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(More customer reviews)When I wanted a new camera, my first thought was one of the Japanese trinity: Canon, Nikon or Sony. I first got into Kodak almost by accident: we went on a trip and left our camera at home so I bought a V603 P&S on sale at Walmart. Loved it immediately! Crisp, bright pictures and several extras, like panorama shots and "perfect touch" one click editing that I found indispensable after awhile.
So when I wanted a bigger camera, I started looking at Kodak. I first saw the Kodak Z812IS, but when I saw the Z1012, I went for it. I've not been disappointed. I know that Kodak has made some dogs in the past few years, but I think you'll find this an excellent camera, and you'll like it even better if you're taking price into consideration.
Like others here have said, I ding it on battery life. You absolutely must get the charger and at least three rechargeable lithium batteries. Don't be confused when it says there's a lithium battery included in the kit: that's a one-use lithium, not a rechargeable.
Two more things about batteries: #1. The klic-8000 battery is the shape of two AA's. You can't use alkalines - they dip below peak current too quickly - but you can use the regular lithium AA's that you see in stores. It's an expensive way to go compared to rechargeables, but it works in a pinch. #2. Don't buy Kodak brand klic-8000's. There are some good aftermarket li-ions of the same size that are considerable cheaper and work just as well.
As for performance, you'll be pleased. The "smart" mode (S on the dial) works reasonably well, but it takes away all your options except suppressing the flash. Interestingly, smart mode applies the "perfect touch" editing automatically, and it usually results in a good picture. I often use it.
Mostly, though I switch to the "P" setting, which is a programmed setting with just a few more options, like lighter or darker. Honestly, for most of us, the shutter priority and aperture priority, much less the manual setup, will hardly ever be needed. If you're such a good photographer than you need them frequently, you're probably beyond a camera like this and already have a SLR. They're a selling point, though, and you can hardly imagine a $200+ camera that would dare to leave those features out.
You might be tempted by the 18X lenses on a few other brands in this camera configuration, but I think you'll be surprised at how much you get out of a 12X lens. Also, unlike all the digital cameras I've ever had, the digital zoom actually works very well. Obviously you get fewer pixels, but what you get is remarkably sharp, and you need make no apologies. That's probably why they call it "advanced digital zoom".
This model makes panoramas easy, and there's a big advantage to doing them in the camera: it locks the same settings for the whole panorama, so there's no line between frames as there is when you take three separate pictures and stitch them. The stitching "engine" is amazingly good.
And yes, there is HD video, and it looks pretty nice, but don't expect it to replace your video camera. For one thing, sound isn't that great, but what can you expect from tiny microphones behind tiny holes in the camera face? Really, this is a case of not how well the bear dances, but that it can dance at all. And yes, you can zoom while filming.
You've probably figured out by now, with these cameras, that there's really not as much flexibility as all the controls and options would make you think there is. To the point: low light pictures will make poor, grainy pictures, with anything short of a tripod, no matter how you set the camera. If you want more capacity in low light, get a high-end SLR.
Finally, if you're used to a pocket camera, having this larger thing around your neck will take some getting used to. This camera isn't huge, but it is too big for your shirt pocket. I wish they'd make a small camera with this much lens, but we're not quite there yet - though the (expensive) Canon PowerShot G9 has some wonderful features that make it almost worth giving up some lens power for.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
After using this about 4-5 months, I know a lot more about it than I did at first.
My pictures have been, overall, outstanding, on low ISO speeds. Not sure you'll get better anywhere. One thing I've learned is that the pictures are a lot better than they look on the camera. I think Kodak decided to save 50¢ by putting in a lower quality LCD, that really doesn't give you good feedback on picture quality. In fact, the LCD on my old V603 was far better.
There are occasional odd freeze-ups that I've had with this camera. It has never stopped working, but I have had to remove the battery once or twice. I also noticed recently that when I use an 8GB card, rendering pictures got really slow, like it had a lot of processing to do. Not sure what that's all about.
My biggest annoyance remains the bulk of the camera, after being used to a pocketable camera. I'm looking for a smaller camera to add to the camera bag, such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9MP as a pocketable (though not small) camera--I used a friend's and was very impressed. For a very small camera, J.D. Powers has rated the Sony Cybershot T series (such as this Sony Cybershot DSC-T500 10.1MP) very high, though I've not tried it.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Kodak EasyShare Z1012 10.1MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Kodak EasyShare Z1012 10.1MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
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