Digital Camera Reviews

Again Kodak comes with new Kodak Easyshare Z612 Digital Camera. First up is the Easyshare Z612 which features a 12x optical zoom lens with image stabilization technology. The 6-megapixel camera also has a large 2.5-inch screen, aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual modes.

Kodak Easyshare Z-Series digital cameras combine fast-performing, point-and-shoot flexibility with the photographic control achieved through a higher optical zoom. The 6-megapixel KODAK EASYSHARE Z612 Zoom Digital Camera is a compact camera boasting a 12X SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON optical zoom lens with Kodak’s image stabilization technology for sharp shots and steady videos.

Kodak Z612 Digital Camera compact camera features a 12x zoom with optical image stabilization, a 6.1 effective MP CCD, a 2.5-inch LCD with 230,000 pixels and direct printing options across a number of platforms. In terms of control, the Z612 is equipped with full auto, program and a nearly full set of manual control settings including shutter speed and aperture priority modes. The Easyshare Z612 should be released at the beginning of April 2006 with an initial retail price of $399.95. 

One of the best controls is the Z612’s click wheel. A small wheel on the top right of the camera back, it lets you scroll through various options, such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, or exposure compensation. Once you land on one you want to adjust, just push the wheel in to click as though it were a computer mouse. You can then change the setting and click the wheel again to exit and move to the next adjustment. The wheel could probably be bigger, but it works well and is a quick way to control all the essentials while you shoot.

The Kodak Z612 Digital Camera camera records TV-quality video, up to 30 frames per second (fps) using advanced MPEG-4 compression. Built-in image stabilization technology reduces on-screen shaking from unintentional hand and camera movement. The camera also offers an optical zoom feature for video including auto focus. And it is simple to select any frame in a video, then save and print it as a “freeze frame” still picture in just seconds.

The button configuration is pretty easy to figure out for anyone who’s used a digital camera before. There’s a user friendly jog dial on the top right, with all the shooting modes listed, along with a scene mode that lets you select from a range of shooting presets. 

As usual with cameras from Kodak, colors looked natural and well saturated in the Kodak Z612 Digital Camera photos. The camera’s automatic white balance produced a very warm, yellowish color cast under our lab’s tungsten lights, though in natural daylight, it yielded neutral colors. The Z612’s tungsten white-balance setting fared better in the lab, though its images were slightly cool. Exposures were accurate, but the camera has a tendency to lose detail in brighter highlights. Worse than that was the heavier than normal purple fringing, as well as JPEG artifacts that caused jaggy edges on some curves and obscured some fine details in other areas of some images. 

Features:-                                                                    

# 12X optical zoom lens featuring image stabilization

# 6.1 megapixels

# High resolution 2.5 in. (6.4 cm) color display

# Digital camera battery and charger included

# Simple to use video features

# Advanced settings and custom modes

# Picture enhancing features

# KODAK Color Science Chip 

Kodak Z612 Digital Camera Reviews:-

# Jjmehta Review: - The EASYSHARE Z612 camera records TV-quality video, up to 30 frames per second (fps) using advanced MPEG-4 compression. Built-in image stabilization technology reduces on-screen shaking from unintentional hand and camera movement. The camera also offers an optical zoom feature for video including auto focus. And it is simple to select any frame in a video, then save and print it as a “freeze frame” still picture in just seconds. 

# Dpreview Review: - Making the EASYSHARE System Connection - The Printer Dock Series 3 also transfers pictures to a connected computer and recharges and reconditions the cameras’ batteries. Pictures made from EASYSHARE printer docks are vibrant, borderless, waterproof, and will last a lifetime, under typical photo album display conditions.

The line of EASYSHARE printer docks makes printing truly one-touch simple, and does not require people to connect a cable between camera and printer. Their convenience, print speed, ease-of-use and phenomenal picture quality have resulted in overwhelming demand from picture takers worldwide, with the line having achieved the number one market position in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, according to The NPD Group and GfK. 

# Tech2 Review:- Overall the camera may seem cute in its (relatively) small form, but it does get a bit tough to get a good grip for single-handed usage. The small body is not the most convenient for adult hands, especially because of the placement of the shutter release button. The grip of the Z612 should have had a rubber layer on it to make it easier to hold than the plastic that it currently has.