Kyocera, which is the digital arm of Yashica, pitches the EZ as the "World's Easiest-To-Use Digital Camera." I initially interpreted this to mean "Has No Features." Thankfully I was wrong. It doesn't, of course, offer the power or flexibility needed by serious shutterbugs, but, at a hair over $200.00, it couldn't.
The EZ is aimed at (very) casual or beginning digital photographers - people who don't need a load of manual settings or high-resolution pictures. A quick look at the specs should tell you that. If this sounds like you, or someone you know, given that the holidays are closing in quickly, then the EZ deserves a look. And the attractive price certainly doesn't hurt.
Throughout the review are sample images. Below each image are two links: web friendly and full size. The web friendly versions are resized to 800 x 600; the full size versions are in their native 1280 x 960 resolution. None of the images have been retouched at all. I simply resampled them in PhotoShop in order to resize them.
While the Finecam had a very contemporary style, the EZ has a vaguely retro look to it. If it were half its size, it would resemble some kind of 50s Soviet spy camera. I think the design aesthetic is pretty slick, though it took a while for the purple areas to grow on me. (The again, for some strange reason it took a while for the fact that the sections were actually purple to dawn on me.)
The body is made of a very stiff plastic, which gives it a cheap feel. The buttons and dial are forged of the same stuff, so they feel pretty wonky as well.
For a relatively simple device, the EZ is covered with a surprising number of buttons and switches. I think some of the controls could have been combined or rearranged, but the logical layout helps things out.
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Most shooting controls are atop the body, right where you'd expect them to be. From left to right: mode dial (record, playback, set up, delete, and PC), flash button (auto, red eye, on, and off), image quality button, LCD, menu button, power button, and shutter release. The cryptic image quality button has a few icons above it and cycles through six options: 1280 x 960 or 640 x 480 with three compression ratios for each.
<img src="https://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/kyocera_ez_885_front_small.jpg" width="160" height="120" align="right" border="0" alt="Click image to enlarge." />Click image to enlarge. A good portion of the rear of the body is taken up by the 1.8-inch color LCD. The screen is backlit and very sharp. Above the top right corner of the display is the viewfinder. To the right of the screen are four buttons: up, down, enter, and display. The display buttons simply turns the LCD on or off. (Leaving the LCD off can greatly extend the battery life.)
On the left side of the camera is a rubber flab, under which are three jacks: USB, video out, and AC adapter. The right side has only a small loop for a strap.
The bottom of the EZ is pretty well populated. The CompactFlash slot is set next to the battery compartment, which holds four AAs. A tripod mount is right smack dab in the middle.
Lastly, the front of the camera has a manual macro slide. Not that you'll use it much - the macro is only good from around a foot away.
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Options and settings within each mode vary. I'll just go down so that you get the whole picture.
Set Up Options:
- Date/Time
- Language: English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese
- Sound: On or off
- Format media
- Video mode: NTSC or PAL
Play Options:
- LCD brightness
- Slide Show: 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 seconds
- Copy to CF card
Record Options:
- LCD brightness
- Quickview: Displays image after capture
- White balance: Auto, sun, shade, tungsten, or fluorescent
- EV compensation: +/-1.8 in .3 steps
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You might notice that the options are pretty slim overall. Many niceties of more advanced cameras are sadly missing. Some features are not missed, such as continuous or single auto-focus, which is not necessary due to the camera's fixed lens, but some, like file numbering, would be convenient. Again, for $200.00 there's only so much complaining you can do.
As for image quality, the shots speak for themselves. But while a 1.3-megapixel CCD has inherent limitations, I expected slightly better shots. They look OK when reduced to 800 or smaller, but the pictures look flawed at their full sizes. Color saturation is somewhat uneven and there is good amount of noise and pixelation. The shots look reasonably sharp.
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Notice that the most consistent problem for the EZ was lighting. It really took perfect conditions for decent pics. The flash helped somewhat, but it was not powerful enough for many environments. Luckily, brightness and contrast can be easily tweaked in any photo-editing program. And it's not like you'd be using the EZ for print work.
So what bothered me about the EZ?
I realize that Kyocera was trying to keep the cost down, but the lack of rechargeable batteries really bothered me. Alkalines are incredibly wasteful and companies should address this.
As I said in the beginning, I like the design. However, the EZ really feels cheap, especially any moving parts. For instance, the battery compartment door is difficult to work because the hinge is crappy. I just don't think it could take much abuse.
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Conclusion
Again, the EZ would make a nice holiday gift for someone who might want a digital camera. It's affordable enough that you could test your interest with it and then upgrade. However, I think it's too primitive for anyone who's already into digital photography, and it certainly wouldn't cut it as an upgrade.
Is it the "World's Easiest-To-Use Digital Camera?" I'm not sure about that, but it is a snap to operate. Add to that fair image quality, considering the price, and you have a nice little camera.