Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS

Opinion: i found this camera at throw-away row.i got it under 100 bucks just to try the kodak out as fun.After that i have decided to buy kodak always first.It did not disappoint me.Even crossed my photography expectations.I have so many words to say in the favor of Kodak Z 1085.Just give it a try.Its worth to have in glove box.I have album" Kodak Z 1085 "with out the touch of any photo tools.Check it out.kodak-z-1085

Opinion: Good flash range. Already testd by me.
Easy menu.
Good HD movie clips. Continious focusing when shooting doing great job.
Manual focus ability.
Histogram.

Opinion: It's amazing for digital compact camera.

Opinion: This is a wonderful camera and with it's manual controls,
it is more than I expected. With the large sensor and outdoor shooting, you can't beat it.

Opinion: Excellent camera--construction and image quality. Handy size for carrying around everywhere. For best image quality I do NOT use the Auto or scene features, which tend to make the pictures too "painterly," that is blur over detail. "P" mode with high sharp setting gives best quality for me. The camera has been on sale for some time at the $120 point (and even lower)--a real bargain, especially since it is a quality camera to begin with.

Opinion: This is my second Kodak digital camera. The quality of images is consistently good and are well focussed. It is nice to have a point-and-shoot with full manual controls as an option. I use manual settings about 1/3 of the time because the automatic settings are so accurate.

For the price (US$179.00), nothing comes close in quality. The new Nikon P6000 looks like a nice alternative but at almost 3 times the price.

- Mechanical quality is quite good and almost no lens play when zoomed out.
- The lens looks like it is using a quality multi-coating which gives nice images without ghosting and good contrast as compared to other zooms.
- CA is visible at edges but not a problem if you aren't looking for it. The lens is relatively fast compared to others and the shake reduction really works.
- Some barrel distortion at wide angle which seems to be common for cameras of this type.
- Macro is more of a close-up feature than true macro.
- Movie quality looks good but I have not used it much.
- Settings are preserved when using P or M mode.

The high ISO settings up to 3200 are a joke because they are so blurred by noise reduction. However, the regular settings up to 400 are quite usable. ISO 80 is excellent.

A very good choice for someone who wants manual controls on a budget or who wants an excellent automatic camera with the option of learning more about manual settings.

>> Added Note<<
I have noticed that some people complain about poor battery life and locking up. This all relates to not reading the manual. It is clear that you need to ONLY use lithium batteries. Either the disposable type or the Kodak rechargeable with their charger. NiMH batteries which are the typical rechargeables do not have enough voltage (1.25v) compared to lithium (1.5v) and the camera knows it. Beware of sales people who don't know any better telling you otherwise.

Opinion: Just a warning to everyone. I had a Kodak camera stop working, poor design. Trying to get the camera returned was a joke. Kodak has horrible customer service. Don't buy Kodak products. They could care less about customers.

Opinion: It was risky to order a camera so new that no reviews are available. However, it was the only camera with all the features I wanted under $250.
Anyways, I've got it today an made some pictures and videos indoor.
0. Camera is small and light. I've got it for my wife and she likes it.
1. Video is 1280x720p and is MUCH better than my big Sony DV camera with 1/4 sensor. When there is some light of course. Unlike Sony DV camera, this Kodak cannot capture video when it is too dark.
Video format is Mov but codec is mp4. Audio quality is fair.
You can buy this camera just for capturing video.
2. Picture quality. In bad lighting condition there is noise and loss of details. If light is good or flash is on, it makes quite desent pictures. 10 megapixels is a joke of course. 5 megapixel mode should be the right one.
3. Anti-shake - looks like it works good and make perfect sense
4. Screen - good and bright even when it is sunny
5. lens is closed (protected) automaticaly when camera is turned off. Good!
6. There are 16 pre-defined scene modes. They look useful.
7. Camera is easy to use - I figured out how to navigate through menus and configure features without manual.
8. Camera is little slower than Nikon D50, but still much faster than my old Olympus. Not bad, but could be faster.

My other cameras:
I used to have Olympus C720UZ for years and now I have Nikon D50 with Nikon 28-200G and Tamron 17-35. I have played with some other DSLRs (Pentax and Canon) and digital Point-and-shoots (Nikon, Canon, old Kodak).