Kodak EasyShare Z980

For those professional photographers that are looking for a good, solid backup digital camera, I have to recommend the Kodak EASYSHARE Z980. I personally bought this one as a backup camera for my Rebel T1-i because it uses RAW format, so I have the full line of editing options in PS CS4 and Lightroom. But for those that have never owned a Kodak before, their special format may seem a bit odd at first. When I got the camera, the first thing I noticed is that it's extremely lightweight, which is great for mounting it on a tripod - especially those Gorilla Pods that you can wrap around tree branches. And, I do love the fact that even in the higher ISO ranges, it still takes beautiful photos that are usable and can easily be touched up to create a beautiful end result.

Now, for those that are beginners to digital photography, you probably should look at some other, more user friendly digital cameras. And, even for those that are a bit more seasoned with digital cameras, you must read the manual on this Kodak. It's pretty detailed and complex, and to get the full use of the camera you really need to learn what everything does, where it is, and so on. I read through it before I used it, and found it much easier to figure everything out.

I have been using this one as a backup for about a year now and I have to say that I really do enjoy it. My main body fault with the Kodak EASYSHARE Z980 is that for some reason the battery door/memory card slot does not close well. You sometimes have to force it and hope that it doesn't break. There are also some things that make it a bit odd for those that are used to the other Z Series digital cameras from Kodak - such as the fact that this model isn't compatible with any of the other Z Series batteries, charges, and other accessories. If you have owned one of the previous Z Series Kodak digital cameras, you won't be able to use any of your accessories with this newer model - boo Kodak on that aspect.

Overall though, it is a solid little digital camera with professional grade qualities built in. I would have to recommend it to any photographer that is looking for a back up or those that are looking to get more serious with their photography skills.