Kodak EasyShare Z981 Review

3.5

June 11, 2010 | Gavin Stoker |

Buy a EasyShare Z981 14 Megapixel Bridge Camera - Black (7.6 cm 3" LCD - 26x Optical Zoom - 4288 x 3216 Image - 1280 x 720 Video - HD Movie Mode)

Lowest Price: N/A

Buy a EasyShare Z981 Black Digital Camera (14 Megapixel - 3" LCD - 26x Optical Zoom - 1280 x 720 Video)

Lowest Price: N/A

Specifications

Standard features
Sensor type	1 / 2.33 type
Effective pixels	14 MP (4368 × 3256)
Lens	26-676 mm (35 mm equiv.) f/2.8-5.0 SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON optical zoom lens
Zoom	26X optical, 5X digital, total zoom range 130X
Image stabilizer	optical
Shutter speed	auto, 16-1/2000 sec. (S/M modes)
Viewfinder	high-resolution (230K pixels) electronic, 100% field of view
Display	3.0 in. (approx. 230K dots), Smart Display, 2 level brightness adjustments
Storage	64 MB internal memory[1]available, SDHC/SD card expansion slot
Auto focus
Focus Type	TTL imager AF system
Modes	normal, macro, super macro, infinity, manual
Focus range	normal: 0.7 m (wide)/2.5 m (tele)-infinity macro: 0.1-1.0 m (wide)/1.7-3.0 m (tele) super macro: 0.01-0.3 m (f=52 mm, 35 mm equiv.)
Auto focus control	single, continuous
Auto focus zones	TTL multi-zone, center zone AF, selectable zone AF (25 zones)
Face Recognition	yes
Face Detection	yes
Face-priority AF	yes
AF (Auto Focus) assist light	yes
Exposure control
ISO sensitivity	auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400[2]
Metering modes	multi-pattern, center-weighted, spot
Compensation	±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps
Bracketing	±1.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps, 3 images
White balance	auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade
Flash
Range	6.2 m (@ wide, ISO 400) 3.5 m (@ tele, ISO 400)
Modes	auto, red-eye reduction, fill, off
Compensation	±1.0 EV in 1/3 steps
Shooting specifications
Drive modes	single shot, burst (0.9 fps up to 3 frames), high-speed burst, self-timer (10 sec.), delay shutter (2 sec.), 2-shot self-timer
Shooting modes	Smart Capture, sport, portrait, P (programmed AE), A (aperture priority AE), S (shutter priority AE), M (manual exposure), portrait, panorama (left-right, right-left), video, SCN (scene modes)
Scene modes	high ISO, night portrait, landscape, night landscape, flower, sunset, backlight, candlelight, manner/museum, text, beach, snow, fireworks, children, self-portrait, stage
Click to capture	< 0.2 sec.
Shot to shot	< 1.6 sec
Still capture
Still format	JPEG/EXIF v2.21, KDC RAW image file format
Picture size	14 MP (4288 × 3216)—4:3 12 MP (4288 × 2848)—3:2 10 MP (4288 × 2416)—16:9 6 MP (2832 × 2128)—4:3 3 MP (2048 × 1536)—4:3 2 MP (1920 × 1080)—16:9 1 MP (1280 × 960)—4:3
Compression level	PASM: fine standard, basic, RAW[3] Smart Capture: standard
Color modes	high, natural, low, sepia, black and white
Sharpness	high, normal, low
Review options	single, magnification with navigation box, multi-up, multimedia slideshow, histogram, view by, face recognition
Editing	on-camera crop, KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology, voice annotation, RAW[4]file development
File management	delete, undo delete, copy, protect, text tagging, one-button upload, favorite tagging
Video capture
Format	QUICKTIME MOV h.264 (video) & AAC LC (audio)
Quality	HDV (1280 × 720) at 30 fps VGA (640 × 480) at 30 fps QVGA (320 × 240) at 30 fps
Microphone	yes (monoaural)
Speaker	yes (monoaural)
Length	HDV: continuous up to 29 min. based on memory card capacity VGA/QVGA: continuous up to 80 min. based on memory card capacity
Review options	play, rewind, pause, fast-forward and rewind, forward and rewind by frame, multi-up, multimedia slideshow, bookmarks, smart finder
Editing	make a picture from video, action print (4, 9, 16-up), trim, bookmark
File management	delete, undo delete, copy, protect, text tagging, favorite tagging, multi-select, Share
Share
Share menu	YouTube, FACEBOOK, FLICKR and KODAK Gallery sites, e-mail
Customization
Custom settings	LCD brightness (5 levels), date stamp (on/off), image storage, capture frame grid (on/off), image stabilizer control, red-eye preflash (on/off), quick view (on/off), advanced digital zoom, orientation sensor, sound, volume, date & time, auto power off, video out, language, reset camera, favorite, set tag, format, about
Physical specifications
I/O interface	digital (USB 2.0 high speed) connector for data and video
Power	KODAK Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable / Ni-MH Rechargeable Digital Camera Batteries (4 AA), optional AC adapter
Dedicated buttons	top: power, shutter, mode dial, jog dial, drive, focus, flash, shutter, select switch back: zoom, EVF/LCD, 4-way switch, OK, info, menu, review, delete, Share right side: secondary shutter (vertical shutter)
Tripod mount	¼ in. standard
Dimensions	W × H × D: 4.9 × 3.3 × 4.1 in.
Weight	519 g without batteries and memory card