Easyshare Z730 5 MP Digital Camera with 4xOptical Zoom

Easyshare Z730 5 MP Digital Camera with 4xOptical Zoom

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• New continuous shooting and bracketing modes
• Professional-quality Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 4x optical zoom lens
• 5.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality prints up to 13 x 17 inches
• Kodak Color Science image processing chip
• 2.2-inch high-resolution indoor/outdoor display

Buy Now : Easyshare Z730 5 MP Digital Camera with 4xOptical Zoom

Brand : KODAK
Category : Electronics,Camera & Photo,Digital Cameras,Point & Shoot Digital Cameras
Rating : 3.8
Review Count : 81

Easyshare Z730 5 MP Digital Camera with 4xOptical Zoom

• I have owned the Z730 a couple of months. It has strengths and weaknesses. The instruction manual is extensive but often does not answer the question that I have. This is annoying and asking questions on the Kodak.com Z730 web site is difficult as I often get answers not pertaining to the question. The image quality is mixed and somewhat disappointing though this may be my fault and perhaps with further experience the quality will improve. I tend to spend a lot of time on my photo program correcting underexposure. On the positive side, the camera is easy to handle and many of the settings are easy to change. The screen and view finder are good., Review and delete are easy. The overall quality and finish of the camera appear good. I would suggest a spare battery but battery life is not a major problem. The nicest and probably an outstanding feature is the absence of lag when you push the shutter. Unlike all the other digital cameras I have used, photo opportunities are not missed with the object (particularly a child) exiting the frame while I am waiting for the shutter to eventually fire.. This camera does not have any more shutter lag than a film camera and has a nice shutter noise like a film camera.
• This is an excellent camera and I heartily recommend it. I have been an avid photographer for over 40 years and my standards are very high. I have used everything from fully manual large format cameras to ultra small point and shoot APS film cameras.This is my first digital camera and I did a lot of research before I bought one. I read up on dozens of models, tried a few of my friends cameras and handled quite a few in stores before deciding on this one. This is the best camera I could find in this price range. I could not be more pleased with it.The pictures are very sharp, with no digital noise or artifacts. Colors are perfect. There are no unpleasant color casts and the colors are rich and vibrant without being oversaturated. I ran a number of my test pictures through Photoshop and I found that grays are neutral and blacks and whites are pure.The camera itself is small and light enough to fit into a cargo pocket or to wear with a small belt pouch. It fits comfortably in your hands and all the controls are well placed. The LCD screen on the back is huge and is very bright and clear. It was one of the camera\'s strongest selling points.The lens is excellent. The 4X zoom is a bit wider than most at the wide end and a bit longer than most on the tele end. It has a great range and really shines when used for portraits within the telephoto range. It is much better than the standard 3X zoom found on most cameras of this size and price. It was the deciding factor for me.The 5 megapixel resolution is outstanding and it really shines when you want to crop or blow up just a portion of a picture.The camera has numerous scene modes and a full range of auto exposure and manual controls. I suspect that most users, myself included, will just set it on Auto and forget it, but it is nice to know that more sophisticated options are available. All the other options are easily accessed through a very simple menu system that seems much easier to use than those on most other digital cameras. All buttons and controls are well placed and easy to use.I especially appreciate the fake sound of a shutter clicking when you take a photo. I don\'t know how many times I\'ve used friends cameras and couldn\'t figure out if I had taken a picture or not. The sound can be turned off if you don\'t like it, but I find it very helpful.There is virtually no shutter lag. You take the picture the moment you press the shutter button. This was crucial for me. Most digital cameras have a slight lag and it can be maddening when it causes you to miss that perfect moment. I have a film camera that suffers from a slight lag and even after 7 years of use, I still find it annoying.Battery life seems good but I will probably purchase an extra battery and keep a fully charged spare on hand. The external charger is very compact and it is a real advantage to be able to charge the battery outside of the camera.The 32MB of internal memory is a bit more than most but you\'ll want to purchase an extra SD card. I bought a 256MB card and it is more than enough for me. Interestingly, Kodak notes in the documentation that the camera works best with regular SD cards, not the ultra fast ones, so save your money and buy just a standard card. The camera writes to the card almost instantaneously, so you will never lose a shot waiting for the camera.The flash is quite good. Exposure and color are very accurate. There is no ugly blue cast and it does not overexpose like so many others do. Like most other small cameras with the flash near the lens, red eye can be a problem. It is no worse than any other camera and is easly corrected with almost any software.The auto white balace works very well. I doubt that I will ever have to set it manually but you can if you need to.The burst modes and auto bracketing are nice features but I probably won\'t need them all that much. Still, it is nice to have them when you need them.The Easyshare software that comes with the camera is very good but not outstanding. It will do everything you need with ease but Mac users will probably prefer iPhoto or the $100 Photoshop Elements. Since I use the full version of Photoshop everyday, the software was not an issue for me.The camera has a good movie mode but I really don\'t care about that at all, so it was not a factor in my decision. I have a Mini DV movie camera for when I want movies.I strongly urge you to handle any camera you are considering. Go to a store and actually pick it up and use it. I have used Canon cameras for over 30 years and was all set to buy a Canon digital camera in this price range. It was an excellent camera but when I held it and used it, I realized it was not for me. I almost bought it sight unseen just because I have always gotten such good use out of my Canons. I would have been disappointed with it. I made sure to try out this Kodak Z730 before I ordered it. It suits me perfectly, but you may find something that bothers you. Try it before you buy it!There are a few minor quibbles. For $300 it should come with a case. I did not like having to run out and spend another $10 just so I could take the camera with me. I\'ve noticed that almost no other cameras in this price range come with a case, so I guess Kodak is not alone in this cost cutting.I would have also appreciated an AC adapter to run it without batteries when it is attached to the computer, but I guess Kodak wants to sell those docks. Again, almost no other camera companies include this accessory anymore, so this should not be a deal breaker.I\'m one of the few people who still prefer to hold the camera up to my eye and use the optical viewfinder instead of the LCD. This camera has a good optical viewfinder and you can even set the diopter adjustment. I wish the optical viewfinder was a bit larger and had a bit more information in it but that would probably make this camera more costly. Since most people use the LCD screen to compose their photos, this is probably not an issue for most buyers.In conclusion, this is a great camera for quick snapshots of friends and family. Use it for vacations, parties, candid photos and just about everything else. It is easy to use and gives excellent results. You can just set it and forget it or you can use its more advanced features to do more sophsticated photography. In the end, it is all about the pictures and with this camera, the pictures are beautiful. You will not find a better camera in this price range.
• PROS: 1. Unbeatable Price, 2. Very good sharpness (not excellent), 3.Intuitive and easy-to use. 4.good performance un AUTO, better in other functions. 5.Good video quality, adequate in poor lighting. 6. adequate digital zoom (if you have a very steady hand). 7. performs well in low light (using manual). 8.Very flexible for the \"family/vacation shooter\".CONS: 1. Mediocre software, 2.Poor macro/close-up fuction (closest focusing = 9cm. aprox.), 3.Diopter diffcult to manipulate, 4.Strange and very light violet cast/hue on certain pix (still don\'t know why). 5. Need two batteries so as to not lose info on camera. 6.Some focusing difficulties. 7. No spot-metering in manual mode(doesn\'t say this in the manual).Bottom line: for a camera its price and its class, it\'s very hard to beat. Built for the very advanced \"familiy/vacation shooter\", not quite flexible enough for the avid amateur. Has some quirks I can live with.
• But otherwise excellent for the price. The full-auto mode is decent but not great (tho it never really is). The scene modes are useful and there are plenty to choose from. The camera has a bit of trouble with backlit subjects, even using the backlight scene mode.Battery life is excellent (if you\'re not an idiot and remember to charge it first!). Fully manual mode is a bit confusing at first, but you can save your own manual presets, so once you figure it out, that is also excellent.It is a quality product for a great price, good for some amateur photojournalism, but not really for anything professional.A tip: they suggest you buy the Kodak SD cards to go with this. Don\'t bother. They are double the price of other SD cards and don\'t make that much of a difference.
• I have used this camera for about two months now. I am very pleased with it. It is my first digital camera. After reading about all the different ones on the market I ended up buying the Z730 and I\'m glad I did. I got the dock with it which it makes it a little nicer, but I wouldn\'t say it is a necessity. It takes great quality photos, its easy to use and all in all a good choice. I have found though, the complete auto setting is not as good as my 35 mm slr. In very bright light or low light conditions the exposure is sometimes uneven, bright faces and dark back grounds. But using the scene settings ie \"beach\" in very bright conditions does the trick. The large view screen is really nice. Overall its a great buy for the money.

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