Kodak M893 IS Review

The Kodak EasyShare M893 IS combines an eight megapixel CCD imager and a Kodak-branded 3x optically stabilized zoom lens with a 34 - 102mm equivalent focal range. For framing images, there's a 2.7-inch 230K pixel LCD display, but no optical viewfinder - an increasingly rare option these days and one that would add a good degree of versatility, letting you get the shot when you can't make out the LCD in bright sunlight, or save battery life by disabling the LCD when accurate framing isn't vital. Images are stored on Secure Digital / MultiMediaCards including SDHC types, or in 19MB of available internal memory.

The Kodak M893 IS offers a generous 19 scene modes to help beginners achieve the results they're looking for without the need to understand subtleties like shutter speeds, apertures and the like. The M893 IS includes Kodak's face detection technology, which locates faces and automatically adjusts the focus and exposure. The M893 IS determines exposures with a multi-pattern, center-weighted, or center spot TTL metering system, and offers 2.0EV of exposure compensation in 1/3EV increments. Five white balance settings are available including an auto mode, and ISO sensitivity is controlled automatically from 80 to 400, or manually from 80 to 1600. The EasyShare M893 IS also offers a movie mode, capturing VGA (640x480) clips at 15 frames-per-second or QVGA (320x240) clips at 30 frames-per-second, in QuickTime MotionJPEG format.

The M893 IS is capable of displaying stills in High Definition, using the optional Kodak EasyShare HDTV dock. Images and movies captured on the Kodak M893 IS are transferred to your computer over a USB 2.0 Full Speed connection, rather slower than the USB 2.0 High Speed connections offered on many cameras these days. Power comes from a proprietary KLIC-7001 lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack, and an AC adapter for in-camera charging is included in the bundle.

List pricing for the Kodak EasyShare M893 IS is set at US$179.95, and the camera starts shipping April 2008. Body colors available are: silver, black, red, blue and purple.