Kodak DCS Pro 14n Digital SLRKodak's latest digital SLR brings full-frame, 13.7 megapixel resolution to market for under 5,000.<<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, SoftwareReview First Posted: 03/23/2003 |
Video Out
The
14n is equipped with a Video Out terminal, and comes with a video cable for
connection to a television set or VCR. This allows images to be played back
on the TV screen and recorded to video tape, with all the menu options available
on the video screen. A setting in the Setup menu sets the video timing to either
NTSC or PAL.
Power
The
14n uses either a custom LiIon battery pack or the AC adapter for power. The
packs I received with the prototype unit didn't show any capacity listing on
them in mAh, only a voltage (7.4v). I had a good bit of difficulty measuring
the power drain of the camera with my usual test setup, as the camera seems
to draw rather large spikes of current, and it is also very finicky about noise
on its power supply line. I finally managed to jerry-rig an external power connection
that I could monitor but that was also well-filtered. The results were surprising
on a couple of fronts, which I'll explain in a minute. But first, here are the
power-consumption numbers I came up with:
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(@7.4 volts on the external power terminal) |
(?? mAh Li-Ion battery pack) |
| Capture Mode, quiescent state |
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| Capture Mode, shutter fires (peak current) |
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| Processing images (starts high, then drops) |
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| Image playback (starts high, then drops) |
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| Capture mode, AF assist light active |
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| Capture menu displayed (menu navigation) |
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| Scroll around zoomed image view in playback mode |
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Overall, this is a very power-hungry digital camera! Peak (transient) currents were as high as 1.4 amps at 7.4 volts, when the shutter fired, and operating current while it was processing images would go as high as 780 mA for extended periods. This is a lot of power for a digital camera, more than most others I've tested in the past. When you read the specs for the 14n's electronics though, the reason becomes obvious: The 14n packs a tremendous amount of processing horsepower to manipulate its huge files, and that carries a price in terms of power consumption. This is to be expected, and most high-end digicams gobble a fair bit of power while they're actively processing images. What's different in the 14n's design though, is that it continues to consume a fair bit of power the entire time it's powered up, whether it's processing files or not. Kodak had told me that the 14n's quiescent power drain is fully half what it is when it's processing images. I didn't find this to be the case though, as I measured quiescent drain at only 130 mA, actually a pretty low figure.
There's been some speculation on the internet that the 14n draws battery power even when its power switch is turned off, but I only learned of this after I'd had to ship the prototype unit back to Kodak, so can't either confirm or deny the truth of this speculation. In my own use of the camera though, I was constantly struck by how short the battery life was, seemingly only an hour or so in my typical usage. - This contrasts greatly with many other pro SLRs I've tested, which have battery packs capable of sustaining the camera for many hours.
Bottom line - DEFINITELY plan on purchasing one (or two) extra battery packs along with the 14n, and/or a hefty external, belt-mounted power pack. If you plan to shoot for more than about an hour at a time, you're going to need extra batteries.
Included Software
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The 14n ships with Kodak Professional DSC Camera Manager software, which provides minor image editing and management capabilities. Also included is Kodak Professional DSC Photo Desk, for processing RAW files, and the Kodak Professional Extended Range Imaging File Format Module, for opening ERI JPEG files. An IEEE-1394 connector jack provides high-speed connection to a computer for downloading files.
The Photo Desk software is a pretty key component of the overall Pro 14n package, so I hope to come back to this review shortly to add a complete description of its operation. It makes it pretty easy to quickly review and batch-process RAW image files, a key focus of Kodak's camera development. - Kodak's RAW files consistently capture more data in extreme highlight regions, that can be brought back by adjusting the tonal rendition after the fact in Photo Desk. Many camera makers offer RAW-format output files from their cameras, but few if any do as good a job at preserving dynamic range as do those from Kodak.
In the Box
Retail-boxed versions of the Pro 14n ship in the US with the following accessories included:
- Charger/AC Adapter
- Custom Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery
- DC Power Module
- 4-pin IEEE 1394 (FIREWIRE) Cable
- Hand and Neck Straps
- Body Cap
- User Guide (English)
- CD of Documentation
(Localized in 8 Languages) - CD of Host Software
(DCS Photo Desk and DCS Camera Manager) - Warranty Card
- Service Information
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