Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS

Manufacturer: Eastman Kodak Co. Part number: 1699511

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CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 45 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: Kodak's EasyShare Z712 IS is a nice superzoom, especially for the price, though its image quality does falter at higher ISOs.

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CNET editors' review

Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS

price range: $239.99 - $258.99

Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
Reviewed on: 08/02/2007
Released on: 04/15/2007

The good: Has 12x optical zoom; optical image stabilization; manual exposure controls.

The bad: Noticeable fringing and artifacts in images; noisy images at ISO 800 and ISO 1,600

The bottom line: Kodak's EasyShare Z712 IS is a nice superzoom, especially for the price, though its image quality does falter at higher ISOs.

Read full review

Some model names make no sense, but others, such as Kodak's EasyShare Z712 IS reflect specific details of the product. This Kodak is part of the company's line of superzoom cameras, hence the big Z. It includes a 7.1-megapixel sensor, so the model number starts with a 7. It's long 36-432mm f/2.8-4.8 lens totals a 12x optical zoom, therefore the model number ends in 12. Finally, since it includes optical image stabilization, the model name ends in IS. You won't find face detection, but you will find something more useful--manual exposure controls. Plus, its relatively small size makes the Z712 IS one of the more portable superzooms out there. You'll still have a hard time fitting it in a jacket pocket, but it shouldn't be hard to find a spot for this camera in your bag.

If you're thinking that this model looks a lot like some other Z-series Kodaks you've seen, don't second-guess yourself. Most notably, this camera resembles, the Z612, though Kodak changed from the 612's silver body to a black one. The Z712 IS sports a 2.5-inch, 115,000-pixel LCD, 15 scene modes, and sensitivity up to ISO 1,600 at full resolution and ISO 3,200 if you drop the pixel count to 1.2 megapixels.

One-handed shooting is possible, since almost all the controls are on the right-hand side of the camera. Of course, we always suggest using two hands for better stability. The EVF/LCD button, which switches between the LCD and the camera's electronic viewfinder, is the only button you won't be able to reach with your right hand, though that typically doesn't pose a problem. In manual shooting modes (aperture priority, shutter priority, and full manual), you change the settings using the click wheel, which is mounted on the upper right side of the camera back. You rotate the wheel to choose the setting you want--all the settings appear on the LCD--then click the wheel to select that setting, rotate the wheel to change it to what you want, and click again to set it. Once I got used to it, which didn't take very long, I was able to change settings quickly and easily while shooting. In full manual mode, the exposure compensation readout tells you how far off you are (in third-stop EV measurements) from the camera's metered exposure.

We were pleasantly surprised with the Z712 IS's performance in our lab tests. While past Kodaks have had a tendency toward slow start up speeds, the Z712 IS was able to start up and capture its first JPEG in 0.9 second. Subsequent JPEGs took a slightly sluggish 1.9 seconds between images with the flash turned off and 2 seconds with the flash turned on. Shutter lag fared well, measuring 0.5 second in our high-contrast test and 1 second in our low-contrast test, which mimic bright and dim shooting conditions, respectively. In continuous shooting mode, we were able to capture full-resolution JPEGs at an average rate of 2.6 frames per second.

Image quality is generally pleasing, especially at lower ISOs, though I did notice some purple fringing in high contrast areas of my images, and some artifacts which made some lines look jaggy and gave some blocks of color a mottled look. Overall colors generally look accurate, though slightly oversaturated. This isn't a problem, though, since most people prefer and are used to slightly oversaturated colors, since most consumer film has slightly oversaturated color. Even at its lowest setting of ISO 64 I saw a tiny amount of ISO-related noise, though it was only visible on a computer monitor and not in prints. At ISO 100 this increased very slightly though images were still impressively sharp and had plenty of fine detail and shadow detail. Noise remains about the same at ISO 200, and while there is a slight rolloff in overall sharpness and shadow detail, you should still get very pleasing prints. At ISO 400 noise remains fairly unobtrusive, though shadow detail and sharpness continue to slowly deteriorate. There is a noticeable increase in ISO-related noise at ISO 800, by which point a large amount of shadow detail is also lost. You should still be able to get decent 4x6-inch prints, though larger prints may not pass muster. ISO 1,600 yields very noisy images and should probably be avoided if at all possible. In general I'd suggest sticking below ISO 800 when you can.

If you tend to be more of a snapshooter, but want the reach of a 12x zoom lens, you'll probably like the Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS. In fact, even advanced amateurs will be impressed with its manual exposure controls and image quality, but more choosy photographers may take fault with the artifacts we saw and the noise at higher ISOs. However, for this price, it's very hard to find a camera that matches the Z712 IS.

Shooting time (in seconds)
(Smaller bars indicate better performance)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot S5 IS

1.6

1.3

0.5

Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS

1.9

0.9

0.5

Nikon Coolpix S10

1.9

1.7

0.6

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8

1.8

2.7

0.6

Sony Cyber Shot DSC-H9

1.4

2.1

0.6

Typical continuous-shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS

2.6

Sony Cyber Shot DSC-H9

Canon PowerShot S5 IS

1.6

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8

1.5

Nikon Coolpix S10

1.2

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 45 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 45

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9 stars

WOW is all I can say!

by surgeon1919 on July 6, 2007

Pros: Image quality, speed, size, overall build quality, image quality!! Image stabilizer

Cons: Kodak changed the menus a tad too much, slighly weak macro, doesn't come with rechargeable baterry or charger.

Summary: This camera can take pictures! It has the ability to meter the light properly allowing the pictures to be super clear. It must have somekind of face detection because when ...

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Summary: This camera can take pictures! It has the ability to meter the light properly allowing the pictures to be super clear. It must have somekind of face detection because when I zoom onto a person's face even just a little and I move the camera, the detected subject lock tries to stick to the person's face.The flash is great and you can adjust the flash compensation while in PASM. The PASM mode brings a nice level of control for those who like to manually control the camera. This camera is also very fast. Not even a second after you turn it on, will you be able to take a picture. Write speed is fast but could be faster. The LCD screen is 2.5 inch big, it's nice and clear but not SUPER sharp but no complaints over this whatsoever. Overall, a very nice improvement over my Kodak Z650.
Updated
I also forgot to mention the image stabilizer works very well and the battery life is also fantastic even with IS always turned on. The high ISO mode works very well and the pictures have barely any noise when the flash is used and of course are noisy but actually still pretty nice. The fireworks setting is perfect. Canada Day fireworks pictures turned out fantastic! The videos are super smooth but image quality could be a bit better. Indoor shots are also very crisp. To conclude, you won't be disapointed!!

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17 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Easy to use, First-rate pictures

by Masino on June 20, 2007

Pros: ease of use, high quality pictures

Cons: buttons a bit close

Summary: I got my Z712 a week ago and have taken lots of pictures with it. It is pretty small (though not pocketable) and lightweight. It is a fast, accurate-focusing camera. ...

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Summary: I got my Z712 a week ago and have taken lots of pictures with it. It is pretty small (though not pocketable) and lightweight. It is a fast, accurate-focusing camera. The 12x zoom is fabulous. It has an Auto mode that I finally like. The high ISO on the camera does a nice job--even my worst shots at 1600 are usable (with a little help from Neat Image). There are almost no ruined shots due to camera fault (photographer fault, yes). The colors are definitely Kodak, but not as saturated as some of their cameras have been. There is plenty of detail in the photographs. The CRV3 battery lasted me over 500 shots with frequent flash and LCD use. It is a camera with a great combination of qualities and few faults. Kodak has a real winner here. (I have owned maybe 10 digital cameras over the years and the Z712 is one of the top performers) A picture is worth a thousand words, so in case you want to see some actual production from the camera, feel free to visit my Kodak Z712IS gallery at http://www.pbase.com/tgaf/kodak_z712is. I have posted over 70 photos of various types there.
Updated
The more I use it the more I like it. It has given me a higher percentage of successful photos than any other camera I have used. The low light capability of this camera is also superior to my other cameras (including the Konica Minolta A2, which you regard so highly)and other cameras in its price range. I now have taken over 2,000 photos with the camera and over 200 are at the pbase site I mentioned in the main review.

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13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

One great camera, as simple as that!

by Mannix80 on May 12, 2007

Pros: Excellent pictures, all the time!

Cons: The size and still can't find a small but large enough case.

Summary: I bought this camera for my wife as an anniversary present, because she was tired of our old small zoom, and not so great quality digital cameras(a nikon and ...

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Summary: I bought this camera for my wife as an anniversary present, because she was tired of our old small zoom, and not so great quality digital cameras(a nikon and a samsung).
I was looking for a compact high zoom camera which apparently where unnavailable at the time but i found this beauty which is easy to use, has a huge screen an electronic view finder, and takes great pictures in any light, i havent tried to take pictures at very high speed moving objects which the manual says it's good at doing, i'll get back to you on that.
All in all this camera does not dissapoint.

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12 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great in low light!

by friskycat01 on June 23, 2007

Pros: Great in low light, lots of manual controls, many auto scenes if you just want to just point & shoot.

Cons: Batter life is less than great.

Summary: I am a hobbyist/armature and I think the greatest thing about this camera is the high ISO ability and still being able to get great print quality in low ...

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Summary: I am a hobbyist/armature and I think the greatest thing about this camera is the high ISO ability and still being able to get great print quality in low light situations. I think my photos have suffered greatly in the past because I always had to use the flash while indoors which washed everything out and drained the life from every photo. Now everything looks a lot more natural and true to life and I can avoid bright flash spots in my pictures.

I think this is a great choice if, like me, you are not ready for or can't yet afford a DSLR.

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9 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

So far, its living up to the Kodak name.

by johnomaz on May 2, 2007

Pros: I like the shape and feel of it. Its slightly smaller than my previous z740, but the material its made from feel like its less likely to slip from my hand.

Cons: So far, only one. When I take a picture, it does a quick preflash, then the main flash. Its not the red-eye flash, but I would prefer just one solid flash.

Summary: So far, the quality looks fine. I'm not a professional photographer, but I am anal about the quality of my pictures. The file size is about 2mb per file ...

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Summary: So far, the quality looks fine. I'm not a professional photographer, but I am anal about the quality of my pictures. The file size is about 2mb per file with the Fine compression setting and full 7.1 megapixel resolution. I think I'm going to like this camera after my sudden loss of my beloved z740. But you marry your wife, you marry her butter fingers =). I'll post again when I get to use this camera more. I have a 1 year old baby so it will get used a lot in all types of settings.

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7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Amazing photo quality, features and price

by Roobin on June 24, 2007

Pros: Excellent clarity in low-light conditions

Cons: Slow picture delete, cheezy looking body

Summary: OK, let me first get the silly stuff out of the way: this camera looks cheap! Its shiny black finish, with virtually no buttons or even logos on the front, ...

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Summary: OK, let me first get the silly stuff out of the way: this camera looks cheap! Its shiny black finish, with virtually no buttons or even logos on the front, give it a very plain, somewhat toy-like look. So, I'm sure I'll have to get over feeling embarrassed being seen with this camera.....but I won't be embarrassed having my PICTURES seen.

The Z712 is simply amazing, and puts my Canon S2IS and SD700IS to shame. The ability to take pictures in low light, without using a flash, is simply superb. This is a great boon when you're vacationing and want to shoot building interiors where flash photography isn't allowed. I can also take pictures of my cats without flash/red eye problems. In part, this is possible because even at higher ISO settings you get noise-free images. And, the very adept image stabilization really helps here, and is far, far superior to the Canon's IS system. The IS capability also makes it possible to actually use the 12x zoom without a tripod.

Beyond image quality, I especially like the intuitive, logically laid-out menu system. And, there is a scroll wheel that enables you to quickly set the exposure compensation, ISO and flash intensity. I also like that the Z712 is a very small, light camera but still well balanced and easy to handle.

So far, I've only found a couple of negatives (did I mention how cheap this camera looks?): First, it takes several seconds to delete a single photo, which is quite annoying. But, you can also tag images and delete multiple images at once, which saves time over doing this one by one.

Another negative is the placement of the zoom toggle on the back of the camera, rather than on the top. If you're using the
view finder,this means you have to back away from the camera in order to get your finger on the zoom (if you are using the LCD, however, this is not a problem).

This is a great, versatile camera and deserves the good press it's been getting.

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5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Simply the Best Value

by AlexDena on August 17, 2007

Pros: Price (of course), Schneider Kreuznach Lens!, Weight, Features

Cons: When you zoom while recording video the sound mutes and whenever you take out the batteries for recharging the date and time reset

Summary: I've a considerable amount of Digital Cameras from many manufacturers like Olympus, Sony, Nikon and Panasonic.
For this one I decided to for this Kodak specially when I noticed
...

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Summary: I've a considerable amount of Digital Cameras from many manufacturers like Olympus, Sony, Nikon and Panasonic.
For this one I decided to for this Kodak specially when I noticed that similar cameras from Sony cost about $100 more while having the same features and lower quality than this one.
I made some research on the Internet and found out that Schneider Kreuznach are among the very best lens company in the world they even got an Oscar!
So while you're holding this magnificent piece of photographic engineering in your hands be sure that is the best camera you could have for under $500, and it only cost you less than half of that!

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4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Outstanding images. Why SLR?

by GalaxyT25 on July 1, 2007

Pros: Beautiful pictures, unbeatable zoom ability, easy to take with you.

Cons: Convoluted docking station, non-standard battery.

Summary: Brought this camera (just a couple days old) into a camera shop looking to buy an additional battery for it. The owner immediately told me what a great lens the ...

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Summary: Brought this camera (just a couple days old) into a camera shop looking to buy an additional battery for it. The owner immediately told me what a great lens the camera had. I didn't need an expert to know that the outdoor, bright sun pictures I took were amazing. The zoom on this camera is all powerful and makes taking candids so easy. I imagine taking pictures at sports events would be great too.

On the down side, Kodak provides an overly involved "docking station" to charge the battery (rechargeable not provided) and transfer the pics. Much easier to just pull the SD card and charge the rechargeable I bought at Radio Shack with its separate charger. Otherwise, no complaints.

Overall... I LOVE IT.

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4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

The best superzoom on the market for the price

by BigCTM on May 27, 2007

Pros: Ease of use, Picture Quality, Many Manual Modes, Optical 12X Zoom

Cons: No manual white balance, No RAW, 115,000 Pixel LCD

Summary: Kodak has done it again with the Z712. It takes awesome pictures. Even the 400 ISO pictures are sharp and virtually noise free. This camera takes the best pictures in ...

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Summary: Kodak has done it again with the Z712. It takes awesome pictures. Even the 400 ISO pictures are sharp and virtually noise free. This camera takes the best pictures in low light of any Z series camera yet.
It has the usual Kodak interface and the power of Perfect Touch technology cannot be overlooked. It can turn an average photo into a good one.

The 12X optical zoom works great even with my unsteady hands. This one comes with the new smart scene mode that automatically selects the appropriate scene. How many times have you missed a picture looking for the right scene? Not with this camera...

For the 225.00 price I paid at Best Buy (with a coupon), this camera is fantastic and another winner from Kodak.

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4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
3 stars

Good camera but purchasing its accesory is too tricky

by yoshi04 on December 21, 2007

Pros: Good camera but...

Cons: Be careful buying a docking station for it!!

Summary: I like this camera very much but unfortunately gave this camera the 3 rating JUST because of the Kodak's false suggestion of a compatible docking station on their website. ...

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Summary: I like this camera very much but unfortunately gave this camera the 3 rating JUST because of the Kodak's false suggestion of a compatible docking station on their website. I decided to get a docking station for this camera (Kodak EasyShare kit series 3) but just found out that the battery included in the kit is not compatible with the camera at all! An established company just fools you there!! The box even states it is compatible with C-V-Z-P Series. From my understanding, any kits compatible with this camera means everything included in the box is compatible. But for some reasons, the rechargeable battery included is NOT! The whole point of buying this kit is that the dock station comes with the rechargeable battery. To any guys shopping for the holiday, do NOT by the docking station or maybe talk to the Kodak customer support before you take actions!! Otherwise, you buy this kit for $49.99 and spend additional $$ for a rechargeable battery? If you just care about the rechargeable battery, forget about it but go for any name-brand rechargeable AA battery and the charger for $30. After all this, I went to the Bexx Bxy and asked about it but a sales associate told me I can't use any rechargeable AA battery for this camera. I just don't see why not since the manual of the camera states that you can use any AA lithium batteries. No compatible accessory kit, not good rating at all!

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5 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 45

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Eastman Kodak Co.
Part number: 1699511
Description: The KODAK EASYSHARE Z712 IS Zoom Digital Camera combines an impressive 12X optical zoom lens (36-432 mm equivalent SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON) with optical image stabilization, delivering superior performance to aspiring photographers. The 7.1 megapixel camera boasts best-in-class click-to-capture performance (0.26 sec.) with superb picture quality at an affordable price, making it a solid alternative to digital SLRs.

General
Product Type Digital camera - Compact
Weight 10.6 oz
Width 4.1 in
Depth 2.7 in
Height 2.9 in
Main Features
Resolution 7.1 megapixels
Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
Sensor resolution 7.1 megapixels
Optical Sensor Type CCD
Effective Sensor Resolution 7,100,000 pixels
Total Pixels 7,400,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size 1/2.5 in
Light Sensitivity ISO 200, ISO 800, ISO auto (64-400), ISO 400, ISO 80, ISO 1600, ISO 3200 (1.2Mpix), ISO 100
Digital Zoom 4.2 x
Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
Shooting Programs Back light, Candle, Panorama left, Landscape, Panorama right, Text, Night portrait, Sports mode, Snow, Fireworks, High sensitivity, Sunset, Beach, Portrait mode, Museum, Children, Night landscape
Special effects Black & White, Low color, Sepia, High color, Neutral
Max Shutter Speed 1/1000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 16 sec
Exposure Metering Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure Modes Aperture-priority, Automatic, Program, Shutter-priority, Manual
Exposure Compensation ?2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 3 steps in 1/3 EV step
White Balance Automatic, Presets
White Balance Presets Shade, Tungsten light, Sunset, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Daylight
Digital video format QuickTime
Still Image Format JPEG
Continuous Shooting Speed 2 frames per second
Color support Color
Image Stabilizer Optical
TV Tuner None
Video Capture QuickTime (MPEG-4) - 320 x 240, QuickTime (MPEG-4) - 640 x 480
Memory / Storage
Integrated Memory 32 MB
Floppy Drive None
Image Storage JPEG 1280 x 960, JPEG 3072 x 2048, JPEG 2592 x 1944, JPEG 1920 x 1080, JPEG 1800 x 1200, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 3072 x 2304
Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
Lens System
Type Zoom lens - F/2.8-4.8
Lens Manufacturer Schneider-Kreuznach
Additional Features
Self Timer Yes
Self Timer Delay 10 sec, 2 sec
Additional Features Cropping an image, Direct print, Display brightness control, Digital image rotation, DPOF support, Camera orientation detection, Auto power save, PictBridge support, Histogram display, Date/time stamp
Camera Flash
Effective Flash Range 1.6 ft - 15.4 ft
Type Pop-up flash
Flash Modes Flash OFF mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Auto mode, Red-eye reduction, Rear curtain sync
Red Eye Reduction Yes
Effective flash range 1.6 ft - 15.4 ft
Features AF illuminator, Flash +/- compensation
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 11
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type Electronic
Color support Color
Resolution 230,000 pixels
Display
Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.5 in - Color
Mounting Built-in
Resolution 115,200 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
Type None

Connections
Connector Type 1 x Docking station, 1 x USB
Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Lens Systems
Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
Type Zoom lens
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 36 - 432 mm
Focus adjustment Automatic, Manual
Auto Focus Points (Zones) 5
Min Focus Range 19.7 in
Macro Focus Range 12-60cm
Lens Aperture F/2.8-4.8
Optical Zoom 12 x
Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Miscellaneous
Carrying Case None

Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS

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