Kodak Easyshare M381

A smart addition to the EasyShare range

Pick up the Kodak EasyShare M381 and you’ll immediately be struck by its lightweight, no-nonsense construction. And as one of the latest members of Kodak’s vast EasyShare dynasty, this model is yet another intuitively designed, slim and stylish piece of kit. And its long list of special features is not to be sniffed at either. To give you taste of what’s on offer here, the M381 boasts a solid 12 megapixel sensor, a very impressive 5x optical zoom, plus some rather snazzy auto-adjust features so that those of you who just can't abide tweaking certain settings in between taking pictures don’t have to – instead you have the option of leaving it all to the camera’s Smart Capture settings. Already this compact has a lot to offer the beginner photographer, but does it also have the build quality and instinctive operating mechanics to support it? Let’s find out.

From their well thought-out locations to their glossy finish, all the buttons (both on the back of the camera and on the top) offer a level of quality that will impress even demanding photographers’ fingertips. Likewise the smart, metal mode dial sitting on top of the camera is sturdy and yet easy to slip into position – be that Movie mode, Smart Capture, Program, Blur Reduction, Sport, Panorama, or one of the 18 Scene modes at your disposal. Meanwhile the generous three-inch LCD is substantial and clear enough to satisfy today’s screen-hungry punters – and let’s be honest, whether you’re talking televisions or iPads, a large display is a major selling point these days.

But despite its intuitive layout and attractive materials, the real beauty of the M381 is its ease of use. You needn’t be an expert in exposure control, shutter speeds or ISO sensitivity to capture some incredible shots while on the move with this EasyShare compact. Completely doing away with the inconvenience of painstakingly setting up the perfect shot, the M381’s Smart Capture feature automatically adjusts the lighting, flash, focus and shake settings according to the surroundings of your scene. Clearly this is not a technical camera for those looking to show off their hard-earned photography degree, but nevertheless, spontaneous shots can be achieved with a degree of successfully.

For general picture taking the depth of colour and clarity achieved by the M381 are certainly crisp and true-to-life. However, when indoors or in low light conditions we did feel let down by the M381 as it struggled to conquer some of the simplest shots. In these conditions the results tended to lack definition despite the auto adjustment made using the general Smart Capture picture-taking mode. And up close the macro functions where slightly below par, with more occasional blurring in low light despite our best efforts. Still, there’s no denying that outside and in bright conditions the camera functioned consistently, almost effortlessly bringing home some pleasing images.

And one extremely handy feature that cleverly compensates for any lack of photographic skill or badly lit shots is the Perfect Touch auto function. For those not looking to spend hours on colour correcting and cleaning up image noise, this feature enables you to clean up your photograph as soon as you’ve taken the shot. By simply viewing the photo and selecting Perfect Touch, a magical tool sweeps across the LCD to reveal the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots and allowing you to save over or re-save the new image. The results were impressive, especially on the low-light photos that suffered due to the camera’s low ISO level. On most occasions this adjustment improved poor pictures significantly, making dingy photos brighter and bringing forward the colour in the foreground of landscape shots to create a convincing sense of distance. And only rarely were the ‘before’ images better than the ‘afters’.

And with a nod to the huge numbers uploading their images direct to the likes of Facebook, YouTube and FLICKR, the M381 champions easy uploading with another neat feature. Automatic picture rotation instantly displays your photos the right way up regardless of the orientation at which you took them. And of course, time is of the essence when it comes to being first to Facebook with your pictures! A light-hearted feature but a nice touch nonetheless.

All in all, the Kodak EasyShare M381 is an attractive and very easy-to-use compact with attractive features that will really appeal to those keen to forget the tech and cheat. This model would suit the hand luggage of holidaymakers looking to relax while also coming home with some amazing photos.

Final Verdict With competent auto correct technology and instant post-production techniques that make up for any technical shortcomings the user may have, the M381 is the ideal compact companion for novices or occasional snappers. OVERALL

Claire started studying photography over six years ago where she was intrigued by the act of image making. Claire has a great passion for traditional photographic methods however she’s found the change to the digital medium to be a fascinating advancement.