Kodak EasyShare Z915

10x zoom without the price magnification

No memory card is supplied, although there is 32MB internal memory. Bear in mind though, that only 13.5MB is actually allocated for storing images, enough for around half a dozen shots at the highest resolution. Also, if you want the full instruction manual, you’ll have to go online and download it from Kodak’s website. That’s not very consumer friendly Mr Kodak.

The optical zoom is equivalent to 35-350mm on a 35mm camera

In terms of features, the Z915 comes with a 1/2.3in CCD composed of 10 megapixels (effective) with a maximum resolution of 3698 x 2736, down to 1280 x 960. Kodak makes a lot of noise about the Z915 offering HD images, which basically means you can shoot images at 1920 x 1088 resolution for displaying on a 16:9 HD Ready set. Video is also offered, but only in VGA or QVGA resolution at 30fps. The 10x optical zoom offers the equivalent of 35-350mm f/3.5-f/4.8 lens on a 35mm camera and Kodak has included an optical image stabilisation system.

Shutter speed range is 1/8 – 1/1250sec in auto mode and 16-1/1000sec in manual operation. The ISO range is 64-1600 in auto mode but, oddly, only 100-1600 in manual or semi-manual modes. There’s no continuous shooting mode, but a burst mode, which fires off three frames at 1.5f/s. There are the usual multi-pattern, centre-weighted and spot metering modes and three AF zones: multi, centre and face priority. You can set the exposure bracketing interval for +/- 0.3 EV, +/- 0.7 EV or +/- 1.0 EV steps, and even use it in conjunction with the exposure compensation system.

The Z915 is ready to shoot around three seconds after switch on. We have to confess that it’s not the most comfortable of cameras to hold and its boxy shape doesn’t offer many places for your fingers to rest naturally. The LCD screen looks a bit small with such a large bezel, although it is clear and bright, and five brightness settings are available.

There are plenty of shooting modes to select including, smart auto, which basically decides what scene you’re shooting and then adjusts the shooting parameters accordingly. It also applies Kodak’s Perfect Touch technology, which is designed to reduce noise and improve exposure in dark areas. For the more adventurous, there are program, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual and scene modes, as well as the option of taking panoramic shots and shooting movies.

There's no continuous shooting mode, just a three pic burst at 1.4f/s

Manual mode lets you adjust aperture, shutter speed and ISO speed. There are fifteen scene modes to choose including, portrait, sport, night portrait and one quaintly titled “manner/museum,” which disables the flash. You can also tweak your images by selecting one of a series of colour modes that include sepia, black and white and high colour, and there are also three levels of picture sharpness.