Kodak is rebuilding its empire by delivering dead-simple products, and the Z1085 IS is no exception: It’s one of three point-and-shoots pioneering Kodak’s Smart Capture Mode, which selects the scene mode and edits the picture before processing it (the other models are the $199 M1033 and the $279 V1273). Although aimed at somewhat more-experienced photographers, we recommend this $249 camera to novices, too, thanks to its ease of use, beautiful colors, and all-around good images.
Like an SLR, Only Smaller
The Z1085 IS looks like a shrunken DSLR, a fitting look for a camera targeting more-advanced users. It feels sturdy in the hand and has an ergonomic hand grip on the left front side, with a rubbery finger inset. On top are the self-timer, flash, and power buttons with a scroll wheel on the right. On the back side, the 2.5-inch LCD is lined with a smattering of controls: a zoom panel; Delete, Info, Menu, Review, and Share buttons; and a four-way navigational pad. The LCD seems small, particularly because the image takes up the full frame. Although it’s colorful, it wasn’t bright enough when we used it outside on a sunny afternoon.
Intuitive Menus
The camera’s interface is simple: Press Menu to enter and exit menus, OK to select options, and the right and left navigation buttons to switch menus. To adjust photo settings in Live View mode, press the Info button, use the right and left buttons to highlight a setting and the up and down ones to tweak the settings. The icons themselves are unobtrusive and sleek.
In addition to Auto Mode, users can choose Program or Manual mode. With Manual mode, you can adjust the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and focus. Using Program mode, you can adjust only the exposure, ISO, and focus.
Is Smart Capture Mode Smart?
Building on its Smart Scene technology introduced last year, Kodak’s Smart Capture mode not only selects the scene mode; it applies Kodak’s patented Perfect Touch process, underexposing the photos to better render highlights and shadow detail. However, this mode utilizes only five of the camera’s 16 scene modes: Macro, Closeup, Portrait, Landscape, and Night Scene.
Smart Capture is also activated when the camera is in Auto mode. When you aim the camera at a subject, the Smart Capture icon in the upper left corner changes to that of the appropriate scene mode. For instance, when we brought the lens close to a flower, the Macro icon appeared.
Our resulting shots showed vibrant, frame-worthy color. And more often than not, they emphasized the appropriate subjects: flowers in a Macro shot and faces in portraits. This feature works especially well in harshly lit situations: Our backlit shot looked sunnier, and we could more easily make out the texture in concrete pillars and details in distant trees than when we took the same shot in Program mode. One instance when we didn’t prefer Smart Scene mode was with action shots; Sports mode did a better job freezing fast-moving subjects.
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