Kodak Easyshare M863 makes snaps simple
Kodak Easyshare M863 is for people who just want to take pictures. They would prefer them to be better pictures. Pictures with good color. Pictures which they will be proud to show. But they do not want to mess around with a lot of technical gubbins. Point the damn thing, press the button and another moment with the family is recorded for posterity.
For that purpose this new range of cameras is ideal. Kodak truly understands that sometimes simplicity is better. And that if you start talking about ISO ratings peoples eyes will glaze over.
This new line from Kodak is small and lightweight and looks pretty snazzy. Kodak was never a believer in the idea that you could have any camera as long as it was in either black or silver. This one comes in pink, black, silver, blue, red and copper.
When it comes to ease of use this new line of cameras has it sorted. First there is an impressive 2.7 inch LCD screen which makes it relatively easy in most circumstances to compose a picture — ‘Justin, can you move closer to Margie so I can get you all in.’
There is a zoom so that you can make sure that Justin and Margie are well in the frame whether they move or not.
On the Kodak Easyshare M863 the menu and the navigation are a delight and most of the times you can forget them. You have a rotary dial and you can select what you want. Press the OK button and you are told what you are getting.
As in most Kodaks, this fits, as to the manner born, into a Kodak snapshot printer. This one is called the G610 but, in truth, it works like all the earlier versions. You chose the pictures you want and you get almost instant prints in postcard size you can give the eager relatives who can coo over them and say, ‘Doesn’t Justin look younger without his mustache’ and ‘Margie bought that dress in a sale but I really thing the coloring suits her.’ And so on and so forth.
But this Kodak Easyshare M863 also is showing the next step forward in this sort of camera which is, in truth, a lineal descendant of the first Box Brownie (before your time, ducky). It shows videos on widescreen TV. Totally amazing. One would not wish to be there when they are shown but one can imagine the enjoyment given to the viewers who are almost certainly in the shots.
For Kodak this is a very fast camera. From the time you switch it on you can be snapping within two seconds and there is very little shutter lag and for the vast majority of shots taken this will make never no mind. The happy snapper can get off a shot ever three seconds or less which is more than fast enough.
What is amazing and useful is that the Kodak Easyshare M863 has an 8.2 megapixel sensor. Strangely, this is more important for a happy snapper than for a top professional. Professionals frame their shots to within 5 or 10%. Happy snappers are not so careful so sometimes prints need to be seriously cropped to let Margie appear in decent detail. Crop a print by half and it is still 4 megapixels which will print up to A4 with not problems.
You can stick in memory cards. There is video — 640×480 — which you can think of as YouTube junior grade. You can bung in either SD or SDHC memory cards so there will always be plenty of space although, in truth, for the intended market this will be rarely be needed.
It has face detection technology that locates faces and automatically adjusts camera settings. Which probably makes a difference. What does help is the digital image stabilization feature which reduces blur caused by very minor camera shake or very small subject movement. Do not get carried away thinking it will compensate for you having the jitters.
For the market for which it is intended it has all those good settings like portrait, children, snow, beach, backlight and so on. It is made as simple and as easy as possible to use. Even the on-camera cropping works as to the manner born. All this for something less than $130.
This is, indeed, the definitive point and shoot camera BUT it has a lot of extras which means it can take superb pictures. Especially of Margie and Justin.
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