New Z980

[vvcarpio]

My wife took these pics today with her new Kodak Z980 in RAW. I processed them with Dynamic Photo HDR (DPHDR) then used Photoshop Elements 7 to sharpen and Topaz Adjust for instant contrast and saturation refinements and then Topaz DeNoise to remove noise.

We got the Z980 on clearance at a Staples branch in Manhattan. Box is a little dusty and seal is open but all the parts inside the box are still factory-sealed in their plastic bags.

I'm using DPHDR for now to convert to JPG as I'm downloading the latest Camera Raw for PSE7. I'm planning to convert her RAW files in batch (the same way I do my Sony A350 RAW files) through PSE7's "process multiple files". If anyone has another method of batch converting RAW (KDC) to JPG we'd appreciate it.

#1)


#2)


#3) Taken from a bus.


#4) Taken while the car is moving.


#5)


We like the Z980 because in addition to shooting RAW, HD video, and hotshoe (we don't have P20 flash yet), the colors look very natural. We are very happy and excited with it.

[shoturtle]

You do like shooting for JFK BLVD on the jersey side up in weehawken I see. Not to bad from the kodak.

[vvcarpio]

Yes, she came with me to work today. I asked her to try shooting from a moving bus to see how well the Z980's anti-shake works. Other than the bus window having plenty of dirt, it looks like the Z980 did very well. I did not have to correct color like I did on my A350.

I forgot to mention I cloned out the dirt so you might notice smudges.

[shoturtle]

I've seen couple of them at the staples downtown, not bad for about 200 dollars. How is the iso performance at 800. That I would imagine is the upper limit.

[vvcarpio]

I remember reading it goes up to ISO 6400. I hope I didn't confuse it with the Z981. We got it for $180. Refurbs online go for $200-$220.

We were reading Sarah Joyce's praises for it before we purchased.

[shoturtle]

it may go to 6400iso, but do you want to push it past 800iso is the more realistic question. They pump 3200iso and 6400iso into small sensor point and shoots, but realistically they really only do well upto 800 with at 1/2.23 and the 1/1.63 and 1/1.7 only upto 1600iso.

[vvcarpio]

No. But you asked. It goes as low as 64, though. Lower than my A350's 100. I just realized I didn't check what the factory default setting was for ISO.

[shoturtle]

I was wondering how it handle the noise at 800iso. Which I believe is about the top iso you would want to shoot at with the kodak 1600 may be very noisy. Anything above it may get a bit noise.

[mtclimber]

Shoturtle-

The Z-980 works well in good light, but at ISO 800 you have already begun to loose image quality, and noise is eating the image away.

Sarah Joyce