Kodak's DCS Pro SLR Offers Very High-End Digicam (For A Price)

1. Introduction

Products such as the Canon EOS 300D or the Nikon D70 have made digital SLR cameras accessible to the general public. Meanwhile, offerings for the professional market are limited. What is there beyond the Contax N Digital and the Canon EOS 1Ds? Mainly Canon, with two fine cameras (the EOS 10D at 6 million pixels and the EOS 1D Mark II at 8 million), Nikon with its disappointing D2H (only 4 million pixels, which is not really enough resolution for pros), but also Kodak. The famous yellow logo has been present on this market sector since the pioneer days of digital, with a film-digital SLR concept with Nikon and Canon mounts. We can recall models that were identical to their film-only equivalents. They were satisfactory, valid solutions for the studio, but too bulky for press and everyday work. Now that it's technically possible to produce DSLRs that are no more bulky than traditional film SLRs, Kodak has come to the fore with its 14 million pixel monster, available in two models - the SLR/c (Canon mount) and SLR/n (Nikon mount).

Are 14 million pixels reasonable? Absolutely, some will say with conviction; not at all, skeptics will retort. But aside from the resolution, the imager Kodak offers here is what sets this unit apart: a full-frame 24x36, and nothing less. What this means is that the happy owners of an SLR/n can use their Nikon F5 optics without compromise, without anxiety, without problems - and above all without the focal multiplier that narrows wide-angles and lengthens telephotos. All in a camera body that's midway between the Nikon F100 and F80, fairly bulky but acceptable, and at the unbeatable price of under $5,000. Can anybody do better? As a matter of fact, not.