Kodak C875 Performance

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Kodak C875 Performance

Timing and Performance

Somewhat slow for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	5.7 seconds (2.8 seconds when using internal memory)	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	2.7 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens and stow in your pocket.
Buffer clearing time	28 seconds (19 seconds buffer clearing in LF JPEG)	Worst case buffer clearing time. This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Mode switching
Play to Record, first shot	1.7 seconds	Time until first shot is captured
Record to play	1.2 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture
Display recorded image	0.6 second	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time):
Full Autofocus Wide	0.34 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	1.43 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Continuous Autofocus	0.405 second	Typically no advantage to Continuous AF mode, and we have no way of reliably measuring performance with moving ones.
Manual Focus	0.25 second	Usually a bit faster than AF. In the case of the H5, brings telephoto shutter lag times down to the same level as wide angle ones.
Prefocused	0.109 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	2.77 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	3.18 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	YES	Some cameras snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer
Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG	0.52 second (1.94 frames per second); 5 frames total; 28 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG	0.52 second (1.94 frames per second); 5 frames total; 20 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Flash recycling	10.5 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	258 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode.

Overall, the Kodak EasyShare C875's performance is fairly slow, with its best time in shutter lag at full wide angle (about 0.34 second). It takes almost two seconds to change from record to playback modes, and shot-to-shot cycle times are quite slow at both large and small JPEG sizes. Continuous-mode speed is about average, however, at just under two frames/second, for up to five shots in succession. The flash is quite slow to recycle at 10.5 seconds after a full-power shot. Connected to a computer, download speeds are exceptionally slow, so you'll probably want to check out a separate card reader. Bottom line, the C875 is responsive enough for some family photo opportunities, but overall performance is on the sluggish side.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Extremely short battery life with standard AA alkaline cells, but better life with NiMH rechargeables or a CRV3 pack.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
CRV3 battery	400-500
AA lithium batteries	250-350
AA NiMH rechargeable cells	200-300
AA Ni-Mn cells	60-100
AA alkaline cells	not recommended

The Kodak EasyShare C875 uses two AA batteries for power, and a pair of Ni-Mn batteries is included with the camera. Though runtimes are increased with the NiMH batteries or a CRV3 battery over alkalines, I strongly recommend picking up a spare set and keeping them freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings. (See our battery shootout page for information on actual measured capacities of various NiMH brands and capacity markings.)

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Kodak EasyShare C875 accepts SD/MMC memory cards, though no card is included; 28MB RAM is built into the camera.

Image Capacity with 28MB Internal Memory		Fine
3,264 x 2,448	Images	11
3,264 x 2,448	File Size	2.6 MB
2,560 x 1,920	Images	17
2,560 x 1,920	File Size	1.6 MB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	26
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1.1 MB
1,200 x 900	Images	63
1,200 x 900	File Size	446 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/MMC memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)