BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Problems with Photo Equipment - Tips & Tricks

Dawn Orbeck		Having problems with Kodak DX6490 I have a fairly new Kodak DX6490 which I use regularly for Ebay and personal use. I used to be able to shoot all my pictures without a flash, even if the lighting was darker than usual (or if the lighting is enough to shoot without a flash). Now I find that the camera will not focus in a darker setting unless the flash is on. This camera has a green 'AE' light when it is focused, or a red 'AE' light when it will not focus. For example, I am sitting inside my office right now with adequate sunlight coming in and the camera will not focus unless I open (turn on) the flash. This is a picture I would normally shoot without a flash. Does anyone know why this is happening? Is this a problem that I will need to address with Kodak? Thanks, dmo To love this question, log in above July 08, 2004

Jon Close		No real reason for it to focus only with flash popped up. One thing to check - Have you inadvertently set "Close-up" or "Landscape" (middle of three buttons on the top)? In close-up mode the focus is limited to 5-28" at wide angle, 4-7 ft at tele. In landscape mode the camera sets focus to the hyperfocal distance and the focus framing marks will not light in the viewfinder. Popping up the flash will disable landscape mode, I'm not sure if popping the flash up will disable close-up mode. To love this comment, log in above July 08, 2004

Dawn Orbeck		Thanks for the suggestion - checked it and that is not the problem. I have been playing around with it today trying to figure out the problem and I did notice a problem with the manual mode (I don't use this often so I can't really remember what it is supposed to do). I noticed it really isn't letting me change anything in the manual mode. When I set to PASM, along the bottom of the screen I see white "P", RED "f2.8, RED 1/8, White 0.0. If I understand it correctly, the red numbers mean they cannot be changed, and the white should be able to be changed. Thing is, I cannot change the white values either. I press the wheel on the front of the camera and it will highlight the "P" and "0.0" (won't go to the f2.8 and 1/8), but when I try to change them, it doesn't scroll to any other numbers. Additional data: when I attempt to take a picture, the following info is on the bottom of the screen: f2.8, 1/8, 0.0. The lower side says ISO 140, and again the AE is in Red. Hopefully this additional information will be helpful. Thanks again, dmo To love this comment, log in above July 08, 2004

Jon Close		Do you have the user manual? All I know is what I'm reading there - http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/publications/urg00167toc.jhtml, and their online tutorial. If you're following the instructions and still unable to get the camera to respond, then you might try a simple "fix" of trying to reset its electronics: turn it off, remove the batteries for an hour or overnight, make sure they are fresh/recharged, then reinstall them. If that doesn't correct it, then unfortunately Kodak Customer Service is the next stop. To love this comment, log in above July 08, 2004

Mark Beaches		The thing they don't seem to mention in the manual is that the jog dial is also a button. If you move the jog to the letter in the far left (likely on P), click the jog dial - you'll then be able to move the mode to shutter, aperture or manual. Click the jog dial again to exit, and jog over to the other items on the screen, and adjust in a similar fashion. If you keep the flash down, and alter say the S in a dark setting, it will turn green when it is slow enough to take a decent pic. Good luck. Took me about 3 hours to realize the jog was also a button. (my first post - woohoo!) To love this comment, log in above October 28, 2004

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