"Picky Details" for the Kodak EasyShare DX3215 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed
and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.)
Here are the numbers I collected for the Kodak EasyShare DX3215:
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(secs) |
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| Power On -> First shot |
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Rather slow. Camera has to check the internal memory before allowing first capture.
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| Shutdown |
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About average for a camera with a retracting lens. |
| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured. About average.
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| Record to play |
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Time to display a large/fine file after capture. A little slow.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is for wide angle zoom setting, second is for telephoto. Average for wide angle, very slow for telephoto. |
| Shutter lag, prefocus |
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. Pretty fast.
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| Cycle Time, max/min resolution |
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Average to a bit slower than average. No difference in cycle time between high or low quality image settings. Considerable variation in cycle time, seemingly at random. Fastest is about 2 seconds between shots, slowest is over 4 seconds. |
The DX3215 is an average to slightly below average performer speed-wise. Shutter lag varies from about average at the wide angle lens setting to quite a bit slower than average with the lens zoomed to its telephoto setting. Cycle time is highly variable, ranging from 2.1 to 4.1 seconds between shots.
Power
The DX3215 uses two AA cells for its power source. (Read my NiMH
Battery Shootout page for the latest on actual battery performance, or
my review of
the Maha C204F to see why it's my favorite charger.)
The table below shows the 3215's power consumption in various modes, and approximate run times for each, based a set of NiMH batteries with a (true, not advertised) 1600 mAh capacity:
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(@7 volts on the dock's power terminal) |
(two 1600 mAh NiMH cells) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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| Capture Mode, no LCD |
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| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
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| Memory Write (transient) |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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The DX3215 draws its power from only two AA cells, placing a heavier load on the batteries than it would if the work were shared by four cells. It's also far from a power miser in absolute terms. The net result is that battery life is quite short, making my normal recommendation of buying extra sets of rechargeable batteries even more applicable than usually.
Storage Capacity
The DX3215 stores its photos on either an SD memory card or its internal
8MB memory. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 16MB card, preferably
a 32MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. Heck, these days
memory cards are so cheap, there's no reason not to get a 64MB card.) The chart
below shows how many images can be stored on the internal 8MB memory at each
size/quality setting.
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Resolution/Quality 8MB Internal Memory |
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| Full Resolution 1,280 x 960 | Images (Avg size) |
20 400 KB |
N/A |
| Approx. Compression |
10:1 | N/A | |
| Half Resolution 640 x 480 | Images (Avg size) |
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108 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Download Speed
The DX3215 connects to a host computer via a USB interface, either directly from the camera or via the accessory camera dock. Downloading files to my 500 MHz PowerMac G4 (OS 9.1), I clocked it at 151 KBytes/second. (This is quite a bit slower than average, cameras with fast USB connections have download rates as high as 600 KB/s.)
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