Eastman Kodak Company has a big narrative of bringing slick imaging processes to the commonplace consumer. Kodak's EasyShare System is the company's digital equivalent to its turn-of-the-century Brownie apartment camera, which came with preloaded film besides no manual controls (once users struggle full-dress their film, they simply sent the boxes back to Kodak for processing and printing). While the first two Kodak EasyShare digicams, the DX3500 and DX3600, were much more sophisticated than a Brownie, they did feature the same "just press the button" simplicity, with fully automatic controls and an optional docking station that takes all of the guesswork out of digital image manipulation, management, and sharing. As Kodak evolved the line, they introduced more advanced cameras that do offer a few user options. The subject of the current review though, is the EasyShare LS420, a subcompact 2 megapixel design that really takes ease of use to a new level, thanks to a limited set of options, a very clear menu system and the latest version of Kodak's Picture Software.
Kodak's Picture Software is a monster paradigm of the story, therefore eminently consequently that I'm expectant to domiciliate discerning a claim version on the software itself in the near future. Especially in this latest implementation, it walks you through every step of uploading, enhancing, and emailing your photos -- and has about the most graphically intuitive interface of any consumer imaging software I've seen. It automatically sizes the images for printing or emailing, stores copies, applies simple effects, and allows you to make image corrections, such as color, brightness, and contrast adjustments. The entire line of EasyShare cameras are among the easiest and most goof-proof digicams out there, but the LS420 and Kodak's latest software take ease of use to an even higher level.
