Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 Digital Camera Review

The Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 is Kodak's latest ultra zoom camera, building on the success of the Z980, and Z981, the new camera features Kodak's own Back-lit CMOS sensor, and high speed shooting. Read our full review of the Kodak Easyshare Max Z990.

Main Features:

• 12 megapixel Back-lit CMOS sensor
• Kodak's first BSI CMOS sensor
• 30x optical zoom lens with image stabilisation
• Wide-angle lens, range from 28-840mm in 35mm equivalent
• Fast f/2.8 (wide) - f/5.6 (tele) lens
• 3 inch screen HVGA 460k pixels / EVF
• Artistic effects: HDR (high dynamic range), Dramatic, Night scene long exposure, Intelligent portrait
• Film effects: KODACHROME, KODACOLOR, EKTACHROME, TRI-X, T-MAX, Sepia
• HD Video: 1080p (1920 × 1080 @30 fps), with stereo sound
• High-speed burst mode: capture up to 60 fps @ 2 MP (max 20)
• P,A,S,M Modes, Face Detection, and Histogram Display
• ISO64 - 6400

Click images to view larger:

Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 Top	Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 Playback Sorting

The camera features Full HD 1080 video recording at 30fps with stereo sound, optical zoom and continuous focusing are available. The camera's mode dial features HDR, Auto, P, A, S, M, Scene, Sport, Portrait, and Art modes. The other buttons on the top include on/off, zoom and shutter release, continuous shooting, macro / super macro button and self-timer. The playback mode has a clever feature where it can sort your photos, showing all photos, photos of people (using face detection features), or sorting by date.

Wide angle photo shown on screen	Full optical zoom used

The Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 features an impressive ultra zoom, that at the wide angle end has an aperture of f/2.8 and 28mm equivalent, and zooms all the way to 840mm equivalent at the telephoto end, with an aperture of f/5.6. 

Super Macro Photo	Super Macro Camera Position

The camera can be used extremely close to subjects when used in super macro mode, with the subject being 1-2cms away from the camera's front lens element. The camera performed quickly in my brief hands-on testing of the camera, and the zoom and macro modes worked well. Kodak may not be known for making high-end cameras, however the Kodak Easyshare Z980 and more so the Z981 were quite well received. For more on Kodak's new Easyshare cameras, have a look at our Focus on Imaging forum thread, or have a look at our other photos from Focus.

The Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 is due to be released on April 10, 2011, priced at £299.
Read our full Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 review here.

Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 Specifications:

Price	£299
Box Contents	KODAK EASYSHARE MAX Camera, KODAK Ni-MH Pre-charged Rechargeable Digital Camera Batteries AA, Charging solution, USB cable, Lens cap with strap, Neck strap, User Guide
Contact	www.kodak.co.uk
Lens	30x optical zoom, 28–840 mm (35 mm equiv.), f/2.8–5.6
Resolution	12MP
Sensor size	1/2.33in
Sensor type	B.S.I CMOS
Monitor	3.0in colour LCD, 460k pixels
Shutter speed	Smart Capture mode: ½–½000 sec, S/M modes: ½000–16 sec.
Focusing system	TTL Contrast detection Autofocus system
Focusing range / modes	Smart Capture mode: (wide) 0.1 m (3.9 ft)–infinity, (tele) 1.8 m (5.9 ft)—infinity, macro: (wide) 0.1–0.8 m (3.9 in.–2.6 ft), (tele) 1.8–3.5 m (5.9–11.5 ft), super macro: 0.01–0.2 m (0.4–7.9 in.) Modes: normal AF, macro AF, super macro AF, infinity, manual
File types	JPEG, RAW
ISO sensitivity	ISO64 - 6400
Metering modes	multi-pattern, center-weighted, spot
Exposure compensation	±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps, exposure bracketing: ±1.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps, 3 images
Image stabilisation	Optical
Movie mode	HD: 1080p (1920 × 1080 @30 fps); 720p (1280 x 720 @ 30 fps)
Media type	128 MB internal memory available, SD/SDHC card expansion slot
Interface	USB 2.0
Power	AA batteries x4
Size	4.9 × 3.4 × 3.7 in
Weight	1.3 lb with batteries and memory card