Kodak Easyshare C433 Review

The Kodak Easyshare C433 is a simple, inexpensive digital camera. It has four megapixels. I can see this camera appealing to anyone who would like a really straightforward camera and does not want to spend any more than they need to on one.

When assessing my test shots it is important to keep in mind the low price of the Easyshare C433. I certainly don't expect perfection in a camera in this price range and it is normal for this type of camera to struggle in lowlight and in some other more challenging situations.

Running through the outdoor photos there are a few points worth making. The first is that levels of sharpness are a shade better than those produced by other similar priced cameras. Focusing is not perfect but overall the Easyshare C433 does an acceptable job. Even in the second photo where the zoom is not used at all focusing stands up well. This shot often causes problems to other cameras. Also in the second shot the camera handles the light better than many other cameras as less expensive cameras can have a tendency to allow the corners of this type of shot to become darker.

The biggest problem shows up in the first shot. This is where there is a significant loss of detail in the boats and in the wooden beams under the roof of the building. This is caused by the glare of the sun. With the sun lower in the sky at this time of year this is a common problem, but the Easyshare C433 struggles more than most cameras. A second problem is purple fringing. This is where a thin purple line is added to the edges of some of the lighter objects where they are caught by the sun. It is also noticeable that blue colours have a purple tinge in some instances as well.

As with other Kodak digital cameras colours are strong, but not overpowering. This is especially noticeable with blue skies. This view is also supported by the dedicated test for colours.

I find the outdoor portrait shot a bit dull compared to shots taken with other cameras. The photo produced does have a natural feel to it, but I would like to have seen a bit more of a glow to the picture with the skin tones being a few degrees pinker.

The artificial lighting used for the indoor portrait just pushes the Easyshare C433 beyond the lighting levels it needs to produce a sharp focus. This means that people shots in lower light is an area where the camera is likely to struggle. If this is an important consideration for you it is probable that you will need to spend a bit more to find a camera to meet your needs.

Once again with my second lowlight test the camera struggles to focus sharply. This is really a limitation of the camera and apart from ensuring there is as much light available as possible there is little you can do to overcome the problem.

It was not easy to take an acceptable macro shot. I just about managed in the end, but I had to try the camera in a number of positions before I was able to get a decent result. It is possible the camera would perform better outdoors in more natural light.

Although the shot taken at ISO 400 was not perfect the Easyshare C433 put in a credible effort.

Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. With digital cameras there can be a delay between clicking the shutter button and the photo being captured. This can lead to missing the picture you wanted. Shutter lag is a major problem if you are taking shots of moving subjects such as animals, sports scenes and children.

I was able to take one photo in 0.33 seconds and five photos in 12.73 seconds. Judged against all digital cameras these are average times. Compared to the majority of less expensive models these are good times.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The 3x optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 36 - 108mm. A 5x digital zoom is also available. For close up work there is a macro mode that allows you to focus from 10cm away.

For composing shots and accessing the menu there is a 1.8" LCD screen. There is no viewfinder.

To help you take the best possible photos there are a selection of preprogrammed scene modes. These are portrait, sports, landscape, close-up, children, party, night portrait, beach, snow, fireworks, self-portrait and backlight. When you use a scene mode the camera will use what it considers to be the best settings for the shot.

The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 3.5m. This falls to around 2m when the zoom lens is in use. The flash modes are automatic, on, off and red eye reduction.

You can add different effects to your photos by shooting in black and white or sepia. When you would like to appear in the picture there is a self timer with a two or ten second delay. If you are planning to make 6 x 4" prints then there is a special 3:2 aspect ratio. By selecting this ratio before taking the picture you avoid the need for the picture to be trimmed in order to fit on the paper.

After a photo has been taken you can make a smaller copy or crop the photo.

There are only a limited number of more advanced settings you have access to. These are ISO sensitivity (80, 100, 200, 400, 800 (800 only available at very low resolution, white balance (auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent) and exposure compensation (±2.0 EV with ½ EV steps).

Shutter speeds (4-1/1400 seconds) and apertures (f/2.7 - f4.9) are set automatically by the camera.

You can shoot movies with sound. The duration of each movie is only restricted by the capacity of the memory card. The maximum resolution available is 640 x 480 pixels. At this resolution the maximum frames per second speed is 13. For movies with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels you can shoot at 20 frames per second. Zoom is not available when a movie is recorded.

Kodak supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the Easyshare C433 to a computer and PictBridge compatible printer.

Ease of use is probably the biggest attraction of this camera. It may not have all the features that other digital cameras have, but Kodak have made an effort to make the menu system accessible and easy to follow. There are very few control buttons and dials on the camera itself and while this can help to keep the camera straightforward you do need to dip into the menu to access features such as the self timer.

You can pick up a Kodak Easyshare C433 for around £70. This compares to around £70 for a Fuji Finepix A400, £80 for a Canon Powershot A430 and £75 for a Nikon Coolpix L4.

If you can stretch to the extra £10 for the Canon Powershot A430 then I think that camera is worth the extra money. If you are unable to do so then the Easyshare C433 is a good bet.

The Easyshare C433 is a fairly typical entry level model. Having said that the build quality of the camera compares well with other, similar models. This type of camera is a bit too large to slip into a pocket easily, but is still fairly compact. It comes in silver.

Dimensions are 91 × 69 × 35 mm and the camera weighs 130g.

The camera runs on two AA batteries. To reduce running costs in the long term it is worth considering using rechargeable batteries.

Kodak have built 16 MB of memory into the Easyshare C433. I was able to take nine photos before the memory was full. This is enough for a basic test, but you will need to pick up a higher capacity memory card before you can really get up and running with the camera. It is compatible with SD cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Ease of use
Shutter lag times
Build quality

Lowlight photos

Taking the price into account I think the Kodak Easyshare C433 works pretty well. It is not perfect and is weaker in lowlight. A lot of people will find its ease of use a very big plus point.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Kodak Easyshare C433