Kodak EasyShare P850

Opinion: Bought new a couple months after it was released. Takes great photos. Color always good.

Opinion: I recently (first pictures taken are timestamped '2008-05-22') purchased this camera looking for a good starting camera to get myself up from 'novice' to 'amateur' and see if I ever want to get serious about photography. In the end, I think I chose a good camera.

The one thing I seem to have been using a lot is the zoom function (so much that I'm looking towards getting the telephoto lens someday), and I have to admit I'm impressed with the image stabilization at any range. I've ended up with pinsharp pictures at ranges where I would've been sure shaking would introduce at least some sort of blurring.

The auto picture taking setting is fairly good in bright light or indoor setting (where the impressive internal flash lights things up well) but seems a bit dim-witted in low light conditions where the flash won't help, like evening or night landscapes. Those situations make me glad of the adjustable shutter speed, which helps a lot with a little experimentation. Adjusting the CCD sensitivity can also help, but at the expense of introducing extra noise, which isn't what you want.

The subject of noise brings me to the image quality, which is something of an Achilles' heel with this camera. From what I can gather, the small size of the sensor on this camera makes it prone to noise, something I can confirm on some of my shots. I also get bright green and red spots, for no reason I can identify. Still, at web resolution or on small prints, you're unlikely to see most of this.

The ergonomics of the camera can easily be criticized. I find myself sometimes hitting buttons accidentally, though I suppose this will probably happen less as I get used to the camera. I did get frustrated while trying to adjust the shutter speed though. I ended up trying to use the joystick, when I should've been using the command dial. I can't even understand why there's a command dial. The joystick and the command dial are never used together! Why not just one or the other?

The camera does not allow you to save RAW or TIFF images in auto or scene mode, for no reason that I can see. It also only gives you three custom modes, which isn't a lot. Finally, I somehow ended up managing to get hugely over exposed images with the shutter speed at 1/1000 of a second with the flash on, which went black when the flash was off. A proper mystery.

So far I haven't tested some of the more advanced features of the camera, nor have I used the video function of it yet. I may yet edit my review as I get more accustomed to my new camera.

Still, despite the problems, I'm pretty happy. This is a robustly built, superbly well-featured camera that I managed to get for only a shade over £100. As long as I get no serious problems and I can still find replacement batteries for it, this camera should serve me well for a while.

Opinion: i bought this camera on ebay. it has a durable construction. the zoom is very handy. but this camera lacks in low-light capability, but if you wanted low-light performance, a SLR is a better choice for you. this camera has many accessories for it. my favorite thing about this camera is the viewfinder. it is so clear and has many pixels so i am comfortable using it

Opinion: I have owned this camera for over two years now. It was a replacement to my Kodak DX7630 that performed great but didn't have the manual control that i was looking for at the time. I purchased this camera as a refurb unit and it has performed great. Only recently have i started to see minor mechanical issues that are more annoying than they are an actual issue.

I have taken over 30,000 photos with this model. Many that were mulitple shots to make sure i received the shot i was looking for. The auto focus isn't as fast or as accurate, especially in low light situations, as I would like. The optical zoom is fantastic, it has me spoiled. The manual features have provided a great learning experience as I have never taken a photography class to learn the ins and outs of the craft.

It has been very durable, considering the plastic construction. I have used it in all types of weather from extreme heat and cold, sand, high humidity and in the rain. I took the measures to keep the camera safe and it has continued to perform over and over again. Buying it as a refurb, i was very lucky and taking the risk has paid off greatly.

I look forward to this camera taking pictures for as long as it will allow. My next camera will be the Nikon D300 as i feel it is time to move up. I may not be ready educational wise, but i am looking forward to the challenge.

Opinion: This is my first digital camera. I have had it since June of 2006. Even though I have only been using it for a short time, the great pictures that the camera produce makes me look like a seasoned photographer.

Opinion: I bought the P850 in Nov 2006 and found that for the majority of shots including the 28mm wide angle adaptor great value for your dollar.

Opinion: I purchased this camera as a christmas present to myself in 2005. Like every thing I do, I research every detail before committing to buying and based on the
dp reviews I purchased it. I thought the Kodak 850 offered so many features topped with a good lens that it seem to be the best buy out there for the money.

After owning it for only 8 months months and trying it in every situation I found this camera falling short of my expectations. I now which I would have purchased a panasonic or a sony.

My camera is only 8 months old and you can not see any imagine through the eye piece or screen, I belive it could be a problem with the sensor so I brought it back to the camera store and they shipped it off to Kodak for repairs.

I'm stuck now without a camera for 3 weeks GREAT! The first thing I noticed when I bought the camera was that the pictures were not as sharp as other cameras yet everyone is still is giving it a 4 and a half star rating ????

I updated the firmware and it still is no where near the quality of my old single lens reflex camera. This camera maybe OK for outdoor shots and for a novice but, I expected a little more from a company that builds it's represention around quality photos.

The camera seems to put out ok outdoor photos but is really bad in low light indoor shots. the macro close up focusing is a joke. If they can't fix my camera and give me a cash credit to replace it, I will be buying another brand.

Opinion: An outstanding camera for the price. My other camera is a Canon 350D and i find myself picking up the Kodak to take with me more often than the Canon. Hmmmm.
Not great low light and macro focusing but hey, its a great camera for well under $300. And the low light can be fixed with the flash duuu. For Macro and portraits i use the Canon. Use the right tool for the job. Nuff said.
Also the review on this site in my humble opinion should be taken with a large grain of salt. A recommended with "barely" comments by Mr. Joinson is way off the mark. This is a great camera if you use it correctly. Learn to use it and dont rely on the auto mode so much you will get GREAT pics.

Other pros: Great feel in the hands. Very solid construction. superb LCD size and an EVF WOW! Flash hot shoe. TIFF and RAW options. I mean come on Mr. Joinson that in itself just makes this camera ROCK. Im done and happy hunting everyone! :)

Opinion: Great Camera! the only place I could not give it a 4.5 is ease of use, but that is to be expectedc on a camera that will do just about anything but plug in the coffe!

At the bargin basement prices it is going for now, It should be rated at a 5.5 or 6.0 in value!