Customer Reviews

Kodak Easyshare Z700 4 MP Digital Camera with 5xOptical Zoom and Kodak Printer Dock (Series 3)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I just got this camera and within minutes (about 7)out of the box I was up and running. Snapping photos and loading them on the computer. The Kodak software works great with my XP, and the kodak interface is easy to work with. Some photo editing features, email and print straight from camera. Literallly plug in the camera and after it downloads the photos (seconds) it will automatically prompt for printing or email. Way cool feature.

The camera settings are easy to use, dial is clear and well placed. LCD screen is viewable in bright light. Manual flash settings are convienently located, camera feels comfortable in hand, SD slot placement is logical. I am not sure what was confusing to others in the reviews seen here, my fiance who is a camera novice (and not computer savvy) was up and shooting photos as soon as I handed him the camera. There are a lot of features on this camera, what a great value for the money! Kodak online has great photography tips and help for you and your camera, as well as a downloadable user manual.

Also, yes there is an option for manual settings like a good old fashioned SLR camera. If you are not familiar with traditional 35mm SLR camera settings...then either don't use this feature, take a intro to basic photography course, or buy a cheaper camera that does not offer manual settings. I have had a tried and true SLR camera for years and love it. I was excited to find an affordable digital camera that combines what I like about "point and shoot" style camera, and manual settings that I like about my 35mm SLR. SO - the feature is there, I thought it was pretty straightforward how it works. So if you are familiar with fstop, aperature, ISO, etc...this will be no problem.

The quality of the photos are amazing!! In the "Auto settings" mode even. I have tried many of the special featured setting specifics like the Museum/manner, People inside at a party, and Close up modes and have been happy with results.

One not so great thing, the non-rechargeable batteries that came free with the camera lasted us about 4-5 hours total. So, I reccomend a great quality rechargable set of batteries.

Also, FYI, the internal memory holds about 16 pictures or so. I purchased seperately a 256 MB SD card and now my camera will hold just shy of 200 basic photos (mine says 198).

This is my third Digicamera. For the price you can't really beat it. This camera takes excellent pictures in the dark.
Great, clear, full of features. This camera is not that difficult to use either. It does not require a degree in rocket science, just read the manual.

I still can't get over how well it takes pictures in the dark.
I took a picture of my living at night with no lights on. Totally pitch black. With the flash, the picture of the room looked as if it was mid day and well lit. Amazing

Use the web to research your camera purchase. I checked this camera out through google before finally buying it. I am very pleased with the purchase.

The Kodak Z-700 is my first digital camera. I like it very much, except for...

The cons: The camera's 16 MB internal memory card is a joke, as are the two included AA Kodak batteries. Within less than two hours of use, the memory card filled up; I would expect a modern "high-tech" digital camera to match if not exceed the 24-photo minimum of its 35mm predecessors. And although the batteries probably ran low because I tested the camera at night using the flash and fiddled with the menu and other controls, I would expect more.

The next day I ventured outside to take photos with a different set of used but fairly new AA batteries. All went well at first. But then the camera began to power off suddenly, sometimes in the middle of a photo comp or after I'd used the zoom, and sometimes when placed in certain modes such as close up, landscape, etc. I noticed the occasional red flashing light indicating a low battery, yet the low-battery icon on the view screen appeared to be around the 50-percent mark. I considered returning the camera to Amazon. Sigh.

Recommendations: Luckily, though, I had heeded the fine advice of other reviewers in this forum and had also ordered a 256 MB external memory card, rechargeable batteries, and docking station. (At the time of purchase, the docking station was just $7 more than the charger and offered some handy features.) I recycled the depleted AA batteries, inserted the rechargeables, and let the camera charge overnight on the docking station. The next day I inserted the external memory card, formatted it, and began taking photos...

The pros: Lo and behold! Properly geared and powered, this camera exhibits no aberrant behavior and takes gloriously sharp, clear pictures. Its focus is better than that on my point-n-shoot 35mm. The color is realistic and vivid. The software is intuitive, and with the docking station you can recharge the batteries and transfer photos to the computer with the touch of a button. The camera itself is ergonomic and nicely weighted, like a fine chef's knife.

Overall, I'm happy I purchased the Z-700. It's rated #2, after a Canon, in a recent Consumer's Reports review of digital cameras. I just wish that Kodak packaged the camera with everything it needs instead of enticing us with a low purchase price and allowing us to discover later that the alleged "accessories" (rechargeable batteries, charger, external memory card) are actually mandatory.

I got this camera for work, very quiet when taking the photos and has a fast save time (time for it to take a photo, save it, and then be ready to take another picture).

It's SD card slot doesn't share space with the batteries like some cameras do, so changing SD cards or taking it out to read the photos online doesn't require turning the camera off and on.

It's also got a much better optical zoom that most cameras in this price range (3x is norm) and the 5x optical zoom doesn't get all grainy and pixelated like digital zoom does.

Another nice feature is the sport mode which adjusts the shutter speed to let you capture a fast moving photo (like sports activites, kids at the holidays, photos from car window like for survellance) without getting a BLURRR. It's very nice for all types of light too.

Best value for the money.

I spent over two weeks looking at several different cameras offered by Amazon and reading reviews on each one. I've have an RCA digital that I bought several years ago and it's been a great camera BUT it doesn't have the options like the newer ones have today. With my budget I had to conserve on my spending but at the same time I wanted something I would be plezzed with...I finally decided to go with the Kodak Z700 and let me say, I'm not sorry for doing so...This "little" camera packs a punch. I love how "easy" it is to operate and with a little bit of reading in the instruction booklet that comes with the camera, I found it's pretty easy to navigate thru each type of settings. I also like the Video/Audio feature it has built in...
Overall, I would Strongly Recommend those with limited budgets and want an awesome little camera then by All Means..BUY THIS ONE....You Won't be Sorry...
5 Stars is my choice for this camera. Thanks to Amazon and Kodak.

This is my first digital camera and I did a lot of research on cameras before buying this one. It seemed each had strong points and some negatives. Any proprietary sticks or the Canon with its bug got eliminated from my list. Getting tired of the research I made the plunge and bought the Z700 based on good reviews and great price. Tempted by higher MP cameras but once you get to a certain point there isn't much noticeable difference in quality. The 4MP does a great job. Also, try to get as high of an optical zoom as possible--the digital zoom on all cameras is just about worthless and just a big number for advertising as far as I am concerned. Most of my film photography was macro and telephoto so the best for under $200 was important to me.

Like others--right out of the box I was taking pictures and downloading them to my laptop. Spent the first day running in & out of the garage to download to the laptop because I didn't order a SD card at the same time. Now have a 1GB San Disk and am loving it--be sure to format it first.

At first, I noticed a clicking that sounded somewhat like a small electical short. Discovered that this is the focusing. I set mine to single focus and no more funny noises. I like this better anyway as it seems to speed up the shots since it is not constantly trying to focus on more area. It has a large sweet spot and you can also chose which area you want to be the primary focus area.

It snowed and I used the PAS (manual settings to compensate for the brightness). Later discovered the SNOW mode which did about as well but the manual settings seemed to be just a little bit better. It is easy to bracket your pictures with digital. This is something that I was always hesitant to do with film because of the cost. With digital turn the dial & try a different picture mode if you don't like certain ones just hit delete.

SCN is one of the wonderful features with a lot of the different (manual) settings done for you. Just select the type of picture environment--backlight, night portrait, night landscape, manner/museum, text, children, party, portrait, beach, flower, fireworks, snow, self portrait (this is great and no red eye). Automatic doesn't get much use by me.

Like another reviewer discovered the night shots are great. Took some in a pitch black room and they turned out beautifully--clear and crisp focus and color.

My Nikon SLR will probably not get much use anymore and end up on Ebay. Focusing for me was becoming an issue and this Z700 does quite a good job.

The video is fun--not high resolution--but fun. I walked my 6 acre property and documented boundary lines with video. The dog howling and romping in the snow was also funny.

The Z700 was really meant for a gift for my 11 yr daughter. She took over 100 pictures today and most turned out very well and quite creative. Maybe there will be an expensive Canon EOS Digital Rebel in the future but for now I am a very happy Kodak Z700 digital camera owner.

Since nothing gets a perfect score from me it gets a 4. It is pretty close to perfect though considering its features and cost which make it a great value. Will just have to wait to rate dependability and longivity. Don't hesitate to buy this as it is a great camera and not a problem yet with over 300 pictures taken.

Don't waste your time with the printer... Kodak has tried to make taking pictures as dependent upon KODAK as possible.
You don't need the printer, printing using this crappy system is more expensive than downloading to a website and buying pictures. And the paper/ink ribbon quality is less than satisfactory. Don't waste your time with the PRINTER!!!

I received this camera and printer set for Christmas. I was slow to get into the digital age of photography. I took a trip to Florida in January. When I got back and printed out selected pictures of my trip, people couldn't believe that they were from a digital camera. I don't know much about all the specifications and what it all means, but the camera takes excellent pictures. I even used some of the "fancy" settings to use different speeds and f-stops. It was great to be able to see instantly what the pictures looked like. I realize that this is an attribute of ALL digital cameras, but I have a new found appreciation for it.

I have one small complaint about the printer. If you are printing a large number of photos, the paper tray doesn't hold alot of photo paper. That is it probably holds maybe 20 pages or so, but if your printing more than that, you have to reload. I had some problems with that, but I think it was more the computer/printer being finicky!

I hope you enjoy this camera and printer as much as I do!

This truly is an amazing camera for its price. A great value. The colors are bold and the detail is just as good as any other digicam I've used (even ones that cost more), and the design is very ergonomic (it fits well in your hand, especially if you have huge hands like I do). In addition, the layout is very simple; therefore, it is extremely user friendly. The additional software is great as well. My only con towards this camera is that it really does suck the life out of batteries in no time (even top Duracell and Energizer batteries, as well as the Kodak "Digital Camera" batteries that come with the camera). You should definitely invest in rechargeable NiMH batteries or you'll end up spending a fortune on disposable batteries.

I use a 1GB SD memory card and I get 788 pics or 57min in video footage (with sound). You don't have to buy a 1GB memory card, but you definitely should shoot for at least 128MB.

I recently used the camera for taking pictures of residential properties. When I downloaded the pictures and saw them on my computer, I was amazed at the detail and the ease of use. On the auto mode, the flash filled in the dark areas and the contrast between light and shadows were brilliant.