Kodak DVC325 Digital Video Camera

The most important thing about Kodak's offering is the USB connection, which makes setting the thing up a breeze. Just install a couple of bits of software, plug the camera in and Bob's your videoconferencing uncle.

The maximum resolution is a decent 640 x 480 pixels, which is sufficient for acceptable still images. We used our usual digital camera still-shot tests and found the results to be quite good, but only after adjusting the brightness. Unfortunately, the application supplied for snaps - Presto Mr Photo - proved slow and annoying. Otherwise, the software package is good, with all the necessary Twain drivers, VideoWorks for grabbing short movies, and Netmeeting, the internet standard from Microsoft for videoconferencing.

We loved the sturdy construction of the DVC325, particularly the heavy rubberised base unit which has an extendable arm for easy positioning. There are also mountings for attaching the camera to a laptop PC, a shutter button for quick snaps and a manual focusing wheel. Close-ups are possible down to 10cm, which is impressive for a PC camera, and fine details generally came out very well.

Kodak claims a frame rate of up to 30 per second, but this is only possible at a very small resolution. About eight frames per second is a more realistic figure.

Overall, the DVC325 is a reasonably good camera and is well made to boot. However, for a quid shy of a £100 we expect a lot more features. Similar cameras are available from about £55.

Contact Kodak 0870 243 0270