Kodak EasyShare Z612

Opinion: I've had this camera for several months and used it sparingly. Recently we went to a resort in Jamaica and I took about 150 pictures, mostly outside in sunlite, but several inside. I also own a casio z750 which I used for 2 years. I thought it took very good pictures, but I always postprocessed the pictures in Photoshop and did that with most every one. When I sat down last night to do the same with the pictures taken with the z612 I thought I would be there all evening. To my amazement I only had to touch up 13. The color was beautiful and rich and I only had one that I threw away and that was my fault. I had them put into print today at Walmart and they still look great. Even my wife was impressed, and she's fussy. I know this camera isn't made anymore, but if you can get your hands on one, do it....it's well worth it. This is my 5th digital camera, so I have experience with them and feel this is a great camera for the price.

Opinion: I actually owned / used the Z650 for a few weeks (see my Z650 review) and later
went to this model. While the lens cap design is maybe better for this model
over the Z650, the flash popping up on this one as you go to take a picture is
much more annoying than having the flash pop up when you turn the camera
on. Additionally, it seems the image stabilization or focusing system is less
accurate or responsive when taking pictures. While I have now owned this
camera longer than the Z650, I have not given this one nearly the workout the
Z650 saw. Image wise, I'm not as impressed with this one as the Z650. If my
situation with the Z650 had been handled a little different by Kodak Customer
Service, and if I knew I wouldn't have a repeat experience with another Z650 like
I had, I'd have exchanged this back for a Z650.

Opinion: Bought the Kodak Z612 camera looking for a replacement point and shoot for my old Kodak DC5000. I decided to spend a little extra and get a bridge camera or super-zoom. The pictures this camera took blew me away, And started me in a new hobby of photography. I had a Canon S3 for a little while to see if it would be better then the Kodak Z612. To my surprise the Kodak Z612 has superior color, better clarity, better shadow detail, better sharpness, faster speed with flash shot to shot and focus-lock speed. And for the non-technical user this camera takes no knowledge of photography to get great pictures just set to "auto" mode and let the camera do all the work and produce great pictures. That's what the Kodak's do best. Along with the unbeatable color.

Opinion: If you like picture taking it only makes sense that you would want a decent camera. I did a lot of research and depending on your price range this camera is your best bang for buck. 12X optical zoom works really well and gives you clear sharp images,true image stabilization (not the software kind) and the ability to have full manual control. Lots of other features too long to list... I had looked at many reviews and also tried other cameras and this model always came out on top! From a user standpoint I'm very fussy, so as a friend would say "if this camera works for me it will for anyone else :-)"

Opinion: After researching superzooms, I decided to give this one a shot based on user reviews and price. In a nutshell, this is an awesome camera for the money. The amount of features for around 200.00 is amazing. The image quality is very good and it is very to easy to use. The reviews are right on for the Z612 - a winner from Kodak. Kodak has seemed to put its best lens on this camera and it shows.

Opinion: My only regret is that I urgently needed a new camera and could not wait for the Z712. I compared the Kodak to the Sony H2 and Canon S3 and was not able to see anything in those 2 that would justify the considerable price differential - I paid $229. I have only used the fine setting. Prints are razor sharp with excellent shadow detail. The 12X zoom and IS work well, although I would prefer the zoom to be a bit smoother. Surprisingly, the digital zoom sacrifices little except at the most extreme. One picture that I took of a flower on a far tree at about 3/4 of the digital zoom capability had perfect focus and excellent detail, particularly noticable in the tree's bark. The autofocus also has been right on. Pictures have been essentially noise free up to 200 ISO and not bad at all at 400. Three features that I found very usefull are the Picture Perfect capability that enhances some detail, particularly in shadows and brightens the picture some. You are able to save the original and enhanced version and decide which you prefer. Several times I took available light pictures when I knew the light was not sufficient, e.g., of the audience in a darkened theater using Museum Mode. The original was basically black. Picture perfect brought out the picture so that although somewhat noisy, it was usable and faces were recognizable. Certainly better than nothing. The in-camera cropping is also useful. As in Picture Perfect, you can save both versions. I also found Museum Mode to be useful. This mode disables the flash and silences the camera. I have used it not only in museums, but in concert halls (where with Picture Perfect I have been able to get usable pictures) and houses of worship.

Opinion: I've done a lot of homework before buying this camera - and must say that I'm surprised at how good this camera actually is. I was sceptical and hesitant to buy Kodak - but in my comparisons and trials of super zoom cameras in this price range this camera kept on comming out tops for me - so in the end I took the plunge and bought it - especially after finding a black one (I don't like silver plastic cameras).

The camera is lighter and more compact than its super zoom rivals. Its got an excellent Li-ion battery system and this camera is very very fast. It really handles well. The image quality is very good - typical Kodak-like. The menu system is easy to understand and use and everything is where I expect it to be. The LCD is crystal clear and large. The EVF works well too. It even has image stabilisation.

I wanted a light, compact, affordable - and fast - super zoom camera of acceptable build quality - producing high quality pictures. This product from Kodak is that and more.

Opinion: 3 camera in 2 weeks and this is the best one
fully manual if i want is a must and contrary to the z650 the flash don't open all the times (open only when needed) and there's no lag .
a great camera, like it a lot.

Opinion: Narrowed my choices down to the Kodak Z612 and the Sony DSC-H5. The Sony has a better lens, better flash (25ft!) and a larger LCD, but is larger, heavier, uses Ni-Cad batteries instead of lithium-ion, doesn't offer the option of a docking station and costs over $100 more.

The Kodak is light, small enough to fit into a large pocket or small bag. I purchased mine for $215, plus $49 for the dock, which is a great accessory that allows you to charge and transfer pictures without any wires or hassle. The LCD is bright and clear, and large enough that you can use the slideshow feature to display your pictures to even the most near-sighted aunt. Pictures are crisp and vibrant, and the IS feature has eliminated almost all of the blurry shots I used to contantly get when shooting indoors with a flash using my Sony 7.2Mp P&S.