Kodak Easyshare Z740 5MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom Review

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(More customer reviews)Kodak's entry into the digital camera market was later than its rivals, the Japanese camera companies, such as Nikkon and Canon. However, with the release of the Easy Share Z740 5-Megapixel camera, Kodak establishes itself as a real competitor.
This is my first digital camera and I am quite pleased with it. I have been taking pictures with a SLR film Canon camera for over 25 years and was reluctant to go digital, as I had a great set-up (lenses and accessories) with the film format. Even so, it is readily apparent that film photography will soon be ancient history and digital photography will certainly become the future of picture taking.
The Easy Share is a very easy camera to learn. I spent about 45 minutes reading the manual with the camera in my lap exploring all the buttons, options, and settings. From that point on it was a cinch to take great pictures, as the camera is so easy to use. For those who want a simple point and shoot camera, the automatic setting will give you the simplicity you desire. For those who want more control over the camera settings, such as F-stop and shutter speed, there are settings for these as well. For this reason, the Easyshare Z740 is a great camera for general use. It has a very nice flash that pops up when you need it. The flash also has features that you can control if desired.
I bought the Easy Share because I read in reviews it was a good quality camera, and primarily for the 10-power optical zoom lens. The 10x lens is a good quality glass lens that gives sharp shots. I love the versitiliy it gives the photographer! Most digital cameras have 3x optical zoom lenses and then utilize a 5-10 power digital zoom. The Kodak Easy Share has a 3x digital zoom making the total zoom a 30 power combo. However, if you have any experience at all with digital zooms you quickly realize that they produce an inferior grainy (and usually blurry) image. However, because the Easy Share has a 10 power optical zoom, one rarely needs to go beyond this and use the digital zoom. Beware of cameras that proclaim their 20x or 30x digital zooms and the image will greatly disappoint you!
With a 512 MB flash (memory card), the camera will take about 350 pictures before having to download the pics to a computer for storage or printing. The transfer process is so easy. My wife, who is a computer illiterate can even manage this task. The software (computer) program that comes with the camera is very adequate and reliable.
The lithium battery for the camera is charged easily by simply plugging the camera into a pod that comes with the camera. There is a jack on the bottom of the camera that plugs into the pod and charges the battery without having to remove it from the camera each time, a feature that is very simple and handy.
The camera itself is much smaller than a standard 35 mm film camera so it goes anywhere with you. The controls are well-placed and easy to use. After a session or two of practice shooting, you will be able to operate the controls like a pro.
Finally, there is of course a color LCD screen that shows you the picture you just shot. There are additional controls that allow you to scroll through all your pictures, delete those you don't want, and save those you want to keep. Again, it is all very easy to learn. Coming from a film camera background, I found this editing feature to be the best aspect of digital photography, for there is no guessing as to whether you got the shot or not - it is right there on the screen in living color! If you don't like the exposure or cropping, simply take another one! In digital photography, there is no "wasting film"!
All in all, this is a solid digital camera that will please anyone interested in getting into digital photography. The price is very competitive considering the extensive options that Kodak packaged into this deal. If you are just getting into digital photography or are looking to upgrade to a higher megapixel camera, the Easy share will not disappoint you. I highly recommend it.
Jim Konedog Koenig

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The Kodak Easyshare Z740 camera is ideal for people who want to get close to their subject but enjoy the simplicity of a point-and-shoot digital camera. Its powerful 10x (38-380mm equivalent) Kodak Retinar aspheric, all-glass optical zoom lens can quickly zero in on a small object or distant scene, picking up the detail, color, and textures that a less powerful lens would overlook. The 1.8-inch, high-resolution, indoor/outdoor LCD screen and electronic viewfinder are designed for previewing a scene or reviewing and sharing shots just taken.In addition, the 5 MP Easyshare Z740 camera includes more advanced, yet simple to use, features to help people get exactly the pictures they want. These include 16 scene settings (e.g., party, sport, portrait) for various environments, continuous autofocus for crisp pictures, first and last burst modes for action photography, color options (e.g., black-and-white, sepia), and even PASM (program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual) modes for greater control and creativity.The exclusive Kodak Color Science image processing chip helps deliver vibrant, accurate colors time and time again. Each time you click the shutter, the Kodak Color Science Chip performs an instantaneous and advanced analysis of collected scene data to identify and adjust multiple factors that influence picture quality. The scene light source is detected and adjustments are made to capture bright whites and true, vivid colors under difficult lighting conditions--fluorescent, tungsten, or daylight. Scene content is analyzed for luminance, focal distance, subject matter orientation, and color to determine the correct exposure and to capture the natural details, accurate flesh tones, and rich colors you see in your composition.As with all Easyshare cameras, the Z740 includes the favorites feature, which lets people store dozens of pictures in internal memory for anytime, anywhere sharing; the Share button for designating pictures to be e-mailed or printed; popular Easyshare software for computer-based picture viewing, organizing, and sharing; and even high-quality video (640 x 480 pixels) for recording and sharing life in action.Z740 camera owners can also take advantage of a range of accessories for additional creativity, including a 0.7x wide-angle lens and 55 mm circular polarizer and neutral density filters.A Powerful Zoom, Because Close Isn't Close Enough
Get close to your subjects with 10x optical zoom and 5x advanced digital zoom (50x total zoom)
Create unbelievable-quality prints up 13 by 17 inches with 5.0 MP
Get rich, vibrant color under a variety of lighting conditions with the exclusive Kodak Color Science Chip
Capture consistently crisp, precise pictures thanks to the autofocus system with assist lamp
Kodak Retinar All-Glass Aspheric 10x Optical Zoom Lens
Capture your subject in crisp detail with the Z740's all-glass lens
Get amazingly close to your subjects with the 10x optical zoom (35mm equivalent: 38-380mm)
Get even closer with the 5x advanced digital zoom for 50x total zoom
Exclusive Kodak Color Science Image Processing Chip With the exclusive Kodak Color Science Image Processing Chip, your pictures come to life just the way you remember it.
A new high-speed digital processor chip, advanced algorithms, and hardware acceleration features let the Z740 make simultaneous, split-second decisions to produce rich, vibrant, true-to-life colors in almost any lighting situation
Each time you click the shutter, the Kodak Color Science Chip performs an instantaneous and advanced analysis of collected scene data to identify and adjust multiple factors that influence picture quality
Scene light source is detected and adjustments are made to capture bright whites and true, vivid colors under difficult lighting conditions--fluorescent, tungsten, or daylight
Scene content is analyzed for luminance, focal distance, subject matter orientation, and color to determine the correct exposure and capture the natural details, accurate flesh tones, and rich colors you see in your composition
1.8-Inch High-Resolution Indoor/Outdoor Display
View brilliant, sharp images even in direct sunlight
Review vertical shots vertically with auto picture-rotation
In review mode, quickly magnify up to 8x, fast scroll through pictures, or view multi-up
Manual and Custom Controls Turn your creative vision into reality with a full palette of advanced program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual and custom controls. Manual Controls
Exposure compensation--+/- 2.0 EV in 0.5 EV steps
Aperture--wide (f2.8 to f8.0) and telephoto (f3.7 to f8.0)
Shutter speeds--automatic: 1/8 to 1/1700 second; manual: 8 seconds to 1/1000 second
ISO equivalents--automatic: 80 to 160; manual: 80, 100, 200, 400, 800 (selectable)
Autofocus--multi-zone, center weighted, selectable: left, center, right
Exposure metering type--auto: TTL-AE; selectable: multi-pattern, center-weighted, center spot
White balance--auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade
Flash compensation--+/- 1.0 EV (exposure value) in 0.5 EV steps
Flash mode--auto, red-eye, fill, off--for the right light every time
Program Auto, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority
Program mode (P)--camera sets optimal shutter speed and aperture combination
Aperture priority mode (A)--you choose aperture, the camera sets shutter speed
Shutter priority mode (S)--you choose shutter speed, the camera sets aperture
High-Speed, Low-Light Autofocus
Using dual-sensing technologies, the Z7400's high-speed, low-light, autofocus system precisely fine tunes and sharply defines your subject in both low-light and bright-light situations
The autofocus system with assist lamp helps capture consistently crisp, sharp pictures even in low light
Continuous autofocus provides 0.42 second click-to-capture time (with preview on)
Continuous Shooting and Bracketing Modes
First burst mode--captures up to 4 frames in rapid succession at 2 fps
Last burst mode--captures up to 30 frames at 2 frames per second (fps), with the last 4 frames saved
Auto exposure bracketing--3 images with user-selectable brackets (+/- 0.3, +/- 0.7 or +/- 1.0 EV)
Multiple Scene and Color Modes, plus Video Capture Free your inner creativity. The Z740 has a mode for almost any situation. You will get the shot you want, the way you want it. Choose one of 16 scene modes to get your shot:
Portrait--places the subject in sharp focus, softens the background
Sport--captures subject in action without blurring
Children--captures action photos of children in bright light
Party--use for photos of people in indoor setting in lower light
Beach--use for bright beach scene
Flower--captures close-up photos of flowers in bright light
Fireworks--use for photos of fireworks
Snow--use for bright snow scene
Backlight--use for photos when light is behind the subject
Close-up--captures sharp, full-frame images at close range
Night Portrait--clearly captures both subject and background at night
Landscape--provides maximum sharpness for distant scenes
Night Landscape--provides maximum sharpness for distant scenes at night
Museum/Manner--use when sound or flash are not desired
Text--for sharp text when photographing documents
Self Portrait--use for close-up of self
Bring out your creativity with color modes:
High color--for vibrant colors
Natural color--for natural-looking colors
Low color--for muted colors
Sepia--for an antique appearance
Black-and-white--for a classic look
Catch all the action with continuous video:
Capture up to 80 minutes continuous video with audio, depending upon size of external memory card; or 5-, 15-, 30-second clips
Choose settings for VGA (640 x 480-pixel resolution) at 13 fps, or QVGA (320 x 240-pixel resolution) at 20 fps, both with MPEG-4 compression
Share universally with QuickTime video format
Sharing Is One-Touch Simple The Z740 is part of the Kodak Easyshare System, so sharing your pictures is one-button simple. Just press Share. On-camera Share button:
Simple sharing starts right on the back of the camera
Exclusive on-camera Share button lets you tag favorite pictures to print or e-mail later
Favorite mode shows off your favorite pictures anytime, anywhere in an on-camera picture collection
Kodak Easyshare Software
The Z740 includes Kodak Easyshare Software
Works seamlessly with Easyshare cameras and docks to enable one-button transferring and sharing
The easy way to view, edit, organize, print, or view a slide show from your computer
Exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature automatically adjusts the settings on your inkjet printer to give you traditional quality photos when printing on Kodak Inkjet Photo Papers

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