|
Photos by Ron Leach
Almost two years ago, Kodak introduced the highest-resolution digital SLR,
the 14-megapixel (13.5 image megapixels) DCS Pro 14n. Recently, the company
upgraded that Nikon-lens model to the DCS Pro SLR/n, and even more recently,
introduced a Canon EOS-lens version, the subject of this report: the DCS Pro
SLR/c. The Pro SLR/n and Pro SLR/c use the same improved Kodak-designed CMOS
image sensor and firmware, but different bodies. The sensor is a full-frame
(24x36mm) unit, so there’s no “telephoto” factor: lenses provide
the same field of view on the Kodak camera as on 35mm film SLRs—great
for wide-angle fans.
Fourteen-megapixel resolution is very impressive, but it’s just one reason
why the new camera’s images are incredibly sharp. The Pro SLR/c’s
image sensor is also free of such image-softening items as an anti-alias “blur”
filter and microlenses. Kodak also uses an infrared-absorbing sensor cover glass
rather than the usual dichroic infrared-reflecting glass, thus eliminating image-quality-reducing
reflections.
 Camera
Features
The DCS Pro SLR/c offers three metering modes (easily selected by pressing the
metering-mode button and rotating the C dial surrounding the shutter button
until the desired icon appears on the top LCD panel): 8-segment, center-area
and average. As is usually the case with SLR cameras, we found the multi-segment
metering to be the best choice for general shooting, with center-area useful
for metering specific portions of a subject or scene.
There are four exposure modes, chosen by rotating the mode selector to the desired
letter: P (shiftable program AE; rotate the C dial to shift to a desired shutter
speed or aperture), S (shutter-priority AE), A (aperture-priority AE), and M
(metered manual). Shutter speeds are set by rotating the S (shutter-speed) dial,
apertures by rotating the C (command) dial. The AEL button near the right thumb
locks the exposure in the auto modes, and you can set ±3.0 stops of exposure
compensation by pressing the exposure-compensation button to the right of the
AEL button, and rotating the C dial until the desired amount appears on the
top LCD panel. Automatic exposure bracketing (three shots, in 0.3–3.0-stop
increments) is available by rotating the D dial to the left of the finder to
AB, then selecting the desired bracket increment with the C dial.
 Both
single-shot and continuous autofocusing modes are provided, selected by pressing
the AF button and rotating the C dial until S or C appears on the top LCD panel.
There are five AF zones, indicated by brackets in the viewfinder: top, bottom,
left, right and center. You can select any of the zones by pressing the exposure-compensation/AF-zone
button twice in quick succession and rotating the C dial until the desired zone
is illuminated in the finder (when all five zones are illuminated, the camera
will automatically select the one covering the closest subject). According to
the specifications, the AF system operates in light levels down to EV –1,
but performance slows considerably in dim light. Of course, you can always focus
manually, by moving the AF/M switch on the lens to M and rotating the focusing
ring until the image appears sharp in the finder.
Shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1¼6000, electronically controlled
via a vertical-travel metal focal-plane shutter. There’s a Bulb setting
for longer exposures. For exposure times longer than 1¼2 second, Kodak
recommends using the Long noise-reduction setting; for exposure times longer
than 2 seconds, use the Longer noise-reduction setting. The unique noise-reduction
system is quite effective, and long-exposure image quality is very good.
There are two drive modes, easily selected by rotating the D dial to the desired
icon: a single rectangle for single-shot advance, and overlapping rectangles
for continuous advance (1.7 fps). The D dial also contains icons for 2-second-delay
and 10-second-delay self-timer, and mirror pre-lock (handy for high-magnification
shooting, where vibration as the mirror flips up out of the light path could
adversely affect sharpness). The LCD monitor menus provide access to the camera’s
intervalometer function, which permits a desired number of shots to be made
automatically at a selected interval.
|
