Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS
Cameras Buying Guide
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July 6, 2007 01:02
4.5/5
This camera can take pictures! It has the ability to meter the light properly allowing the pictures to be super clear. It must have somekind of face detection because when I zoom onto a person's face even just a little and I move the camera, the detected subject lock tries to stick to the person's face.The flash is great and you can adjust the flash compensation while in PASM. The PASM mode brings a nice level of control for those who like to manually control the camera. This camera is also very fast. Not even a second after you turn it on, will you be able to take a picture. Write speed is fast but could be faster. The LCD screen is 2.5 inch big, it's nice and clear but not SUPER sharp but no complaints over this whatsoever. Overall, a very nice improvement over my Kodak Z650.Updated
I also forgot to mention the image stabilizer works very well and the battery life is also fantastic even with IS always turned on. The high ISO mode works very well and the pictures have barely any noise when the flash is used and of course are noisy but actually still pretty nice. The fireworks setting is perfect. Canada Day fireworks pictures turned out fantastic! The videos are super smooth but image quality could be a bit better. Indoor shots are also very crisp. To conclude, you won't be disapointed!! -
June 20, 2007 10:59
4.5/5
I got my Z712 a week ago and have taken lots of pictures with it. It is pretty small (though not pocketable) and lightweight. It is a fast, accurate-focusing camera. The 12x zoom is fabulous. It has an Auto mode that I finally like. The high ISO on the camera does a nice job--even my worst shots at 1600 are usable (with a little help from Neat Image). There are almost no ruined shots due to camera fault (photographer fault, yes). The colors are definitely Kodak, but not as saturated as some of their cameras have been. There is plenty of detail in the photographs. The CRV3 battery lasted me over 500 shots with frequent flash and LCD use. It is a camera with a great combination of qualities and few faults. Kodak has a real winner here. (I have owned maybe 10 digital cameras over the years and the Z712 is one of the top performers) A picture is worth a thousand words, so in case you want to see some actual production from the camera, feel free to visit my Kodak Z712IS gallery at http://www.pbase.com/tgaf/kodak_z712is. I have posted over 70 photos of various types there.Updated
The more I use it the more I like it. It has given me a higher percentage of successful photos than any other camera I have used. The low light capability of this camera is also superior to my other cameras (including the Konica Minolta A2, which you regard so highly)and other cameras in its price range. I now have taken over 2,000 photos with the camera and over 200 are at the pbase site I mentioned in the main review. -
May 12, 2007 01:05
4.5/5
I bought this camera for my wife as an anniversary present, because she was tired of our old small zoom, and not so great quality digital cameras(a nikon and a samsung).
I was looking for a compact high zoom camera which apparently where unnavailable at the time but i found this beauty which is easy to use, has a huge screen an electronic view finder, and takes great pictures in any light, i havent tried to take pictures at very high speed moving objects which the manual says it's good at doing, i'll get back to you on that.
All in all this camera does not dissapoint. -
June 23, 2007 11:34
4.5/5
I am a hobbyist/armature and I think the greatest thing about this camera is the high ISO ability and still being able to get great print quality in low light situations. I think my photos have suffered greatly in the past because I always had to use the flash while indoors which washed everything out and drained the life from every photo. Now everything looks a lot more natural and true to life and I can avoid bright flash spots in my pictures.
I think this is a great choice if, like me, you are not ready for or can't yet afford a DSLR. -
May 2, 2007 02:55
4.0/5
So far, the quality looks fine. I'm not a professional photographer, but I am anal about the quality of my pictures. The file size is about 2mb per file with the Fine compression setting and full 7.1 megapixel resolution. I think I'm going to like this camera after my sudden loss of my beloved z740. But you marry your wife, you marry her butter fingers =). I'll post again when I get to use this camera more. I have a 1 year old baby so it will get used a lot in all types of settings. -
June 24, 2007 09:25
4.0/5
OK, let me first get the silly stuff out of the way: this camera looks cheap! Its shiny black finish, with virtually no buttons or even logos on the front, give it a very plain, somewhat toy-like look. So, I'm sure I'll have to get over feeling embarrassed being seen with this camera.....but I won't be embarrassed having my PICTURES seen.
The Z712 is simply amazing, and puts my Canon S2IS and SD700IS to shame. The ability to take pictures in low light, without using a flash, is simply superb. This is a great boon when you're vacationing and want to shoot building interiors where flash photography isn't allowed. I can also take pictures of my cats without flash/red eye problems. In part, this is possible because even at higher ISO settings you get noise-free images. And, the very adept image stabilization really helps here, and is far, far superior to the Canon's IS system. The IS capability also makes it possible to actually use the 12x zoom without a tripod.
Beyond image quality, I especially like the intuitive, logically laid-out menu system. And, there is a scroll wheel that enables you to quickly set the exposure compensation, ISO and flash intensity. I also like that the Z712 is a very small, light camera but still well balanced and easy to handle.
So far, I've only found a couple of negatives (did I mention how cheap this camera looks?): First, it takes several seconds to delete a single photo, which is quite annoying. But, you can also tag images and delete multiple images at once, which saves time over doing this one by one.
Another negative is the placement of the zoom toggle on the back of the camera, rather than on the top. If you're using the
view finder,this means you have to back away from the camera in order to get your finger on the zoom (if you are using the LCD, however, this is not a problem).
This is a great, versatile camera and deserves the good press it's been getting. -
August 17, 2007 03:17
4.5/5
I've a considerable amount of Digital Cameras from many manufacturers like Olympus, Sony, Nikon and Panasonic.
For this one I decided to for this Kodak specially when I noticed that similar cameras from Sony cost about $100 more while having the same features and lower quality than this one.
I made some research on the Internet and found out that Schneider Kreuznach are among the very best lens company in the world they even got an Oscar!
So while you're holding this magnificent piece of photographic engineering in your hands be sure that is the best camera you could have for under $500, and it only cost you less than half of that! -
July 1, 2007 09:12
4.5/5
Brought this camera (just a couple days old) into a camera shop looking to buy an additional battery for it. The owner immediately told me what a great lens the camera had. I didn't need an expert to know that the outdoor, bright sun pictures I took were amazing. The zoom on this camera is all powerful and makes taking candids so easy. I imagine taking pictures at sports events would be great too.
On the down side, Kodak provides an overly involved "docking station" to charge the battery (rechargeable not provided) and transfer the pics. Much easier to just pull the SD card and charge the rechargeable I bought at Radio Shack with its separate charger. Otherwise, no complaints.
Overall... I LOVE IT. -
May 27, 2007 06:13
4.5/5
Kodak has done it again with the Z712. It takes awesome pictures. Even the 400 ISO pictures are sharp and virtually noise free. This camera takes the best pictures in low light of any Z series camera yet.
It has the usual Kodak interface and the power of Perfect Touch technology cannot be overlooked. It can turn an average photo into a good one.
The 12X optical zoom works great even with my unsteady hands. This one comes with the new smart scene mode that automatically selects the appropriate scene. How many times have you missed a picture looking for the right scene? Not with this camera...
For the 225.00 price I paid at Best Buy (with a coupon), this camera is fantastic and another winner from Kodak. -
December 21, 2007 10:47
Good
1.5/5
I like this camera very much but unfortunately gave this camera the 3 rating JUST because of the Kodak's false suggestion of a compatible docking station on their website. I decided to get a docking station for this camera (Kodak EasyShare kit series 3) but just found out that the battery included in the kit is not compatible with the camera at all! An established company just fools you there!! The box even states it is compatible with C-V-Z-P Series. From my understanding, any kits compatible with this camera means everything included in the box is compatible. But for some reasons, the rechargeable battery included is NOT! The whole point of buying this kit is that the dock station comes with the rechargeable battery. To any guys shopping for the holiday, do NOT by the docking station or maybe talk to the Kodak customer support before you take actions!! Otherwise, you buy this kit for $49.99 and spend additional $$ for a rechargeable battery? If you just care about the rechargeable battery, forget about it but go for any name-brand rechargeable AA battery and the charger for $30. After all this, I went to the Bexx Bxy and asked about it but a sales associate told me I can't use any rechargeable AA battery for this camera. I just don't see why not since the manual of the camera states that you can use any AA lithium batteries. No compatible accessory kit, not good rating at all!
