squodge
Well-known member
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.
Problems:
The camera froze on a couple occasion when I used certain auto modes. But as I don't usually use auto, it's no longer a problem.
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.
Problems:
The camera froze on a couple occasion when I used certain auto modes. But as I don't usually use auto, it's no longer a problem.