» Kodak EasyShare Z1275 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom

Kodak EasyShare Z1275 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Simply my favorite digital camera!
Comment: I've owned and reviewed numerous digital cameras, but this one has become my absolute favorite. I tend to get long-winded in my reviews, but I want to keep this one short and simple. Here are the benefits, as I see them:

- This camera has the shortest time between shots of any camera I've used in the sub-$500 range. That means you'll snap more pictures, and miss less opportunities. [Note: while the camera is letting you review your photo, you can go back into picture-taking mode by partially depressing the shutter button (the one used to snap a photo)--that'll get you shooting again quickly.

- The Smart Scene feature really does autodetect the best setting in most circumstances. I no longer need to stop and change over to micro to shoot flowers, and then back to portrait to shoot people. It simply works as advertised and MAKES THIS ONE OF THE EASIEST CAMERAS TO USE ON THE GO>

- Even at 12 Megapixel resolution, a 1 Gb SD card [Note: Purchase one right away.] will store hundreds and hundreds of photos in JPG format.

- Definately get a set of four NiHh rechargeable batteries (at least 2100 MAh rated). You'll be able to shoot most of the day on one pair (assuming you're not using flash for all shots), and the second pair can always be charged and ready.

- The LCD is a great size, and it surprisingly easy to read in sunlight. [Note: consider buying some plastic screen protectors to keep it safe from scratches.]

- The menu system is easy to navigate and use.

Overall, it's the best all-purpose digital camera I've owned. I'm planning on getting another one for my wife, since she likes to use this one so much that I often need to "steal" it back from her.

One last note: on cases. Generally, I recommend purchasing the camera case *after* you have the camera in-hand. If you purchase the case online, you risk that you might not like the way the camera fits in the case, or that the case is simply too large or too small. Don't wait too long, however, because that case is the best protection your camera will have when you are on the go!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Great! Fine Lens, Resolution, Battery Life, Low Light Photography
Comment: This is my 2nd Kodak Digital Camera. I liked the 1st, used it for 3 years, and was induced to move to the new camera for its superior MP rating (12MP vs. my old 6 MP camera), its better low light capabilities without using flash, and its higher magnification without resorting to computerized magnification.

Besides that, its sturdy, had good lens protection, and I expect will stand up well over several years of high usage.

I take several thousand photos a year and edit and crop photos a lot. You can make large prints of even a small portion of a picture, and be confident of its fidelity and resolution.

In researching the camera I was concerned about some negative comments by users, especially about battery life, but bought it anyway because of my excellent prior experience witht Kodak, and Consumer Reports Magazine's reviews of various Kodak models with similar battery usage characteristics. (They didn't review this model, but did do a similar lower MP model).

I just can't believe their experiences. The camera comes with excellent non-rechargeable AA batteries. They lasted well over 100 shots, most of which were energy hogging flash photos.

I'm now using rechargeable Kodak batteries, and their life seems at least as long, and they cost under $15 at Wal-mart for 4 Rechargeable batteries + a recharger.

ps. The model I bought was a real bargain - I bought a remanufactured one, that came from Kodak with the same support a new one would get. Furthermore, I found out from Kodak that this camera, no longer in production, is identical to the newer Kodak 1285 camera, except for the model number.

Good camera at a good price!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great outdoor pictures... BUT...
Comment: After having this camera for a year now, we've determined the following:

1. It eats regular AA batteries in an hour. Lithiums will last about a month.
2. Having no viewfinder is annoying, since you'll have to set the LCD screen at its brightest level in order to see it outside. Therefore, less battery life.
3. VERY OFTEN, the flash will completely white out a picture. For a while I thought it was because I was trying to take pictures when the last one I took was still processing but now it happens the first time I take a picture, right after turning it on.
4. You can't set the camera to take pictures in black and white. I liked that feature on my old Kodak.
5. It takes beautiful outdoor pictures. Being able to set it for "snow scene" and outdoor action shots for kids is really nice and they come out great.
6. I've tried lowering the picture quality to 6 or 8 MP in order to eliminate the annoying blue screen that comes up sometimes that says "processing" -- but then I can forget about taking pictures indoors. They always come out blurry or dark.
7. The large LCD screen is great!
8. Indoor shots are often either grainy and dark or overexposed, even if I set the camera to take photos in low light conditions.

I'm no camera geek and many of these issues may just be the nature of the point and shoot beast. I'm generally happy with the camera since we are outside taking pictures of the kids most of the time, but I do wish I could get better shots indoors.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great camera!
Comment: This an amazing camera for someone who takes photos as a hobby. I find the quality to be awesome at 12 megs. The HD video is also amazing. I haven't really used the manual option, but it looks like a nice feature to have. Huge LCD screen. There is no view finder, but I don't find it to be a prob as I rarely use the view finder on my other cam.

A few cons: I don't think there's a way to adjust the intensity of the flash. Some photos look blowout but I used a semitransparent cloth to dim it a bit. Works like a charm.

It eats batteries quickly but this is remedied with rechargeables. Problem solved.

Wish it had a decent macro setting (I don't like the preset settings at all.) But I solve this but shooting at the largest setting and cropping in.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Must use proper batteries
Comment: I've had mine for awhile now. I had seen the low quality exposures as others have reported. The source turned out to be the batteries I was using. I started using CRV3 batteries and the camera has performed very well since. If I could change my rating for this unit I'd bring it to 4 stars.

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