Transition to Digital: Closing the Feedback Loop
After I purchased an early digicam, again I was underwhelmed by the results. Suffice to say, the device needed a lot of work; and like the cameras before, I just didn't have the 'photo-nous' to know what to make of the equipment I had in my hands! However, the *unnamed* camera produced pictures that were at best barely acceptable even in broad daylight. I regretted buying it and it is still sitting in a drawer somewhere.
Return to Kodak
My second camera was a Kodak Camera C360 which took great pictures for my budget, and was perfect for blogging. It produced much better and clearer photographs with its 5MP capabilities, though there was some softness and chromatic aberration in some areas, a fact that didn't bother me too much at the time.
At any rate, for my purposes, it produced attractive enough color images for the pre-Instagram era. And I took it everywhere because it was a highly portable little camera.
Features
It also came with a 512MB memory card, rechargeable battery, and Kodak EasyShare Software. The lens was F2.7-4.6, 3X optical zoom, equivalent to 34 - 102 mm. My wife and I both found it very easy and enjoyable to use with its multi-picture taking modes and one video mode.
The software was also intuitive and the memory card was generous given the small size of the files. We were able to take over 400 pictures and movies at 4.4MP. The only real downside: flash mode was entirely automatic, resulting in inappropriate flashing, like in museums. Oh, and of course, it sucked up batteries!
'AA' batteries, yes!
Its other redeeming factor was that I could just use ‘digital AA-sized’ batteries (if the rechargeable died) in an emergency. Very handy to drop into 7-Eleven and buy some at a pinch. Of course, I tried to buy a spare battery but the helpful store didn't bother with stock like that.
The Kodak really was a super little photographer. The pictures were ideal for the early days of the web, but it still didn’t give great high definition shots. This camera was purchased for a trip to the UK in 2005. For that purpose, it was a very successful choice.
I took over 2000 pictures with it over the years including the famous pigeon fighting video in the park. Overall, I was very pleased with this model, I did not encounter some of the problems mentioned by the people in Amazon reviews.
I finally lost it!
Then I lost it. I still have no idea how. The last picture I took with it is at the top (minus a few off-shots of the wife... who wouldn't appreciate them being posted!) I think I left the camera in the restaurant: September 24th 2007!
The above image is an Amazon affiliate image with a fairly expensive price tag attached to it! I don't recommend purchasing the offering for the CL360, unless you like digital antiques of unspecified quality/background/value. If you enjoy Kodak, check out these products instead
