Kodak EasyShare Z712 Digital Camera
- Digital Zoom: 4.2x
- Camera Type: Standard Point and Shoot
- Weight: 0.66 lb.
- LCD Screen Size: 2.5 in.
- Resolution: 7.4 Megapixel
- Optical Zoom: 12x
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Not for me -- but maybe for you.
Pros
Price, excellent zoom, some control over features.
Cons
Can't use filters, can't control white balance. Not a camera to grow with.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
4* for beginners. Lens/antishake feature worth the money. 2* if you want to learn about photography. Other features just aren't there.
My search for a new camera started when my Nikon 5700 died. That camera was at the perfect level for me. It would take pictures automatically when that was called for, but gave me control over most of the features (focusing being the major exception) when I wanted to play.
However, for some unexplained reason, the camera died. With a vacation looming, I started looking for a new camera. I wanted a prosumer model that would give me control. I wanted a long lens, and I wanted the anti-shake feature.
After extensive research, I settled on the Kodak Z712. It had all of the above – 12x zoom lens (equivalent of 300 mm on a standard lens), anti-shake, etc. Also, a plus for me, it could run on standard AA batteries if necessary (meaning that if my batteries died, I could purchase new ones almost anywhere), though you get longer battery life with a lithium CRV3. The camera has 7 megapixel resolution – which is more than enough for any use I'd put it through.
The Bottom Line
This camera doesn't meet my needs, but it may meet yours.
What are you looking for in a camera? If you want an automatic point and shoot camera with a nice zoom that will take acceptable pictures, this may be the camera for you. Especially at today's prices. It really blows away the competition.
If you're one step beyond this, You'll occasionally change the exposure, or go into aperture or shutter priority modes. It will probably meet your needs.
However, if you want to learn about photography, this camera is not for you (and it wasn't for me). The compromises made will take away from the camera.
Out of Box
Out of the box, the camera is easy to use. It comes with a CRV3 battery, and internal memory of 28 megs will let you store a few pictures. However, when you buy this camera, you MUST buy a memory card – SD or MMC or maybe even two. I would recommend a 2 gig card. Fortunately, they're cheap.
The camera allows you to either take pictures using a small viewfinder (kind of like a SLR) or with a screen a 2.5" LCD on the back of the camera. The LCD is bigger than many on the market, and can be used to preview the pictures you take.
Features
With a few major exceptions, discussed below, this camera has most of the fixtures you expect on a prosumer camera. Several focus options, you can choose aperture control, shutter priority, manual. ISO control.
There are video features. However, since I don't think any camera is a replacement for a video camera, I don't even try this.
There are also various resolution modes from 7.1 MP down to 1.2 MP. A word on this. Every camera seems obsessed with how many MPs you get. For the normal photographer, anything over 5 MP is overkill. For example, the Kodak website says that with the 5mp mode you can print up to a 20 x 30" picture. I've never printed something this large in my life, and if I did, I'd honestly want a better camera. My old 2mp camera was fine for snapshots. With the Kodak, I use a 6.3 mp setting, largely because I mainly print 4x6 snapshots, and this setting is optimized for this3:2 ratio. I suspect I'd see very little difference if I used the 2.2 mp mode (also optimized for the 3:2 ratio).
The camera claims a 0.26 click to capture rate (i.e., how long it takes to take the picture after you push the button) which is very fast for this type of camera.
The Test Drive
My first real test drive was on a family trip to New Orleans. I found many things I liked about the camera.
First the multiple autofocus modes. The internal programming on the auto focus was better than the Nikon at selecting what I wanted to focus on. Also, there are several options (multi-pattern, center weighted, etc).
However, in this trip, I started to have my first doubts about the camera. Although the pictures were adequate, I didn't really feel they were as sharp or as crisp as the pictures I was getting from my prior camera
Looking at the pictures, I have identified two areas in which I find the camera deficient.
First, the exposure settings are consistently off. Pictures are underexposed or overexposed. Now, this is easy to correct, through bracketing (i.e., take several shots with different exposures, and use the best one – digital cameras were meant for this), or even by taking a few test shots and setting your exposure, but it was disappointing.
Also, I found the colors to be a bit oversaturated. This is the Kodak color system, and some people may love the vibrancy, but found that through the I was getting image 'enhanced' pictures right away, not reality.
A nice feature is the anti-shake. This compensates for some hand motion, and allows the user to either gain a couple of F stops, or extra distance on the lens. (A 300 mm lens without a tripod or anti-shake is beyond the ability of most humans).
Subsequent Efforts
Nevertheless, after my first test drive, I got to know the camera and took it on my next trip to Hawaii. One investment I made was to get a screw-in extender that could take filters (I love the effect of a circular polarizing on clouds, for example). This turned out to be a disaster, Although the adapter works fine at maximum zoom (when the lens is fully extended), as you zoom out, the tube gets in the way, and you have a circular cropping of the picture.
I have yet to find an acceptable way to use filters with this camera.
This is offset somewhat by the various scene modes. On most digital cameras, what the scene modes do is automatically adjust the color mix, With practice, you can in some ways achieve certain of the effects of a polarizing filter, but it's not as good as the real thing..
Another draw back that I found is that you cannot control the white balance very well, it does give you several options – auto, daylight, florescent, shade, but not a setting to allow the camera to set to your actual conditions. This would be less of a problem if the exposure settings were better, and ultimately is just an annoyance.
One other problem I had was with my memory chip. The camera is rated for a card of up to 2 gigs. Reviews and discussions suggested that in fact larger cards could be used. I tried a 4 gig card, and found that about 100 pictures in, I got a card error (and the 100 pictures were lost). This happened twice (costing me the first few days of the Hawaiian vacation). However, I suspect its not the camera's fault and either I got a bad card, or it really can only handle up to 2gigs on a card. In any event, 2 gigs gives you a lot of pictures at any setting, so to be safe, I'd recommend staying with 2 gig cards.
Finally, the flash. It's the standard flash that you see on many cameras of this type. Usable, but not great. This camera does not have a shoe to attach an external flash, so use will be limited in low light conditions.
The Rating
Unfortunately, we have to find a single rating for this product. One Star to Five. Based on what I had hoped for, I'd have to say 2 Stars. It clearly did not meet my expectations. However, I've seen this camera advertised on the web for $150. At this price, its worth considering for the lens and the anti-shake alone. If you're not ever going to be into high end photography, it's a great package, and the only camera you'll have to carry. So, although it doesn't work for me, it may very well work for you.
However, for some unexplained reason, the camera died. With a vacation looming, I started looking for a new camera. I wanted a prosumer model that would give me control. I wanted a long lens, and I wanted the anti-shake feature.
After extensive research, I settled on the Kodak Z712. It had all of the above – 12x zoom lens (equivalent of 300 mm on a standard lens), anti-shake, etc. Also, a plus for me, it could run on standard AA batteries if necessary (meaning that if my batteries died, I could purchase new ones almost anywhere), though you get longer battery life with a lithium CRV3. The camera has 7 megapixel resolution – which is more than enough for any use I'd put it through.
The Bottom Line
This camera doesn't meet my needs, but it may meet yours.
What are you looking for in a camera? If you want an automatic point and shoot camera with a nice zoom that will take acceptable pictures, this may be the camera for you. Especially at today's prices. It really blows away the competition.
If you're one step beyond this, You'll occasionally change the exposure, or go into aperture or shutter priority modes. It will probably meet your needs.
However, if you want to learn about photography, this camera is not for you (and it wasn't for me). The compromises made will take away from the camera.
Out of Box
Out of the box, the camera is easy to use. It comes with a CRV3 battery, and internal memory of 28 megs will let you store a few pictures. However, when you buy this camera, you MUST buy a memory card – SD or MMC or maybe even two. I would recommend a 2 gig card. Fortunately, they're cheap.
The camera allows you to either take pictures using a small viewfinder (kind of like a SLR) or with a screen a 2.5" LCD on the back of the camera. The LCD is bigger than many on the market, and can be used to preview the pictures you take.
Features
With a few major exceptions, discussed below, this camera has most of the fixtures you expect on a prosumer camera. Several focus options, you can choose aperture control, shutter priority, manual. ISO control.
There are video features. However, since I don't think any camera is a replacement for a video camera, I don't even try this.
There are also various resolution modes from 7.1 MP down to 1.2 MP. A word on this. Every camera seems obsessed with how many MPs you get. For the normal photographer, anything over 5 MP is overkill. For example, the Kodak website says that with the 5mp mode you can print up to a 20 x 30" picture. I've never printed something this large in my life, and if I did, I'd honestly want a better camera. My old 2mp camera was fine for snapshots. With the Kodak, I use a 6.3 mp setting, largely because I mainly print 4x6 snapshots, and this setting is optimized for this3:2 ratio. I suspect I'd see very little difference if I used the 2.2 mp mode (also optimized for the 3:2 ratio).
The camera claims a 0.26 click to capture rate (i.e., how long it takes to take the picture after you push the button) which is very fast for this type of camera.
The Test Drive
My first real test drive was on a family trip to New Orleans. I found many things I liked about the camera.
First the multiple autofocus modes. The internal programming on the auto focus was better than the Nikon at selecting what I wanted to focus on. Also, there are several options (multi-pattern, center weighted, etc).
However, in this trip, I started to have my first doubts about the camera. Although the pictures were adequate, I didn't really feel they were as sharp or as crisp as the pictures I was getting from my prior camera
Looking at the pictures, I have identified two areas in which I find the camera deficient.
First, the exposure settings are consistently off. Pictures are underexposed or overexposed. Now, this is easy to correct, through bracketing (i.e., take several shots with different exposures, and use the best one – digital cameras were meant for this), or even by taking a few test shots and setting your exposure, but it was disappointing.
Also, I found the colors to be a bit oversaturated. This is the Kodak color system, and some people may love the vibrancy, but found that through the I was getting image 'enhanced' pictures right away, not reality.
A nice feature is the anti-shake. This compensates for some hand motion, and allows the user to either gain a couple of F stops, or extra distance on the lens. (A 300 mm lens without a tripod or anti-shake is beyond the ability of most humans).
Subsequent Efforts
Nevertheless, after my first test drive, I got to know the camera and took it on my next trip to Hawaii. One investment I made was to get a screw-in extender that could take filters (I love the effect of a circular polarizing on clouds, for example). This turned out to be a disaster, Although the adapter works fine at maximum zoom (when the lens is fully extended), as you zoom out, the tube gets in the way, and you have a circular cropping of the picture.
I have yet to find an acceptable way to use filters with this camera.
This is offset somewhat by the various scene modes. On most digital cameras, what the scene modes do is automatically adjust the color mix, With practice, you can in some ways achieve certain of the effects of a polarizing filter, but it's not as good as the real thing..
Another draw back that I found is that you cannot control the white balance very well, it does give you several options – auto, daylight, florescent, shade, but not a setting to allow the camera to set to your actual conditions. This would be less of a problem if the exposure settings were better, and ultimately is just an annoyance.
One other problem I had was with my memory chip. The camera is rated for a card of up to 2 gigs. Reviews and discussions suggested that in fact larger cards could be used. I tried a 4 gig card, and found that about 100 pictures in, I got a card error (and the 100 pictures were lost). This happened twice (costing me the first few days of the Hawaiian vacation). However, I suspect its not the camera's fault and either I got a bad card, or it really can only handle up to 2gigs on a card. In any event, 2 gigs gives you a lot of pictures at any setting, so to be safe, I'd recommend staying with 2 gig cards.
Finally, the flash. It's the standard flash that you see on many cameras of this type. Usable, but not great. This camera does not have a shoe to attach an external flash, so use will be limited in low light conditions.
The Rating
Unfortunately, we have to find a single rating for this product. One Star to Five. Based on what I had hoped for, I'd have to say 2 Stars. It clearly did not meet my expectations. However, I've seen this camera advertised on the web for $150. At this price, its worth considering for the lens and the anti-shake alone. If you're not ever going to be into high end photography, it's a great package, and the only camera you'll have to carry. So, although it doesn't work for me, it may very well work for you.
