 Viewfinder (7.0)
The Kodak EasySahre P850 has an electronic viewfinder with a large cushioned eyecup. The rubber eyecup has a circular window in its center that peers to the rectangular view. The resolution is great at 237,000 pixels and makes this viewfinder one of the best we’ve seen on an ultra-zoom model. This is much better than the resolution of the Sony H5’s and the Canon S3 IS’s electronic viewfinders. Unlike these digital cameras, the Kodak P850’s resolution is good enough to manually focus in it without looking pixilated. The view is large and has good contrast. There is a diopter adjustment dial on its left side, so the view is clear even for users who wear eyeglasses. The dial is small and grooved on the edges; it has 16 stops in its range. Also on the left side is a button that switches the view from the electronic viewfinder to the LCD screen and vice versa. Overall, the Kodak P850’s viewfinder has great resolution, an accurate view, and a comfortable eyecup.
LCD Screen (6.25)
 The Kodak P850’s LCD screen is nicely sized at 2.5 inches, but its resolution is less than half of the viewfinder’s resolution. With only 115,000 pixels, the screen makes diagonal edges look jagged. The screen has a wide viewing angle when held to the right or left, but if the camera is held above or below eye level the screen is difficult to see. The screen’s brightness can be adjusted in whole steps from 1-5, although it is still hard to see in sunlight. In the setup menu, users can choose a standby mode that turns off the LCD after 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes. There is a designated “I” button (Info) that changes the display on the screen and in the viewfinder. The screen can be blank or can show only the battery indicator, all shooting info, or all shooting info with a tiny histogram. After pictures are taken, the LCD screen blacks out for about a second before the live view returns; this is a bit obnoxious as the next shot can’t be set up quickly. Overall, the 2.5-inch LCD screen isn’t very high quality and users are better off using the electronic viewfinder because of its excellent resolution.
Flash (7.0)
 As part of the Kodak Performance series, the EasyShare P850 has a hot shoe along with a pop-up flash unit. The built-in flash isn’t very impressive for this type of digital camera. It reaches from 2.9-15.4 ft at the widest focal length and 6.6-11.8 ft at the most telephoto focal length; this range can be found on flashes included on compact models. With the Kodak P20 Zoom Flash accessory unit, the range extends to 35 ft. Still, that’s another $149. There are plenty of modes and options on the built-in flash though. The following modes are available from the designated flash button on the left side of the viewfinder/flash components: Auto, On, Off, On with Red-eye Reduction, and Slow Sync. That list may not sound plentiful, but more choices are hidden. The red-eye reduction can be executed with a pre-flash, a digital algorithm, or both; this is changed within the setup menu. Also in the setup menu, users can choose whether to use the built-in flash or the accessory flash or both. In the shooting menu of the more advanced modes, users can choose front and rear curtain syncing options for cool effects. Front Sync, Front Sync Red-eye, and Rear Sync are the choices. There is flash compensation available from +/- 1 in 1/3 increments; it is found at the bottom of the display screen and can be set with the Set button and jog dial.
Overall, the built-in flash unit is not impressive. It returned too many harshly lit images with horribly uneven lighting. The range doesn’t cover macro shooting, as the long lens casts a long shadow into pictures. The range doesn’t extend beyond 15.4 ft either, which is disappointing considering the competition. The flash’s modes and options seem scattered throughout different menus. The organization is a bit confusing; there is a designated flash mode button, but users can also set the Program button to do the same job. It just doesn’t make sense. The Program button is a little more useful when set to display the slow sync options. In the end though, the Kodak P850’s flash isn’t worthy of the enthusiast crowd.
Zoom Lens (8.25)
 The P850 has a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 12x optical zoom lens that extends from its large barrel in a single segment. The lens has some plusses. It has an optical image stabilization system that boasts a two-stop advantage over non-stabilized pictures. The image stabilization system can be activated to work only when the picture or video is being captured or it can work continuously when viewing and capturing. The system seems to work well; the effect was especially noticeable in the movie mode. The zoom lens measures 36-432 mm and works in both still and video capture. The zoom toggle is quite sensitive and offers plenty of stops within the range – 32 to be exact. Its motor noise is barely audible, but is still noticeable in movies. The Kodak P850’s Schneider-Kreuznach lens has respectable maximum apertures of f/2.8-3.7, so it can bring in adequate amounts of light in darker situations. The camera’s lens filter measures 55 mm and is threaded so users can attach the optional conversion lenses. There are wide and telephoto conversion lenses available for $149 each. When attached, the P850 must be informed of its presence in the setup menu. To protect the glass, Kodak threw in a lens cap. And to make sure that lens cap doesn’t go too far, Kodak added a lens strap. Overall, the 12x optical zoom lens and its image stabilization system are some of the strongest attributes this digital camera has to offer.
|
