First Exposure by John Rettie
Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c

Kodak’s newest Pro series digital SLR camera accepts Canon lenses.

Thanks to Kodak, many early adopters of professional-level digital SLR cameras were Canon users. That was because Kodak and Canon worked closely together to produce some very advanced digital camera bodies, such as the DCS 520, which was also sold as the Canon EOS-D2000. Nikon versions of these cameras were often introduced some time after the Canon versions and were never sold under the Nikon label.

This scenario all changed once Canon introduced its EOS-1D camera body. Canon and Kodak parted ways. The next all-new camera body from Kodak, the DCS Pro 14n, introduced in 2003 with a full 35mm frame size 14-megapixel image capture sensor, was only offered with a Nikon F-compatible lens mount system. What’s more, the 14n used a body designed by Kodak that used Nikon internal components, such as the shutter mechanism, focusing and metering systems. Externally, it did not use a modified film camera body as was the case previously.

Kodak never produced a version of the 14n for use with Canon lenses. Presumably, if they had, it would have been called the 14c. However, Canon users who needed a SLR with a full-size sensor were not left out as Canon introduced the 11-megapixel EOS-1Ds in 2003. Not surprisingly, everyone assumed Canon would not want Kodak to produce a camera body in competition with its flagship camera.

Nevertheless, there has been considerable interest among users of Canon glass for a version of the Kodak 14n camera with a Canon mount. Kodak has now come through for Canon users with the DCS Pro SLR/c, which has the same 14-megapixel, full-frame 35mm-size CMOS sensor as the Nikon-compatible DCS Pro SLR/n, first introduced earlier this year. Few, though, had predicted such an animal would appear on the market so soon after the much-improved Nikon-mount model.

Kodak’s camera includes a hand strap, liked by so many pros.	Two storage card slots accept a CompactFlash card above and a smaller SD card below.	The camera has plenty of buttons for setting numerous parameters and manual adjustments.

Perhaps most intriguing is the fact the magnesium-alloy DCS Pro SLR/c is not built using Canon components. Instead it is a uniquely designed body with Canon-compatible mechanisms. Kodak will not state who makes the camera, but it has styling cues similar to the Sigma SD-10 digital camera, so it has been assumed Sigma designed and builds the camera to Kodak’s specifications.

As an aside, nobody has questioned who actually builds the DCS Pro SLR/n body, but as it uses Nikon components inside the body shell, the question of its manufacturing origin has never been raised.

The reality is, it doesn’t matter as long as the camera meets the expectations of its target audience.

	The camera’s menu is black text displayed on a white background, making the menu items easy to read, even in daylight.

In the case of these SLR twins, the target audience is professional users who want a full-frame sensor with as high a resolution as possible. Kodak has had the honors of making the highest resolution digital SLR camera for the past 18 months. Until now, only users of Nikon lenses could benefit from this camera; now owners of Canon glass can as well.

Both cameras have a similar design with a wide base to hold the Li-ion battery pack and the dual storage card slots. The wide base gives a slight advantage over cameras with a narrow base when the body is held in a vertical shooting position. When used in a normal horizontal mode, the handgrip and thumb grip on the back are well formed, and the wide base does not get in the way. What’s more, Kodak includes a hand strap with its cameras, which is a nice touch, as it is a feature many users welcome.

In use, the SLR/c feels similar to the SLR/n, certainly as far as the digital controls are concerned. Anyone who has grown accustomed to the Nikon version will feel at home with the Canon model. Those who know their film or digital Canon cameras like the backs of their hands will find the SLR/c quite different in the way controls are arranged. Fortunately, there is nothing inherently wrong with any of the controls—it just takes time to gain familiarity. I was able to use the camera straight out of the box and figure out most functions without reading the manual. There are a few uncommon, useful features, such as a viewfinder that includes crop lines for an 8x10 photo.

Screen shot shows the cropped detail on a hawk sitting on top of a telephone pole.	The Kodak SLR/c camera retains plenty of detail, even at extreme magnification.

Naturally, the camera comes with an extensive array of features, ranging from full manual use through to a program mode. Shutter speeds can be set from 30 to 1⁄6000 sec. by turning a big speed dial knob on top, marked, appropriately, slow to fast. Flash sync is 1⁄180 sec. or can be set up to 1⁄6000 with compatible Canon speed flashes in the same way they are on a Canon camera, such is the compatibility of the SLR/c with Canon accessories. The camera also has a hot-shoe and an X-sync port. What’s not available is the optional PocketWizard remote flash system that is offered on the SLR/n. However, the SLR/c does include as standard a remote infrared shutter trip system that works up to 16 feet away. An intervalometer is also included so the camera can be set to automatically record images at predetermined intervals from one second to 24 hours and up to 10,000 images.

In standard mode the camera offers ISO ratings from 160 to 800. However special options, which can only be accessed via a menu, allow slow shutter speeds and lower ISO ratings down to one minute at ISO 6 and up to ISO 1600 .

A useful short description of menu items on the larger LCD is displayed on the smaller LCD.

Another innovative software function found on the SLR/c is a lens- optimization feature that helps compensate for some potential lens anomalies. The built-in list of lenses is quite comprehensive with numerous models from Tamron and Sigma as well as Canon’s own range of EOS lenses. I did not have the opportunity to exhaustively experiment with these lens adjustments but when I tried shooting with a Tamron 28–300mm lens, I could not see any difference with the camera set to automatic lens optimization or manually set to match that particular lens. In the user’s guide, Kodak says lens adjustments need only be used if one does notice a problem with a particular lens, otherwise the auto setting will suffice. As this technique matures we should begin to see improved images captured with the camera automatically correcting for known problems in distortion, chromatic aberration or other “flaws” in lenses.

I’m not sure if it was my imagination, but I felt the SLR/c was snappier in operation than the SLR/n I tried a few months ago. Neither are speed demons: they take over five seconds to warm up after being switched on or awakened from sleep mode. The camera can shoot at 1.7fps for a maximum of 19 frames before the buffer is filled. Other than sports photographers and some photojournalists, this shouldn’t be a problem. In studio use, for which the camera is ideally suited, its operational speed is fine.

	The top LCD screen displays camera information. Wording on the speed dial is unusual.

Having two storage card slots is a definite benefit. The camera can be programmed so images are recorded on both cards simultaneously either for redundancy or for delivering two sets of images. Another option is to program the camera to record RAW images on one and JPEG images on the other, while a third option is to just have captured images recorded on the second card once the first card is full.

What of image quality? Overall, I have no complaints. The camera delivered excellent images that should please anyone. Noise is a problem with ISO settings above 400, limiting the usefulness of higher speed ranges. I found some slight chromatic aberrations in light to dark transition areas on some photos. It seems to be a problem inherent in images captured by many digital cameras; nevertheless, on prints viewed at their correct distances, nobody notices. It’s only when fastidious users get out a loupe or blow an image up to 200 percent on a computer screen that chromatic aberration or pixelization starts to appear. It’s really just like grain and other problems arising in photographs produced via silver halide chemical processes of old.

The lower LCD displays information about storage and settings, such as white balance and ISO.

Overall, I liked the SLR/c better than the SLR/n. I can’t say exactly why, since I didn’t have the chance to try them side by side for a direct comparison. Perhaps Kodak has made running changes or the latest version of firmware has improved things during the past few months. In fact, Kodak issued a firmware upgrade a day after I returned the camera. According to initial feedback in user forums, this upgrade (v. 5.0.3) improved lens optimization. Kodak delivers firmware upgrades more often than other camera manufacturers, which means an owner can expect improved performance as time goes on.

Any Canon user who needs a high-resolution camera with a full-frame sensor now has two choices: the Canon EOS-1Ds with an 11-megapixel sensor in a robust, rugged, traditional Canon body for around $7000 or the Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c with a 14-megapixel sensor in a lighter, less rugged body for $4995. It’s a difficult choice for many landscape, wedding/portrait or commercial photographers who need the highest possible resolution in their images.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.