Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS

This camera is a relatively new entry, so there are not many reviews out there. I bought it based largely upon the hype of it's low noise high ISO performance - and I'm glad I did. The camera's large sensor (.61") and superb image processor allow low-noise photos up to about ISO 1250. And the optical image stabilizer works very well in both single and continuous modes. Another selling point is the fact that you have three battery choices. A non-rechargeable CRV3 lithium, a rechargeable DLK-8000, or two non-rechargeable AA batteries. The camera comes with the CRV3 only (the reason I deducted one star). The CRV3 seems to last forever, but it ain't cheap. I picked up a Lenmar DLK-8000 and charger for $40 and will use the CRV3 as a backup. The menu system is so intuitive, I have yet to read the user guide. And for the first time ever I actually use the scene modes, since there are clear on-screen explanations of each icon's meaning and its function. Other things I love about this camera: face detection, very intuitive program and manual modes, automatic in camera red eye reduction, 720p HD video mode, wide screen capture mode, sound tag recording capability, in camera cropping and slide show/multimedia sideshow playback capability. All at a great price point. I love this camera. I think you will too.

After reading several mixed reviews, I was a little reluctant about purchasing this camera. So far, I have been extremely impressed with it. Pictures come out great even in low lighting thanks to the strong flash and high ISO. The panorama stitch mode is a really cool feature. It works best with a tripod but even without one, it still works well. The macro mode has some issues focusing if you are too close but with 10 megapixels, you can just back away a few inches and crop the photo. For the price, you get great performance and a lot of great features (high ISO, HD video, 5x zoom, panorama, etc...) in a very easy to use camera. Highly recommended!

I have the big brother (Z712 IS)to this camera and wanted something smaller that would be easier to carry around. My kids have one of the smaller versions of the kodak and I wasn't crazy about it. It was slow to start-up and the pics weren't very good. I deceided to give this camera a try and love it. The HD pics are crispy clear and it starts up very fast. The only problem I have found so far is the lense cover sometimes gets stuck and wont close. The battery has lasted a long time. I am very happy with it.

I bought this camera primarily for it's high definition 720p video capabilities. The camera was on sale at Office Max for $99.00 and at that price the camera is worth it even if you just want to take casual video and you are not happy with your cell phone. I began the process quite naïve about digital camera video so it may be helpful to share what little I have learned having played with this camera and its video and comparing it to two earlier models, a Kodak Easy Share C713 and a Nikon CoolPix 4600.

The video is recorded to your SD card, and the video takes a lot of memory, particularly HD video. This camera will record about 30 minutes of HD video on a 2 GB SD card. While you can use a standard SD card and get acceptable results, playback drags, so I would recommend using a high speed SD card for all of your digital camera video needs.

Let me begin by saying there is a difference in video quality and the 720p does make a difference. The 16:9 aspect ratio makes the video wider and the detail quality somewhat improved from the 640*480 mode which is a 4:3 aspect ratio, though the difference in picture quality is not remarkable. With the 1085 the quality of both the 720p and 640*480 was absolutely acceptable and far better than any analog recording and most older digital cameras with video capability and every cell phone video I have ever seen.

In evaluating video quality in digital cameras, what appears to make a real difference is the frames per second of the video. Both the C713 and the CoolPix 4600 produce video at only 15 fps in the 640*480 mode and the results are blurry and unsatisfactory particularly when viewed in a large screen format. The Kodak 1085 at 30fps makes a very real and very noticeable difference and this fps is available in all video recording modes, which I believe is a real plus. The pictures are far clearer and when projected on to my high definition TV the results resemble regular digital television viewing, clear and enjoyable.

The only significant negative I observed in HD recording mode was serious pixelating in low light that can be quite pronounced. However, if you have decent light you should get satisfactory indoor results even in the HD Mode. I really like the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio for video, particularly scenic video. Though in lower light there appears to be a loss of detail in some areas of the screen, particularly when shown on a larger screen (I have a 37" LCD with 720p) television.

If you are just taking video of family, friends etc. the 640*480 30 fps mode is very workable and perhaps a little better in lower light situations. The video uses MPEG4 compression which is the latest commonly available compression. The movies are recorded in .mov (quick time) movie mode so interface with windows media player is difficult and would require a conversion.

I think the key to this camera if you are considering it for the 720p feature, is expectation management. You can spend $3000 for a fabulous HD video camera and for 1/30 the price you can get about 1/2 the quality in an extremely portable package. Digital camera video is a bit of a different animal. Usually shot in short episodes it can enhance your photographic memories, and with its extreme portability with this camera you can literally keep a decent quality video camera in your pocket at all times. By comparison to the video currently available on cell phones the difference with this camera is the difference between black and white TV of the 50's and digital television of the 21st century.

On the negative side, interface with your high definition television and this camera requires a Kodak HD docking station that you can get for about 50 bucks. Many other digital cameras have an included av cable (standard definition) that connects your camera directly to the TV. Kodak has one, but they want 25 bucks for the standard video interface cable. The HD interface docking station is OK and works reasonably well, however the docking station will only recognize .mov files so video recorded in other formats can't be played through your SD card and the Kodak docking station, a point that Kodak does not explain in their literature. Also, don't lose your USB connecting cord as Kodak has a proprietary USB connection rather than the standard USB connection and its another 25 bucks if you lose that.

Also, I have a Kodak SV811 digital picture frame which I discovered will not play back HD video recorded on the 1085 camera, as the picture frame is limited to 800*600 pixel recognition. However if you lower your recording on the 1085 to the 640*480 mode the video plays back very clearly. I would say that if you are looking a digital picture frames for the future I would look to one that has HD playback capabilities. So with the pros and cons I would say that as for the video side of the camera, I would have no hesitation recommending this camera as an excellent compromise between features, quality of video and price. At $149.00 it is a value, at $99 it's the bomb!

I have had the Kodak Z1085IS for 3 months now and have been very satisfied with my choice. This camera replaced my walk-around film camera that I used for 20 years. I looked for small size, light weight, quality optics, and manual controls which this camera had. The automatic settings are reliable and easy to use so my other family members can pick it up and get great results.

There are more expensive brands but unless you need raw files, and lots of add-on accessories, stick with this camera for the money and enjoy the quality.

Make sure that you use only lithium batteries in this camera. Kodak states that on the battery cover, in the manual, and on the box but I constantly see people complaining about burning through tons of AA alkaline batteries or about how the camera keeps locking up. I get hundreds of shots on a Kodak rechargeable lithium battery or disposable lithium AA batteries. NiMH rechargeables WILL NOT WORK!

The high ISO feature is the only weak point. I does get you a photo in very low light but it gets you an ugly, icky blob of color photo (I'm only exaggerating a little). All of the small cameras that try this are in the same boat so Kodak isn't any worse than the competition. If you need really low light photography, get a full sized dSLR.