Hi Mike,

Sorry I did not have the chance to reply till today, on vacation for a
couple of days.

Personally, when I want to buy something like a digital camera I always
weigh the features that I want now and what I might in the future. I also
consider what is offered by the manufacturer, but do not base my choice on
those claims alone. I do consider:

Reliability - it is important to me that the camera I do choose is going to
be reliable
Support - when I need support I want quality support

With those satisfied, I then move on to the features of the camera I want or
believe I may want in the future, i.e. imager size, zoom, optics, flash, and
manual controls. If it has what I want, then I move on to special features
like external flash options (I do like that feature). It seems you have
done the same as noted in your list.

Finally, I always try to get a feel for the camera by visiting a store
location that has the cameras on hand and that I can review directly. Or,
possibly, if I have a friend or acquaintance that has the camera or one that
is very similar, I try to review it and use it if possible so I can get a
feel for its operation. Of course, I also consider the money, i.e. is it
inside my budget.

Considering the cameras you have noted, I would likely choose the Kodak
DX7630, not because I work for them, but because it has more features and
options, i.e. manual controls. Of course, I know the support is terrific.
:-)

Talk to you soon, Mike, good luck with your choice.

Ron Baird
Eastman Kodak Company




"Mike Henley" wrote in message
om...
I'm confused between buying either one of those two...

What is better about the Kodak DX7630 is
- 6.1 megapixels (HP is 5.3mp - is there much difference, really?)
- full manual control over exposure (can set both shutter and aperture
- I like this a lot, has anyone experimented with it?)
- up to 64 seconds shutter speed
- newer model, more so than the HP 945
- smaller and lighter than the HP 945
- reportedly metal (HP plastic?)

What is better with the HP 945
- highly praised image quality, won a DIMA 2004 for this (does anyone
know how the Kodak compares in image quality? - yes i have seen
reviews but i would like to hear from you too)
- uses AA batteries (good point, though not sure how much it should
matter - Kodak says its battery should last more than 300 hi-res
shots)
- x8 optical zoom (Kodak only x3)
- built-in lens cap (Kodak uses a lens cap)

What do you guys think? did i miss anything? which one would you buy?
why? (p.s. they are priced about the same to me) thanks