Customer Reviews

Kodak Easyshare Z740 5 MP Digital Camera with 10xOptical Zoom and Kodak Printer Dock (Series 3)

5 star:		(115)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Kodak's entry into the digital camera market was later than its rivals, the Japanese camera companies, such as Nikkon and Canon. However, with the release of the Easy Share Z740 5-Megapixel camera, Kodak establishes itself as a real competitor.

This is my first digital camera and I am quite pleased with it. I have been taking pictures with a SLR film Canon camera for over 25 years and was reluctant to go digital, as I had a great set-up (lenses and accessories) with the film format. Even so, it is readily apparent that film photography will soon be ancient history and digital photography will certainly become the future of picture taking.

The Easy Share is a very easy camera to learn. I spent about 45 minutes reading the manual with the camera in my lap exploring all the buttons, options, and settings. From that point on it was a cinch to take great pictures, as the camera is so easy to use. For those who want a simple point and shoot camera, the automatic setting will give you the simplicity you desire. For those who want more control over the camera settings, such as F-stop and shutter speed, there are settings for these as well. For this reason, the Easyshare Z740 is a great camera for general use. It has a very nice flash that pops up when you need it. The flash also has features that you can control if desired.

I bought the Easy Share because I read in reviews it was a good quality camera, and primarily for the 10-power optical zoom lens. The 10x lens is a good quality glass lens that gives sharp shots. I love the versitiliy it gives the photographer! Most digital cameras have 3x optical zoom lenses and then utilize a 5-10 power digital zoom. The Kodak Easy Share has a 3x digital zoom making the total zoom a 30 power combo. However, if you have any experience at all with digital zooms you quickly realize that they produce an inferior grainy (and usually blurry) image. However, because the Easy Share has a 10 power optical zoom, one rarely needs to go beyond this and use the digital zoom. Beware of cameras that proclaim their 20x or 30x digital zooms and the image will greatly disappoint you!

With a 512 MB flash (memory card), the camera will take about 350 pictures before having to download the pics to a computer for storage or printing. The transfer process is so easy. My wife, who is a computer illiterate can even manage this task. The software (computer) program that comes with the camera is very adequate and reliable.

The lithium battery for the camera is charged easily by simply plugging the camera into a pod that comes with the camera. There is a jack on the bottom of the camera that plugs into the pod and charges the battery without having to remove it from the camera each time, a feature that is very simple and handy.

The camera itself is much smaller than a standard 35 mm film camera so it goes anywhere with you. The controls are well-placed and easy to use. After a session or two of practice shooting, you will be able to operate the controls like a pro.

Finally, there is of course a color LCD screen that shows you the picture you just shot. There are additional controls that allow you to scroll through all your pictures, delete those you don't want, and save those you want to keep. Again, it is all very easy to learn. Coming from a film camera background, I found this editing feature to be the best aspect of digital photography, for there is no guessing as to whether you got the shot or not - it is right there on the screen in living color! If you don't like the exposure or cropping, simply take another one! In digital photography, there is no "wasting film"!

All in all, this is a solid digital camera that will please anyone interested in getting into digital photography. The price is very competitive considering the extensive options that Kodak packaged into this deal. If you are just getting into digital photography or are looking to upgrade to a higher megapixel camera, the Easy share will not disappoint you. I highly recommend it.

Jim Konedog Koenig

I bought the Kodak z740 primarily for the high resolution and the 10x zoom, both of which are worth every penny. Once I got the camera, I discovered that it has far more to offer. It is surprisingly compact and lightweight. I found it easy to learn and operate, plus it has all the different shooting modes.
Here's what I love about it:
1)You can figure out how to use it with very little trouble. (But read the manual, to get some helpful tips.)
2)All the different shooting modes allow you to get shots you might otherwise miss.
3)The burst mode, for action shots is awesome. I was able to get sharply focused shots of ducks flapping their wings.
4)The camera has good ergonomic design; the grip is comfortable and the buttons can be worked with ease.
5)It is designed to accept accessories, such as filters and a wide angle lens.

A couple of hints:
1)The flash pops up automatically when the camera is turned on. This is normal. If it bothers you, just hold your finger over it, when you power up.
2)The wide angle lens gets in the way of the flash, so wide-angle shots may come out too dark. If you switch the camera to night mode, it should solve this problem.
3)Kodak sells accessories for the camera, but they are pricey. Look on line for other companies that sell compatible accessories for less.
4)It's a great camera. Have fun with it!!!

Want a camera that is easy to operate, takes great pictures, and as "affordable"? Our family highly recommends this camera.

We came into the search with several basic criteria:

1) It must be easy to use (no background in FORTRAN or C++ required)

2) High quality (5 mpx)

3) Fast recovery time

4) Easy to move photos to the computer and print

5) AA Batteries if possible

6) 5-10x zoom

I was shocked to see the Z740 met each of these to our satisfaction.

It seemed that when we were researching, we'd find a camera that was 5 mpx, took AA's, but had a 5-6 sec recovery. Or another camera would have a 2-3 sec recovery, 5 px, but had a non-standard battery type.

We were about to give up and just buy the one that "most" fit our criteria -then a friend recommended the Z740. We've been amazed.

You select the picture mode by rotating a dial. Within seconds, you can take a video, rotate the dial, and take a still shot - No searching the menu to put it in video mode - just rotate the dial.

Focus is "point and shoot" - a set of brackets resizes to show you what the camera is focusing on and then turn green.

Picture review is easy - a single button push puts you in "review" mode - You can then zoom in or out on your picture.

Transfer the pictures by simply placing the camera on its docking station / printer, then push a button.

The computer software is fairly intuitive, though those who use other photo programs like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Photopaint may find it a bit basic.

The little printer prints GREAT photos - but they are expensive (Kodak propriety paper and ink ribbon) - $25 for 40 prints; still, it does a great job of printing "waterproof" prints. To print, you just hit the "print" after you dock the camera, or you can print your photos from the computer to your desktop printer, OR you can send pictures in to a photo developer (local camera shop, Sam's, Costco, etc.) to print only photos you want.

My wife does scrapbooking and it is ideal for her.

We highly recommend this camera.

If you are looking for a reasonably prices 10x zoom camera that is easy to use and takes great pictures then this is your camera. I looked around at several different types of camera's including Digital SLR but settled in on the Z740. For my general use picture taking it has enough features and quality. It is a little slow between pictures but that is not new to me as a digital camera owner. If you need to take hundreds of pictures a minute this is not your camera. The on screen descriptions when you change settings on the camera were a nice addition for me (I never knew what half the stuff on my last camera was for).

So far i've been impressed with how fast the minute you push
the "snap-shot" the flash automatically pops-up and
it's ready to take your photo! I have compared with the other
2 older models DX7590 & DX6490 ..this one is much lighter and faster in starting up ready to take action with your photos!
It also looks sleek ....but the Optical zoom is more amazing
than the other older optical zoom models!
I've been waiting for this one to come out with using AA Batteries! But better and longer lasting batteries are the Lithium CRV3 Batteries ...they will last you longer and it's
more convenient and reassuring that you can load up your
Z740 right away if battery dies down! I do alot of travelng
and i'm looking so foward to using my amazing Optial Zoom lense
to capture the moment! (even though i carry this Z740 with me wherever i go ...it goes!)
I also developed the pictures i took
and they came out very clear & colorful! Of Course! that's Kodak Science for you...

Previously, I owned a Canon digital that I was very happy with, but it was only a 2mp with 3x optical zoom. So if I was ever going to get a new one, I was going to upgrade. After having it for about 6 years, it has started to die on me. My job requires me to use and sell cameras and to develop film, so you can only imagine how hard it was for me not to buy a camera everytime I saw a new one come out. They only get better every year! I actually was in the market for the 6490 model, but it was discontinued, so then I was researching the 7590 and waiting for a good price. Then I found this one on the Kodak website, and it is almost exactly like the 7590, except it takes AA's instead of the rechargeable lithium battery, which I really wanted. After further looking I found a really good deal on the Z740 so I had to buy it! I will say that I am impressed with the life of the battery that came with it. I still haven't had to change it and I have had the camera for about two months. I have used both the viewfinder and the LCD screen and I have taken lots of video and still no dead battery. After selling and using digital cameras for over 6 years, I will have to say that this is one of the best! The only thing better would be an slr digital,but I don't have the $1,000 or more to pay for one and although I would like to be, I am not a professional photographer, so this one is perfect. Also, as an added note.. When I sell to customers that have never used a digital before, I usually suggest a Kodak, I have found that Kodak has the most user friendly cameras. Good Luck and I hope you find the perfect camera for you, I know I did!!!

I took time to review many different models. I and my family are average users, looking for the best price versus features versus ease of use. After reading the rave reviews of the Z740 I decided to purchase it. Amazon had the best price hands down--about $30 less than anyone else. There was no sales tax required with Amazon, and it was delivered inside of 4 days (free shipping).

We have not been disappointed! This camera is very easy to use, and it takes amazing pictures. With 10X optical zoom and 5 megapixels, the clarity and color are superb. TIP#1: Forget digital zoom when you evaluate cameras--digital zoom makes little dots bigger and is fairly useless because the pictures become less crisp when using digital zoom. You want as much optical zoom as you can get. TIP#2: Get extra storage for your pictures. I purchased a 1 GB SD card at Staples (about $65 after rebates and discounts) and can easily store at least 400 high quality pictures.

As a bonus I decided to subscribe to the Kodak Gallery ([...]) to share the pictures we take--a great service and easy to use.

This is a great camera, and Amazon is a great company. A very satisfying online purchase.

Seldom does anyone ever find a product where EVERY single reviewer has given it a positive rating and positive feedback. That was one of my research criteria that swayed me into purchasing after I narrowing down the field of cameras I was looking at.

My search for a new digital camera started in May 05, when on a trip to London, I was frustrated by my older digital camera's (an Olympus) inability to zoom in tightly on far away objects. This in spite of the cameras large megapixel capture size, but only a 12x overall zoom (4x optical and 3x digital). I knew the key to my search was finding a consumer grade camera with a very high optical zoom, which not only lets you zoom in further, but the better the optical lens, the better your photos.

The short list included cameras from the usual suspects, Canon, Nikon, and Olympus. The Kodak Z740 also made that list as it had comparable features, and comparable zoom, to the $450+ competitors. The one thing lacking in the Kodak, image stabilization, which is probably the one reason that the Kodak is priced quite a bit lower than its nearest competitors. I decided that image stabilization was not too important to me, and I am glad I made that choice. Afterall, I already own a tripod, so if composing a very detailed shot that requires the camera to be super steady, I can mount the camera and have all the stabilization I require. Problem solved.

That said, the Kodak Z740 takes beautiful shots. It allows the user to tailor many settings in order to get things just right, and even in automode, the quality of the output is quite admirable. The SLR type body means is quite nice also, with the flash positioned directly above the lens and the flash is also pretty decent pop-up variety that does a very good job (unlike other digital cameras). Other cool features? The burst shooting modes work well and I am quite pleased with what I was able to achieve while focusing on a moving object in burst mode.

Another nice feature is that standard 55mm lenses can be installed on the Z740 body with a lens adaptor. This again gives the Z740 lots of expandability and customization for the user.

Grips? Lens cover sucks (as mentioned by others), it does not fit as well as it could. The LCD screen does not seem to provide true color in relation to the actual output of the photo. My older Olympus displayed colors MUCH better on the LCD.

Like I said for under $300, this is probably the best camera you can purchase. If you are patient you can find it occasionally at name brand retailers for $240, which is the price I purchased at.

I bought this camera to replace my Kodak DX4330 that was stolen earlier this year. I love how easy this camera is to use and the quality as well as zoom. The outside colors are wonderful. My only problem with the camera is the quality of the inside colors. I've tried various settings and they continue to come out rather a little dark unlike my 4330. I still love this camera though and wouldn't change it for any other camera. Thank you Kodak for another lovely camera. The 10x zoom is one of the things that got me to purchase this.

And I agree that I'd like to be able to zoom while filming, but the first time I used the video feature was at a United Way truck pull infront of my place of employment as I had to film and take photos. I was amazed at how well the video turned out.

Camera is excellent. Pictures are some of the best I have ever taken. The printer dock, though I feel is a little fragile, makes great pictures with superb colors.

In addition I would be remiss if I did state that this package orignally came damaged and Amazon replaced all but overnight. I am not accustomed to such outstanding customer service.