Battery Life is Very Poor
The Kodak DX3600 would be a very nice camera except that battery life is very poor. I'm lucky to get 8 pictures before the batteries go dead (I use rechargeable batteries with the Easy Share dock, and AA Alkalines).[...] Kodak is aware of the problem. Here is their response to my query about poor battery life...
'Because batteries are chemical products involving internal chemical reactions, their performance may deteriorate with prolonged storage.
NiMH rechargeable batteries, if not used for a while, may need to be reconditioned as you would when using them for the first time.
Otherwise, deactivation of the internal reactants may cause decreased capacity, which causes premature termination of charging. In other words, the batteries will not charge completely, even though the dock indicates they have.
If this happens, we have a couple of recommendations. First, make sure you have the latest firmware. If you don't, consider updating your camera to the latest version. You can locate the update by going to:
http://www.kodak.com/go/software
Once there, choose your camera from the list. The next page will offer all the available software for your model, including any current firmware updates, if available. The firmware download will have a "Read-me" file that contains the directions for performing the update.
Once you have successfully completed the update, we recommend
conditioning your battery the way you would if it were being used for the first time, as we mentioned above. It is important that you be sure you always have a fully charged battery. To do so, place the camera on the KODAK EASYSHARE Camera Dock. When the charge light turns green (all three green lights are lit for a Dock II), then remove the camera from the dock FOR A MINIMUM OF 5 MINUTES, and place it back on the dock. The 5 minutes the camera is off the dock are the key to correct recharging
for a new or uncharged battery. Repeat this same process until the combined charging time, while the light is red on the dock, EQUALS A MINIMUM OF 2 HOURS.
Once you have completed this charging process, we recommend that you leave the camera on its dock and intermittently check it for power (remove from the dock for a while then replace it). If you use your
camera frequently, of course, you will always have a charged battery because you will be removing and replacing it. If you do not use your camera frequently, periodically remove the camera from the dock and take a few test shots. Doing this assures a properly maintained battery so
that you will have lots of power.
Do not make the mistake of trying to charge the KODAK PHOTOLIFE Lithium Battery, CRV3, that comes with the camera. It is not rechargeable, and an attempt to do so could result in leakage. Also, please be aware that the camera will only charge the KODAK KAA2HR NiMh Battery. Non-Kodak
batteries or individual AA rechargeable batteries (including Kodak batteries) are not compatible with this charger. If you need a separate charger, they are available at the Kodak online store.
Remember, your camera's dock is only charging when it displays the red light. If the light is green, that means it is either done charging or has detected another type of battery it cannot charge.
PLEASE NOTE! Your camera's batteries lose power during image reviews and when adjusting camera settings. Use of the LCD screen is also a big drain.......................'
If I had known about the battery problem I never would have bought this camera. Did you read the section above when Kodak states "the batteries will not charge completely, even though the dock indicates they have." We can send robots to Mars but we can't make a battery charger that knows when a battery is really charged? What the hell good is a battery charger that doesn't know if a battery is charged or not? So just because the little green light says charged you can't believe it. I tried the firmware upgrade and that was futile, no help at all, just a waste of time.As is, I now carry at least 8 AA Alkalines (they last about 10 pictures if you keep the LCD turned off) whenever I use this camera away from home because you never know when it will just shut down by itself from weak batteries.
In defense to the camera I will say that it takes good pictures in daylight (night pictures with flash are worthless), I like the fact you can add other lenses and the built in video recorder is ok. The included software is nice. It includes options to adjust tint, brightness, crop etc.... The photo album is easy to use and makes saving the pictures easy. Also the removable compactflash card is a nice feature.
So if you decide to get this camera be prepared to buy lots of AA batteries. Personally I will never buy another Kodak product. I don't think it's right to sell a product with an apparent design flaw and then offer the consumer a, in my opinion, worthless remedy. These cameras should have been recalled and the consumer offered a full refund or a camera that works the way it should!
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Kodak DX 3600 a trustworthy camera...
I've had a kodak DX 3600 camera now for about 2 years. I have found that the quality of pictures has been excellent and the video mode is brilliant, as few digital cameras offer video with sound being recorded too. At the start i had battery problems and problems with it powering down unexpectedly but it was sent back to Kodak and it was a faulty connection between the power section and main part of the camera, since then i have had little problems with power, like all didgital cameras they do go through batteries but just be sure to have enough charged up, and the dock it comes with handily charges the batteries. At 2.2 mega pixels i have found it brilliant, there is brilliant image quality for what i'm using it for and it doesn't take up alot of hard drive space, with the average photo taking up about 400Kb on the best picture quality setting. I would reccemmend this camera.
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Lots of problems!!!
When we first got the camera, we were impressed. It was easy to use, and the pictures that we took printed out very nicely.
However, after having the camera for a few months, we started to see the following problems.
1. POOR BATTERY LIFE
After only a couple of weeks of use, the rechargeable battery that came with the camera would only take 5-6 shots before dying. We kept the camera contantly on the dock, so it should not have run out. I assumed it was a defective battery and bought some desposable batteries for it, but had a similar problem. With a brand new battery, it would take 20-30 shots and it would fail to work.
2. RANDOM POWERING OFF
This was really annoying. After several months of use, the camera started turning itself off frequently. Sometimes I have to restart it 4-5 times to get it to stay turned on. Even then, it will often turn itself off when trying to take the picture. I have 3 small kids, and I have missed so many shots because of this.
3. LONG PAUSE BEFORE SNAPPING PICTURE
I know this is not a defect, but is probably by design (probably the auto-focus working), but there is a half second pause between the time you push the button and the picture actually takes. We have missed many shots because of that as well.
I hate to say it, but I will not buy a Kodak camera again. It's too bad, because when this did work properly, the pictures were really good and the dock is really a good idea. We eventually decided to buy a new, higher end camera (Fuji Finepix S7000). We will see how that turns out :)
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