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We clicked with:
Panorama mode is fun*
Noise at high ISO is quite reasonable (at this level)
HD video and 16:9 still image modes
Competitive price
Shots in the dark:
Panorama mode far from perfect*
Macro mode not very 'macro'
Some focusing issues
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Kodak has, perhaps unfairly, been more than a little under-represented of late. Back in the film days, Kodak was the photo brand - but, despite plenty of early successes, the company has not made the same impact in the digital domain. A repackaging in 2007 saw the old Kodak logo take on a 21st Century twist, and the company has been launching promising new compacts ever since.
The Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS looks to push Kodak's fresh image to the fore. So, does squeezing HD compatibility and Image Stabilisation (IS) into a small, affordable entry level package mean it's a camera to watch out for, or is Kodak's latest offering just another compact?
The Camera:
The Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS aims to offer HD quality at a price that clicks, and with a £150 suggested retail price it certainly ticks that box. The camera comes with a Kodak CRV3 lithium battery, which - while having fantastic longevity - isn't a rechargeable and costs about a fiver to replace. Fortunately, it's possible to pick up a KLIC-8000 Li-ion rechargeable battery for around an extra £20, or use AA rechargables at a pinch.
The Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS sticks to a simple body and layout that, whilst not breaking any new ground, is functional. The camera is small, with a two-handed layout, judging from the positioning of buttons on the camera's top - they feel out of place for flash and shooting mode buttons. The in-camera menus, on the other hand, are refreshingly easy to use. The thumbwheel offers a manual (M) mode that can be quickly selected and successfully adjusted at ease. Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO and focus then pop up along the bottom of the 2.5" LCD and can be individually managed via a directional pad on the back of the camera. As each of these manual options glows red when selected, it's straightforward and easy to know which setting is being changed without the unnecessary fumbling through menus.
Furthermore there's a fairly accurate digital meter that measures exposure and displays over/underexposure in tenths of a stop (+0.2 for example). It's the little things like this, as well as the continuous three frames shooting, that make the overall use of the camera that much more rewarding.
Having manual modes is fantastic, but not always perfect - only having three f-stops available is a little limiting, and when you do have to go deeper into in-camera menus, they always default to the beginning of the menu upon each re-entry. The sensible option would be to have an option to 'remember' which setting was last adjusted, and default to return to that area of the menu.
The Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS has 16 scene modes plus a special panorama mode (stitches three images together to create one panoramic image). As with other menus, the scenes are quickly accessible - it's all laid out on one screen that is quick to access and simple to understand.
Being a 'Z' series, you can expect some 'zoom' from the Z1085 - a 5x optical zoom in this case, offering a 35-175mm (35mm equivalent) range. A little disappointing to not have pushed a wider lower end, as 35mm (widest provided) is such a common standard in many compacts. In practice, the zoom is good for the most part, albeit a little slow to catch up and focus on the screen. At the longer end of 175mm it's tricky to hold steady, which is where the optical image stabilisation (IS) comes to the rescue. It's worth noting that in quiet surroundings the IS does make a notable 'grinding' type sound, which can be disconcerting.
Not to solely rest on the laurels of IS, the Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS has a host of HD (high definition) compatible features too - and given HD is 'the thing' for 2008, it's a savvy move. To avoid any confusion, HD doesn't mean your still images will become any 'better' as such, as they are fundamentally still the same - HD playback essentially means you can view your still images on an HD TV in crystal-clear sharp resolution, very much in line with the EasyShare ethos. In this instance it does mean that there's an in-camera 720p HD video option - bringing the benefit of a greater resolution at source. There's also a funky 16:9 (widescreen) ratio mode too, so you can shoot cinematic-style images that will fill out that widescreen TV to perfection.
The images:
The Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS can push sensitivity as high as a whopping ISO3200 (or as much as ISO8000 in Hi-ISO mode), which - in terms of compacts with small sensors - rarely offers a decent noise-free image. In general the Z1085 doesn't have hugely destructive noise-ridden images, but there's still noise nonetheless. Noise here is much less a blotchy-coloured affair and more a lack of detail refinement:
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ISO: 80
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200
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400
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800
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1600
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3200
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The image stabilisation (IS) is of the optical kind - not only a good thing, but entirely necessary when working with extensive zoom. Most compacts at this level come with lesser effective electronic IS, so it's a boon to see a useable and effective option in camera (only still a bit baffled by the grinding noise it makes!).
IS: off
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Single (on)
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Continuous (on)
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Lens quality is so-so and does cause some softness and purple fringing - the latter being where, due to the properties of the lens, there's the appearance of 'purple shadows' around (usually) contrasty edges. The Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS has the standard 'blue / red' issue that is found with many compacts (see image below) - it's not going to be the end of the world for screen-based images, but is a hindrance should you be looking to take full advantage of that 10megapixel sensor and produce large format prints.
Macro mode is an issue too, as there's nothing distinctly 'macro' about it - the camera really isn't too fond to focus on close-up objects. This becomes more of an issue when utilising the zoom in conjunction with macro. Whilst the macro setting does allow for focusing closer than in standard modes, it's more of the focal distance where it ought to not be defined by 'macro'.
The panoramic mode is great fun, although it works in landscape orientation only. To assist, a portion of the previous image appears on screen in order to match up the following image with. Helpful, yes, but not entirely accurate - some scenarios will work a treat, others fail to match up correctly.
The stitching process can be slow at times also, leaving you waiting for the final image which is then near impossible to check for final details in-camera - errors only tend to come to light upon analysis at full size:
On closer inspection there can be panorama errors, even when trying to accurate stitch images.
Good job then that there's an 'almost-panoramic' 16:9 ratio. Easy to access, single shots can produce excellent results for both screen and print:
Conclusion:
No camera is without its errors, but the Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS has a bloody good bash at being an excellent entry level compact - and is successful for the most part. It's got easy to use menus, an abundance of modes (including manual), a good zoom range, HD options and a decent image stabilisation sets all for 150 quid.
Fundamentally the only reason to look for a different compact at the price would be if you require a decent super-macro mode or a wider lens. The lack of rechargeable battery is understandable given the quality of the camera at the price, but it's hard not to think that if Kodak popped a rechargeable battery in the box this compact would entirely dominate the competition.
Bottom line is that the Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. Although the market at this level is saturated with hundreds of other compacts fighting for space, many of them come with feature-sets that are much more talk than substance. In the case of the Z1085 you get a decent, useable compact that does exactly what it says on the box - it even throws a bit of fun into the works, so a highly recommended compact all in all.
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Megapixels
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10
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Screen
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2.5" TFT colour LCD
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Zoom
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5x optical zoom (35-175mm equiv.)
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Picture Modes
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16 scene modes, HI ISO setting, HD movie, Panorama mode, 16:9 still image option
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Stabilisation
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Yes (optical)
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Sensitivity
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ISO80-3200 (to ISO8000 in HI ISO 3.1mp mode)
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White balance
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Auto, 4 options
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Storage
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SD
32MB Internal memory
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Battery
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CRV-3 lithium battery (replaced by 2xAA batteries after use, or optional Li-ion rechargeable battery sold separately)
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Other / Key features
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16:9 format,
HD video (720p)
Face detection
Panorama mode
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