The Kodak Easyshare C875 offers something a little different to the majority of compact digital cameras. There are two main reasons for this. First it has manual exposure controls. Secondly it has a longer than standard 5x optical zoom lens. Taking this into account the camera sells for a very reasonable price.
This is an eight megapixel camera.
The manual controls include both aperture priority and shutter priority. I would also say that accessing and changing the manual controls is easier with the Easyshare C875 than I have found with other similar digital cameras I have tested. Manual focusing is another useful feature. With regard to the zoom lens a 5x lens does not really make this a super zoom camera, but in this area I think every little helps.
Although the camera is quite compact at 36mm wide it is too large to slip into a standard sized pocket. Therefore it is a good idea to consider a case for the camera.
I like the menu system the Easyshare C875 has. I found it easy to use and there is also some help text available to explain the options. All of the menu items are available in one place and it is a case of scrolling through until you find what you are looking for. The menu is also easy to read. The text looks larger than I am used to seeing with other digital camera brands.
If this type of camera appeals to you then other models you may wish to take a look at include the Canon Powershot A630 and the Canon Powershot A640 although you are likely to find the Easyshare C875 a fair bit cheaper than either of those two models.
On the back of the camera sits a 2.5 inch LCD screen. One drawback is that Kodak have not been able to find room to fit in a viewfinder as well.
A couple of AA batteries are supplied with the camera. Replacing batteries adds to the running costs and it is always worth considering picking up some high power rechargeable batteries to go with the camera. I would suggest looking at batteries with a minimum mAh rating of 2000, but I would go higher if possible. When buying a charger you have a choice between a standard one and a high speed version. The high speed chargers are capable of fully charging batteries in about one hour. Not surprisingly these are more expensive than the standard version.
Another useful and underestimated feature built into the Easyshare C875 is a 3:2 aspect ratio. I would advise using this setting if you are planning to make 6 x 4" prints from your photos. By using this aspect ratio you avoid having to have any of the photo trimmed to fit onto the paper.
Otherwise I would say the camera has all the standard features I have come to expect on a typical, compact model. These include a movie mode suitable for shooting TV quality videos, white balance and access to ISO levels.
