Kodak DCS 14-N

Not to add flames to the fire (well maybe a little), but by coincidence I received the following e-mail today. Definately not the first, and likely not the last...

"Hi Michael,

I´m sorry I haven´t read your article on the 14n earlier. We only had
the oportunity of a short test with some images taken (studioflash!!),
that looked quite good (impressive resolution). We decided to buy the
camera because we read that some of the problems we saw in small
letters  would be solved with upcoming new firmware.
Now we have the Kodak 14n with the newest firmware and we are very
angry about the results. Extrem noise (compared to our D100) like in
your tree pictures and some areas of the images (right side) have a red
color-cast. We are trying to handle back the camera  because it is
useless for everyday use, but the dealer and Kodak are not (jet)
willing to do so.

Sorry to say, but this camera is an expensive peace of sh...


greetings from Cologne / Germany
"

Michael

[sergio]

I have been a faithful user of Kodak products for many years and I find unforgiving is that they make a faulty product and try to convince you it is great for you to buy it and then let you down as it happened to several colleagues who rushed into the 14n. After all the reviews, they had to accept it did have its flaws. I, as a loyal customer, would feel mistreated if they did that to me. Fortunately I sold all my Nikon gear and went into the 1Ds. Thanks Kodak for giving me the opportunity to grow into a wonderful system as Canon.

[Quentin]

I have been using the 14n for 8 months now and am generally very pleased with the camera.  Hogan's review IMO provides the most objective sumary of the strengths and weeknesses of the camera.

I have been using the 14n alongside a Fuji S2 for several months now.  I agree with John's comments about Thom Hogan's review (I am not, incidentally, in any way criticising Michael's own review), and it is interesting to note that, after using the 14n for some time, and getting to know its strengths and weaknesses, Thom now I believe regards the 14n as his current favourite Nikon mount DSLR.

Whoever wrote those comments in the quoted email to Michael, apparently a studio shooter, must be doing something very wrong with his or her 14n.  Stick to a reasonable ISO, and slightly overexpose, and you won't see a hint of noise with the 14n.  What you will see is breathtaking detail and stunningly accurate colour.

So here is an alternative spoof email I might have sent to Michael about my experiences with the 14n ::

"Hi Michael,

I read your article on the 14n earlier, and Thom Hogan's review too. I have now had ample opprtunity properly to test the Camera both in the studio and in the field over several months.
 
I decided to buy the camera because I read that some of the problems we saw in small letters would be solved with upcoming new firmware, and I am pleased to say that those probelms - minor as they were - have largely been corrected.  Moreover, the latest iteration of Photodesk is a great improvement, and as you know, the software is an important part of the overall usefullness of any DSLR.

Now we have the Kodak 14n with the newest firmware and we are very pleased with the results. Low noise at low ISO (below 160).  Take a little care with exposure (expose to the right of the histogram, as you quite rightly advise with DSLRs generally) and such noise as there is is banished.  This is an important point that those who only test the 14n briefly might so easily miss.

No way I would try to hand back the camera  because it is so useful in everyday use

Pleased to say, but this camera is an exemplary peformer. albeit with some minor shortcomings (it's not ideal for shooting above ISO 160, for example, and I would use my S2 Pro for that) that can mostly be dealt with if you take a little time and trouble to experiment, something that some casual users appear not to do."

Generally, people are only motivated to write the kind of message actually sent to Michael if they have a gripe.  Satisfied users tend to get on with using the equipment and are less inclined to write.

Quentin

[kyle]

Anybody know if Kodak is sorting out the 14-N or have they more or less given up on any more development.

The idea of it was good -- Canon needs a competitor to keep prices down but from what I've seen this camera -- whatever the quality of the images is an absolute horror to use -- how do you actually look through the eyepiece without smashing your nose to pieces or avoid activating the buttons by mistake when trying to take a shot.

I wonder if the designers actually tried a "dummy mockup" of the body first before putting it into production.

[Dave Millier]

This camera certainly seems to produce controversy!

Michael often comments that theoretical discussions can often be a world away from personal experience from field work and it seems that the 14n draws criticism from plenty of people who haven't used it.

I also have no personal experience of the 14n so I can't add anything to the usability argument but as far as image quality goes it can be very good.

I've printed some 18 x 12 inch prints from Phil Askey's review with stunning results. Jono Slack (a well respected DPreview forum contributor who has recently added the 14n to his  D100 & D1x is mightedly impresses with the detail, not so with the colour aliasing).

Nikon Expert and author Thom Hogan also has plenty of nice things to say about the image quality but makes the point that the 14n is a camera that needs a carefully thought out approach (lowering shadows and exposing more generously than usual for example).

In the right hands and sympathetically managed, it can deliver but it is definitely not the all rounder the 1ds is.

Although this is a bit disappointing, it's worth considering  that in the UK it costs about what the D1x does and if you can't go for the expensive 1Ds or even more expensive MF backs, there isn't really anything else for landscape work.

Personally, even the 14n is way beyond my price range and I've discovered that the huge neg of my Fuji 690 turns my lowly Epson 3200 into an Imacon... :-)

[John Hill]

I have been using the 14n for 8 months now and am generally very pleased with the camera.  Hogan's review IMO provides the most objective sumary of the strengths and weeknesses of the camera.

The camera needs the best lenses and issues like those mentioned in the note to michael can be seen when the lense requires that the camera be set to one of its 3 lense optimization settings.   The need to do this via menu is not obvious and not well explained in the documentation and so can result in frustrating results.   Interesting enough, the new AFS zooms seem to provide the best results.

The high resolution of the camera, combined with the lack of an anti alias filter will also produce aliasing artifacts 'like those seen in the tree branches'.  These artifacts can be frustrating in the few images in which they appear (small high contrast detail against a bright background) , but they can be cleared up in post processing.   The same physics which lead to these artifacts in a few images also lead to remarkable detail, clarity and sharpness in most images.  

The camera also has great dynamic range and when handled properly produces great images.  

It does take some time to learn and understand how to get the best out of it.  To get the best results, it is essential to only shoot in RAW, stay in the lower ISO range(80-160), properly expose the image (exposing for the shadows and pulling exposure back in post processing), and use the best lenses possible.  Kodaks firmware updates continue to add capability and refine its performance and I am sure this trend will continue.  

The 14n is not the one camera for all purposes and is not for every one.    But for those with an investement in Nikon lenses needing more resolution, it is a good option.

I will be complementing the 14n with a D2H when they become more widely available using the D2H for low light and fast action and the 14n for studeo, landscape and where I want the resolution for large enlargements.

John

[Craig Jones]

...if you take a little time and trouble to experiment, something that some casual users appear not to do.

As well as some reviewers.  My 14n experience has been quite positive as well.