Kodak EasyShare M1093IS 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)Even though I was wary of making a purchase from Kodak (aren't they the polaroid guys and now by definition obsolete? What do they know about digital cameras), I decided to take the dive and purchase a kodak camera after a ton of research. I am certainly glad I did. I believe if kodak keeps making cameras of this quality, they will soon be able to compete much more consistently with the dominant japanese brands.
Granted I'm not a professional photographer but I do like to do a ton of online research before I purchase any electronics and a digital camera is no exception. After probably several hours of research comparing reviews and sample shots, I decided on the M1093 because it had good reviews for photo quality. Here are a few I referenced:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/kodak/m1093is-review/
http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2008/11/20/Kodak-EasyShare-M1093-IS/p1
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2009_reviews/kodak_m1093.html
I also compared actual shots on digitalversus.com a useful tool for any shopper. Here is a comparison of studio shots with one of the other cameras I was looking at, the panasonic fx500.
http://www.digitalversus.com/duels.php?ty=1&ma1=18&mo1=620&p1=4184&ma2=60&mo2=557&p2=3506&ph=20
I'm no expert, but to my eye, the kodak pictures just looked cleaner and brighter. The "poor lighting" shot was especially an eye opener.
Basically, I had the budget to buy a camera twice as expensive, but why bother when this camera is cheaper and had all the features and quality i was looking for in a point in shoot i.e. great picture quality, good build quality, ease of use and finally 720p video mode. Granted the video isn't great due to a lack of IS at the 720p resolution but for family shoots this will do the trick.
At the end of the day. I could have bought a panasonic fx500 or ts1(great video quality but prone to noisy pictures) or the fujifilm f200exr (great picture quality but no 720p video and very poor video quality), or finally a nikon coolpix s610 (no 720p from what i know) and on and on.
Anyhow, I've purchased it and have been perfectly happy with it. I don't agree with those who have complained about the build quality or "flimsy controls" and navigation interface. I actually found the camera design and UI to be quite elegant after having used sony cameras (DSC-W80 and DSC-W55) for several years. (I've found the included EasyShare gallery and one-touch upload software to be very easy to use and well-designed too as opposed to Sony's somewhat bloated Sony Picture Tool software)
A great buy and great value in my book.