Kodak EasyShare P850

Kodak overrasket tidligere i høst med lanseringen av modellene EasyShare P850 med 5,1 Mp og EasyShare P880 med 8 Mp. Begge modellene har form som minner speilreflekser, men begge er utstyrt med faste zoomobjektiv. P850 har 12x, mens P880 får 5,8x. Objektivene er fra Schneider-Kreuznach.

Begge modellene har manuell fokusring og ditto zoomring, mulighet for full manuell kontroll, og 25-punkts autofokus. P850 er nettopp testet av Digital Photography Review.

DPRs konklusjon er som følger:
Like the models that preceded it in the DX and Z ranges, the EasyShare P850 offers a lightweight, easy-to-use alternative to users wanting a big zoom camera without the bulk or weight of something like the Panasonic FZ20. It has a truly sophisticated feature set, comprehensive external controls and the usual Kodak friendly interface. The addition of image stabilization means the full range of the zoom can be used hand held, whilst the new hot shoe (and P20 flash gun) extends flash versatility considerably. The screen is good, the electronic viewfinder excellent for a camera at this price, and the P850 is considerably more responsive than most of its predecessors.

Of course, the P850 is not without problems, and how serious they are will depend on your priorities. Although color and exposure are generally excellent, the slow, often unreliable focus in low light (and at the long end of the zoom) and the complete defocusing every time you move the zoom mean that grabbed shots can often take a lot longer than we'd like. But the truth is that most long zoom cameras struggle at the long end of the zoom, and the P850 is by no means the worst offender.

Much worse than the minor handling and performance niggles is the overall softness - and generally over-processed appearance - of the images captured. The P850's inability to capture crisp detail will be a serious issue if you intend to produce prints at larger sizes.
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Ultimately then, there is much to like here - the P850 is positively bristling with features, and is one of the few cameras in its class to offer easy, menu-free access to all the most commonly used photographic functions. On paper it also offers a very compelling feature set at a competitive price, including some (RAW capture, flash hot shoe) that are pretty much unique in this class of camera. But the poor low light performance (focusing and high ISO noise), the softness, the excessive noise reduction and sharpening and the fact that this is the first camera I've tested in years that actually crashed on me more than once (requiring the removal of the battery to reset it) means I can't unreservedly recommend it. And the idea (exposed in Kodak's publicity material) that this is a serious alternative to a DSLR is, frankly, to be taken with a hefty pinch of salt.

Egenskaper, EasyShare 850:

• 5.1 Mp oppløsning
• 12X Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon f/2,8-3,7 (tilsv. 36 - 432 mm)
• Telekonverter og vidvinkelkonverter kan monteres
• 25-punkts hybrid AF-system
• 2,5" LCD-skjerm og elektronisk søker
• Automatiske og manuell kontroller
• Levende histogram ved opptak, samt ved avspilling
• Innebygd, oppvippbar blitz og blitzsko
• Video med VGA oppløsning (640 x 480) og 30 b/s
• Innebygd redigeringsfunksjon
• Lagring på Secure Digital minnekort
• Dokkingstasjon kan leveres
• ImageLink og PictBridge for direkte utskrift

Kodak EasyShare P850 Review - Digital Photography Review.