|
Manual Control Options
The EasyShare P850 has plenty of manual control and its interface is set up similar to a DSLR, which could be quite a change for Kodak users who have graduated from their automatic point-and-shoots. Still, manual controls are a welcome change. The P850 eases intermediate users into using more manual control by offering automatic settings for just about everything and included Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes. The priority modes allow users to select a specific parameter manually, then the camera does much of the rest of the work. The P850 has three custom modes along with its fully Manual and two priority modes; users can save current shooting settings to the three custom positions. This is done by scrolling through the menu system to the buried option or setting the Program button to assign settings to the custom modes. There is no confirmation that the settings are saved, so users must only hope that the function works. Overall, the P850 earns its place in the Performance series with all of its manual controls and its vast array of designated buttons to access them.
Focus
Auto Focus (5.5)
 The P850 is outfitted with an advanced hybrid auto focus system that works through-the-lens. The hybrid external passive sensor detects subjects and focuses on them – most of the time. Sometimes the sensor just can’t figure it out, like in low contrast situations or if the subject is very small. Also, the focus often lags behind the zoom lens. The lens zooms in first, then it takes another half-second or so for the system to focus on the subject. The auto focus system has two control modes typically found on digital cameras: Single and Continuous. The system can be set to focus on the center zone, multi-zone (default), or the focus point can be moved around to 25 different points around the frame. Both the AF control mode and the AF zones can be set to be selected on the Program button.
The P850 can focus as close as 3.9 inches normally in wide and 35.4 inches in telephoto. The macro mode doesn’t get any better. It focuses from 3.9-35.4 inches in wide and 35.4 inches to 6.6 ft in telephoto. For photographing scenery far away, there is a Landscape focus mode too. In low light, there is no auto focus assist beam so focusing could be very tricky. This is a time when the manual focus will come in handy, but that too will be difficult to see. To allow more creativity and control, the EasyShare P850 has an AE/AF button that locks the auto focus in place of the shutter release button. The auto focus system was generally slow, often lagging behind the zoom lens.
Manual Focus (3.0)
In line with more advanced models, the P850 includes a manual focus mode. It can be accessed with a designated button on the top’s left side and controlled with the joystick on the back of the camera. The LCD/EVF display shows a tiny indicator in the bottom left corner of the screen. The center of the screen is magnified so users can more accurately assess whether the subject is in focus or not. Many competing models do this, but not many have great resolution on their display screens – making it very difficult to tell whether subjects are in focus. The LCD screen has this awful problem; it only has 115,000 pixels of resolution. However, the electronic viewfinder is stocked with enough resolution for users to make a good judgment of sharpness. The manual focus mode works very well and is very easy to use.
 Exposure (7.5)As a member of the Performance series, the Kodak P850 allows total control over the exposure – if the user wants it. The mode dial reflects the camera’s flexibility in its exposure control: Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program, Custom x 3, Scene x 16, and Auto. Users can select the shutter speed and aperture in the more advanced modes, while most other modes simply offer the standard +/- 2 exposure compensation scale in 1/3 increments. Unfortunately, the exposure compensation is not available in the scene modes which is where most point-and-shooters would use it. Also involving exposure compensation is the bracketing mode, which snaps either 3 or 5 pictures in selectable increments within the range.
If users are unsure about the picture’s exposure, live and review histograms are available by pushing the “I” button. Also, there is an AE/AF button that locks the exposure settings rather than using the shutter release button. Overall, there is a lot of flexibility in how the exposure can be changed.
 Metering (6.5)The Kodak EasyShare P850 has a standard selection of metering modes including Multi-Pattern, Center-Weighted, Center Spot, and Selectable Zone. The default multi-pattern metering option uses only 25 zones to measure the scene. This is a little disappointing seeing as many compact models use upwards of 256 zones throughout the frame to more accurately measure light. The Kodak P850’s through-the-lens system seems to perform decently in optimal conditions though. The center-weighted metering setting measures from a larger area in the center, while the center spot measures from a smaller area. The selectable metering zone shows a tiny cross that can be moved to 25 points around the frame with the joystick. For pictures with the subject against bright light, users can choose the selectable zone or centered metering modes or can use the more automatic Backlight scene mode.
White Balance (8.25)
 Many of the current compact EasyShare models on the market have only four white balance settings, so it is refreshing to see a few more offerings on the Performance series cameras. The P850 has plenty of white balance control. It has three custom white balance settings, plus an automatic mode and the following presets: Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Open Shade, and Sunset. There is also a manual mode that can save current settings or use the last captured picture as the measurement for white balance. But wait, there’s more. The Kodak P850 has a white balance compensation setting that shows users a tiny rainbow-colored box in the corner of the screen. Users can scroll around the box to adjust the shade toward blue, red, magenta, or green. There are 196 different points in this box that users can scroll upon. All of the white balance options can be accessed in the advanced recording menu or through the Program button if set.
ISO (6.5)
The Kodak EasyShare P850 has lots of ISO options, but in a relatively small range. The options are as follows: Auto, 50, 64, 80, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, and 800. These are selectable in the Program, Priority, Manual, and Custom modes. Another catch: the ISO 800 setting is only available in the tiny 1.2-megapixel image size. So basically, this is just a glorified 50-400 range. This is a bit disappointing especially for a digital camera that flaunts its “performance” features – and at a time when many compact models are offering higher sensitivities. The Kodak P850’s sensitivity can be adjusted with the jog dial and the set button; the option appears at the bottom of the display screen along with the exposure compensation and other manual settings.
 Shutter Speed (6.25)The Kodak EasyShare P850 has manual and automatic adjustment of the shutter speed. The automatic modes use a relatively short range of 1/2-1/1000th of a second. The manual mode can only go as fast as 1/1000th of a second, but will slow down up to 16 full seconds. When manually adjusting the shutter speed with the jog dial and set button, the numbers change red to white and vice versa. The camera meters the scene and gets an idea for what settings should be used and flashes the numbers in red if the chosen speed will return an under-exposed or over-exposed image. This is helpful for beginners who are easing into the idea of manual shutter speed control.
Aperture (7.0)
 In the Manual and Aperture priority modes, the aperture can be changed with the jog dial and the Set button. The jog dial moves from the aperture setting to the exposure and flash exposure compensation settings on the bottom of the LCD screen. When the aperture is scrolled upon, users must push the Set button to then be able to scroll within the aperture range. In the wide angle of the lens, the range extends from f/2.8-f/8.0. The maximum aperture shrinks to f/3.7 at the telephoto angle. There are a total of ten stops within the full range. When the camera thinks the picture will be underexposed, it flashes the aperture in red. Acceptable aperture choices are displayed in white. This is a nice setup especially for beginning photographers who are exploring the manual modes.
|
