Kodak Easyshare Z950

Having a bigger zoom lens on a camera allows for a greater range of photo opportunities, and Kodak’s Easyshare Z950 model offers a 10x optical zoom, equivalent to 35-350mm on a 35mm film camera.

It fits this into a body not much larger than a standard zoom compact with a much smaller lens.

While that’s welcome, so too is the price. At £199 it is £100 cheaper than competing models with a similar range and 12-megapixel resolution. Typically of Kodak, the build is slightly chunky, though not unattractive. Its construction mixes sturdy-feeling plastic and metal for a manageable weight of 220g without the rechargeable battery or SD/SDHC memory card.

Composing photos on the large 3in rear screen – there’s no optical viewfinder – we were able to get a good firm grip on the camera thanks to rubber padding at the front and back. Controls were sufficiently large, clearly labelled and evenly spaced.

The only ones we had problems with were the fiddly joystick used to move through and select shooting and playback options, and the icon for the delete button that more closely resembled a hot-water bottle than the familiar rubbish bin.

The Kodak’s longer-than-average lens is stabilised, which meant we were largely able to avoid the blur that sometimes results from camera shake when shooting at maximum zoom length. This was harder to avoid in lower light, and night-time shots really require a tripod if you are not using the built-in flash.

A rare thing these days, Kodak’s Z950 actually delivers more than its pricing would have you expect. This includes the ability to shoot high-definition movie clips at a resolution of 1,280x720 pixels with sound at a smooth rate of 30 frames per second.

The zoom can be adjusted while filming but we found the camera drifted in and out of focus when following moving objects.

When shooting still photos, there is the option to let the camera automatically recognise familiar subjects and adjust settings accordingly. The alternative is to make manual tweaks via its program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual modes.

Both work well delivering bright and colourful results, and this degree of control is again rare on a camera in its price range.