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230 of 233 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Camera with HD Capability, November 11, 2007 This review is from: Kodak Easyshare Z812IS 8.2 MP Digital Camera with 12xOptical Image Stabilized Zoom (Electronics) Since 2002 I've had the same digital camera. It was an older Kodak 2-megapixel camera that did it's job - if just barely. It was light on features, and took acceptable pictures - in 2002 when it was introduced. Fast forward to now, 2007, with a new son and grandparents wanting lots of photos, and my wife (who seldom notices anything about technology) complaining about the quality of the photos that it took and it added up to being time to upgrade our digital camera.I wanted to purchase the Canon Digital Revel XTi since I had an existing telephoto lens that would fit it. My wife wanted to a pocket-sized camera she could fit in her purse. Needless to say, we were in a predicament. The solution? A camera with a good optical zoom and a number of different picture-taking modes.Originally we purchased the Kodak Z712 IS - which we were quite happy with. The only thing it lacked was the ability to take high definition video. A few weeks later I discovered that the very week that we purchased the Z712 Kodak shipped the Z812. So, the Z712 went back to the store and the Z812 arrived! Here's my impressions:
What I Really Like:
Great optical zoom. A 36mm-432mm optical zoom means that nothing is out of range with this camera. Combined with the image stabilization feature you can get away with slightly slower shutter speeds at long focal lengths and still get nice pictures.
A multiplicity of modes - As an amateur photographer I like having the ability to set my own shutter and aperture values depending on what I'm doing. At the same time, the availability of a fully automatic mode makes it a camera that is easy to use by anyone. Plus, having sixteen preset modes for special settings (night time shooting, portraits, snow, beach, etc.) is handy if you'd rather not mess with the stop settings yourself. In addition to being able to control the exposure you can also control the flash setting.
Variable Color Settings - This is a relatively simple feature but on the advanced modes you can choose between "Low Color" "Natural Color" "High Color" "Black and White" and "Sepia". This lets you adjust the appearence of your photos as you take them rather than in a photo editing program later. I find that taking a photo in the mode produces better quality that editing it later in a photo editing program.
Multiple Photo Features - Besides the standard self-timer, there are two settings for taking multiple photos. One takes five consecutive photos in rapid succession. The other will take up to 30 consecutive photos in rapid succession and store the last five.
High ISO settings - High ISO settings allows this camera to take photos in low light conditions. While the quality of low light pictures isn't exceptional, they're not awful either.
HD Video - by far my favorite feature is the ability to take 720p video at 30 frames per second. It takes a computer or high definition TV to really appreciate the superior quality of this video. The fact that the sound is stereo is cool, but the quality is about average for a digital camera.
(Update: Since I originally reviewed this I have owned an cheap Aiptek 1080p HD video camera and a Canon Vixia HF10 camcorder. Both blew the video quality of the Z812 out of the water. Just be forewarned, this is in no way a replacement for a video camera).
What I Don't Like: honestly, nothing. There's no major problems with the camera itself. That's being said, there's a few features that would have been nice.
On a camera of this caliber, it would have been nice to add an external flash for low-light conditions
Since this camera is labled has "HD" and takes high definition video, it would have been nice to be able to use a component cable connection to output 720p/1080i video direct from the camera.
Out of the box the camera comes with a disposable battery. The least Kodak could have done was include a rechargeable battery in the box. I ended up purchasing two rechargeable batters and an AC charger for it.
Summary: If you're not quite ready for size or cost reason to go with an SLR but want a high performance camera that includes the ability to take HD video, this is a perfect camera.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?156 of 158 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Camera at A Great Price - Terrific Photos, Rich Feature Set!, September 17, 2007 Kodak Easyshare Z812IS 8.2MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom I picked up this camera recently as a replacement for a Kodak z710. I was not entirely happy with the z710, but I was familiar with its feature set, and thought the extra megapixel on the 812 might be a slight improvement. Boy was I in for a shock! I took the darned thing out of the box in the parking lot of the store where I bought it, popped in the battery, attached the lens cap and neckstrap, and snapped a few quick ones through the windshield - and I was blown away. This camera is in a whole different catagory from its predecessor. The color quality is vibrant and intense, the feature set is broad and inclusive. The 12x optical zoom is nothing short of miraculous, coupled with Kodak's image stabilizing system to bring you into the action without losing sharp detail.
The Z812 has a few bells and whistles that I wasn't expecting - for example , in panoramic mode it allows you to, in camera, produce seamless panoramic shots stiched together from three separate shots. Get this - you shoot the far left area of the scene. In your next shot on the viewfinder you will see a small section of the previous shot superimposed over the next area - so you can line up your shots perfectly! The z812 does the same for the third shot - and shazaam! Stiches the three together perfectly, matching exposure and color saturation!
The z812 picks up incredible detail, has multiple and complex focussing cababilities, and the eight pixels let me print quite competently up to the full 13x19 that my printer allows without visible artifacting. In a pinch it also allows for some serious cropping!
In sillhoette/backlighting situations I have not noticed any purple fringing at all - that had been a problem with previous cameras. Detail is good, even in subjects like distant foliage (which had not been the case with the 710!)
And there are loads of useful other settings as well. The candlelight setting does a nice job of capturing warm and well exposed images with a minimum amount of light, and almost no digital noise!
The manual settings are great too - easy to find in the menu, and with a decent spectrum of settings.
The burst setting is very much improved too - the camera almost instantly generates your images - they show up on the viewfinder as they are being shot! Nice touch.
The 2.5 inch HD LCD display is huge and crystal clear, and the viewfinder offers a near HD image as well. You can (finally) really see what you are shooting in any light! (although it picks up some digital noise at higher ASA settings.)
The buttons are all conveniently positioned for easy access.
And if all that is not enough - get ready to be blown away by the video capabilities of this camera. I shot 20 minutes of footage at a Gunfight in Tombstone AZ. It looked good on the camera screen, but I was ready to be disappointed when I got it on to my computer screen.
Well, folks, I have to tell you I was not disappointed. The video was crisp, clear and colorful, without alot of posterizing (which had been a problem with the video on earlier models) In dim light there was a bit of digital noise in the videos. It may not be on par with some of the high end HD recorders out there, but its better than alot of the low end ones I've tried, and with a little practice and study, I suspect I can produce some really nice movies with this.
The camera interfaced easily with iPhoto and with the Adobe CS3Bridge to upload my photos and movies in record time!
And that is just denting the surface. As I've said, I've only had the camera for a few days, and only shot 200 or so images.
Addenda
Five months after purchase I am still extremely happy with this camera. Much as I appreciated the automatic functions in the first few weeks, I'm reaching the point where I nearly always have the camera in Manual setting mode - its easy to shift between aperture, shutter speed, and ASA settings (there is a little wheel on the upper right side of the camera at the back, easily accessible by thumb! Turn it to select the function, press it to set your level.) I don't hesitate any more to take multiple bracketed exposures at different settings.
I have been impressed with how well this camera operates under most natural light conditions. My one minor annoyance is that occasionally it decides on its own that it wants a flash - and I have to push the flash shut, and hit the "no flash" option to override it. A minor annoyance and an avoidable one (a bit more thought in the moment!) I've used it in nearly every imaginable lighting condition - from very bright noonday sun, to night shots, and have been able to capture just what I wanted.
If I have any disappointment with the camera to date it is that it does such a good job of capturing the shot I want that there's no need to play with the images in Photoshop! My 2 GB SD memory card will take around 730 shots - although the battery, fully charged will only handle around 250. With spare battery in my bag, I can shoot for a week without plugging in or having to download anything.
So, in a nutshell, here's my assessment - a great camera, at a great price, with an Intuitive interface and an easy learning curve! If you are on the verge of stepping up to an SLR, but not ready to fork over the $700 this is a very reasonable alternative!
Great job, Kodak!
64 of 65 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Lite weight and a Joy to use, September 15, 2007 I was looking for a light weight camera that had a powerful zoom. well this one is both plus more. I love the options and the ease of use. Even for a Dumbie like me you can take Excellent shots. And to add to it, it records in HD Wow am I impressed for the price. The ONLY thing I was not happy with is the darn thing does NOT come with a charger. You have purchase that seperately.
At a $300 price point, I think that a charger should have been included.
I am pleased with my purchase and short of getting a true, SLR which for me is way to heavy to carry, this one fits the need. I don't think you will be sorry on this purchase. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?
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