Kodak DX7440 - Does Exposure Setting Take Longer than Focusing?

I've been struggling with my Kodak DX7440 camera for a few months now
trying to get properly exposed indoor photos. Typically, I've
experienced very dark under-exposed indoor shots with this camera.

By accident I may have figured out a "work-around" to acheive proper
exposure and/or white-balance.

Typically, I will take shots very quickly after my focus brackets turn
green... and had dozens of under-exposed or off-balance shots.

Yesterday, however I continued to hold the "shutter" release halfway
for several seconds beyond the green bracket focus indicators. While
doing this I noticed a slight color shift on the LCD preview and my
resultant shots came out bright and well-balanced.

So my questions (primarily to Ron Baird) are....

1)Does it take my Kodak DX7440 camera longer to set exposure than it
does to focus?
2)If #1 is true, is there some other indicator (besides the focus
brackets) to indicate when proper exposure metering has completed?
3)Is it possible for Kodak to address this issue in a firmware update
that will use the focus brackets to indicate BOTH proper focus AND
proper exposure has been determined?

Thanks, Dave

Did your unit ever work properly (as you'd define 'properly')?

I have a newish DX7440 that delivers excellent results indoors. It's
really good at faces / skin -- by design, certainly. I haven't had a
single instance of poor exposure indoors, no matter how I release the
shutter.

Generally I ignore the LCD and use the viewfinder, so it's hard to say
what the focus brackets were centered on, but I rarely bother to even
pause as I hit the shutter.

If you've already tried a reset to restore default settings, I'd suspect
a problem with the camera itself.

I have noticed the brightness of the LCD change with the shutter
partially depressed, particularly in darker surroundings, but I've never
seen any effect on the resulting exposure.

D

Did your unit ever work properly (as you'd define 'properly')?

I have a newish DX7440 that delivers excellent results indoors. It's
really good at faces / skin -- by design, certainly. I haven't had a
single instance of poor exposure indoors, no matter how I release the
shutter.

Generally I ignore the LCD and use the viewfinder, so it's hard to say
what the focus brackets were centered on, but I rarely bother to even
pause as I hit the shutter.

If you've already tried a reset to restore default settings, I'd suspect
a problem with the camera itself.

I have noticed the brightness of the LCD change with the shutter
partially depressed, particularly in darker surroundings, but I've never
seen any effect on the resulting exposure.

D

Dave Cobb wrote:
I've been struggling with my Kodak DX7440 camera for a few months now
trying to get properly exposed indoor photos. Typically, I've
experienced very dark under-exposed indoor shots with this camera.

By accident I may have figured out a "work-around" to acheive proper
exposure and/or white-balance.

Typically, I will take shots very quickly after my focus brackets turn
green... and had dozens of under-exposed or off-balance shots.

Yesterday, however I continued to hold the "shutter" release halfway
for several seconds beyond the green bracket focus indicators. While
doing this I noticed a slight color shift on the LCD preview and my
resultant shots came out bright and well-balanced.

So my questions (primarily to Ron Baird) are....

1)Does it take my Kodak DX7440 camera longer to set exposure than it
does to focus?
2)If #1 is true, is there some other indicator (besides the focus
brackets) to indicate when proper exposure metering has completed?
3)Is it possible for Kodak to address this issue in a firmware update
that will use the focus brackets to indicate BOTH proper focus AND
proper exposure has been determined?

Thanks, Dave

I don't know about the 7440, but in low light, most cameras take longer
to set focus and exposure. However, I have no real problem in this area
with my 6440.

If you've already tried a reset to restore default settings, I'd suspect a
problem with the camera itself.

This is my second DX7440... I sent my first one in to Kodak and they sent me
a replacement camera. Can't say the second is much better than the first in
this respect.

Ron Baird ... any help?
"Dave Cobb" wrote in message
m...
I've been struggling with my Kodak DX7440 camera for a few months now
trying to get properly exposed indoor photos. Typically, I've
experienced very dark under-exposed indoor shots with this camera.

By accident I may have figured out a "work-around" to acheive proper
exposure and/or white-balance.

Typically, I will take shots very quickly after my focus brackets turn
green... and had dozens of under-exposed or off-balance shots.

Yesterday, however I continued to hold the "shutter" release halfway
for several seconds beyond the green bracket focus indicators. While
doing this I noticed a slight color shift on the LCD preview and my
resultant shots came out bright and well-balanced.

So my questions (primarily to Ron Baird) are....

1)Does it take my Kodak DX7440 camera longer to set exposure than it
does to focus?
2)If #1 is true, is there some other indicator (besides the focus
brackets) to indicate when proper exposure metering has completed?
3)Is it possible for Kodak to address this issue in a firmware update
that will use the focus brackets to indicate BOTH proper focus AND
proper exposure has been determined?

Thanks, Dave

Greetings Dave,

Did a little research and got some help from my friends. Lets review your
questions.

1)Does it take my Kodak DX7440 camera longer to set exposure than it does to
focus?
Both of these functions are normally carried out together at the same time.
If the lighting is dim or if the subject has very low contrast across it's
surface, then it can take longer to lock focus than it does to set the
exposure. But most of the time, any difference between focus lock and
exposure lock is indistinguishable.

2)If #1 is true, is there some other indicator (besides the focus brackets)
to indicate when proper exposure metering has completed?

No, proper exposure and focus are both indicated by the brackets becoming
green. If the focus is unable to lock, then a Red AF is displayed along with
a blinking orange eyepiece LED and the brackets disappear. If the exposure
is measured as being outside the current setting parameters in P, A, S or C
mode or if the shutter speed ends up being too slow for hand holding in
Auto, P, A, S or C modes, then the Red AF and blinking orange LED are
displayed. A 'shaking hand' icon is displayed if the exposure is locked but
the shutter speed is slow. Various combinations of these icons can be
displayed depending on the exposure conditions and camera settings at the
time of pressing the shutter to the first detent.

3)Is it possible for Kodak to address this issue in a firmware update that
will use the focus brackets to indicate BOTH proper focus AND

proper exposure has been determined?As explained above, the brackets turning
to Green with no other indicators present, indicates that both focus and
exposure are correct and locked. If other icons appear as explained above,
that indicates a failure either of the focus, the exposure or both. There
are no plans to indicate this in any other manner.

Hope this helps, Dave, let me know if you have other questions.

Ron Baird
Eastman Kodak Company

"Dave Cobb" wrote in message
m...
I've been struggling with my Kodak DX7440 camera for a few months now
trying to get properly exposed indoor photos. Typically, I've
experienced very dark under-exposed indoor shots with this camera.

By accident I may have figured out a "work-around" to acheive proper
exposure and/or white-balance.

Typically, I will take shots very quickly after my focus brackets turn
green... and had dozens of under-exposed or off-balance shots.

Yesterday, however I continued to hold the "shutter" release halfway
for several seconds beyond the green bracket focus indicators. While
doing this I noticed a slight color shift on the LCD preview and my
resultant shots came out bright and well-balanced.

So my questions (primarily to Ron Baird) are....

1)Does it take my Kodak DX7440 camera longer to set exposure than it
does to focus?
2)If #1 is true, is there some other indicator (besides the focus
brackets) to indicate when proper exposure metering has completed?
3)Is it possible for Kodak to address this issue in a firmware update
that will use the focus brackets to indicate BOTH proper focus AND
proper exposure has been determined?

Thanks, Dave

Greetings Dave,

Did a little research and got some help from my friends. Lets review your
questions.

1)Does it take my Kodak DX7440 camera longer to set exposure than it does to
focus?
Both of these functions are normally carried out together at the same time.
If the lighting is dim or if the subject has very low contrast across it's
surface, then it can take longer to lock focus than it does to set the
exposure. But most of the time, any difference between focus lock and
exposure lock is indistinguishable.

2)If #1 is true, is there some other indicator (besides the focus brackets)
to indicate when proper exposure metering has completed?

No, proper exposure and focus are both indicated by the brackets becoming
green. If the focus is unable to lock, then a Red AF is displayed along with
a blinking orange eyepiece LED and the brackets disappear. If the exposure
is measured as being outside the current setting parameters in P, A, S or C
mode or if the shutter speed ends up being too slow for hand holding in
Auto, P, A, S or C modes, then the Red AF and blinking orange LED are
displayed. A 'shaking hand' icon is displayed if the exposure is locked but
the shutter speed is slow. Various combinations of these icons can be
displayed depending on the exposure conditions and camera settings at the
time of pressing the shutter to the first detent.

3)Is it possible for Kodak to address this issue in a firmware update that
will use the focus brackets to indicate BOTH proper focus AND

proper exposure has been determined?As explained above, the brackets turning
to Green with no other indicators present, indicates that both focus and
exposure are correct and locked. If other icons appear as explained above,
that indicates a failure either of the focus, the exposure or both. There
are no plans to indicate this in any other manner.

Hope this helps, Dave, let me know if you have other questions.

Ron Baird
Eastman Kodak Company

"Dave Cobb" wrote in message
m...
I've been struggling with my Kodak DX7440 camera for a few months now
trying to get properly exposed indoor photos. Typically, I've
experienced very dark under-exposed indoor shots with this camera.

By accident I may have figured out a "work-around" to acheive proper
exposure and/or white-balance.

Typically, I will take shots very quickly after my focus brackets turn
green... and had dozens of under-exposed or off-balance shots.

Yesterday, however I continued to hold the "shutter" release halfway
for several seconds beyond the green bracket focus indicators. While
doing this I noticed a slight color shift on the LCD preview and my
resultant shots came out bright and well-balanced.

So my questions (primarily to Ron Baird) are....

1)Does it take my Kodak DX7440 camera longer to set exposure than it
does to focus?
2)If #1 is true, is there some other indicator (besides the focus
brackets) to indicate when proper exposure metering has completed?
3)Is it possible for Kodak to address this issue in a firmware update
that will use the focus brackets to indicate BOTH proper focus AND
proper exposure has been determined?

Thanks, Dave

Thanks for your responses Ron... that at least eliminates a few problems...

My photos were taken in either "Auto" mode, or "Party" mode at close range
(3-6 ft).

So I guess my next question is.. How does the metering work on this camera?
Spot, multi, etc? Is there a setting I can choose to improve the light
metering (multi instead of spot)?

Thanks for your responses Ron... that at least eliminates a few problems...

My photos were taken in either "Auto" mode, or "Party" mode at close range
(3-6 ft).

So I guess my next question is.. How does the metering work on this camera?
Spot, multi, etc? Is there a setting I can choose to improve the light
metering (multi instead of spot)?