Kodak Z1085 IS

Kodak doesn’t have any real machinations to challenge at the pro end of the market. EasyShare models stop at around the £200 mark, not breaking into even the beginner SLR territory. The Z1085 adheres to the traditional simple-to-use template of the EasyShare range, keeping controls and design as beginner-friendly as possible.

Having a focus on those unfamiliar with the operations and controls of the average digital camera does provide a few restrictions, though, as is evidenced by the controls at the rear. Basic, easily understandable language is used instead of symbols, with the likes of the Review and Share buttons labelled with the words instead of abbreviations or images, making even the most uninitiated feel at home. The design is something of a letdown on this front, as many of Kodak’s compacts still managed to look stylish while maintaining the simplicity.

Carrying some similarities to Nikon and Canon’s recent AA-powered ranges, the Z1085 certainly won’t stand out from the crowd in a clutch of similarly priced models. There are few, if any, pieces of flair to give the camera anything other than a workmanlike appearance and even the model number is difficult to track down. Having a right-handed grip once more lets the beginner know how the Z1085 needs to be held, making immediate operation all the easier. There aren’t too many surprises regarding the button placement either, even if the rear is particularly spacious.

Although most of the buttons at the back are of a similar size and arranged in a uniform pattern, it seems extremely strange that the power button is left so small. As one of the more important controls on the camera it can be easily missed, and the overall focus on simplicity makes the decision even more perplexing. In a similar sense, the Mode dial, which surrounds the shutter release, uses very small text to denote the various settings. In spite of this the dial is extremely solid to use, locating into each position in a satisfyingly robust manner. Annoyingly, the same can’t be said for the zoom, which is given a tiny rocker switch that seemingly isn’t built for adult-sized fingers. With only 5x optical magnification to contend with, this doesn’t represent a complete catastrophe, but a larger control placed on the top of the camera could have made manoeuvring the zoom far easier. Thanks to the manual control option, the D-pad has become all the more important, adding another function on top of the standard menu navigation. As both the flash and timed shutter release features have been given dedicated controls, this leaves the pad with only the two major functions, and it’s surprisingly responsive for both usages.

Kodak certainly hasn’t skimped on the manual controls, though, allowing everything from shutter speed through to focus and ISO to be altered. The D-pad works well for any of the stepped settings, such as aperture, but in the realms of focus it falls short. The LCD isn’t massively sharp or big, making trying to achieve a particular level of sharpness unnecessarily difficult. The camera utilising the digital zoom to emphasise the point of focus isn’t particularly helpful as the results simply become pixellated and hard to see. Thankfully, the majority of the auto modes are reliable enough to be left to their own devices, such as the intelligent Smart Capture mode, which selects a scene setting based on conditions. This is certainly helpful in the hands of a newcomer and needs no lengthy menu excursions to activate it, being a default setting in the Automatic mode.

As easy as the Z1085IS makes the image-taking process, there are a few issues with the end quality. Although the focus is both accurate and quick, on the whole there was a worrying tendency for the camera to overexpose, making far too many areas appear blown out. The colours were disappointingly flat on landscape images as well, with only the macro shots showing a degree of eye-catching quality. Even blue sky shots tended to look quite muddy, failing to give any real vibrancy in spite of being given plenty of opportunity. Although the camera does allow for an uncommon amount of control over the manual settings for the price range, having to make drastic changes to get the image quality to an acceptable level is an annoyance.

In the price range that the Kodak Z1085 is sitting in, there’s plenty of choice to be had from the chasing pack. Nikon, Canon and Panasonic have options for similar money that produce better results and feel far stronger, so the merits for opting for the Kodak above the likes of the IXUS 960IS or Lumix TZ4 are few and far between. Both offer better build quality and results for a little, if any, more money.

This isn’t to say that the Z1085IS is an awful camera, simply that it manages to be inoffensively average in a market that should have it being far more concerned with standing out from the crowd. A disappointment, but only for those beginners looking for a simple camera that would be better aiming a little higher.