It's got the look
With the new Easyshare P850, the big K shows just what it can do, as it creeps up on the competition.
Images are a cut above the rest. Pictures come out sharp with lively colors even when shooting indoors or under artificial lighting. If you wish, ISO levels can be manually adjusted, but images tend to be grainy at maximum level. Best to minimize use of the ISO 800 setting.
On another note, the Easyshare P850's macro mode is very erratic. It has difficulty shooting at a distance of about three centimeters from the subject. Any closer and you get the impression that you have the vision of a 93-year-old geezer.
The interface is fairly straight up. It's easy to understand, but it relies on the joystick to make the selections. As a result, you can't really breeze through the controls.
In the looks department, the P850's macho black shell and the pseudo-analog knobs feel solid but are quite hard to handle. The handgrip for example is a bit too shallow and can't fit four fingers comfortably – good thing there's image stabilization so your stills won't get all blurry. You'll be glad it's there when you zoom in all the way to 12x.
So is this a taste of things to come for Kodak? All we can say is, the P850 needs a bit more work but Kodak sure is getting there. Edong Mendoza
KODAK EASYSHARE P850 | P34,995
www.kodak.com
TECH 5.0-megapixel resolution. SD/MMC card format. 12x optical, 3.3x digital zoom. Image stabilization. SD/MMC card format. 32MB internal memory. 2.5" LCD with eletronic viewfinder. 290-shot battery life. 108x84x72mm. 450g.
LOVE The images and the looks.
HATE The ergonomics could throw you off.
WE SAY A decent try, but other cameras offer more value.
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T3 Magazine Philippines - July 2006 Issue
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 KODAK EASYSHARE P850
Cam cousins
Meet some of the P850's competitors. The ultra-zom market is getting crowded indeed:
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H1
Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Panasonic Lumix FZ7
 Post your opinion or own review!
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