Kodak Z885

Reviewed July 2007

Characteristics

The Kodak Z885 is equipped with a 1/1.8 inch CCD that supports 8.3 million pixels of which 8.1 million are effective when capturing an image. Seven image sizes are available, all saved in JPEG format and without any choice for the strength of the compression applied to the image:

• 8.1 MP: 3264 × 2448 pixels
• 7.1 MP: 3264 × 2176 pixels (a format with a 3:2 aspect ratio that corresponds to photo printing papers)
• 5 MP: 2592 × 1944 pixels
• 3.1 MP: 2048 x 1536 pixels
• 2.2 MP: 1800 x 1200 pixels (another format with a 3:2 aspect ratio that corresponds to photo printing papers)
• 2.1 MP: 1920 x 1080 pixels (a format with a 16:9 aspect ratio compatible with HDTV)
• 1 MP: 1280 x 960 pixels

The Z885's CCD has a starting sensitivity of 80 ISO, and when the camera is set to Program or Manual modes, it is possible to set the sensitivity to 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 or 3200 ISO. Moreover, if the image size is set to 2.2 MP, 2.1 MP or 1 MP, sensitivity can be pushed as high as 6400 and even 8000 ISO. All other capture modes, however, control sensitivity automatically and adjust it according to the available ambient light.

The lens of the Z885 is a 5X Kodak optical zoom with a focal length range that corresponds to a 36 to 180 mm on a 35 mm camera. The diaphragm has apertures that start at f2.8 at the wide angle end and f5.1 at the telephoto end, closing down to f8 and f14.9 respectively.

A 5X digital zoom is also available but, as is often the case, the digital zoom is only a cropping tool that interpolates the cropped image to the currently selected image size, resulting in a progressively more and more noticeable loss of image quality as the magnification effect is increased.

The shutter speed range of the Z885 varies according to the shooting mode and the focal length in use, but generally covers from 1/2000 to 8 seconds. Worth noting, however, the shutter speed tops out at 1/1000 second when the Manual mode is used, and noise reduction is automatically applied to all long exposures.

In addition to the settings that can be modified directly on the monitor when the camera is set to the Program and Manual modes, and those that are selected using the buttons on the camera, the Z885 is equipped with a relatively simple menu. The menu is divided into three sections, with the content of the first two sections varying according to the camera mode. The content of the third section, however, is constant and provides options for the basic configuration of the Z885 (see the Interface and Software section of the review for details on this part of the menu).

The Program and Manual modes offer the greatest number of settings for the first two sections, with the first section offering the following:

• Picture Size: to select the image size (see above).
• Colour Mode allows selecting how colours are recorded:
  • High Colour increases colour saturation.
  • Neutral Colour is the default setting.
  • Low Colour decreases colour saturation.
  • Black and White.
  • Sepia.

• AF Control provides two options:
  • Continuous AF: the focus is adjusted continuously.
  • Single AF: focus is adjusted only when the shutter release button reaches the halfway point.
• Date Stamp: decides whether or not the date is permanently superimposed on the image.

The second section offers the following options:

• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Tungsten (incandescent or halogen), Fluorescent or Open Shade.
• Exposure Metering: controls the metering pattern used to establish the exposure Multi-pattern, Centre-weighted or spot.

• AF Zone serves to select the way the auto focus operates:
  • Multi-zone: focus is achieved using any of 5 AF areas positioned in a cross near the centre of the frame.
  • Centre-Zone: focuses only using the centre AF point.
• Exposure Bracketing Interval: serves to select the exposure bracketing increment (±0.3 EV, ±0.7 EV or ±1 EV).
• Sharpness: controls the sharpness of the image (High, Normal or Low).

• Red-eye Pre-flash: decides whether or not the camera uses pre-flashes to force the subject's pupils to contract prior to capturing a flash photos, thereby reducing the red-eye effect.
• Reset Camera: returns the camera to its default settings for the P and M modes.

With the camera set to the Video mode, the first two sections of the capture menu are replaced by a single section containing two options:

• Video Size: 640 x 480 pixels or 320 x 240 pixels.
• Continuous AF: to decide if the focus is established and locked at the first frame of the recording, or adjusted continuously as the recording progresses.

With the Z885 set to the Playback mode, the menu is also divided into three sections, the first two containing options for organizing and editing images, while the third contains the Setup options.

The first section contains:

• Select All: to select all the images on the memory card or in internal memory.
• View By: to select image based on All, Date, Album, Memory (internal or memory card).
• Album: using the EasyShare software included with the camera, up to 32 albums can be created in the internal memory of the camera while it is connected to a computer running EasyShare. Then, images sorted into albums on the camera will be transferred to the same albums automatically when downloaded.

• Slide Show: plays back images automatically, with an on-screen time that can be set from 3 to 60 seconds in 1 second increments, looping back to the beginning once the end is reached or not.
• Copy: allows copying images and videos from the internal memory to a memory card or vice-versa.
• Multi-Up: displays captured images in an Index view, showing 9 thumbnails per screen.

• Protect: to avoid the accidental erasure of images or videos. Worth noting, while protected images cannot be deleted with the delete/erase function, they will be erased if the memory is formatted.

The second section provides the following options:

• Perfect Touch tech.: automatically corrects the brightness of an image then saves it as a new image.
• Cropping: allows selecting a part of an image and saving it as a new image.
• Sound Tag: allows recording sound or a voice annotation up to 1 minute long to an already captured image.

While with a video under review, the options for the second section of the menu are:

• Make Picture: allows selecting a frame in a video and creating a equivalent size still image from it.
• Trim: allows editing a video, cutting away unwanted sections and saving the edited video either by overwriting the original or as a new video.
• Action Print: serves to create one image composed of 4, 9 or 16 images extracted from a video.

The SHARE button, located on the back of the camera (see the Ergonomics section of the review) only operates in the Playback mode. Pressing the button presents a short menu that allows selecting how the image will be used:

• Select All: serves to choose all the images in memory.

• Print: serves to select the image under review, or others, for printing and allows selecting the number of copies to make of each selected image. The Z885 is compatible with PictBridge and can be connected directly to similarly compatible printer via USB to print images without a computer.
• E-mail: serves to select an e-mail address to which the image under review will be sent. Using the EasyShare software included with the camera, up to 32 addresses can be stored in the camera's memory.

• Favorite: serves to select an image as a favorite, which, once it is transferred to the computer, will allow it to be resized by EasyShare and stored in the Favorites folder located in the camera's internal memory, making it accessible using the Mode Dial.
• Print All: selects all images at once.
• Cancel Prints: cancels all print orders.

The Kodak Z885 is equipped with a 32 MB Internal Memory and with an SD (Secure Digital) MMC (MultiMedia) memory card slot positioned on the right side of the camera. In North America, the camera is retailed without a memory card.

The memory card slot is covered by a door that also covers the USB port of the Z885. A USB cable is included in the camera kit, allowing it to be connected to a computer or a printer.

The chart below provides approximate storage capacities for both the internal memory and an optional 1 GB SD card:

A jack, positioned below the memory card slot cover door serves to power the camera from household current using an optional AC-DC adapter.

One more connection — standard on all Kodak cameras — is located beneath the Z885. It serves to connect to the EasyShare camera dock/printer. A transparent plastic adapter, shaped to the Z885 and designed to fit on the EasyShare Dock, is included with the camera.

The Kodak Z885 is powered by two AA-size batteries that slide into a compartment underneath the camera in the grip area. The camera is retailed with 2 alkaline batteries, but is compatible with rechargeable Ni-MH batteries.