Kodak EasyShare P850

I've had this camera for a little over a year. I don't take a lot of pics but those that I have taken have been beautiful.

I think there is a lot of value here for a little money.

A great camera for the semi serious photog.

Light weight, easy to point and shoot or setup for those special photos.

Price was fair for what is offered. Movie mode works really well and the mike picks up sounds very well.

I don't feel that this camera has any weaknesses for a non-pro camera, especially at this price.

good camera,but has issues with the light sometimes.when in dsrk pics can be blurry.Overall,for the price,its worth every penny.only other problem is the mega pix,but i can work with 5.

o ya,good zoom 12x

colour qualiy
clearness
small
good zoom
great features for price range camera
has hot shoe
raw render
good value for buck
light weight
great auto setting
great camera to start with

plastic
slow
doesnt take the best pics in low lighting.

none

never needed

For a casual photographer, digital photography offers a lot of potential. With instant review, one can experiment, learn and grow as a photographer.

This is my second digital camera which I purchased for the following :-

1) Ultra zoom - 12 x
2) Image stabilization
3) RAW
4) Hotshoe for external flash

My first camera also being a Kodak, I settled for the same brand because of portabilty of battery, ease of use.

Although most people do not prefer Kodak, I like the picture quality and am not too worried about the 'noise' factor since I rarely print photographs and not larger than 4 x 6" or 5 x 7"

With falling prices it is a great ultra zoom to buy.

12 x zoom
IS
RAW
Hotshoe for external flash
Excelent movie mode

More of a wish list than weaknesses

1) Better LCD, foldable
2) Bulb mode for shutter speed - my other camera Kodak DX 7440 had 64 secs as the slowest speed, the P850 has only 16 secs

I looked at a lot of cameras before purchasing this one. I've always shot Nikon in the past, and have used several of their Coolpix models. This is my first Kodak.

Nikon has better cameras than Kodak has. If you have the money.

But dollar for dollar, I don't see how I could get better pictures than I'm getting with this Kodak. Bigger, better lens elements than you can get in a $267 Nikon product. Better color rendering than in a $267 Nikon product.

If you want better images than this for $267, better go to ebay.

As for the unit itself, I was able to start shooting without opening the software package inside. I will not install Kodak software on my computer--I like my machine too much to do that to it. You can use Photoshop or the Windows pic wizard, and they will do much of what Easyshare will do--and the rest is unnecessary.

So I just picked up and started shooting pics. Outdoor shots are really quite good, especially on cloudy days with plendy of diffused light. This camera seems made for that kind of shooting--you can just leave it on auto and hit the shutter button and an outdoor shot will turn out good.

Making adjustments to compensate for weird light sources is not too hard. You can really do yourself a favor on indoor shots by using the white balance routine before you take a picture.

I'm not sold on the long zoom. It is very nice for shooting close up with a tripod. Jewelry and coin shots for sales pics turn out just fine. It can even work as a document scanner if you have a steady hand.

There are a lot of shots this camera can't get. But for 99% of my shots it works great. I tried Canon, Sony, Olympus (another old p&s favorite) and Panasonic. None of their $267 cameras could do what this one can do. You can get it for less on ebay if you want the hassle.

But if you already have your hi-speed SD card and are just looking for a better camera, you could do a lot worse for the price.

Bang for the buck, good lens for this price range.

My five stars are for quality at this price point. If you don't have extra hundreds to spend, stop right here, head over to your local Sam's Club and buy this camera. You're not going to find better pictures for less without buying a refurb or used, or via some internet deal that limits your warranty options.

Adjustability is hard to get at, fiddling with menus to get your shot just right.

Lots of features take hours of practice, then you forget where they are in the menu trees. You almost need a 'cheat sheet' in your camera bag to help you remember how to access key shot-control features.

Nikon Coolpix, Olympus Stylus digital

Not tried yet.

Kodak has done a fairly good job with this camera, especially with the Zoom.
It's a very nice size, extreemly lightweight, and easy to hold. All the buttons are in good places, the screen is nice and Big! Pictures are clear, very good options.

Huge Color LCD
auto pop-up flash
lightweight
easy controls
lens cap removes itself

slightly slow startup
the anti-shake isn't near as good as the minolta's
non-movable lcd screen

they were very helpful (although slow) in getting the picture transfers to work