The P-880 is Kodak’s latest 8 mega-pixel prosumer digital camera. At a glance, the camera contains many professional features including RAW file capture, a wide 24-140mm (35mm equivalent) zoom, 50 ISO film base rating and shutter speeds up to 1/4000th of a second.

One of Kodak’s biggest selling points for the P-880 will be the large 2.5 inch LCD screen. The screen is clear, colour rich and offers a live histogram with highlight and shadow clipping for immediate on-camera exposure assessment.

The zoom lens is quite unique at 24-140mm. As most of the competition in the market place has opted for a base of 28mm, Kodak offering 24mm now puts the camera in a new class. Combined with a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon lens and manual focus option the results the photographer can now capture are more creative and sharper than ever. Downloaded directly from the Kodak P880 view a sample here.

Kodak have put quite a bit of thought into the number and positioning of function buttons on the camera reducing the use of the menu, saving the photographer time and creating a more user friendly digital experience.

On trial the ISO settings the grain proved to be fantastic at 50, 100 and 200 and at 400 barely noticeable.

Like many of the cameras in Kodak’s compact series there is a ‘scene’ selection mode offering 8 photographic scenarios. Although, I personally think if you’re planning on using any of these options you would be taking away the fun of the device and really should be looking at a point and shoot option!

A feature worth mentioning is the semi-pro option to use the hot shoe for an external flash or a sync plug for a sync lead – in case you feel like giving the camera a workout in a studio environment.

And finally, like many dSLR’s in this range the P-880 too offers a video option, with 640x480 Motion JPEG compression VGA capture at 30 frames per second. But what Kodak have cleverly incorporated is the option to grab a single frame and either ‘share’ the image or print it up to a 6x4 inch print.

Overall, the Kodak P-880 will satisfy most. Its 8 mega-pixel capture and sharp lens are really where is counts, coupled with great rich colours for its class, EasyShare versatility and compatibility with Kodak’s printer dock station receives a thumbs up.