Cant it be an open discussion as, I think we would all like to know of any issues there are as I am contemplating buying, later this year.
okay... here's a copy of a reply I sent to mark off list:
I love the camera, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you are new to digital and digital processing you're more likely to be unhappy with it, than someone more familiar with how to deal with the digital quirks it creates. The 14n is my fourth Kodak digital. Probably the biggest issue for you to deal with is the fact that the 14n does not contain an anti-aliasing filter. On previous cameras it was an option. I always chose not to use one. The result is considerably more digital artifacts, but also sharper images. I prefer working that way. I'm used to working without an AA filter and have no problem with the minor issues it raises. Others (some of the reviewers) go ballistic at the first sign of easily corrected digital artifacts. With the resolution on the 14n being as high as it is, the artifacts only show up on very fine detail; or moire only appears on very fine patterns. There's much less of it to deal with than previous cameras with no AA filter would produce, but its still there. Many of the really bad 14n samples that I've seen posted around the web are the result of poor attempts to get rid of the noise. The result is they screw up parts of the image that never should have been touched in the first place. They globally apply some over zealouos noise reduction to get rid of a problem in one small area of an image and screw up the detail in parts of the image that were just fine to begin with.
Be aware also that all Kodak cameras perform much better if you shoot RAW files. They slow down tremendously shooting jpegs. I've seen lots of complaints about speed that would easily be cured by just turning JPEGs off and dealing with a raw only workflow.
The 14n is a great camera for high resolution work in well lit situations. If you want low light performance you probably won't be happy. I've heard more than one 14n owner say they keep a Fuji S2 to have a similar body that can handle low light well.
You ought to read through some comments about the 14n in the Kodak forums on Rob Galbraith's site. That's where you'll find some of the best examples of shooters with real world 14n experience.
http://www.robgalbraith.com/
Here's a link I posted on Galbraith that shows a comparison of my 760 to a 14n. The noise you see around the high contrast white on black type in the 760 image is typical of no AA filter shooting. You don't see it in the 14n shot here, but it will show up on similar subject matter that's much finer in detail. Quantum Mechanic software is an excellent product for dealing with such noise.
http://www.accurateimage.org/14n/compare.html
Hope this helps...
Bob Smith Accurate Image Waco, TX
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