Kodak Z950 Review

The Kodak EasyShare Z950 Zoom digital camera couples a 1/2.33"-type twelve megapixel CCD image sensor with an optically stabilized, Schneider Kreuznach Variogon-branded 10x zoom lens that offers focal lengths ranging from 35 - 350mm equivalent. Maximum aperture varies from f/3.5 to f/4.8 across the zoom range. For framing images, there's a three-inch 230K pixel LCD display, but no electronic viewfinder - an option that would add significantly to the camera's versatility, but also to its price, size and weight. Images are stored on Secure Digital cards including the higher capacity SDHC types, or in 32MB of available internal memory.

The Kodak Z950 offers 16 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, but still provides program, aperture- and shutter-priorty, and full manual exposure modes for the more advanced shooter. The Z950 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 on the Z950 IS, including an auto mode, and ISO sensitivity is controlled automatically or manually from 100 to 1,600. This can be expanded to a maximum of ISO 3,200 under manual control with a reduced resolution of 3.1 megapixels, in the Program, Priority or Manual modes.

The EasyShare Z950 also offers a high-definition 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) movie mode at 30 frames-per-second, and can also capture VGA (640x480) or QVGA (320x240) clips. Movies are recorded in QuickTime Photo JPEG format.

Images and movies captured on the Kodak Z950 are transferred to your computer over a USB 2.0 High-Speed connection and power for the Z950 comes from a proprietary KLIC-7003 Lithium Ion rechargeable battery, with battery and AC adapter included in the product bundle.

The Kodak EasyShare Z950 lists at US$280, and is available only in a black body color.