Kodak EasyShare Z612 6.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom Reviews

• Easyshare Z612 - WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL CAMERA!

  
  By A1FPIQ655H4UZA on 2006-06-22
  I LOVE this camera! I have a Nikon N90, which is an excellent camera, but I wanted a digital, smaller camera. Several years ago, I bought a Toshiba PDF4300, and my husband purchased a Nikon Coolpix 5000. Both of these digital cameras are not user friendly or fast. As a result, we stopped taking photos. I bought a Kodak C model Easyshare camera for my mom for Mother's Day and was shocked at how easily I was able to immediately start taking photos. There were dedicated Review and Delete buttons by the LCD panel. What a concept! (To this day, I have problems deleting on my Toshiba.) It made me want to start taking photos again. I studied specifications from camera to camera; e.g. Canon, Nikon, Kodak, but I kept coming back to Kodak's simple, easy-to-use formula. I decided on the Z612 for a multitude of reasons: size, speed, stabilization, TV quality video with stereo audio, 2.5 LCD with 233K pixels, 35mm to 420mm zoom, 6.4 MP, ability to use a 2 GB SD card (with the best res (6 MP), this card can hold 491 photos), etc. I called some camera stores in town to see if they carried the Kodak Z612, because I wanted to see it in person, and I was surprised at their snobby responses that they don't carry Kodak. Don't let that kind of attitude stop you from seeing this camera. I found one close to home, and bought after looking at it - great sale price, too. This is the easiest camera out of the box. Very fast! Excellent quality - no red eye on my new kittens. In one day, I took 200 photos, copied them to my computer - no hassles. I am the happiest I've ever been with a camera. As an additional FYI, Kodak announced the P712 in London on June 20, 2006. This should be better than the P880 which I was considering. If you want to add an external flash and things, the P (Performance) line is the way to go. For this purchase I wanted size, quality, AND EASE OF USE. It looks like the new P712 is very similar to the Z612, which was announced Feb 2006. (Z is for high zoom, 6 is for MP, and 12 is for 12x zoom.)
  
  I am ABSOLUTELY THRILLED with my Kodak Easyshare Z612. (No, I do not work for Kodak.)
  
  

• 4.5 Stars for a great camera

  
  By A2492XE7PBMELT on 2006-06-29
  Update: I concur on the blurring issue. It doesn't happen frequently, but sometimes, particularly on close-ups, the autofocus won't focus no matter what I do. Then the next picture is fine. Possibly a firmware issue Kodak could address with an update?
  
  Note: only a couple of tiny issues keep this from being a 5-star review. To me, "5" means "close to perfect," and the Z612 isn't quite there--but I still love this camera! The Z612 has all the ease of an EasyShare with features found in more demanding cameras.
  
  Pro
  
  Nice small size for its key features: 6.1 mexapixels, 12x zoom, and image stabilization
  
  Brilliant, huge viewfinder--by far the best in this price range
  
  Trademark Kodak color--pop-out clear and beautiful
  
  Buttons and switches are clearly labeled and easy to use, particularly the huge, well-placed release button
  
  Foolproof picture-taking, but easy to access advanced features
  
  Easy to transfer pictures, either with the USB cable or the optional dock (you don't have to get the printer dock; there's a $40 series 3 dock that just charges and transfers)
  
  Loaded with easily-accessed scene settings, including a separate toggle for three of the most popular
  
  Accepts regular camera batteries in addition to its rechargeable battery--though on a four-day trip where I took a lot of pictures I didn't seem to get anywhere close to exhausting the juice
  
  
  Con
  
  The rubber boot covering the USB transfer port seems a little flimsy
  
  The manual is cryptic on some features
  
  As with all non-manual zooms, the Z612 zoom is a bit trigger-happy
  
  I'm not quite as impressed with close-ups such as flowers as I was with my old DX6440 EasyShare... so I thought I'd buy a close-up lens, but:
  
  To use generic 55mm lenses, you need a special 49 to 55 mm lens adapter made just for the Z612--but this accessory isn't available yet! Come on, Kodak.
  
  Still, a lot of camera, both for the cost and for the ease of use. Oh, and it's rather attractive, too--I took it to a conference and a lot of people commented on my "nice camera."
  
  

• One important drawback

  
  By A1F3VRLGW5NAJB on 2006-10-26
  Kodak Easyshare Z612
  
  Pros
  
  1. There are dedicated buttons for setting focus, flash, timer, review, information, delete, menue and share photos. Because the buttons require a solid punch, I have not not had the problem of accidentally resetting the camera when handling it. This makes the camera easy to use.
  
  2. The x12 zoom works great and so does the image stabilization. I was able to take photos of people without a tripod from significant distances (15-20 feet) allowing for candid, non-intrusive shots of subjects. Because there are blur and poor exposure warnings, almost all of my photos came our sharp and bright. At the longer distances on the flash range, it was necessary to enhance the exposure in editing and I was amazed at the quality of the correction. Unless I was very close to the subject, the skin tones were good. I have submitted some sample images for your review.
  
  3. I really like the software that comes with the camera. I normally edit the photos in a retail store because the touch screens are so easy to use as compared to my complicated and tedious computer software. The Kodak software was simple and had fun features such as turning the photos into cartoons or coloring book pages. Plus, the software is integrated with the Kodak website for easy photo sharing.
  
  4. The camera is lighter weight (10 oz w/o batteries) and smaller than the Kodak "P" (professional) series. [...] While it is no substitute for a pocket camera, I think I would still use the z612 as my primary camera on a road trip.
  
  5. The LCD screen is large at 2.5 inches and the EVD is bright. In comparison to other cameras I have used, I can see the LCD screen in bright sunlight but it is on the dim side in the normal mode. There is an option to brighten it beyond normal, which I have not tried.
  
  6. The batteries, which come with the camera, seem to last around 50 photos with lots of telephoto adjustments.
  
  7. The camera does come with a lens cap and lens strap, which I attached to the hook for the neck strap. The cap pops off and hangs out of the say when the camera is turned on. It is NOT necessary to keep track of the lens cap.
  
  Cons
  
  1. The wide/telephoto lever is located immediately to the right of the viewfinder. I use my left eye when looking in the viewfinder and it is very, very difficult to use the wide/telephoto at the same time. My thumb ends up poking my right eye. If I had tried this camera out in the store, it may have been a show stopper. This is a significant con, which dropped my rating by one star.
  
  2. The icons and text describing the scene options are on the small side compared to the space available on the LCD screen. My current camera uses a descriptive photo with large text for the scene options. After you select a scene option, you have to toggle the wheel off and back onto the scene option to get back to the scene menu. This is cumbersome.
  
  3. The icons on the camera body for the flash, focus, et. al are small and may be difficult to see for the 50+ consumer.
  
  4. The battery indicator does not come on until the batteries are low. I would like to know the status of the batteries at all times.
  
  5. For macro photography, you have to be at least 4.7 inches away from the subject for the focus to work properly. This is a long distance for macro photography, so your photos may require cropping for a really close look. I did some test photos of a grid and the tightest I could get (while maintaining good focus) was an area of around 2 inches by 2 3/4 inches. Too much cropping degregates the image quality. If you want to take pictures of ladybugs in high resolution, you may want to consider another camera that has a better macro mode and a super macro mode. Cropping to a grasshopper size works--but a ladybug size seems to be beyond the limits of this camera. (I did get a good shot of a ladybug, but I had to leave a lot a background to maintain a quality photo.)
  
  Conclusion
  
  This is a light-weight, easy to use, affordable camera with a large, bright LCD screen and bright EVD viewfinder. The image stabilization and the integrated editing software is a real plus. This camera will work for a beginner photographer, as well as, a serious amateur who wants some control over settings but doesn't want to spend the $ for a DSL. I would have liked a super macro mode, but the trade off was more expense, weight, no batteries included and a smaller, dimmer LCD screen. (Check out the Canon IS 3S or Sony super zoom) While I may not be able to photograph the texture on a bug's eye, at the end of the day, I'm really most interested in good candid photos of people. All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase and I'm having lots of fun taking pictures. Check out the images I have shared. If you buy this camera, I also recommend that you download the full manual from Kodak and take the time to edit each photo with the included software. (Note: I have not tried the video on this camera.)
  
  7/12/2007 update. I still love my z612 and lots of acquaintances seem to have camera envy. I just wanted to mention that the Kodak editing software does not allow one to straighten or sharpen photos. I am now using picasa2 by google, which is available through a free download. It has very easy photo editing capability that is easy to use and is significantly better than the Kodak version. Google also offers a free web service for storing and sharing up to 1 gig of photos. The best thing about this service is that your friends can download a HD version of the photos for free. On the Kodak website, you can share photos but friends can only download a low quality version or buy prints or a CD.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Z612 Wonder Camera

  
  By A1LDOG8K4DG0ND on 2006-06-23
  CONTROLS
  The camera's controls (buttons: flash, picture settings), menu are very easy to use. The buttons are placed for easy use.
  
  PICTURE QUALITY
  The pictures are sharp, clear with good natural color. The 12X zoom works in all lighting conditions. In bright sun light auto 12x works well. In low light you can use the manual or program controls with the 12x zoom. One really good feature is that once you take a picture you can use the kodak perfect touch to sharpen and lighten up the picture if you need to. You can also crop the picture.
  
  I've taken lots of macro pictures of flowers. I've even got good shots of bees in flight on the flowers.
  
  VIDEO
  You can use the 12x zoom while you run the video. In low light like at a circus or party the video is great. You don't miss a detail.
  
  PRINTER
  You can user the kodak series 3 printer to print pictures from your video.
  
  TV
  The camera or printer dock can be hooked up to your TV. You can review your pictures to decide what you want to keep. You can show the whole family what you're taken pictures of.
  
  RECOMMEND
  yes, for an experienced photographer you have the ability to set the iso 800, control shutter speed, etc.
  Yes, for the beginner, let the camera do the work and you'll get BEAUTIFUL, SHARP picutures.
  You can't go wrong with this camera. By the way, it is so lite you hardly know you're carrying it.
  
  

• A Well Rounded Zoom Camera

  
  By A3LKT545WYWWFN on 2006-07-19
  Overall this camera is totally worth the $400 to buy it. It takes excellent and colorful shots - both closeup and far away. The image stabilization works great, so there's little chance of blurry shots at full zoom. It's easy to use and it's super small. I bought this camera because I love my Kodak CX7430 and I didn't want to pay the money for a digital SLR like the Canon Rebel. If I had the choice to buy a zoom camera again, I'd still take this one.
  
  PROS:
  1. Crisp and vivid photos
  2. Great image stabilization
  3. Easy to use controls - a Kodak trademark
  4. Long battery life and uses over the counter batteries or the rechargeable ones that come with it.
  5. Both viewfinders give you a lot of versatility and the LCD screen is excellent.
  6. Has two video sound mics for stereo sound.
  7. Very small in size for a camera of this type.
  
  CONS:
  1. Video sound distorts at rock concerts.
  2. Video sound fades out when zooming in and out while recording (so don't zoom while recording is my procedure, unless you're not worried about the sound).
  3. Camera could be a bit faster reloading from shot to shot.
  
  
• Outstanding, Exceeded All Expectations
  By A3QO86B8PL6ZL6 on 2006-08-15
  I spent weeks researching cameras and finally went with the Z612. I had it two days, flipped through the manual, and headed out on vacation. In all situations, beach, boats, planes, ships, cars, this camera took outstanding photos. I used many of the scene settings, beach, landscape, night, sports, auto, night landscape, and the picture were great.
  
  I did not experience any of the issues reported by other users, blurry pictures or loose cap for the lens.
  I would highly recommend this camera.
  
  
• Check out my shared photos!
  By A12ERZBLQCXV8C on 2006-08-17
  I have had the Z612 for a month now. I decided to look it up on amazon and see what reviews it was getting. I was surprised to see the few shared photos. I love my camera and decided to add some of my own that I have taken in the last month. I read all the reviews and agree with them all. I didn't want to bore anyone by repeating everything... I just wanted to let anyone that's looking for a high performance/zoom camera to check out my pictures. They are mostly of my dog, yes. But it shows the speed quality and clearity of this camera. Also the videos are excellent and very clear with great sound quality (with the exception of zooming while filming). I would recommend this camera to experts and beginners (considering I'm relatively new at photography as an art). Thank you!
  
  
• Wonderful Camera
  By A32WWEYGI9J1EF on 2006-08-12
  The first one I bought I had to send back but This camera is great it takes wonderful picture with great colors and is easy to use. I have taken picture of the moon at 12x zoom and then used the review at 8x and can see the creaters on the moon objects in motion and closeups that sold me on the camera. It's very easy to use my girlfriend never had a digital camera before and she can take great pictue with it.Well I would reccomened this camera for any one looking for a mega zoom camera that is simple to use with many extra's like many preset scene's,with flash settings, great picture to picture speed nice low light picture's good auto focus and fit's in your hand nice and battery life is great I can go a couple weeks between charges useing the LCD screen 2.5" nice and big.I did A lot of resarch before I bought this camera and found this was the best in price range well worth the money.
  
  
  
• Great and Easy to Use!
  By A2MTPVXL6HD5VP on 2006-08-25
  I love this little camera. It replaces a DX7590 that I lost (and is my 4th Kodak digital camera). I also have a Canon Digital Rebel XT and although it's a great canera as well, it's not ideal to drag along to the beach or destinations where I have to worry about it being stolen or damaged. The pre-configured settings are a good way to set up your camera for quick shots (sports, sunset, candlelight scenes, etc) and the abilty to crop the picture in camera is useful. I also have a 2 gig card which allows me to take as many pictures as I want. This also helps with use of exposure bracketing. What I like best?...screen size and quality, picture quality, ease of use. My only issue was finding a back-up battery pack...
  
  
• Easy to use
  By A1YPO9UMCCCK9X on 2006-11-21
  My Z612 is very easy to use and I am terrible with cameras! Digital is the best for me because I need the option to erase the ones that don't come out the right way. It takes great pictures, especially wildlife, hummingbirds, butterflies etc... Also great for pictures of kids who won't hold still.
  
  
• This camera is very dissapointing!
  By A1SLFXBX2TRFMI on 2007-02-26
  This is quite possibly the worst camera I have ever used, in fact it's SO bad I had to write a review (and return it.) In short, if you enjoy getting natural low-light shots without a flash, you will HATE this Kodak camera.
  
  I was blinded by the specifications, MPEG4 video, 6MP imager, 12x optical zoom with image stabilisation, very light weight, large 2.5" high resolution screen. Sure, it all sounds good on paper, but it appears that Kodak didn't put the pieces together correctly, which really is a shame because it seems that a firmware upgrade would be all that is required to fix the following problems.
  
  To begin with, this camera can't focus correctly in low light (without a flash), so you have to take the shot over and over just to get it right, if that's even possible. I've taken an identical shot with a Canon S1 and a Sony H1 and can read the label on a bottle of wine from across the room, not so with the Kodak.
  
  Second, what you see on the display before you take the shot is NOT what you get as a picture afterward. For some reason, the camera gains up the screen correctly so that it looks right, however when you snap the picture and review it, it's always dark/underexposed! And the camera KNOWS it's dark, because when you go to the built function to fix your pictures, the camera always brightens them up (which is not a good option as this adds noticeable artifacts.) I've tried every mode to let the camera control the exposure and it just doesn't work. Overriding the EV seems to help (although then it doesn't look correct on the screen anymore), and with manual mode you can control the shutter, but in the end it's just a guessing game. With the Canon and Sony they can figure the exposure correctly so that what you see on the screen is what you get in the picture. If I couldn't get ANY camera to take the shot correctly then I would think this was my problem, however the Kodak is the only camera that I can't make work, and I've had several Canon's and Sony's over 4 years now which work as expected. If this was the only thing wrong I might have kept it, but poor exposure coupled with bad focusing just pushes it over the edge.
  
  Third, it has a LOT of dead pixels on the CCD (this may have been just my camera.) This is just flat out a quality control issue. They mainly show up when I gained up the EV of the image. Take a pure black picture (put your hand over the lens) and gain up the EV to maybe +2.0 and when you review the picture, zoom all the way in and scroll across the screen... mine looks like a starfield! I've taken this shot a few times and it's always the same pixels. It seems that possibly Kodak is cheating when you boost the EV and electronically gaining up the image vs. lengthening the exposure by keeping the shutter open longer (which should be a function of the ISO and not the EV.)
  
  Fourth, very few options for white balance. Fluorescent, sun, shady sun and flash ... that's all. No incandescent? No custom? Good luck on getting your colors to come out correctly. We're plunking down $200-ish for this camera, we should be getting pictures that are superior to film! Both Canon and Sony have a custom white setting which work great for all situations.
  
  I'm not sure how this camera got such good reviews, however it seems to be from people who don't ask a lot of it or are always shooting outdoors in bright light or with the flash. If this is you, then the camera is probably fine, but wouldn't you rather get a camera that can take better pictures in more situations? I'm not saying to get an SLR, but rather I'm suggesting that you look at the competition, do a little research and test the cameras.
  
  The thing I love about digital photography is that it's BETTER than film! 4x6 prints look better than 35mm film, and the color is always more true. You should be asking a lot from your camera, and it should be delivering.
  
  P.S. I thought that maybe I had a bad camera, but I went and tried one at Best Buy and had the same results, and their store was even brighter than the room I was originally testing in. I also tried one at Target with the same outcome. It just makes me sad that Kodak seems to have all these great pieces but can't put them together in a quality package.
  
  If someone has found a way around these problems I'd love to hear it because I still can't believe this camera is that bad. PLEASE try it in the store first, and try a Canon and Sony as well.
  
  Some tips for great shots:
  
  Set the lowest ISO possible within reason to get a clear shot, the higher the ISO, the higher the electronic gain from your camera and the more noise in the picture.
  
  The higher the mega-pixels is not necessarily the better the shot. A lot of times the same basic camera with an 8MP or 9MP imager, both imagers will be the same size, and the 9MP imager will have more noise making it equivelant to the 8MP imager. Also go with image stabilisation, Canon has the SD800 with image stabilisation and the SD900 without. If you get a blurry shot with the 9MP camera you have just effectively reduced your resolution most likely below the 8MP, so go with the SD800 with image stabilisation. Besides, if it's noisier anyway, you now have a larger image file with more noise.
  
  To get a brighter picture, set the exposure longer or turn up the EV. On any decent camera you'll also notice this change on the display as well as the final picture.
  
  To increase the depth of field and get more things in focus, raise the F-stop (this will let in less light, and nothing comes for free so the camera will have to have a longer exposure to compensate), lower the F-stop to keep your main subject in focus but make everything else out of focus. You can see an example of this by squinting, put a printed page in front of you too close to focus, then squint and you will notice that the text comes into focus, the camera is doing the same thing.
  
  Set the custom white balance for your current lighting condition.
  
  Set the camera for the highest resolution (MP of the camera) and minimum amount of compression (usually fine or super fine.)
  
  Zoom into the picture after you have taken the shot to make sure it came out in focus.
  
  
• Solid camera for most photographers
  By A2CLHJ5OJIEWZL on 2006-12-31
  This camera can take good photographs worthy of 11x14 enlargements, maybe larger and should take great 6x4 photos for just about any situation.
  
  It has a wide variety of options for creative control, but has fully automatic 'everything' for those not able or willing to make any decisions.
  
  The 12x zoom is both one of the cameras strengths and weaknesses. The zoom lets you get close to far away objects, however the temptation to 'overuse' this feature is strong. At the highest magnification one needs fairly high shutter speeds even with the image stabilization to avoid blur. I also found that at the most magnification the lens quality was a little suspect and images were a little 'muddy'. Maybe once summer comes round with much more ambient light the lens will do better. Time will tell. Image stabilization is of little use if one is 'tracking' a moving object. I wish Kodak had put an on/off switch for the image stabilization on the camera, the control to switch it on/of is deep in the menus. Turning off the stabilization is essential for tripod use as is the case with all IS cameras. With the 12x lens Tripod use is very beneficial, the Image Stabilization is good but not good enough for enlargements.
  
  Colors are acceptable in most circumstances, I found the colors on the Kodak DX6490 to be better in a wider range of conditions.
  
  The dial to select shooting mode works very well and is a vast improvement on some of the older Kodaks. The 'jog' dial is well positioned compared to other Kodaks. The camera on/off switch is well positioned.
  
  The LCD is large and bright making picture taking/review easy. In bright daylight you'll be forced to use the viewfinder, but the viewfinder is pseudo TTL so it is a very good substitute.
  
  I did find the viewfinder awkward to use. It is almost flush with the camera back so with glasses on it is difficult to see clearly into the viewfinder because your nose butts up against the LCD first. Older Kodaks are better. The zoom control is difficult to use if you use the viewfinder at the same time, it's too close and your check which prevents your thumb getting to the zoom out. I also found the zoom control a little too quick, it is very difficult to frame photos using the control without 'overshooting' one direction or the other. The DX6490 was much better and had a better zoom control to boot.
  
  The ability to use rechargeable batteries or standard CRV3 lithiums is great! However the rechargeable batterries are proprietary. Kodak made a change to the battery contacts for the rechargeables and generic rechargables from Radio Shack will NOT work - I had to return one. Buy only rechargeable batteries that are designed for this Kodak camera. Despite the battery saving features of the camera the batteries do seem to run down more quickly than other Kodaks. The camera comes with a plug in battery charger, an improvement over older models. I recommend the purchase of the camera dock for both charging the camera and downloading photos to your computer. This saves having to open the battery compartment to either charge the battery or retrieve the memory card. Use the Kodak software to download the photos and then use other software to enhance your photos.
  
  As with all Kodaks the Macro feature sucks. Purchase of the lens adapter and some screw on macro filters overcomes the limitations. The lens adapter used with a skylight filter also protects the lens against bumps and dirt. The adapter is only $15 so is an essential add on IMHO.
  
  The scene modes are very comprehensive and seem to work well, making many decisions for you.
  
  One can take up to 8 photos in burst mode, but I found that the image in the viewfinder freezes for a longtime making tracking of a moving object very hard. Once the burst is over you can't use the camera for 30-40 seconds while it writes the photos to the memory card. If you need burst mode a lot, don't buy this camera higher end cameras do this much better.
  
  One annoying feature is that in AUTO the camera always fires the flash in low light situations, it cannot be turned of as a default, each time you switch the camera on the flash may fire. This may not be OK inside buildings, museums etc. I found the best way around accidental flash is to leave the camera in 'program mode'. Program mode remembers the last flash setting used in that mode, which is typically off for me. I can switch to auto if I want flash. I tried using an auxiliary flash unit with a slave, but the two flash units confused each other resulting in dark photos. Fortunately the built in flash illuminates a medium sized room quite well, so auxiliary flash is often unnecessary as is the case with previous Kodak models.
  
  One can override the color control to cope with flouresent or incandescent lighting, but that's about it, more white balance options would be nice.
  
  Picture review is easy and has a great 8x zoom to examine the suitability of taken photos. I don't understand why Kodak make such a big deal about the favorite and 'share' features and devote some many buttons and menus to these valueless options.
  
  Self timer options are great with both 2 and 10 second delays and also a 2 photo delay feature, just in case someone blinks at an inopportune moment. I wish you could combine self timer and exposure bracketing to make sure you got a good photo when away from the camera. Alas you can't, a very small drawback.
  
  I was disappointed that 6 mega pixels doesn't show a big improvement over 4 mega pixels I had before. Well I learnt my lesson there. Don't buy for mega pixels, buy for features, ease of use and other capabilities.
  
  The focusing system is quick and accurate, a vast improvement over other Kodak cameras. The manual focus sounds great but I found in practice it is almost impossible to use accurately. The three focus modes are better ways to overcome any focus problems you may throw at the camera.
  
  The best of all feature of the camera is its ease of use. Unless you are a budding professional or sports photographer this camera will meet almost all of your needs. The easier it is to use, the more photos you can take and better ones too, because you don't waste time struggling with a complex setup.
  
  I like it. As a long time Kodak DX6490 user I found it to be a good upgrade, but not as good as I had hoped. At the current price of just over $250 I can't really be too disappointed.
  
  
  
  
  
• Some nice images, but some very blurry
  By A38D3EWPD85JAH on 2006-07-20
  I got some very nice photos with this camera, and some very disappointing ones, too. Even not using the zoom, I ended up with some very blurry pictures. This is not my first digital camera. I am unsure as to whether or not the camera is broken. Judging from other reviewers, I am guessing I just got a defective camera.
  
  
• Great camera with one flaw
  By A244C96I6YCSHX on 2006-12-21
  The Z612 is a great camera but has one minor to moderate flaw depending on the user. All-in-all the white balance sensor does not function properly. I ended up exchanging it for another one because of this problem, but the second also had this problem. Best Buy said this model is known to have an inferior white balance sensor.
  
  In indoor lighting conditions, sometimes the LCD tends to look very yellowish. so yellowish that its hard to determine whether or not the picture will come out ok. The strange thing is that on both of the cameras i tried, the pictures come out fine and it seems to just be the LCD that has the yellow tint.
  
  Overall, i am still satisfied with the camera because the pictures come out great and movie mode is fine. If a yellowish LCD is something that will bother you, you may want to consider something else..
  
  
• Kodak Z612 - my new camera!
  By on 2007-04-08
  I've been looking for a camera since I went on a trip for spring break about 3 weeks ago. I saw so many good picture opportunities but only had a cheap winding camera that you get at gas stations and my brother's small digital camera (he would hardly let me use it). In the middle of the trip while I was trying to sneak my brother's camera away from him I realized I should get a digital camera...
  
  For three weeks I've been reasearching and researching and that really gets old so it was a real relief to finally get this camera and see that it's actually a good one. The first picture I took made me nervous because it turned out really dark - I had read some other reviews that said all the pictures were way too dark. Then i turned on the flash and I said "What kind of idiots are these people?" It seems like it should be common knowledge that if a picture is dark you turn on the flash! - I'm 13 and I can figure it out.
  But anyway I thing this is a great camera. I took a picture of a flower on my dogwood tree using macro (don't zoom in while using macro, the camera won't focus if you do) and it turned out great. Then I cropped out the flower from the picture ( on the camera!) and the quality was amazing. I had thought that surely this on camera cropping is gonna make the picture have fuzz, but it turned out great.
  I don't like the electronic viewfinder too much ( the quality of the screen isn't very good), but it's great when you need to hold the camera really steady like on long zoom shots or close-ups.
  I got this camera on sale for 200 bucks. I was sorta nervous about buying it but I thought "Hey, it's got a 2 week return policy, I'll take it back if I don't like it." I'm definitely not taking this back unless it breaks.
  I was also impressed with the size of the camera and how it actually looked in person. Even though it's a full sized camera it's still fairly small and it's light but sturdy. If you take test pictures in the store you will not get good results simply because the inside of an office store is downright boring. Buy it, take it home, and take some test pictures with it. If the results seem bright or dark then mess with the flash and try the touch up thing on the camera, it really helps. It's really important that you take it home to take some test pictures - you can probably take it back depending on the store you're at.
  
  I think this camera is great - especially for the money! I was about to get a Sony DSC-H2 but at the store I thought the image quality was terrible! I never got to test the H5 but it was too expensive anyway. The Canon PowerShot S3 IS seemed alright but it took 4 batteries as opposed to 2 and it was too much maney for me. Panasomic's Lumic DMC FZ7 or 8 both looked cheap to me so in the end I took this camera.
  
  
• Easy to use takes good pics
  By A3ILG071FK8BVE on 2006-07-27
  I loved 35mm photography and used a Nikon for years. I just wanted to take pics without all the hassels have the convenience of auto focus. The camera has been simple to use, has good documentation and the software for downloading the pic to your computer works very well. There is also a docking station that you can purchase that will automatically download your pics as well as recharge the batteries. I really like this camera and would recommed it for folks who like taking pictures and are somewhat particular about their pictures and the quality of their shots.
  
  
• Nice & Easy Camera To Use
  By A2JJIU1VMF46AU on 2006-12-27
  After much research and forum hunting [...] I decided on this camera for my parents. I went with the Z612 because it is simple to use, has a big lcd screen and has image stabilization. My parents are seniors and are not technologically advanced. They do not have a computer and this is their first digital camera. The set up menu is straight forward and very easy to understand.
  
  I set up everything before I gave it to my parents and took several shots. Great quality pictures! Especially on the fine setting. The lens quality is outstanding (for the price) and image stabilization corrects for hand shake (great feature for the senior crowd). I have a digital SLR camera and was still impressed by the quality pictures this camera took...and it cost about a third of what I paid for my camera and is about half the size. The 12x lens is fantastic!
  
  The reason I gave this rating a 4 and not 5 is because the product manual that comes with it is a "getting started" manual...you have to go on the internet and download the full manual. Also, each time you charge the battery you have to reset the clock and calendar.
  
  
• Overall great camera
  By AVJ98T7S5M41G on 2007-04-14
  I've had this camera for over 6 months and have taken more than 2000 pictures with it. I have taken some phenomenal pictures with it, and some that were just awful. If I had to guess, I'd say that better than 90% of the pictures have turned out great, with the remainder being either blurry or too dark.
  
  Over time I have learned how to get the best results with this camera. I can't stress enough the importance of taking more than one picture of any given subject (if you have the chance). As I read elsewhere on the web, professional photographers always snap multiple pictures of a subject; that way, they will have plenty of good pix to choose from. I almost always take several shots of my subjects, even if it's something that's not moving. If you can afford it, get a BIG memory card (like 1GB minimum). From what I can tell, the prices on memory cards have really dropped in the past 6 months, so you really shouldn't have an excuse!
  
  Another thing you should experiment with if you get this camera (or if you already have it) is turning the flash off. I was amazed at how much better some of my pictures turned out when turning the flash off. I guess I assumed that the camera wouldn't fire the flash if it was already bright enough, but I was wrong!
  
  Pros: GREAT pictures (most of the time); Big LCD screen; fairly intuitive controls (especially if you are like me and generally use the "auto" feature); dedicated "Delete" button (if you snap a picture and you know right away that it's a dud, just hit "Delete" and confirm that you want it gone); image stabilization (although since some pictures turn out blurry, it must not always work); long battery life
  
  Cons: shutter lag; noisy zoom/focus when shooting videos; grainy indoor video; no option to turn on the camera and just review pictures without having the lens pop out (not sure of the technical term there); occasional dud picture (blurry or too dark); poor pictures in low light conditions; no option for a hot-shoe flash
  
  (A note on the shutter lag -- I have actually gotten some GREAT pictures thanks to the shutter lag. If you have pets, as I do, sometimes what the camera actually snaps is better than what you originally wanted to capture. It's rare and probably shouldn't be a selling point, but sometimes you have to look on the bright side!)
  
  Overall, I really do recommend this camera. It has some flaws, but I think the budding enthusiast (like myself) will do well with it. I think it's a good choice for people who are ready to step up from taking simple snapshots with their cameras but don't need the power of an SLR. Buying an in-between camera like this can help you decide whether you will get into it enough to justify upgrading to an SLR someday. I DO NOT think this is a good camera for someone who is a high-end enthusiast or a professional. If you really know a lot about photography (like you know all about exposure and F-stops and ISO and all that) then you'll probably want to move on.
  
  
• Digital Powerhouse
  By A13TX487EQNKK7 on 2007-06-15
  I've had this camera for almost 2 weeks now--and so far I just love it. I bought it to replace a 4-year-old Minolta Dimage digital, which while it took good pictures was clearly outmoded, had a small screen that was unusable in daylight, an inadequate rangefinder viewfinder, and lousy battery life (even with Ni-MH rechargables). So I was ready for something new and more advanced.
  
  After doing lots of homework reading specs and customer reviews, I settled on the Z612 Kodak. What initially attracted me was the 12X zoom, which I couldn't be happier with. But the other features are equally good. The LCD screen is spectacular and I can't say enough for the electronic viewfinder, which is bright and clear (I generally am used to the "put the camera up to the eye" mode of picture taking, so I love the EVF). So far I've only taken photos indoors, mostly of my cats and husband, (which means with flash) but they have all come out sharp, clear, and with terrific color. After finally figuring out how to work my fancy-schmansy HP photoprinter, I printed several 4X6 prints in 6 mp that are now hanging above my desk and are just amazing. I can't wait to get this thing out of doors.
  
  I love the different shooting modes. The controls are very intuitive and easy to reach with the right hand while I have the camera up to my eye. The symbols for each function and mode in the viewfinder and LCD screen are easy to read and understand. I'm still learning, but have recently figured out burst mode, which will be great when I'm shooting from moving boats in Switzerland this summer.
  
  So far battery seems find, but I will have to do more shooting to find out how long a charge lasts. I love that the battery and charger were included in the package. That's $20-30 right there in savings.
  
  My only quibbles, not enough to downrate the camera is that I wish they'd included the full manual in the box. I had to download 90 pages and print them on my computer, which was a pain--and a waste of paper and ink. The little start-up manual that comes with the camera is not all that helpful, not to mention that I misplaced the English version and had to try to read the Spanish version.
  
  The only other complaint is that the manual and website contains little information on what kind of memory the camera needs and how much it can handle. I took a leap of faith and bought a 2GB SD card, and, thankfully it works with the camera, but I had little to go on.
  
  And finally, the price on the Kodak z612 cannot be beat -- in fact it was nearly half what I paid 4 years ago for the Minolta and is at least twice the camera.
  
  All in all, I love this camera.
  
  
• Excellent, Easy-to-use, Long range zoom Camera.
  By A27I8ETYT41602 on 2007-07-05
  We have had this camera now for a few months and are pretty pleased with it after a few hundred pictures taken. Our prior camera was a Kodak DX7440, and when it died, we replaced it with the Kodak Z612. The camera is easy to use, and not too large considering it is a high (12x) zoom camera. Battery life is good. It has a HUGE screen. Some dislikes are the digital viewfinder, which doesn't have great picture quality, and a tiny bit more shutter lag than our last camera. BUT - the high zoom and other attributes cancel out those problems. One of the best features of the Kodak Easyshare cameras is the ease of use with the Easyshare Computer program that comes with the camera. It makes transferring, editing, downloading, and sharing pictures a breeze! I have made over a dozen photobooks with this software and then also using the Kodak Easyshare (OFOTO) website, and get highly commended by everyone that sees those books. I owe a lot of the credit to KODAK!!! ANOTHER HUGE ATTRIBUTE for this camera, which most Kodak's don't have is the image stabilization, which is built in!!! IT HELPS TREMENDOUSLY!!! I would buy it again!
  
  
• Best camera I've ever owned.
  By AG2DB7TQH8S86 on 2007-03-08
  So far, this is the best camera I've ever owned. I chose it over the Kodak z710 because not only did it have a more powerful zoom, 12x as opposed to 10x but the view screen was much bigger. 2.5 inch compared to 2 inch. It doesn't seem like much but that's a big difference in view screens. Also, this one came with a rechargeable battery and charger. The z710 didn't. It's extremely easy to focus and taking pictures with it is a breeze. The battery holds up for long periods of time. My old camera batteries didn't hold up near as long and it was only a 3.2 megapixel camera. This camera definitely offers a lot of bang for your buck. I would buy again in a heartbeat!
  
  
• Very happy
  By A28TQG8274D5TE on 2007-05-06
  I'm very pleased with the Z612. I think it is the best deal available in a super zoom. Aside from price, I think it's strong points are:
  1) It starts up and takes photos very quickly.
  2) It has good image stabilization.
  3) The electronic view finder is very bright, and particularly nice if you came of age with 35mm film SLRs.
  4) Very good image quality and color (fine mode is best and the "high color" setting for really vivid images)
  5) a zoom with a wide angle that reaches as low as 35mm (equiv.)
  6) The focus zone system let's you know in advance of the shot the exact points where the camera is focussed
  7) It is easy to switch and use the shutter or aperture priority modes.
  8) Great battery life and you have the ability to buy a battery that fits at most drug stores (even though it does NOT take AA.) if you run out of juice at a bad time.
  9) Good movie mode -- limited only by the size of your SD Card -- although zooming during a movie means a brief period when images are out of focus. Then again, other cameras won't let you zoom at all during movies, so... Do, however, expect background noises as the autofocus operates.
  
  I've not, admittedly, had the chance to use other superzooms (like the Canon S3-- Kodak's obvious target) so you will have to ask yourself it's worth the extra $100. A comparison of their specs suggests they are very near to one another (e.g. in lens speed and focal length.)
  
  
• a superb camera !
  By A1ETHFB3PJQQ5C on 2006-12-31
  I researched a lot of cameras with 6+ megapixel and 10x-or-greater zoom, and this camera was the best of the lot ! Easy to learn to use; it's got a point-and shoot style that makes it simple and easy to shoot good picts or video, and then download, and distribute. As a journalist and writer who is about to leave again for Iraq and Djibouti, I need a small camera that's easy to use, and with a lot of moxie - this is the one !
  
  
• Wonderful camera!
  By A8AHHH5C6SBTE on 2007-01-06
  Earlier this summer, my husband and I decided it was time to replace my digital camera (a Kodak DC280, bought in 2000), so we were unofficially looking. We stumbled across a good deal on a Kodak C643 and printer dock and thought we were getting a good camera. To cut to the chase, the C643 just wasn't the camera that we thought it was (my 6-year old 2 megapixel DC280 took better pictures!), so we unofficially started looking for something better.
  I started reading up on cameras and saw good things about the Z612. What really caught our eye was the image stabilization, as that was one of the problems with the C643. We also wanted the zoom capabilities and higher quality lens, especially since photographic events don't always occur right in front of you. We took a look at a Z612 in a store and were very impressed with its performance. We shopped around online, found a great price, and bought one. We've not been disappointed.
  This camera has so many amenities - on screen cropping and editing, tons of different shot options (night shots, action shots, close-ups, etc.), and more. We've tested it out in poor situations - long distance shots in very low light, moving subjects, extreme close-ups - and the pictures have turned out perfectly with no blurring, no fuzziness, no darkness.
  The only "complaint" I have - and it has nothing to do with the camera itself and does not affect our very high opinion of the camera - is the owner's manual that comes in the box is *very* basic. My husband went to the Kodak site and downloaded the unabridged manual, which contains a lot more information on the camera. Not a big deal, but it would be a bit more convenient to not have to run to the computer when we want to read up on the camera's options.
  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this camera to anyone!
  
  
• You get what you paid for - an ok easy point and shoot.
  By A1VVRA3P6G1TWH on 2007-02-08
  When it works at its best, the picture looks great. But that's not often the case and far from "fool proof". And I doubt I am the only fool out there :) Note: I did most of the shooting indoor in bright to regular artificial lights, in full auto mode. Main object is my 2 year old.
  
  Pro:
  
  light weight, easy to use, IS helps, uses Li-Ion battery (used to have a Olympus with 2 AA batteries, a nightmare will never forget).
  
  Con:
  
  1. The LCD is blurry and murky always, better when the picture is in focus, worse if not. But never truly clear and sharp.
  
  2. The AF is slow and inaccurate at the long end, ok at the wide end. The "ding" sound supposed to indicate a good focus, but it dings often when the subject is totally blurry. So now I have to carefully watch the murky LCD to make my own judgement.
  
  3. Indoor shooting tends to over expose, quite often. This is the opposite to Easyshare V603 I tried before, which tended to under-expose.
  
  4. I tried other settings besides "full auto mode", the results were worse. Fully auto seems to be the best way for cute cameras like this.
  
  5. Zoom is awkard, inaccurate and hard to control. I found Canon Powershot zoom wheel to be better. On Kodak, once you took a picture, you have to half press the shutter to get the camera out of the review mode and then zoom the lens. "Shoot and zoom" just doesn't work. This is consistent with Easyshare v603. I think it's the design flaw or technical deficiency on Kodak's part.
  
  6. Shutter lag is significant, from the time the shutter is clicked (always after "in focus" as indicated by the sound) to the time the picture taken, my baby could have changed her facial expression completely and moved out of the frame, and she was not even running.
  
  
  All in all, this one is still very much the good old "stand-in-line-n-say-cheeese" type of camera. Super zoom never is good on DSLR, no exception here. I happen to think most features packed in this camera is just for marketing. This is certainly no sub for DSLR, not by a long shot, even if the feature list reads like one from time to time (I did read the manual :)). The only real positive for me is the natural color from Kodak, when things are right (also true with V603). Alas, that doesn't have very often. On a side note, the phrase "point-n-shot" is really misleading, because with this type of small cameras, you can point, but shot doesn't come about till the cameras decide it's ready for it. SLRs are far more truer to the phrase!
  
  
• great for the money
  By A1B8Y83O1ZTYCB on 2007-02-28
  I bought this as a replacement to my last Kodak which I loved. I just happened to destroy it- oops.
  
  The 12x zoom is awesome. I took a crisp, clear picture from across my workplace- about 200+ feet to the other side.
  
  What's on the screen is usually not what ends up being taken. That's kind of a bummer, but in general, the actual photo comes out a LOT better than what is on the LCD.
  
  People have complained about the macro mode. At least a third of my work is macro photography, and the camera itself did really well. Even so, I bought the adapter and macro lens ($30 total) and it's even better! This will revolutionize what I create.
  
  To the last reviewer, there IS an incandescent option and my CCD has no dead pixels.
  
  This camera has a lot of options, and it'll take some time to find/learn them all. But the auto mode will get casual picture takers up and running in no time. The manual that comes with the camera is pretty brief. You need to get the full manual (pdf) off of Kodak's website.
  
  People in motion tend to be blurry. I've tried it with img stabilization on and off. Sports mode seems to take care of the problem. If you're taking pictures of someone walking or anything faster, try sports mode.
  
  Taking movies really stinks. The camera is continuously focusing and the soft clicking ends up on the film. If you even try to zoom in out out, that sound is unbearable. Movies are only good if you plan on stripping the sound out and adding music or a voice-over via a movie editing program. Thankfully, I don't take many movies with my camera.
  
  Overall, I am happy with this camera and wouldn't trade it for anything in its price range. Yeah, I'd like one of those $900 digital SLRs one day, but not yet...
  
  
  
• Very good camera
  By A1LZUKADP8VSD5 on 2007-03-28
  I purchased this to replace an Olympus camera that was pretty much junk from the day it was new. I was hesitant about Kodak because some of their earlier cameras were complicated and hard to use.
  
  I wanted to buy a camera to use for product pictures for business and for use for family photos, vacations and such. My previous cameras have been used only for product pictures because the image quality was fair at best. The prints made from the digital images were not of photo quality in my opinion.
  
  The Z612 was a pleasant surprise. It is easy to use, controls are fairly simple. You do not need an engineering degree to use it. Screen is bright and fairly easy to see even in bright light. The quality of the pictures is great. Zoom is fantastic. The auto focus is a wonderful feature that actually works very well.
  
  The bad - the "easyshare" software pretty much hijacks all of the images on your computer. It installs it's self so that it automatically starts when you boot your computer, changes all of the image icons to the easyshare icon. It does not offer many options for installation or operation. It appears to work OK but it is more of a problem than a problem solver for advanced users. I personally use Photoshop and do not want other generic software trying to be the dominate image editor.
  
  The camera should come with a memory card as well as the internal memory. At this time the memory card is sold seperately which adds another $ 30.00 to the price of the camera.
  
  Camera comes with a neck strap no wrist strap. A wrist strap would be a nice addition to prevent the camera from making it all the way to the ground if it was dropped while in use.
  
  Overall it is a great camera and a great value. I have other digital cameras that cost three times as much that are virtually useless.
  
  
  
  
• Very detailed pictures
  By AM8CCN7XZF1HF on 2007-06-07
  I purchased 5 of these cameras for our Police Department. They have been raved about every since. This camera is a big large but the trade off is there isn't anything or any place this camera can not capture a great picture. From fingerprints to fast action shots this is the camera for you. Our department has really utilitzed this camera and the battery life is amazing. Even if it runs out of juice the charge up time is quick and it is back on the job. I really can't express in this amount of space how much this camera will surprise you. The quality of the picture is just amazing. As you can tell I wish I had one of these myself.
  
  
• Good, but could easily have been better...
  By ANV1CJ680YT4A on 2007-01-15
  I have this camera since Dec/2006, and my overall opinion is that it does its job fairly well. However, there are some little details that, if fixed, could make it even better. Here they are:
  
  1. You can't change the optical zoom settings while making videos.
  
  2. Optical zoom is set up by pressing a button, instead of the ring used in manual zooms which allow precise control over the magnifying.
  
  3. Fotos get rather dark in automatic mode when environmental light is poor and flash is not used. While this sound an obvious limitation at first glance, some cameras due to other manufactures are claimed to perform better at this point. However, I did not purchase any of them to check this information.
  
  4. When shooting in continuous mode (i.e. two shots are taken per second while shutter button is pressed), the maximum number of photos in a row does not increase when I select lower resolution (eg. 3 MP). Note that at lower resolutions each photo takes less memory space, therefore allowing more of them being made in a row.
  
  A good point of this camera seems to be its price, if compared to similar ones out there. So, unless the customer wants something closer to perfection, I would recommend this camera.
  
  
  
• Amazing!
  By A31FJJKPYL80HN on 2007-02-01
  I ordered my Kodak Z612 a few weeks ago here on Amazon. So far I'm really happy with it. The colors are brilliant, focus is pretty spot on and the zoom is simply amazing. I've still got to sensibly fool around with the manual settings (meaning that I've already done some random fooling around with interesting results).
  
  Keep in mind this is not a pocket fit and is aimed towards people who take their photography seriously or are developing a serious interest in this field.
  
  The screen is a major fingerprint magnet and I now regret taking off the thin plastic sheet over the screen. Another negative I noticed is that during video recording the mic picks up a lot of sound from the zoom motors and that there is substantial blurring while you are zooming during a video shoot. I'm not sure if these are standard problems that come with video recording with digicams but its not a major issue for me; since I only use it to shoot 1-2 minute clips of my son. I also turned off the Continuous Focus option in favor of One Time Focus since the lens would constantly be adjusting and readjusting and making sounds at every slight movement and it would no doubt be the source of major battery drainage.
  
  The zoom on this thing is awesome and image stabilization plays a major role at 12x zooms; in fact it would be pretty useless without it.
  
  All in all its an excellent camera. Just make sure you purchase a 1gb SD card to go with it (if not more) and a camera bag since it doesn't come with one.
  
  

• SanDisk SDSDB-128-A10 Secure Digital 128MB (Retail Package)
• Lexar Media 128 MB Secure Digital Card
• Lexar Media 256 MB Secure Digital Card (Retail Package)
• SanDisk SDSDB-256-A10 256 MB Secure Digital Card (Retail Package)
• Kodak Digital Camera Bag (Large)

• Kingston 2 GB SD Flash Memory Card SD/2GB
• Kingston 1 GB Secure Digital Flash Card ( SD/1GB ) (Retail Package)
• Kingston 512 MB Secure Digital Card (SD/512) (Retail Package)
• Kodak  8324154 KLIC-8000 Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery
• SanDisk 2GB SD Memory Card (SDSDB-2048, Bulk Package)