Customer Reviews

Kodak Easyshare Z712 IS 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 12xOptical Image Stabilized Zoom

5 star:		(111)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I got my Z712 a week ago and have taken over 600 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 evaluates the shooting conditions and subject and chooses the correct scene mode automatically; in my experience it is quite accurate. You can use it as a point and shoot or make your own aperture, shutter or completely manual settings. 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 over 500 shots with frequent flash and LCD use. It is a camera with a great combination of qualities and few faults. 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 Z712 IS gallery at pbase. Just search for the camera and tgaf. I have posted over 80 photos of various types there.

I bought this camera to upgrade my little Olympus point and shoot from 2002. A great product as I detail below.

This Kodak is a great camera, and for the money delivers unbelievable features. This camera is not just a simple point and shoot, but rather it is an advanced amateur camera with lots of features to go from simple point and shoot to more manual features such as choosing exposure time, settings for certain types of light and even video with sound. You can easily choose - with one button being pressed - between the digital viewfinder or the larger LCD screen for taking the picture.

By using the wheel on top of the camera, you can easily access all features. The camera comes with a proprietary battery, but you can use standard AA batteries in a pinch, although standard AA batteries probably won't last long.

The lens has 12 times zoom with digital zoom taking it to 18x normal. The camera is certainly larger than a point and shoot, but it is fairly small - about the size of your hands if you cup them together to make a bowl.

Pictures
The camera takes some outstanding pictures that make you seem like a better photographer than you probably are. Colors are vibrant and come out beautifully. 7.1 MP gives you sufficient range to zoom into a picture of you want without too much grain.

Download
The camera uses a standard SD memory card. I bought a 2 GB and 1 GB card for use with the camera and on the highest settings a 1GB card should give you about 300 pictures, quite a lot for almost any situation.
Downloading the pictures onto your computer is fairly easy - using a included USB cord. However, I must say that the instructions are not as clear as they could be and I had to figure out some features by trial and error. This included how to look at the pictures on the camera without having the lens pop out (go to features and press on and you will be fine) and downloading the pictures to the camera the first few times (you have to put the cord in order before the computer will probably recognize the camera for download - frankly my Olympus was easier to accomplish this task)

Shortcomings
Of the few shortcomings this camera has, I mentioned the confusing download which is not intuitive at first (I admit I actually had to look at the directions). Second, sometimes the auto-focus will take a few moments to capture the subject you want - again not a real huge issue but it is noticeable. And I suppose that is really the only issues I have with the camera. It is a good product.


Conclusion

Give the price, if your looking for a camera which can serve as an all-around platform for simple picture taking to more advanced features giving you manual control, and in a pinch a decent video camera to take video with sound limited only by memory - than look no further because this is a great camera. For the money it is a very good deal! I am very satisfied with this camera.

After seeing that this camera was not immediately available on Amazon, I went to Staples and bought it. It was one of only two available, and I am lucky to have found it. So far, I have been extremely impressed. It takes excellent pictures in a variety of scenarios, but I have been most impressed with its ability in low light situations. Standing in a completely dark room, it makes photos look like it is daylight. The zoom is fantastic. Although the camera is completely automatic and adjusts to the appropriate settings, it allows the flexibility of a manual camera, which is perfect for the amateur photographer who wants a little more out of his or her camera. If you are looking for a simple point and shoot, it might be a little big and complicated, but if you want more, this camera is perfect for you. I don't think you will be disappointed; I know I love it.

The Kodak 712Zis is a great camera. It's lightweight and easy to use. As an owner of the Kodak DX7590 (still working great!) I upgraded to the 712Z for a few reasons:

1. the video is wonderful, although you cannot zoom during the video - you can make still pictures from the video, edit the video, and with the Kodak 2GB High Performance SD card I purchased the quality is wonderful.

2. In automatic mode this camera takes phenominal pictures in low lighting.

3. The LCD screen is large and easy to see. I can see it outdoors (if I am not wearing sunglasses). I wish I had not taken off the LCD protector because the screen DOES need constant wiping from fingerprint smudges.

There are two not so great features - one is the cap IS cheap and does not stay well on the camera. The other is the zoom - Although you have a 12x zoom, which is nice, while zooming you do not have a clear picture like you do with the DX7590, and it takes quite some time to get used to that feature.

Overall, it's a great camera that takes great pictures. With the price drop it's an incredible buy.

Tip - The camera does NOT come with a recharable battery, so purchase the Kodak KLIC-8000 battery, and the Series 3 dock (which transfers pictures AND recharges your battery).

I have been using a Kodak z712 for about two months now and have shot about 2,000 pics. The camera is capable of excellent pictures, great zoom range, exceptional video, and all at an excellent price in a very small package, but I do notice some problems.

Worst is batteries-The camera can deplete NiMH rechargables just sitting for a few days. The unit comes with a nice lithium ion battery but it is NOT RECHARGABLE. Nor is a recharger included. If you use lithium ion 's you will get good battery life , but they are expensive! If you use rechargables other than Li-ION you will get very poor battery life (40-50 images). AND I found it hard and expensive to get Li-Ion rechargable batteries and especially a working charger. On that note avoid shopextreme.com - they rip off alot of customers.

The camera does very well in good light but has problems focusing in lower light. (It helps to select macro or distance settings to aid focusiing) Sometimes it just won't focus (then go to manual). Sometimes it won't snap the picture, and that's frustrating.

The LCD is very bright, the menu system is very good, The image stabilization is very good. There are a lot of features and manual controls.

The zoom is amazing for so inexpensive a camera. At full zoom I recommend a tripod. I could actually get clearer long distance pictures from the z712 that I could from my Canon 350d with a 300mm lens. (Don't get me wrong - overall $1,200 of DSLR and lenses are a much better platform)

Concluding: for the price -amazing possibilities, but spotty performance in lower light - worst are the battery issues

I have owned this camera for a couple of weeks now. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the different settings that it offers. But after spending some time playing with it and learning about it, I am so pleased with it.

The zoom is incredible - I can see things through the zoom that I can't see with the naked eye off in the distance. The image stabilizer really works well, especially out at the long zoom. I've taken several full zoom sharp/clear photos. NICE!!

It has a large LCD screen to view your photos or even set up the shoot. Or you can use the view finder, which also has all the info on it. That is very handy if you don't want to use the LCD screen.

It's lightweight and easy to use... the controls are set up nice. The video mode is wonderful - especially being able to zoom in and out WHILE shooting video. That is a nice feature. The colors are pure and the low light capabilities are fantastic. I've taken a lot of photos inside, in very dim light, action shots, and more - a very wide range of photos. I am very pleased with what I have gotten from this camera. And it's fun to use too.

It offers a large variety of picture modes - sports/action, portrait, backlight, and many more. It also has a panaromaic mode which allows you to take 2-3 photos to make a panoramic shot. The camera stitches those photos together (seamlessly) and it makes for a really great panoramic shot!! It also offers ISO and several manual controls - PASM. Flash options, macro, landscape, continuous shots, timer, etc. This camera has it all. There are also available lenses to go with it if you want even more!!

The only negative I have found is the lens cap, I wish it was a bit more stable. But it's not a big deal as it fits fine when the camera is turned off and that's when it's set down and could get the lens touched/scratched. When on, the lens cap cannot be put on, but I don't want it on anyway. :-) I used the little lens strap to secure it to the camera so I didn't lose it.

I've had really good luck with battery life. The battery that came with it lasted about 4-5 days with VERY heavy shooting, zooming, and using the LCD screen. I have a Klic-8000 rechargeable battery ordered but haven't received it yet.

This is a GREAT camera choice with lots of options. From fully automatic to lots of manual controls. This super zoom can play ball right up there with the big boys and deliver stunning photos.

The camera is fantastic in all ways mentioned. For the price, you can't beat it.

There are, however, several things that Kodak doesn't tell you that are fairly severe limitations.

1.No filter ring. Kodak lists the ring as an Accessory Ring. It is different from a filter ring. I use a Polarizer regularly and wanted to mount one here. In the Kodak world, it requires an Accessory Tube that costs about $20. Only problem is that the tube causes major vignetting at low zoom (1X to 3X).

2.There are many Wide Angle and Telephoto attachments available on Ebay. Don't bother. They don't really work.
A.The Wide Angle lens vignettes so that about half the frame is unusable. If you zoom enough to eliminate the vignette, you loose the wide angle. The picture is a nice circle that doesn't fill the frame.
B.The Telephoto lenses often advertise increasing your zoom by 2X, but it actually only adds about 2X to the zoom. So the 12X zoom the Z712 becomes about a 14X. Not worth the headache.

3.Batteries - You can't use the Ni-MH AA batteries that I've used on older cameras. They only deliver 1.2 volts per battery (2.4 volts total.) The Z712 requires more voltage. I only get about 40 pictures per charge on the Ni-MH batteries and that's not acceptable.
A.The only rechargeable battery the Z712 is compatible with is the Klic 8000 or the the Ricoh DB50. The Klic 8000 costs around $18, plus $20 for the charger. The Ricoh is available on Ebay for considerably less, but the mili-amp ratings are lower.
B.Radio Shack sells a CRV3 NiMH Rechargeable with 2.4 volts. Don't use it as it's not compatible. This thing requires 3 volts.

4.Lithium Ion AA batteries are expensive. As of today, you can find them for either $10 for four batteries, or $14 for eight batteries. Expensive, but each pair of batteries gives about 200 pictures according to Kodak. That means that the 8 Pack will deliver about 800 pictures for $14. When comparing against buying the recharger and rechargeable batteries, purchasing the Lithium Ion batteries isn't that bad.

I got around the filter attachment limitation by gluing a 49mm to 52 mm reduction ring onto the lens barrel with silicon caulk. Tiny amount and extreme care to keep the caulk from the lens. The reduction ring fits nicely inside the outer barrel and sat on the outer barrel while gluing. Now, I have a filter ring for the Daylight and Polarizer filters that I use so often.

So far, I love the camera. High zoom, self installed filter capabilities, higher resolution, loads of features. Even with the limitations, I give it four stars. The battery issues I can live with, but not having a filter ring is just foolish.

I bought the Z612 and the Z712 at the same time to compare them. Overall they are very similar. However the Z712 is the keeper for one reason - better pictures in low light. The Z612 would start getting noisy at ISO 400. The Z712 pictures are sharp at ISO 400.

The Z712 is black and looks better than the silver Z612. The black Z612 was very difficult to find.

The Z712 uses the smart scene mode for auto mode where the camera tries to select the appropriate scene automatically (eg. beach, snow, etc).

As always the Z712 is easy to use.

I do have one main gripe with the Z712 and that is the LCD has been lowered to 115,000 pixels on the LCD versus 230,000 on the Z612.

In the end, I returned the Z612 due to its low light capability. The Z712 improves in this area. It's not a Fuji in low light but it's the best I have seen from Kodak in the Z series. This is another winner from Kodak - highly recommended!

I just got my z712 and I love it. It has very advanced features but they're easy to use. I'm looking forward to really playing around with it. However, I have a warning. The z712 is compatible with the Series 3 dock. I must have a dock because I need to recharge my batteries often. So I ordered the dock through best buy cuz its not an easy dock to find. I just got the dock today and the rechargeable battery it comes with IS NOT COMPATIBLE with the z712. Hello...... The rechargeable battery is why I got the dock. If there were no such things as rechargeable batteries then I would just plug the USB cable into my computer. So basically I paid over $50 for the series 3 dock and the battery I really need is the Li-Ion KLIC-8000 not the Ni-MH one the dock came with. I'm very dissappointed. Anyway, the camera is awesome but Kodak really screwed this one up. The battery I need.... is going to cost $40!!!!

I went back and forth over what new camera to buy. I want amazing pictures of my kids at Disney and I know I will get them with this camera ***edited: The pictures at Disney were bad, and the batteries-all 12- died so fast that an hour into our visit, I could no longer take photos!
Less than a year later the SOB died on me. Just. Died. Found that out at my daughter's birthday. What's worse? When I took it back to the store I was told that this camera was being discontinued completely because so many of them are simply dying or breaking for no reason. I was sick. I loved this camera, but like another reviewer said, what good is an awesome camera...if it doesn't freaking work?!? I paid $300 for mine, and it died about 6 months later-I moved on to the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS, so far so good and the pictures are better than the kodak hands down. Awesome color-crisp shots. What ever you do, save yourself the headache and pass on this camera. I'll never by kodak again.