Kodak EASYSHARE M1093 IS 10.1 MP Digital Camera - Black

A superior camera, and here is why-
I don't like messing with controls, what I want is several presets that do exactly what I need.
What I need is to be able to take pictures of home's interiors, which isn't
as easy as an outside shot. If a white wall is taken with a full flash, even
on a super expensive camera, there is just white noise.

This Kodak differs in that aspect and is better than any camera I have found
at any price at taking low light photos. Sure, any camera can use a flash and take a picture of a practically dark garage. This little guy can take a photo in a night portrait mode, or a "stage" mode, and does the impossible.
IT ADDS LIGHT WITHOUT A FLASH.
Even on some settings with a flash, the flash itself is dialed down about 70%. So a very minimum flash is given out if desired, and makes interior pictures super realistic without the items closet to the camera being very bright and the items getting darker the further from the flash.
The Z1485 totally avoids that. How, I am not really sure.
I have found most all newer digital take great outside shots, its the interior pictures that seperate the men from the boys.
Sure there might be a way to use manual settings and duplicate the Kodak, but
I am not in the business of screwing around with manual settings and taking
artsy photos. I need crystal clear, colors that match the actual settings,
and I need it fast without reading War and Peace to figure out how.

If you have similar needs, I strongly recommend this unit. I bought a used like new camera for $62( I have seen like new refurbs for $90 bucks), with a kodak Li-on charger and kodak 3.7 volt battery. Then I bought another car charger and 2 additional 2200Mamp batteries for a whopping $15 here on Ebay. So I have power to spare. Think about that the next time you read a review complaining of battery drain with this camera. If you BUY THE RIGHT BATTERY, the one it was designed for, the 3.7 volt Lithium rechargable, you have hundreds of flash photos before changing them out. Get an extra rechargable battery or two for under $10 and you can take pictures for hours.

If this is everyones beef, that they cannot use regular Alkalines, then oh well, can't please everyone. Nobody gripes at Sony for requiring propriatary memory sticks, not sure why Kodak is blasted for requiring a special, but cheap rechargable. For regular good alkalines my camera will still take 50-55 flash photos. Not sure how some people are claiming they take 3 pictures and have a dead battery.
Bottom line, do it right from the start, get the lithium batteries this thing was designed for. That is 3.7 volts, not the normal 3.0 volts most AA batteries have. Also for the guy complaining of a "jumpy" video, you have too weak a flashcard in all probability. Get a good 4-8 gig card and your video will be normal.

If you do that you will own a camera that performs like cameras that cost triple the price, and even better at low light scenarios. In a package that
can be put in your shirt pocket. The only real shortcoming is closeup
macros. These Kodaks just dont do super close real well. Like under 8
inches.

Besides that, Its a remarkable picture taking machine at a dirt cheap price.
If this was a Nikon or Canon, these features would have everyone falling
all over themselves to buy it for $300.
So unless you just have to have a cool sounding Nikon or Canon, I would
buy the cheap camera that takes super astounding pictures

The Z812 IS box doesn’t include a rechrageable battery or charger – the camera functions acceptably with a CRV3 (about $10.00 each) or AA Lithium (about $8.00 for 2) disposable batteries, but that disposable battery cash drain will eventually eat up the Z812 IS’s price advantage – in addition, disposable batteries are harmful to the environment.

The Z812 IS lacks a custom/manual white balance mode – most of the Z812 IS’s competitors do provide a custom/manual WB mode.

The jog dial is too easily accessed accidentally.

The Z812 IS’s noise management is effective, but a little too aggressive - so shadow areas are a bit darker and highlight areas are tiny bit less defined than they should.

The Z812 IS’s minimum focusing distance (in macro mode) is 4.7 inches/12 centimeters - not nearly close enough for dramatic full frame bugs and flowers macro shots. The competition allows shooters to get much closer.

The full user’s manual must be downloaded from Kodak’s website.

Who is the Z812 IS best suited for?

The Z812 IS will appeal to budget shooters looking for a LOT of bang for their bucks, first time mega-zoom buyers, casual snap shooters who want a bit more reach, and family photographers who want an easy to use digicam that’s kid/pet capable.

Conclusion

Consumers buy mega-zoom digicams because they want a camera that provides most of the benefits of a digital SLR without the bulk and expense of a modular imaging system, but there are currently so many worthy options that it’s very difficult to choose. The Z812 IS delivers SLR-like handling, lots of nifty features, surprisingly good performance, excellent image quality, and P&S (point and shoot) ease of use – and it does it at a conspicuously lower price than the competition.

Pros: Price, excellent image quality, first-rate zoom, superb usability, and compact size

Cons: No rechargeable battery or battery charger included, noise reduction is too aggressive, jog dial is too easily accessed by accident, no custom/manual white balance mode

This is, by far, the best camera I have ever owned and I have had 3 other Kodak cameras starting with a 2mp to a 4mp to a 5mp and now 8mp.
There is a lot of stuff to figure out with this camera. I suggest registering it at the Kodak site and downloading the PDF manual for it since it only comes with a quick start guide book.
The color and feel of the camera is absolutely perfect. It has many modes and many features that would take more characters than allowed to describe.
It takes beautiful pictures and the zoom is super cool, 12x optical. It's slightly bulky, but that is to be expected with the zoom as it is. The lens is very nice as Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon lenses always are. The 2.5" LCD screen makes viewing so nice. The menu is easy to navigate once you get used to it, it is very extensive and different settings bring up different menu items.
I can find nothing negative to say about the camera besides how it eats through batteries, but with a high drain device such as this that is to be expected so I suggest buying a couple of KLIC-8000 batteries and charger so as to have a backup when one runs dry. There are pretty good deals on those here on Ebay as well, for under twenty dollars.
This is not, unless in auto mode, a point and shoot camera really. You have full control over settings like a 35mm camera would have. I find that to be excellent. The 4 and 5mp cameras had those modes as well.
BUY THIS CAMERA, you will not be disappointed.
The condition is factory refurbished and one can not tell, it's just like new, even smells new!

This camera is awsome!!! The 12x optical zoom is really cool. My favorite part is the panoramic mode. You can take up to 3 pictures and have the camera put them together to make a panoramic picture. The pictures are stunning since the camera has 8.1 mega pixels. It also has HD video with sound. And you can zoom in while you are taping!! It has scene modes for just about everything. I also love the big 2.5 inch LCD screen. Another cool thing is that after you take a picture, you can add sound to it. It starts up very very fast and also has a self timer. I only think that they should put the zoom button farther away from where you look through. You are a little squished. But this camera is perfect for anyone who loves photography. Ecspecially if they love very clear pictures and a lot of zoom. This camera is worth its money. I won't be getting rid of it for a loooooong time. It's a very good choice for anyone who wants a great camera!!!!

I was looking for a camera to introduce my daughter to photography without the "excessive controls" available on other cameras so i decided to go for Kodak.

My first digital was a Kodak also and i liked the experience, now i found this all-in-one camera with full auto control, image stabilization and 14MP images... wow! learn about composition and light, then slowly move into manual options available with easy to use menus... f-stops, shutter speed, iso levels, even focus can be set manually, it only misses the RAW format since all pics are jpeg compressed, that leads you to a +900 full quality pictures on a 4GB SD Card, perfect for plenty of picture-taking fun. Not to mention the 720p quality HD Video this camera also records.

She loves to take pictures and with that wrapped for the past christmas i guess she´s on its way to the photography world... then, if she really likes that world like i do, probably will move to something more complex and customizable by it´s own.