Kodak LS443 Broken or just overexposing?

[julian sanchez]

Hello,

<P>

I recently got a chance to play around with my father's digital

camera, a point and shoot Kodak LS443. I've been using it for about

two weeks now, mostly with no problems (well, other than my Maxxum 7

has me spoiled and I'm missing all the features, but it couldn't

make it with me this trip).

<P>

Anyway, about three days ago I started having problems with this

little camera. As you know, every time you turn the camera on, it

reverts to factory settings (i.e. everything automatic) and with

time I've learned to live with it. Every once in a while, however,

it would greatly overexpose the shot. For the last two days the

number of overexposed shots it's been increasing.

<P>

Since you can't override any of the exposure settings, I have no

idea what the camera is doing. I don't know if this is caused by a

mechanical failure (the lens is not stopping down at all, and the

sensor is getting way more light than it should) or just that the

camera simply thinks there isn't enough light for the shot, and ends

up overexposing.

<P>

I have uploaded two of the photographs to my computer so you guys

can examine them, here are the links:<br>

Good Photograph: <a

href="http://foreigneye.net/kodak/good_shot"><img

src="http://foreigneye.net/kodak/good_shot.thumb.jpg" /></A><br>

Overexposed shot: <a

href="http://foreigneye.net/kodak/overexposed_shot"><img

src="http://foreigneye.net/kodak/overexposed_shot.thumb.jpg" /></A>

<br>

<P>

If you look closely, both photographs are virtually the same. The

overexposed shot is just a tad zoomed in than the good shot. I've

noticed that the chances of getting an overexposed shot increases as

I zoom in towards the long end of the lens, although it also happens

when it's set at its widest (just not as often). In any event, for

the first 200-300 shots, I never got a single overexposed like this

one. It's been lately that I only get them for no apparent reason.

What do you guys think? Should I contact Kodak repair service, or

should I just accept that this is just a point and shoot camera, and

many times it doesn't get the exposure right?

<P>

In case this is of any help, the firmware version of the camera is

the latest, version 1.03.

<P>

Thank you very much for your help.<br>

Sincerely,<BR>

Julian

[mark u]

That's definitely a warranty issue. You should put your problem in writing when you send in the camera, with some guide as to how frequqently it happens. Maybe you could even get the camera exchanged at the shop where you bought it, saving you the hassle of sending it in.

[julian sanchez]

Mark,

 

Thanks for your help. Unfortunately, the camera is over one year old, and I'm afraid is not under warranty any more. I guess I'll have to send it to Kodak to have it fixed, and pay for it :-(

 

Thanks again,

 

Julian

[robidooo]

One of my friend have the same camera and the same issue. On one shot, everything is correct and then, the next is extremely overexposed, the same as you have show here. When this happen, he shut down the camera and re-open it. Then it works ok for a couple of shots and start again to overexpose. It tends to overexpose more when it has been used for a while. It was not doing it before but as the camera gets older, it is doing it more and more. I think it is mechanical as we did a lot of test in different light conditions, and could come to no other conclusions. I would hardly doubt that it is the sensor that is wrong there was no pattern in the overexposed shots.

[james_lai]

Hi Julian, I don't have an LS443, but my Kodak DX3900 has a menu setting ("Reset User Setting" or something like that, I don't have my camera here to check) which allows you to choose whether the camera keeps your settings or reverts to factory settings when powered up. Perhaps your camera has a similar setting?

[julian sanchez]

James,

 

I looked around the menus but I didn't find such option. I believe the LS443 resets itself everytime you turn it on. I think that's the case because every time I turn it on, color balance and ISO (to name a few) are set on automatic, regardless on whether I specified a particular color balance or ISO before I turned the camera off.

 

Does anybody know if there is a button combination that may re-set everything for sure?

 

Thanks