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Compact and easy to use
Date of Review: Jun 1, 2009
I bought the M1073 because Office Max had it on sale at a reasonable price. Apparently different retailers provide different packages of "standard equipment". The package from Office Max includes a second lithium ion battery and a 1 GB memory card.
Without a memory card installed, the camera has 32 MB of internal memory. With a card installed, you have the option of using the internal memory in addition to the card.
It is small enough to fit into a shirt pocket when the power is off and the lens fully retracted.
The battery can be fully charged in about three hours. It can be charged from an AC outlet, or from a USB port on a PC provided that the PC is fully on (not in stand-by or hibernate modes).
Considering that this is a point-and-shoot camera intended for casual users, not a high-end model for photography enthusiasts, it takes nice pictures. Like most cameras of its type, it has an "auto" mode, and it also has a dozen different "scene" modes to help you get a good picture in a variety of lighting conditions. Those who are more knowledgeable than I am will find options to adjust such things as "ISO" and "white balance".
It has an "image stabilizer" feature to minimize blurring. I don't have the steadiest hands, but most of the pictures I have taken have been sharp.
Its menus and options are fairly well organized and easy to understand and use. The buttons are small but not difficult to press.
There are a few things to quibble about.
The "Easy Share" software that is required for transferring pictures to a computer is bloatware. When I installed it, I had to uncheck a mile-long list of features that I was not interested in. Most of those were concerned with making various types of greeting cards. The editing functions in the software are useful, but cumbersome to get to.
The instruction manual that comes with camera gives no clue as to how to attach the wrist strap. Actually, the M1073 has two instruction manuals. The one that comes with the camera is a "basic" version. You have to go to Kodak's web site and download a PDF file in order to get the "extended" version which contains much important information--including a bit of help with the wrist strap.
Bottom line: Casual users will be satisfied with the M1073. More demanding photographers might find it unsuitable for their needs.
I like it.
