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The DCS 620 and DCS 620x
As with all pro-class digital cameras, owning one is either a major business decision for an essential tool, or a well thought-out choice for an exciting and rewarding hobby. (Maybe you could use it for both?)
As a business decision, you'll share one of the preferred choices of professional photographers, photojournalists, industrial, manufacturing, and aerospace giants, as well as scientific, military, law enforcement, entertainment, promotional, and government organizations worldwide. The quality, durability, and reliability of the DCS 620 is well-known and highly respected.
As a personal camera, you'll be able to take photography to its extreme limits, and enjoy the quality, speed, and convenience of digital photo processing at its very finest. Professional quality sports, wildlife, portrait, family, and scenic photography are all a natural for the DCS 620. (And remember, it still costs a lot less than your neighbor's prized Harley Davidson or 60's Mustang, so you really don't need to feel "too guilty" about spending that much on a hobby, right?)
Overview -
Built on a Nikon F5 35mm film camera platform, the Kodak DCS 620 is an exceptionally well engineered piece of equipment... you can count on it. Good (or bad) pictures will come from the photographer in "you" - because the camera itself won't let you down.
The camera's output is consistent, predictable, and reliable. Left on "automatic", you can expect the same kinds of results you would get from the traditional "film" version Nikon F5 35mm camera in the same mode, while the advanced functions give the camera the flexibility to capture outstanding pictures in all kinds of conditions.
The sound recording feature of the DCS 620 gives the ability to annotate pictures with verbal notes, comments, or the surrounding sounds and noises of the moment.
And the huge, flexible image storage capabilities of the full-sized PCMCIA memory card slots give the DCS 620 a strong advantage over film, as well as competitive digitals with more restrictive memory storage formats.
Key Features -
Extended life Premium Plus NiMH batteries
are available as replacements for the original
equipment NiCd battery that came with the
camera. Kodak says they will offer two to three
times the life of the original NiCd's.
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Sample Photos - Click
on the thumbnail pictures below for full screen
viewing |
Strike!
ISO
800
297 KB
Feel the Speed
398 KB
BeerMan
ISO
800
174 KB
Huntington Beach
Pier
343 KB
Shooting the Curl
286 KB
Czech Air Force
Trainer
163 KB
Garden Raider
Night shot, ISO
200 (flash)
315 KB
Night Drags - Nitro
Funny Car
ISO
1600
401 KB
Texas Longhorn
405 KB
Aerial Photo
293 KB
North Texas
Sunrise
166 KB
Blinded by the
Light
ISO 800, 243
KB
The pictures look great on the screen, but how do they look in print?
The best part - pictures from the DCS 620 printed on a top quality thermal dye sublimation printer are virtually indistinguishable from top quality 35mm film camera "store processed" prints... with all of the look, the feel, the depth, and the durability.
I say the "best part", because it seems like that's the ultimate benchmark for a digital camera. Show off your digital prints to anyone, and they'll compare them (at least in their minds, if not verbally) to conventional prints. Show someone a picture on your computer screen, and you're likely to hear "... that's very nice, but how does it look when you print it?"
And when you pay this much for a camera, it's really nice to hear "WOW!!" when people look at your prints. And to know that even when technology moves upward and prices fall (inevitably), you've still got equipment that will put you clearly in the "front row".
The Removable Anti-Aliasing Filter -
There is a significant condition that often occurs when using an anti-aliasing filter in the Kodak DCS cameras. Many users experience some loss of image sharpness, especially in low contrast conditions.
Even the best internal or external sharpening techniques or onboard camera systems will not completely restore all of the lost sharpness, although most is recoverable using PhotoShop (or equivalent) software sharpening techniques. But in some cases, acceptable sharpness is not restorable no matter what you try.
Remove the anti-aliasing
filter ?
If you remove the internal anti-aliasing / infrared
reduction filter, your pictures will likely be noticeably
sharper, but you'll need a hot-mirror filter for pesky
infrared rays that can affect image tones & colors, and
Quantum
Mechanic software to
kill the slight artifacting and blue channel noise in the
pictures. (Quantum Mechanic is a breeze to use, and in my
opinion should be used to some degree on most "keeper"
pictures anyway, even when using the anti-aliasing
filter.)
Unfortunately, traditional lens-mounted hot-mirror filters are a bit of a "pain". This is because you'll need a different hot-mirror filter for every different size lens threads you have (they're rather expensive - averaging around $100 or more for the bigger sizes), they're prone to cause lens flare (big, shiny glass surface), and it's easy to accidentally get dust trapped in between the filter and the actual surface of the lens.
An optional internal Infrared Reduction filter is available
Here's why the Kodak "removable" factor is so great ... An internal hot mirror (infrared reduction) filter kit is now available for the Kodak DCS 520/620/560/660 and Canon D2000 Pro cameras. Designed as an option to take the place of the current anti-aliasing / infrared reduction combination "low pass" filter. Some users (like myself)) will jump at this option, while some will stick with the current setup.
Part Numbers - DCS 520 & 560 (and the Canon D2000) take a catalog number 8407009, the DCS 620 & 660 take a catalog number 1185180. The kit will include the new filter, a special screwdriver for removal / reinstallation, new screws, and a case to keep the unused filter in. MSRP ~ $115.
Here it is -
Included
in the package - Mounting
screws in a plastic bag. (Lots of extra
screws included.) And a nice
screwdriver. Removing
your "old" filter - With the
screws out, push lightly down in the upper
left corner of the filter with the point
of a small screwdriver (at the spot shown
by the yellow arrow) - the old filter will
tilt up on the lower right corner and can
be easily picked up with your thumb &
index finger. New
filter installed - As with
removal, use a magnetic screwdriver tip to
place the new screws into the mounting
holes, then slide the magnetic tip to the
side to release the screws from the draw
of the magnet. The screws will then seat
& tighten easily. As with the screw
removal, the use of the magnet will
prevent you from dropping the screws
inside the camera.
Note: Just as with an external hot-mirror filter,
using the new "strictly infrared reduction"
internal filter will necessitate Quantum
Mechanic
software to clean up the slight aliasing and
artifacting, but everyone who has a pro class
digital should have this software anyway. (In fact,
it's virtually a "must have" for getting the best
out of your pictures no matter what kind of digital
camera you have.)
The
internal IR filter.
(Like the original anti-aliasing filter,
the glass is very thin. "Be careful -
it'll break easily".)
The perfect size for the tiny Phillips
screws.
A
common small magnetic screwdriver tip
lifts the screws out of the camera quite
nicely once you have backed them out.
(That way you won't accidentally drop
them.)
The
new filter sets in place quite easily with
your thumb & index finger. Then, use
the tip of your screwdriver (gently) to
position it within the tabs.
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Other Kodak DCS 620 Review Sites |
Need to shoot at faster shutter speeds or in low available lighting conditions?
Consider the new DCS 620x digital camera, designed to push the boundaries of available-light shooting.
This new version of
the DCS 620 digital camera performs at up to ISO
6400 and delivers improved image quality with its
innovative high performance 2-megapixel CCD,
utilizing a Cyan-Magenta-Yellow (CMY) Bayer pattern
color filter array. Link
to the Lonestardigital.com DCS 620x
Mini-Review (Includes
sample pictures.)
