your images. a TOTAL waste of money. I am COMPLETELY disappointed.
36 Blurry pictures Is what this camera produces.
Hi, I just purchased this camera this past weekend and after taking numerous pictures, over 50 and mostly indoors I am very disapointed. On average 1 picture out of every 5 are acceptable.
I was however impressed with the outdoor pictures, even on the lower resolution setting it produced a nice picture. I however purchased this camera for the upcoming birth of our twin boys and with out a doubt this will not be the camera I will use, I will have to take it back a go with another brand.
It's too bad though, 2.2 megapixels for under three hundred bucks sure sounded like a steal, I guess It wasn't after all.
37 im happy with my kodak dx3500 digital camera.
i just bought the kodak dx3500 digital camera.so far i am very impressed.so far i have only taken about 8 pics,but the quality of the pics are very good in my opinion.also this is an easy to use item.i dont understand how anyone would complain about the pictures that come from this camera.I would recommend this camera to my friends.
38 Great Camera!
This is my first digital camera and I must say it is very easy to operate. Takes excellent pictures and it has adequate features for the price. The picture transfer software is great and easy to understand. You can make adjustments to your pictures. I plan to purchase the camera dock, picture cards and other accessories. Overall, am satisfied with this camera with the exception of the optical zoom. If the optical zoom is a big deal to you, try the Kodak DX3600.
39 Disappointed
This camera is very easy to use. I took it out of the box and was taking pictures within 10 minutes, but when I down loaded them, many were blurry. The quality was poor. I thought 2.2 mega pixels was really going to be something great, but as many of the other reviews have said, the pictures did not turn out good at all. I am very disappointed with this camera and will be trading it for something else.
40 Great Camera !
After purchasing this camera less than 2 weeks ago, I could not believe how "user friendly" this piece of equipment really is. I've always taken pictures with a 35mm camera and when my last camera crashed I decided to try a digital one. After many, many hours of research on ratings of digital cameras, the DX3500 seemed to fit my needs very well. It's great for someone just learning to use a digital camera and the picture quality is fantastic. I am able to get good quality pictures from the lower pixels and can e-mail or print them quite clearly. I am impressed that I can take approximately 50 pictures with the internal memory set at the lower pixel and can take at least 16 pictures with the higher pixels. The only problem I have thus far is the quality of the pictures taken when using the zoom feature of this camera. The pictures are out of focus and fuzzy. Not really a big issue for me since I normally am not a zoom lens picture taker anyways, but it is something that viewers should be aware of. I couldn't be happier with my new purchase and each time I use the camera I'm getting to be more comfortable as an amateur photographer.
41 Great camera, great price
I've had my 3500 over a month now and love it. I have experienced some of the problems that other's have commented on (blurriness with zoom...) but for a $300 camera I think it does everything it was expected to do. If I want to make sure I don't miss a moment, that is what film is for. But for just snapping away and not worrying about film (i have the 64mb Viking card) it is great.
I have experienced one problem that is annoying, while taking pictures it seems the camera gets confused about the internal memory and the flash card, even though I am set on 'auto', for flash card first, then internal. So I will show 398 pics left, then it will be 41, or such. I can go through the menu and find the pics, but sometimes I have to pop the flash card and reinsert and start up again. I wrote to Kodak but they only sent back the standard support email.
42 Great ease of use, if thats ALL you like
I was pumped to finally get a digital camera with 2.2 megapixels for under [...]. who wouldn't be? I was even more excited because I would be able to use it on the North Slope of Alaska, taking pictures of my job experience and the amazing wildlife surrounding me. I took a few pictures, some were great, and some were blurry. I figured it was my own inexperience with the digital world. Yet, when I found myself surrounded by what was estimated to be 2,000 caribou, I felt confident that I would capture every great image opportunity. As I loaded the pics on my computer, I was extremely dissapointed. 2 out of 20 pictures turned out good, the rest... blurry! I loved the camera, but it took bad pictures. Fork out the extra [...] and buy something nicer that will actually capture your memories.
43 quality
decent camera but it takes blurry pictures for dollars i hoped for it to do better.
44 decent
i like the dx3500 even though i wanted the dc3400 but it was no longer on the market.my only problem with it is the connection to the computer.i would of liked to see a serial port hook up as well as usb.plus when you take a picture sometimes it comes out blurry,for the price of these cameras i would think the quality would be better,but i still like it alot better than a normal camera.
45 Simple and Great
This is a great camera. It is simple and creates amazing pictures. True, it does not have a lot of bells and whistles but it has what you need to make great pictures and with a great price.
46 An excelent digital camera
I bought the camera just a few days ago.i took it to my cusin's wedding and i took over 111 pictures using the compact flash 64mb.Half of them were good quality and the over half were best quality,i was surprized by the quality.i bought with it the dock.The package contains every thing except the campact flash card.If you're going to buy it i advice u to bye it from amazon with the dock,it's price is excelent.U can buy it with out the dock.It has a usb port connection but i advice u with the dock becuase u can download faster and recharge the camera with the spiecal battries (included). I hope u enjoy it,o ya don't forget the compact flash.if you're having truoble with it e-mail me at:malekawt@hotmail.com ok. Bye
47 Great Camera!
2.2 megapixels for $300 is a great deal! So much for the lack in zoom, you're not paying for the zoom. I was surprised at how good of quality that these pictures were. With two other digital camera owners in the house, I have been able to compare this camera with both the Canon Elph, and the Nikon CoolPix, which are both about $200-$300 more in price. And the resolution compared significantly. If you are looking for a great camera at a low price, definately get this camera, it's worth the extra price of the dock. Have Fun!!
48 This product is useless
I bought this product for my husband for Father's Day. He read the directions to the letter and the camera just does not take good pictures. They are out of focus, very blurry and we used it for my daughter's kindergarten graduation and I think we got 3 good pictures out of about 60 which is really bad now we can not get that day back! I am extremely disappointed with this product I expect more out of Kodak
49 Excellent entry package, well built
I have two SLRs. I fancy manual cameras. But I decided to buy this product so that I could take spontaneous photos when I take my family out to crowded locations and do not have the time to fiddle with the SLR.
I love it. It is well built and takes excellent pictures -- just the right thing for snapshots. The controls are well thought out and so is the menu system. The camera is so easy that my technophobe wife can easily operate it. This camera may not be for someone that wants better control over the pictures they take. This is a good digital equivalent of your basic disposable camera.
I've lopped off one star for the fixed-focus lens. It would have been better to have autofocus. However as far as I can see the pictures (without zoom) are quite sharp even when blown up to 8x10. I did not buy the dock. Uploading via the little connector from the camera to the PC worked fine and I did not know what benefit an additional docking station brought.
50 Great photos, easy software! Another great Kodak product!
This digital camera is a delight to own and use. Make sure you get the dock as well. This bundle is so great because it INCLUDES the Kodak DX 3500 digital camera *and* the Kodak Camera Dock. As someone who has used cameras that do not come with a simple snap-in bundled dock, I've been frustrated, but this makes it soooo easy to upload images to your computer for sharing and/or printing. The dock is also great because it recharges the battery in a snap, instead of fumblign with awkward chargers and losing batterie around the house. ("Honey, where's the battery charging now?")
The camera itself has a 2.2-megapixel sensor that allows you to ceate generous prints up to 8" x 10". Most people tend to stick to the 4" x 6" prints, but it is nice to have the option.
The 3x digital zoom lens with autofocus and 8 MB internal memory is enough for most pictures, but this could have been a bit larger. In some instances you might find yourself hurrying back to the computer to transfer the images so you can take more pics. Depending on the format size of the image, you'll be able to take about 40 photos (more than a 36 exposure roll of tradtional film - yeah!) before needing to transfer images to your computer. Overall, this is a great camera at a super value.
51 Perfect Camera, Perfect Options, Perfect Price
Absolutely pleased with all aspects of the DX3500. If you're looking for very good pictures, good battery life/charger, decent price, ease of use, and don't need all the bells and whistles, this is the camera for you. The resolution of the pictures rivals the $1000 cameras from 3-4 years ago, and most $400-$500 cameras today. The docking station is a must for the super fast battery charger 2.5 hours and quick upload of pictures. You can't really compare this to any camera on the market, since cameras are either expensive and have loads of options or cheap and an inferior picture/battery. Over the next couple of years, all cameras will be copying what Kodak did here with the docking station/charger. I haven't even needed to purchase a Flash Memory Card yet, since the internal memory on this camera holds 16 FINE resolution pics (48 good res pics, I believe). The fixed lens on this camera produced breathtaking pics; the zoom was not impressive, but I didn't really buy the camera to utilize the zoom that much. Great camera, great price!
52 the best of both world
compact cam and extremely easy to use - plug and play - I love it
53 Great camera for first timers
Easy to use camera right out of the box, and a breeze to download and send e-mail. Kodak has good software and good tech support to go with it. If you buy the camera, do get the loading dock to,it's great to have, and save's alot of time. Good job KODAK.
54 Why 5 when the world says 4?
The Kodak DX 3500 was rated at four stars. I find mine to be FIVE STARS. It would be interesting to know if the other owners have the Camera Dock. Yes, it's [expensive] but what a breeze to use. Pop the camera into the docking station and push the button and your pictures are loaded into your computer. Also, if you are using rechargeable cells the docking station will keep them fully charged. A full charge from dead flat in 2.5 hours. The camera itself is a delight to use. I never used one before and had mine up and running with the supplied software loaded and the first three test pictures (of my cat) on the monitor screen in about 1/2 hour. This little camera does more then my 35mm SLR and I see instant results. If I do not like the picture for what ever reason (camera angle, subject movement, etc.) I can delete the shot and retake it. In about 3 minutes I have written a letter with a picture attached and sent to my children and grandchildren living 300 miles away. They share our lives as we live it, not as an afterthought three weeks later when the film is developed, we pick out the pictures we want to send, and then "snail-mail" the pictures to them. I don't know why I waited so long to buy a digital camera and this Kodak DX 3500 fits the bill.
55 Very Disapointed in Quality!
Well, after having the Olympus D-460 for about 3 months,I saw the Kodak camera on the... web site and noticed that it was 2.2 megapixels. I had sort of been looking for a 2+ megapixel camera so I ordered it. When it arrived, I was disapointed as quick as I took it out of the box. From the plastic casing to the super light weight of the camera was the first thing. Just the controls and the feel of the camera make you think of a toy! Not having an optical zoom is another setback. When you use the digital zoom through the LCD the image gets almost unrecognizable. It pales in comparison to the Olympus D-460 as far as features, construction (the 460 is rock solid!) and LCD quality. The only thing it has better is the megapixels and that is why I gave it a 2 instead of a 1. You really get what you pay for here. If all you care about is getting the megapixels then this may be for you. If not, look elsewhere.
56 A JOY TO USE.
GREAT CAMERA, EXCELLENT PICTURES,EASY TO USE SOFTWARE,COULDN'T BE EASIER TO USE. BUY THE DOCKING STATION IT'S WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY YOU COULD'NT FIND A BETTER CAMERA FOR THE MONEY. KODAK REALLY MAKES IT EASY.
57 A good product at a good price
I purchased the DX3500 to replace a Polaroid 640x480 digital camera, since that point I have been very pleased with the Kodak. The ease of use, picture quality and battery life with 2 AA batteries has been very impressive. The Cons to this camera are lack of optical zoom, and lack of exposure control.
58 So Easy!
I received this camera as a Mothers Day gift and I can't believe how easy it is to use. The zoom feature is so simple. The software makes uploads a breeze. I was able to get 27 pictures on the 8MB installed memory with the camera set to the best quality setting. There's room for an expansion card so the number of pictures far exceeds a standard roll of film. Installation of the software was quick and flawless. Picture quality is great. Definitely a great little camera for the money.
59 Not a good package.
I usually like Kodak's digitals, but this one has a strange mix of features that should render it unacceptable to both amateurs and to advanced users. To wit, the image quality is very good, boasting 2.1 megapixels of resolution, enough to handle not only web-based photography, but enlargements of up to 8" x 10" as well. However, this is completely offset by a fixed-focus lens and no optical zoom (it has a digital zoom, but these are not nearly as useful). The rest of the features are acceptable, including memory & expandability, flash, battery useage & USB connectivity. Kodak is selling an optional 'docking station' for this camera that allows for 'easier' downloading of images to your PC, but any memory card reader (Viking, or SanDisk) is simpler, cheaper and more versatile.
60 COMPATIBLE
THIS CAMERA IS EVERYTHING A PERSON WANTS THAT DOESNT KNOW MUCH ABOUT ELECTRONIS! IT IS SO SIMPLE TO USE, ALL YOU DO IT POINT AND SHOOT! AND PLACE IT ON THE DOCKING STATION, WHEN YOU THEN UPLOAD YOUR PICTURES! AND THEN....SEND THEM TO FAMILY OR FRIENDS OR PRINT THEM! SO EASY TO USE, NO WONDER KODAK IS #1. :)
