The Kodak EasyShare Z612 is an affordable 6.1-megapixel camera ($400 as of 10/6/06) that's designed for beginners but has several advanced features. The camera, along with its included software and Kodak's EasyShare Gallery Web site, makes it easy to print, e-mail, and share images. Being a member of the company's High Zoom series, the Z612 sports a powerful 12X zoom lens.
Kodak EasyShare Z612 Digital Camera (6.4MP, 2848x2144, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, MMC/SD Slot)
- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 6.1 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 2848 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2144 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Included Hardware
| Included Hardware |
|
Lens
| Accessory Lens | No |
| Lens Model | Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon Lens |
| Telephoto Aperture Maximum | 4.8 mm |
| Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum | 2.8 mm |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 1000 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 16 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 16 |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
Powerful 12X zoom
Thumbwheel for manual controls
Cons
Mediocre image quality
Bottom Line
The Z612 offers some advanced features, and has a powerful 12X zoom, but image quality was disappointing.
Kodak EasyShare Z612
EasyShare Z612 Digital Camera (6.4MP, 2848x2144, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, MMC/SD Slot) Review, by Paul Jasper October 19, 2006
The chunky handgrip makes shooting one-handed easy. The bright 2.5-inch LCD has a resolution of 203,000 pixels; you'll likely want to use the screen to compose your shots instead of using the electronic viewfinder, which is like watching television through a small hole.
The numerous closely arranged controls under your right thumb feel a little cramped, including the zoom control, which is difficult to operate accurately. Several more controls sit safely out of the way on top of the camera, yet are still easy to access. You set sports and night-portrait shooting modes directly from the mode dial; another 14 scene modes are available via the LCD menu. One nice touch: In the manual modes, you use a small thumbwheel to adjust the settings, which beats having to repeatedly press a button. Also, the camera offers both aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes--features not offered by most point-and-shoot models we've tested recently.
The Z612 earned below-average scores for image quality in our lab tests, receiving an overall image quality score of only Fair. This mediocre performance will disappoint expert photographers looking for advanced features at a low price; the biggest problem was the inaccurate exposures. The Z612's test images were underexposed--so much so that the camera earned the lowest score for exposure accuracy of any of the point-and-shoots we've tested recently.
On the bright side, the Z612 exhibited minimal shutter lag and was quick to focus. In my informal testing, these attributes came in handy when I was shooting a baseball game at night. As the light dropped, I adjusted the exposure compensation to keep my shots sufficiently bright. The maximum ISO sensitivity is 400, so I had to shoot at slow speeds, which made the players appear blurry when they moved fast. Unfortunately, I saw a lot of noise when I looked at the images on a computer screen.
In our battery tests, we took a respectable 342 shots on a single charge of the Z612's lithium-ion battery, earning the model a battery-life score of Very Good. If you forget to charge the battery, you can always drop in a widely available CRV3 cell. An adapter plate that lets the Z612 operate with optional Kodak camera docks is included. The $50 EasyShare Camera Dock Series 3 transfers images to your PC at the touch of a button and also charges the battery; the $130 EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3 is a dye-sublimation printer for making 4-by-6-inch snapshots. Also, you can increase the Z612's zoom to nearly 17X with an optional 1.4X telephoto lens ($150, plus $30 for the required lens adapter).
Paul Jasper
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- Rating Breakdown
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71
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86
-
70
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
71
91
88
72
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 188 |
| Battery Life Score | Very Good |
| Image Quality Score | Fair |
| Image Quality, Color | 51.6 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 49.2 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 48.7 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 52 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 47.3 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 53.2 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 38.1 |
| Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Number of Shots | 342 |
Average User Reviews for Kodak EasyShare Z612 Digital Camera (6.4MP, 2848x2144, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, MMC/SD Slot)
- Latest User Reviews 2 reviews
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Reviewed by: jbsconsult
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: 12x zoom, Picture quality and the Image Stabilization are all excellent. The price I paid 189 dollars was the best camera for the price. This is my 3rd Kodak camera and it is the best of the three. I also appreciate the fact that I can use my existing SD memory cards for all 3 cameras.
Weaknesses: None so far. I will update this review after I use the camera some more.
Overall: 5 Stars excellent camera. Would recommend it to anyone looking for an economically priced camera with lots of features.
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Reviewed by: ladyfair66
Duration of ownership: 1 Month
Strengths: 12x zoom, different scene modes and controls, SD card slot, Recharable battery.
Weaknesses: So far nothing
Overall: I have been using this camera about a month and I just love it. So far it takes excellent pictures and allows for several different types of scenery and lighting. The 12x zoom is fabulous and zooming to distant subjects allows for much nicer photos. For a point and shoot camera it's an excellant selection and I would recommend it to anyone interested.
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: john_t1234
Strengths: 12X Optical zoom, Optical Image Stabilizer, great pictures, movie mode, included rechargeable battery.
Weaknesses: Can't use AA batteries, doesn't support conversion lenses.
Overall: This camera takes great pictures and comes with 12 X optical zoom. There is a charger, although it cannot use standard AA batteries even though they do fit. The movie mode looks really good and takes up much less space than other cameras. It uses SD memory cards, which are cheaper than other formats.
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Reviewed by: mountaineerkingkang
Strengths: powerful 12X zoom lens, bright 2.5-inch LCD
Weaknesses: not very good image quality for a 6MP camera
Overall: The quality of the pictures is not as good as i expected. The reason i bought this camera, is becasue its 12x optical zoom and 2.5" LCD. I have used this camera for about a week, i really like its battery, last for more than 200 shots.
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Reviewed by: caiyunming
Strengths: Looks cute, easy to learn, light weight, 12x zoom sounds impressive, Li-ion battery (personally I prefer the more reliable and longer lasting Li-ion than AAs)
Weaknesses: 1. very low IQ LCD2. unreliable AF, AE3. Severe red eye problem4. Reset date when battery is removed for recharge5. Camera freezes when removing picture during review sometimes.
Overall: Notes: I am only talking about the full auto mode. The other modes I tried were even worse. For example the night portrait, or moving object, etc. I happen to believe that the full auto mode is the best bench mark of a camera. If it's reliable, you have better luck with other more advanced side of the camera. More details on the problems: #1. images are blurry at the best on the LCD, worse if subject is off focus #2. AF is very slow to impossible in tele end, unreliable in most situations, a nightmare for shooting moving object. AE is so unreliable that even the "stand still and say cheese" pictures came back over exposed or under exposed by a big proportion, not to mention blurry (IS only has very limited effect often times) #3. The red eye problem is terrible with this camera. It happens to MOST of the pictures my wife took on her graduation ceremony yesterday - everybody looked like vampire! #4. This is totally unacceptable as a production camera. I've known no other camera behave like this. Makes you wonder why Kodak is still cutting jobs today. Hello? better product design and execution please? These problems, except #4, were also present with Easyshare V603, a even cuter camera. Bottom line:Looking cute, using a Germanic named lens, and cheaper price only helps you by so much. In the end, if the camera doesn't work well, all is lost. No more Kodak for me
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Reviewed by: nirav_mistry1977
Strengths: compact,Cheaper, more functionality, sharpness, SD memory, Battery
Weaknesses: Issue of date,have to set the date everytime after charging the battery & time is not displayed.
Overall: Zooming facility is excellent,results are good without zoom also.Easy to use, light weight, color and looks is also okay. Small enhancement is required for displaying time with date on the photos.Rest of the functionality are really good.Easy to transfer the photos,software provided is useful.Overall kodak z612 is the best quality camera & more functions with low price.
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Reviewed by: meesh777
Strengths: This camera has a great range of features that are easy to use with Kodak's intuitive design. The auto settings produce great photos in many different environments. The 12x optical zoom is sharp!
Weaknesses: It would be nice if the LCD screen flipped out and rotated -- useful when you need to hold the camera above your head or at an odd angle to get a shot -- but that's not really missed.
Overall: After using the Kodak EasyShare DX7630 for a couple years with much success, I decided to purchase the EasyShare Z612 for my mom. I reviewed Canon and Olympus models, but decided to stick with Kodak because I've had great results with my earlier model and was pleased to see that Kodak retained the same basic design in their new upgraded EasyShare models. I'm a novice photographer, but still obtain consistently great photos with this camera, most of the time using it's auto settings. With plenty of advanced features, too, this camera offers almost everything one could want!
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