Kodak Professional DCS 315

The DCS 315's camera status panel:

1. Vari-Program Setting
2. Shutter Speed
3. Exposure Mode/Flexible Program
4. Function Area Indicators
5. Function Areas
6. Focus Area/AF Mode
7. Image Advance Mode
8. Flash Sync Mode
9. Auto Exposure Bracketing/ Flash Exposure Bracketing
10. Flash Output Level Compensation
11. Quick Recall Function
12. Speed (ISO) Setting Mode
13. Metering (Spot or Center-Weighted)
14. Exposure Compensation
15. Self-Timer
16. Compensation Value/ISO/QR Number
17. Aperture Value

This is the "S"ystem status menu page, as you can see it shows all the major digital functions at a glance. There's a lot of information crammed into that small 1.8-inch screen but it is very readable.

The "Main Menu" lets you change the date and time. Delete images stored on the memory cards. Alter the display options. Set the file type (see below). Install new camera firmware from PC card or via IEEE 1394 bus port. Format the memory device. Clean the Imager. Set the Image Processing mode (see below). Alter the camera's Properties (display # of pics taken, enable Game mode, Histogram scale on or off and Folder defaults.)

The "File Type" menu lets the user select how the camera will store and process the captured images. There are three levels of JPG processing quality:

• Best produces a 1520x1008 image using extensive image processing.
• Better produces a 1008x672 image in 75% of the time of "Best"
• Good produces a 752x496 image in 50% of the time of "Best"

Using the "Background Image Processing" menu the user can enable or disable the background processing operations. And you can also instruct the camera to save or discard the original TIF images after processing them.

Image evaluation is very important in the field, it’s proof that you got the image. The LCD allows you to navigate through all imaging functions, including exposure information, date/time stamping and thumbnail, and voice recording.

The histogram display lets you verify that you properly exposed a shot. It displays a bar chart of the exposure in which the horizontal (x) axis represents the range of grays from 0 to 255, and the vertical (y) axis shows the relative number of pixels that fall into each grayscale zone. With a quick look at the display, you can determine the relative amounts of shadows and highlights in an image.

You can display a thumbnail preview screen with either four or nine images so you easily and quickly jump to any image in memory to be displayed full screen.

Without taking your eye of the subject you can see the metering mode, focusing mode, autofocus status, operational mode, shutter speed and aperture setting. When in manual mode there's an analog metering slider to make the necessary exposure adjustments.

The major drawback is that rectangle in the center of the viewfinder outlined with dash marks is the area that is actually captured, the rest of the frame is ignored.

Kodak's DCS Host Software lets you view folders full of camera images either as thumbnails or in larger image preview mode. You can rotate images, crop them, white balance using presets or use the pick tool and choose a known white or gray area, convert TIF to JPG with nine different size/quality levels or listen to audio notes you have recording. This is a TWAIN compliant module that can be called up from most Windows graphic programs.

Included with the DCS 315 software is a special file module filter that lets you directly read-in the Kodak proprietary TIF files into Adobe PhotoShop.

Steve's Conclusion

The downside of this is that the DCS 315 has a lens multiplier factor of 2.6x versus a normal 35mm SLR camera. My 24-70mm is normally an ultra wideangle zoom but on the DCS 315 it becomes a 62-182mm lens. The plus side of the equation is that the maximum aperture of the lens does not change. If the lens is a fast F2.8, it's still a F2.8 lens even though the effective focal length is now 2.6 times longer. Another downside is that Kodak did not build in an internal infrared filter, you need to add a hot mirror filter to all of your lenses. A 55mm hot mirror filter is only $50 but they jump up to $140 for a 72mm filter.

As with the Kodak DCS 620 we reviewed, the DCS 315 is a large and heavy camera, it's almost 3-1/2 pounds with the batteries, hard drive card and zoom lens. The DCS 620 was built around a Nikon F5 35mm camera body and the DCS 315 is built around the Nikon Pronea 6i APS body. The fit-n-finish of the DCS 315 is excellent and is typical of all of the Kodak professional digital cameras. You get the photographic functionality of a Nikon SLR mated to Kodak's digital imaging hardware.

The DCS 315 retains all of the Pronea's camera functionality save the 3D-matrix metering mode and of course, the various APS print formats. You still have the choice of Program AE, shutter and aperture priority and full manual modes, "through-the-lens" (TTL) metering with center- weighted or spot metering options and TTL-controlled flash whether using the builtin flash or a more powerful Nikon Speedlite mounted on the hot shoe.

We all hate to wait and this year many of the digicam manufacturers were making a big deal out of how fast their cameras were ready to shoot after you turned them on. The DCS 315 is ready to go as fast as you can flip the power switch to ON and put the camera up to your face. You can grab pictures at a rate of 2fps for a burst of three and then repeat that again every eleven seconds until your PC card storage is exhausted.

And speaking of card storage, the DCS 315's dual PC card slots allow it to use an incredibly wide array of storage devices. So far I have used a full-sized 96MB Type II card, a 128MB CompactFlash card (in adapter), a 170MB Viper and a 520MB Calluna Card Type III hard drive and the 340MB IBM Microdrive.

The DCS 315 and the newer DCS 330 are the only Kodak pro digicams powered by "off the shelf" batteries. Six AA size batteries (NiMH recommended) fit into an inline battery holder that is quickly installed or removed from the camera. Kodak supplies two battery holders with each camera. The camera goes into "partial sleep" mode within seconds of taking a picture and shuts off the viewfinder data display to conserve power. The color LCD display when activated is only ON for a few seconds, this can be changed in the setup menu. The default power conservation routines give the DCS 315 a very respectable battery life. I averaged between 200 and 300 shots with minimal LCD useage.

Using the DCS 315 is a pure joy. Having a background of twenty-plus years as a professional photographer I felt right at home with the big SLR. I am used to carting around heavy 35mm cameras with long lenses and motor drives so the DCS 315's bulk didn't bother me at all. It's a good pound or so lighter than the DCS 620 but it's certainly not in the same category as the pocketable Canon S10.  You don't just inconspicuously sneak up and take anybody's picture with the DCS 315.  You can always put a 200mm lens on the camera and shoot their picture from half a block away though.

Single lens reflex (SLR) cameras give you the capability to manually and precisely focus on your subject as well as see the immediate affect of any filters attached to the lens. I was amazed at how fast and accurate the autofocus system was when using the latest CPU-controlled AF lenses. There's no excessive "hunting" (lens focusing in and out), it's nearly as fast as you can press the shutter button. And it has both single and continuous-servo autofocus with wide and spot options.

TTL (through the lens) exposure is the best way to insure that your image contains the necessary dynamic range. TTL exposure is very critical to flash photography and the DCS 315 allows for this thanks to the Nikon-engineered electronics in the Pronea 6i body. Due to the smaller image captured by the CCD imager, the 3D matrix metering mode is not available. You do have a choice between precise spot metering and center-weighted averaging which becomes a little more like matrix metering given the smaller capture area.

As for the image quality -- my friend John Cowley said it best:

"DCS 315 photos seem to have a distinct edge with depth and dimension. The feeling and portrayal of depth goes noticeably beyond the best of the fixed lens digital cameras. Compare any similar picture from my other camera reviews in the site - you'll see the difference between 'ordinary depth' and 'three dimensional depth.' It caught my eye right away."

Gone are the days of having to spend $13-15,000 for a truly professional digital camera that uses Nikon AFD lenses. There is now the Kodak DCS 315, DCS 330 and of course, the Nikon D1 to choose from, all for around $5,000 or less.