Photo quality is generally very good for the Z915's class. The biggest issue is noise/artifacting, which is visible in photos viewed at 100 percent at all ISO sensitivities. ISO 100 is the lowest the camera can be set to manually, but the Auto ISO will go as low as ISO 64. But, using Auto means the camera will select sensitivities above ISO 200, and those photos tended to look soft and overprocessed (though detail was good up to ISO 800). That's not to say the pictures are unusable; only shots at ISO 1,600 might not be good enough for small prints.
Exposure was very good and colors, while not accurate, are very vivid, which many people--including myself--find pleasing. Occasionally, though, things would look a little too unnatural (check out the color samples in the slide show above to see what I mean). In the end it comes down to how you plan to use your photos. If they're only going on the Web, being viewed on a digital photo frame or TV, or printed at or below 5x7 inches with the occasional 8x10, then the photo quality should suffice.
Although many of Kodak's cameras are capable of capturing HD-quality movies, this is not one of them. You do get good VGA-quality video capture, though, and the zoom lens works while you're recording.
You don't have to look too closely to see where Kodak trimmed things to get the EasyShare Z915's price so low: a small LCD, no Schneider-Kreuznach lens, plastic body components, AA-size alkaline batteries, and no HD movie capture, among a couple other things, I'm sure. Nothing seems to be a deal breaker at its price, though, since you still get good photo quality, fast performance, lots of shooting options, and all at a reasonable price. If you're picky about your pictures you'll probably be disappointed. But, then again, you probably shouldn't be considering a $170 camera in the first place.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
 |
Time to first shot | |
Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Shutter lag (dim) | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test digital cameras.
What You'll Pay
- See All Prices
- Set Price Alert
- Price History
