A little background: I have been using Kodak's high-end EasyShares since 2002. I got the EasyShare Max z990 on April 11, 2011. I have been putting this camera to the test for 18 days.

There are a lot of things I love about my z990. But I have had enough disappointments to make me wonder what Kodak was thinking, and to question if this camera is worth its original $300+ price tag.

My first z990 was very buggy. It kept becoming unresponsive for several seconds or even freezing up. It helped to reformat the SD card and internal memory and to reset the camera. But I ended up having to get a replacement. My new z990 works much better!

Things I love:
* Best low-light no-flash pictures I have EVER seen from a digital camera!
* Very nice image quality.
* 1080p video! ... Good image quality. Acceptable sound quality.
* Snap pictures WHILE recording a video! They are lowish quality, but still decent enough for a 4x6 or maybe even a 5x7... Read more

As a mechanical engineer I particularly appreciate good design. This camera is loaded with it. It can be used easily as a "point and shoot" camera, or maually by a more experienced photographer.

The 30X OPTICAL zoom lens is spectacular. Sure, it might not be quite up to SLR standards, but the pictures I get while SLR owners are struggling changing lenses make a big difference. I have been taking photos for decades, and virtually any lens with the name Schneider has always been a good one.

Important to me, since I take lots of photos of kids and animals, is the short time between shutter push and the photo being taken. It adapts well to changing situations.

Many cameras have no eyepiece viewer, and in bright sunlight can hardly be used because the viewing screen appears so dim. Not so with this camera. Although the direct view could be of better quality and include a diopter admustment, it is so much better than trying to compose a photo in the... Read more

Low light pics are really amazing with this camera. I took a pic in my family room taken at 8:30 at night in smart mode with no flash and the room lit by only the light coming through the doorway from the kitchen and the TV. While I realize you wouldn't want to take pics of people at the shutter speed selected by smart mode (.3), the pic came out with the room appearing as though it was 2 pm on a sunny day.

Some reviews have said you can't save settings when you shut off the camera but that is not completely true. If you shoot in PASM modes it will save your settings in those modes even if you switch modes or shut off the camera. While it may not save settings in "scenes" and special features (like shooting fireworks or sunsets) those are preset anyway as soon as you dial to them.

I am no photo expert but the menus seem very intuitive and easy to navigate.

The main reason I bought this camera is that it gives me a lot of versatility with its zoom and... Read more