Kodak EasyShare P880

Opinion: The camera took good pics, but unreliable.

The lense's wide angle is great for taking pics interior shots or when you want to take tourist scenes. It was easy enough to use by people who are familiar with only shot-and-shoot camera (convenient if you want to have someone else take a shot for you on vacation)

Opinion: Superb Lens, and the manual zoom is plain fun to use.
Very good handling.
However....

Opinion: I have bought Kodak ES-P 880 fifteen months ago mostly because of its unique wideangle lens and TIFF and RAW writing files formats. I think it is a very good camera for most users - but the freshmen in photography - even for professionals as a additional one. P 880 is very easy to use though it features plenty of manual settings buttons and knobs – just intuitive.
Lens and sensor duo output are outstanding pictures – something a halfway between high end analogue SLR using good film and DSLR supplied in very good CMOS image sensor (using TIFF or RAW writing file option in PASM / C modes).
Cannot complain about metering, WB and AWB, movie modes, flash performance, noises (but ISO 400) and even focusing. Very versatile optical zoom range and fairly usable digital twofold zoom. Lots of setting options with PASM modes and additional three custom modes let you have all the control you need for taking outstanding pictures.

Opinion: Great camera. I use it 1 year. Any problem. Nice quality. Many interesting and praktice features.

Opinion: I have now owned and used this camera for nearly a year, and to the tune of some 7500 photographs.

The picture quality is excellent, especially at the lower ISO settings.

The lens is of very high quality, having little distortion at either end of, and good results throughout, the zoom range.

This camera will appeal most to those who do not wish to go to the expense of a digital SLR, but who do wish to have the option of precise manual control -- along with the option of several programmed settings. It is not for people who have no photography experience, or even for those who have some experience, but who have no interest in doing other than aiming and shooting.

The learning curve is steep, and for those who do not have film SLR experience, considerable time will be needed to learn the hows and whys regarding settings. The results, however, will be worth it.

This camera, and the sister camera (P712) together make an excellent combination and cover almost all conceivable shooting needs. The fact that the two take the same battery, the same cards, the same flash and the same add-on lenses/filters (with appropriate adapter rings) is a bonus. Owning the two of them (I do.), and adding on the dedicated Kodak 1.4 zoom lens, the shooting range goes from 24 mm up to 605 mm. All this without the problems associated with removeable lenses, and at half the price of a DSLR. And, it's probably lighter in weight carrying the two than one DSLR with lenses.

The manual zoom on the P880 is a great advantage when fine-tuning is required.

Comment: note that while the range is supurb with the cameras, they are not a replacement for a DSLR if that is what someone really wants and/or needs. I speak/write this as a Nikon user, as well.

Opinion: Very happy with first digital camera. Can do almost everything my old Nikon reflex camera can do, and much more. Digital shooting is a real pleasure. I think I have a new hobby.

Positive:
- manual wide-angle lense is really great
- image quality
- I have used ISO 800 and ISO 1600 as a last option, with not too bad results
- great colours
- good video clips, although only VGA is good enough, therefore quickly big files
- SD cards
- battery life
- price/value: I paid 261 euro on Internet.

Negative:
- bulky: nearly same hight, as width and length. Need a SLR case/bag to put it in. Weight I find OK.
- macro: somewhat complicated and limited possibilites
- rather slow, tele is limited: use is limited for sport+wildlife
- would've preferred more "photography" manual, and not just technical manual
- many buttons, some of them I don't use (share, favorites)

Opinion: For $299 refurbished, this is about as nice a camera as you will find with a good travel lens (24-140mm). There are few cameras with this lens range and quality, and the feature set is perfect. My only five complaints are listed below in "problems encountered".

This chip has very realistic colors and contrast, which is better down the road because you can adjust color and contrast as you like on the computer. Some other things I like about the camera:

1. Having setting buttons avoids too much menu use
2. the battery lasts much longer than my S80 batteries. Took about 250 images in Zion over 4 days without a battery change. This was with "auto-preview" off and using the viewfinder a lot instead of the LCD screen.
3. lens & chip quality very good
4. good flash exposures (although I rarely use flash)
5. comfortable grip, easy to navigate menus, intuitive
6. 3 custom settings you can make exactly the way you want! (although I wish you could name them besides remembering was C1, C2 & C3 are.)
7. CHEAP!

Opinion: The camera is a little small for my hands, and it's the shape that causes the problems. If it were built as a compact P/S, my hands wouldn't feel so cramped. It's also very plasticky, although this doesn't make using the camera difficult.

The feature set is excellent for a camera at this price point. It has the widest angle of all prosumer cameras, and this 24mm wide angle does not even produce vignetting on a normal day outside - so top marks to Kodak for managing that. I have no problem with the max telephoto range at 140mm, which exceeds all dSLR kit lens [which tend to offer up to about 105mm].

On top of the wide angle and decent telephoto range, there is the 8MP sensor, the ability to shoot in RAW, many custom modes, a proper rubberised manual zoom, hot shoe on the camera, a decent flash unit [the P20], and ISO50. Even the video mode produces excellent results for a stills camera, and the manual zoom can be used too.

Image quality is good from ISO50 to ISO200. ISO400 is too grainy, although this can still be used if you purposely want a grainy photo. ISO800 and ISO1600 are pointless. The colours are absolutely superb, even in auto mode. Plus you have complete control of WB, something that even some dSLRs lack. There's little distortion from the lens, so kudos to Kodak for not trying to squeeze more than a 5.8X zoom on the camera.

Lots of buttons = great handling, just like my Nikon. I would've prefer an extra job dial on the front of the camera, hence it loses one star. The manual focus mode is a joke, but most of us use autofocus anyway. All controls are fairly intuitive after about two weeks' use.

For £230, this is one of the best investments I've ever bought. Much better and used more than my mp3 player, the excellent video mode means I don't have to buy a dedicated camcorder just for the occasional video clip, and it's definitely a camera in a class of its own. DP Review are correct in putting it just outside a Highly Recommended rating.

Opinion: Just got the P880 for Christmas. Wife got it through Costco for $249. WOW! What a deal. So far I love almost everything about this camera, still have lots to learn.. Ease of use is great just haven't found out how to use everything yet.

I came from a SLR film background and haven't used digital much. With that said the P880 isn't very hard to get used to.

Love the wide lens.
love the feel
Try one and you'll like it.