Review of Kodak M883 and M873

I was looking to buy a simple point and shoot digital camera for some time.
I finally decided to get one for myself. So I went to Croma and I happened to reach there when an annual sale had just started there.

Entering the shop there was a big banner saying Get one camera free with another for Rs 13999 (Kodak M883 and M873). As an consumer the offer looked very attractive to me.

So I went ahead and found the cameras. On a first look these cameras look great. Black finish with sleek design features. After some pondering and reviewing other cameras I finally decided to get these.

headerws9.jpg


[BREAK=First Looks]

The design is sleek and compact with a black finish with an all metal body.
Both M883 and M873 look identical from a distance but on closer inspection the difference are revealed.

For starters,
>> The M883 has a 3 inch LCD screen:cool2:
lcdhl7.jpg

while M873 has a 2.5 inch LCD screen.
lcdwm7.jpg


>> The buttons are all crome with good finish.:cool2:

I would give 4 for design if I had any stars..:eek:hyeah:

[BREAK=Package Contents]

Package Contents for M873
KODAK EASYSHARE M873 Zoom Digital Camera
KODAK Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery KLIC-7006
USB charging cable and adapter
Wrist strap
Camera pouch
Getting Started Guide with KODAK EASYSHARE Software
Custom camera insert for optional KODAK EASYSHARE Camera and Printer Docks

Package Contents for M883
KODAK EASYSHARE M883 Zoom Digital Camera
KODAK Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery KLIC-7006
USB charging cable and adapter
Wrist strap
Camera pouch
Getting Started Guide with KODAK EASYSHARE Software
Custom camera insert for optional KODAK EASYSHARE Camera and Printer Docks

That was from Kodak website...
Adding to that there was
AC adapter with two socket options

camsly9.jpg


[BREAK=Technical Specifications]
For M873
In my terms . Its a 8 mega pixel camera with ISO 1600
Simple point and shoot camera with few customizable settings.
32 mb internal memery
Full specs KODAK EASYSHARE M873 Zoom Digital Camera Specifications

For M883
Its a 8 mega pixel camera with ISO 3200
Simple point and shoot camera with customizable settings.
64 mb internal memory.
Also M883 can recognise upto 10 faces which the M873 can't.

Full Specs KODAK EASYSHARE M883 Zoom Digital Camera Specifications

Well talking of the offer I got a 1 gb sd card free with one cam. So buying another 1 gb card for the other camera is an option.

[BREAK=Taking pictures M873]
M873
Since we are talking of cameras what better way to showcase than taking pictures in full 8.0 MP.
These had a original resolution of 3264 x 2448:eek:hyeah: (2 mb files each)
So images scaled down to 800x600 and 1600 x 1200

Images in Macro mode....M873
Dad's Painting

Another one of dad's painting
[URL=http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000032ht6.jpg][/URL]

Images in landscape mode...M873


Birds shot taken from 4th floor ..3x optical zoom


To end the list another macro shot


[BREAK=Taking Pictures M883]

Pictures Macro mode
Dad's painting....again




Pictures in Landscape mode


[BREAK=Video]

I took a video last night at 640 x 480.
I felt the video was of decent quality. Built in mic and speakers to view video also available in the both cameras.
Also lots of editing options available.

No Youtube uploads to show in here.

[BREAK=Cons]

Well I found taking pictures at night was not upto the mark :( . But I am comparing it to a Nikon D7 slr so I guess its not fair.
Nikon sample


Kodak camera sample (night)


Experimenting with ISO speeds I got grainy pictures at higher ISO.

So Sticking to normal settings is the best option for these cameras.

[BREAK=Conclusion]

To conclude I feel that apart from the cons the cameras fare perfectly in their price range. The cameras are feature rich and would give many cameras a run for their money. The camera is suited for a casual consumer who is looking for a product which is simple to handle and rich in features.

About the deal....Rs 13999 for both cameras. Buy one get one free is simply awesome:hap2: :hap2:
Its great value for money.
I would say a good gift option for couples.:eek:hyeah:
 
Click to expand...
i have no knowlege of cameras. but i am planning to buy one. so wanted to ask a question.

i may be wrong but most people i have seen use sony digicams. can u please guide me that are these kodak models good enough in comparison to sony digikam in same price range ?

really noob here....please guide.
 
cyneuron said:
i have no knowlege of cameras. but i am planning to buy one. so wanted to ask a question.

i may be wrong but most people i have seen use sony digicams. can u please guide me that are these kodak models good enough in comparison to sony digikam in same price range ?

really noob here....please guide.
Click to expand...

I can give some advice. There are lots of digicams... Most give almost the same performance.... Not much difference if you go with the best brands.... It all depends on what features you want.
For a simple cam, get a cam with Li Ion batteries, much easier to charge otherwise you have to get AA rechargeable batteries and have to keep charging them.

Sony cams are good. I was going for a Sony myself but
Kodak offer was too good:hap2: :hap2:
Sony DSC-W55/L is around 10k
Sony DSC-W35 is around 9-10k
Sony DSC-W80/S around 13k

I have a friend who has one. They are great with their Carl Zeiss lens.
Only problem is Red eye. W series has a red eye problem :( . They might have rectified it now.

Difference between them and kodak now in same price bracket is the LCD..
sony is 2.5 " to 2.0" lcd while kodak m873 is 2.5" and m883 is 3 " which I feel is huge for such a cam. Sony in tht price range are all 7.2 MP only kodak are above 8 mp.

Feature wise Face recognition upto 10 faces is a plus in Kodak. :hap2:
I seriously would have gone for another Kodak which was 8.2 MP but I could not resist the offer.

PS: Look into Canon or Nikon for better digi cams also.
 
Not questioning your review or anything... but i used the M873... and its one of the absolute worthless cameras from Kodak...
 
i am thinkin of buyin the same thing that u did....
but are u satisfied with the m883 ????
reviews on net say tat pics often come grainy if iso is increased more than 400 or even on default automatic settings.
plz clarify... i really liked the offer
 
dingemini312 said:
i am thinkin of buyin the same thing that u did....
but are u satisfied with the m883 ????
reviews on net say tat pics often come grainy if iso is increased more than 400 or even on default automatic settings.
plz clarify... i really liked the offer
Click to expand...

well the pictures do indeed sometimes come grainy... compared to other cams...
i simply bought it for the offer ... cause i needed a simple point and shoot...

i have a digi slr. carrying the bulky cam around is not easy....

the pictures are decent quality...

here is a link for full high res images taken from my cam
decide urself
RapidShare: 1-Click Webhosting
 
Nice review. Some people would have problems reviewing a digicam since they would probably have only one. But since you bought 2, you could shoot one cam pic with the other cam !

Also baring a few cams like Fuji and others, most point and shoot cameras will give you pathetic low light performance. And ISO 400 is generally not usable on a majority of point and shoot cameras.
 
Decent review. :) Congrats for the deal (I've already said this in the other thread!)

Usable low-light performance is always going to be a fight with the increasing number of pixels on the sensors due to marketing hype. The average-joe would like MORE megapixels still, though 2007 changed that to include MORE ISO. So now you have ridiculous megapixel count (8-9MP on 1/2.5" sensors) AND ridiculous high ISO (3200!) working together to give you artist's impressions of real-life. :D

Having said that, most of modern day Sony/Canon cams are quite decent at ISO200 and 400 with the proper exposure required. Surprisingly good infact. Just don't pixel-peep at 8MP. :) 2MP shots at ISO400 are quite decent on these cameras, and with a little bit of Neatimage loving they get even better.

(Sorry for the OT post. I should put up a basic cam buying guide. :D )

Payne

PS: Am not a great fan of Kodak cams. I do NOT like to generalize on brands, but I find that most Kodak cameras (low-end to high-end) have pathetic purple-fringing issues and horrible user interfaces - the last one I used made me press some gazillion buttons to change ISO and flash sync!
 
Well the cameras are workin fine for me....

Good for quick snapshots..... I wanted to get Li Ion battery cameras which start at around 9k for sony and around 11k for Canon, but lookin at the offer made me get them for a higher price...(gifted 1 to Dad :hap2: )

Since both cameras are Li Ion..good for me....

never had a problem with the user interface till now....(or maybe i am too used to clicking buttons :rofl: )

Pictures are decent for day time shooting... what more can you expect from a 7k a piece cam.... :eek:hyeah:...maybe more:bleh:
 
Can someone pour me in on Optical Image Stabilisation Vs. Digital/Electronic Image Stabilisation ?

I believe Cams which have Optical IS are the true stabilisers.

How do Digital ISes perform? I believe there's only Digital IS in both these Kodaks...

Is this something like Optical Zoom Vs. Digital Zoom? :D
 
Back
Top