kodak z915

At the first glance, you would be forgiven for unbelieving that the Z915 Kodak easyshare is designed and built by the same people who flood retailers with hordes of cheap EasyShare point and shoots season after season. Look a little closer or even better, pick up the camera and some of Kodak's cost cutting measures become apparent, but on the surface at least, the colorful and stylish Z915 is as trendy looking as any Canon or Nikon. Whatever your perception of Kodak's recent consumer digicam efforts, chances are the enthusiast focused Z915.

Once the most powerful force in the world of imaging, Kodak still packs a punch on sales volume alone. And then with new models from the manufacturer inching further and further up the ladders of style and performance, Kodak is clearly hoping to regain some of its former street cred. With a 10x zoom and manual controls in a compact package.

When we think of cameras with innovative styling and robust build quality, Kodak has, unfortunately, not typically been at the top of our list. But if the original photographic giant has been content to hold down the fort by protecting their stockpiles of entry level discount store models for the last several years, we've seen a subtle but evident change in tactics of late. Borrowing Canon's styling cues and Sony's color palette, the Z915 Kodak is a very attractive, very compact 10x that manages to at least look like serious competition for the Canon SX200, the Panasonic ZS3, and the host of other pocket-size ultrazooms that have recently joined this burgeoning class of devices.

Build quality is improved, if it is not impeccable. There's still too much thin, creaky plastic to carry off the Z's upscale styling. The buttons, and especially the zoom toggle, feel cheap and flimsy, as does the mode dial. Glossy finished areas are prone to scratches and smudges. But even admitting these construction gripes, Z915 still manages to hit a home run in bringing together a serious set of features with a body that doesn't look like usual industrial design afterthough.

Inside the Z915's shell, you'll find a 10 megapixel CCD sensor backing a 10x (35-350mm) optical zoom. It's not a wide-angle lens, which puts the Kodak at another disadvantage compared to rivals from the likes of Panasonic and Olympus. That said, given its price advantages, it's a trade-off that some buyers may be willing to make.

Finally, the Z915 Kodak, and especially its related packaging materials, are slathered in "HD" badging. In Kodak's world, though, this high profile high def advertising has to do not with the Z915's video capabilities, but with the fact that it sports a playback-optimized 1920×1088 still capture mode. Kodak's insistence on advertising the Z915 as an HD model is slightly hokey, and potentially more than a bit confusing for newbies as well call it what you will, you'll still only get 640×480/30fps video out of this camera.