Sometimes, an ordinary camera that works as advertised is all you need. That, most certainly, is the case with the Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS. Aimed squarely at the budget end of the market, it comes with a complete set of expected features, along with one or two pleasant surprises along the way.
Sporting a streamlined and compact frame, the M1093 is extremely pocketable with nary a protruding button or control. While it makes the camera look neat, you can’t operate it without looking at the buttons as each one feels almost the same as the others. The 3-inch LCD display slotted around the back is average for most digital cameras and offers enough brightness even under direct sunlight.
Lag times are just about right for this compact device. Powering on takes under 3 seconds, shutter lag goes between half-a second to 1 second and shot-to-shot stays well under 1.5 seconds every time. It comes with four shooting modes, Smart Capture, Program, Scene, and Video. With this being an entry-level machine, the Smart Capture mode (which integrates scene detection, face detection and optimized ISO, among other things) capably gets good shots all on its own, without requiring much additional fiddling.
As a 10 megapixel camera, image quality is great for the market range it competes in. You’ll need bright lighting for best results, although indoor shots are pretty capable too, despite noticeable noise in some areas. Colors are bright and crisp, with a natural feel to them. It has a 3x zoom lens that manages very clear shots, although the focal range of 35 mm to 105 mm might be a tad too limiting.
One of the camera’s perks is being able to shoot 720p video at 30 fps. Personally, I like the shot quality almost as much as my Flip Mino HD, along with decent audio. While it does tend to suffer from the same stabilizing problems (you can’t make too much movements), it’s a pretty nifty capability for a “bonus feature”. You can even use the optical zoom!
Priced at $200, the Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS is an easy to use compact that offers decent value for your money. It doesn’t perform any fantastic feats, but does what it’s supposed to do capably well.
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