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One area where the C875 does fall down slightly is in overall performance. It takes nearly four seconds to start up, which is very slow by recent standards, and takes around two seconds to shut down again. It also takes about anther three seconds for the flash to charge up.

The first-capture burst mode isn’t too bad, shooting five frames in three seconds, while the last-capture mode fires at the same rate but only saves the last four frames. The flash cannot be used in either of these modes.

The AF system is reasonably quick in good light, and in multi-zone mode it is very accurate, but it slows down noticeably in lower light levels. In very low light it frequently fails completely, despite the presence of a very bright but seemingly ineffective AF illuminator.

The flash is also rather hit-and-miss. Although frame coverage is good, and exposure at around 1.5-2.0m is generally good, it falls somewhat short of its claimed 4.1m wide-angle range, and at close range it over-exposes badly.

Image quality is very good, thanks to the 1/1.8in, 8.0MP sensor and an excellent Schneider-Kreuznach lens. Photographs have very good fine detail resolution and edge-to-edge sharpness, although barrel distortion at the wide-angle end is quite noticeable. Corner sharpness is good and there is minimal purple fringing or chromatic aberration. Exposure was usually accurate under normal conditions, although the limited range of aperture and shutter speeds did mean that some shots in low light were under-exposed. Kodak cameras have always had outstanding colour reproduction, and the C875 is no exception, with an extremely good natural look.

Noise control is also very good. The C875 has a maximum ISO setting of 800, and even at this setting noise is kept to a minimum, although at the cost of some contrast and detail. At speeds of 400 and lower noise was virtually eliminated and the pictures were sharp and well detailed.

Verdict

Although the EasyShare C875 is a bit slow and clunky at times, and rather large and heavy for a pocket compact, you’d have a hard job finding a more versatile camera for the same price. Poor low light focusing and flash performance limit its usefulness in social situations, but overall image quality and especially high-ISO performance are very good.

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