Kodak M863 Review

The Kodak EasyShare M863 combines an eight megapixel CCD imager and a Kodak-branded 3x optical zoom lens with a 34 - 102mm equivalent focal range, but at $30 less it doesn't include the optical image stabilization of its more expensive sibling, the M893 IS. 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 10MB of available internal memory.

The Kodak M863 offers a whopping 20 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 M863 includes Kodak's face detection technology, which locates faces and automatically adjusts the focus and exposure. The M863 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 64 to 320, or manually from 64 to 1600. The EasyShare M863 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 M863 is capable of displaying stills in High Definition, using the optional Kodak EasyShare HDTV dock. Images and movies captured on the Kodak M863 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 M863 is set at US$149.95, and the camera starts shipping February 2008. Body colors available are: silver, black, red, blue, pink and copper.