Kodak Z612

Digital-Cameras

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Posted on 01-04-2007

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Price: 19999

Digit Rating: Good

3.5/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

CONS

Summary

Overall a good camera for casual clickers, and very feature-rich and functional. The specifications position the Z612 in the league of Canon's S3IS and Sony's DSC-H1. Although costlier, those models offer better image quality. At Rs 19,999, the Kodak Z612 offers all the features, at a reduced price and slightly lower quality. Buy it if you want something intermediate and are somewhat financially limited.

Compact and feature heavy

Kodak's Z612 is positioned as a compact ultra-zoom. The 6.1 MP sensor, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, and Optical Image Stabilisation mean the Z612 is no slouch when it comes to serious photography. A delightful 12x optical zoom means you won't miss out on long-distance shots, and IS (image stabilisation) complements this, especially considering the chances of blur increase at the wide-end of tele-zoom.

Button placement is very good. There are a lot of discrete buttons for quick access to essential features. The menu, too, is very well-laid-out, intuitive even for beginners. There's an ultra convenient click-wheel that allows adjusting of essential parameters like Exposure Compensation, ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed in full manual mode. For such a large zoom, there are too few steps, and the zoom tends to race ahead. The over-sensitive zoom button compounds the problem.

Image quality: one problem is the Optical IS doesn't work as well as expected in continuous mode, which is the recommended mode for least camera shake. Setting IS to single mode doesn't make things any better.

At auto settings, image quality is good for close-ups; however, as with most non-D-SLR cameras, the flash range is limited to under nine feet. The Z612 produces great detailing outdoors. The Z612 is unforgiving to the newbie-you should know exactly what you're doing while shooting using manual settings. Some of our outdoor shots, especially shooting a dark subject with bright sunlight in the background produced a purple tinge.

Overall a good camera for casual clickers, and very feature-rich and functional. The specifications position the Z612 in the league of Canon's S3IS and Sony's DSC-H1. Although costlier, those models offer better image quality. At Rs 19,999, the Kodak Z612 offers all the features, at a reduced price and slightly lower quality. Buy it if you want something intermediate and are somewhat financially limited.

Specifications
Max resolution 2848 x 2144 (6.1 MP); ISO 80 ~ 400 (800 @ 1 MP); lens 35 ~ 420 (W~T); aperture range F2.8 ~ F4.8; shutter range 16 ~ 1/2000; video 640 x 480 @ 30 fps; expansion SD/MMC (32 MB inbuilt); Li-ion 1600 mAh supplied

RATINGS

Performance : 3.5

Features : 4

Settings & Options : 3.5

Value for Money : 3.5

Overall : 3.5

Contact: Kodak India Ltd
Phone: 66416300
E-mail: contactindia@kodak.com
Website: www.kodak.co.in
Price: Rs. 19,999/-

Max resolution 2848 x 2144 (6.1 MP); ISO 80 ~ 400 (800 @ 1 MP); lens 35 ~ 420 (W~T); aperture range F2.8 ~ F4.8; shutter range 16 ~ 1/2000; video 640 x 480 @ 30 fps; expansion SD/MMC (32 MB inbuilt); Li-ion 1600 mAh supplied