Kodak Easyshare Z812 IS

The newest digital camera from the folks in Rochester is the Easyshare Z812 IS, the flagship of Kodak�s mega zoom Z-series. The mega zoom digital cam class is very crowded these days, the Z812 IS faces some pretty stiff competition from Canon�s S5 IS, Panasonic�s FZ18, Sony�s H9, Fuji�s S8000fd, and the Olympus SP-560 UZ.

The compact Z812 IS offers users impressive image quality very accurate color, loads of creative flexibility, direct access to the most commonly changed or adjusted camera settings, a nice balance of tweak ability or flexibility, P&S (point and shoot) ease of use, and SLR like features and performance at a notably lower price than most of its competition.

Viewfinder or LCD The Z812 IS's relatively high eye point EVF (electronic viewfinder) is bright, sharp (230,000 pixels), and color (hue) correct, but a faster refresh rate would have provided a smoother and more fluid display. The EVF shows 100 percent of the image frame, and provides the same info display as the LCD. There is no diopter correction for those who wear eyeglasses.

Large LCD screens are nearly ubiquitous these days because camera buyers like them, framing and composition are simpler, and larger displays make sharing saved images easier. The Z812 IS�s 2.5 inch or 6.4 centimeters (230,000 pixels) LCD screen is bright, sharp, hue accurate, and relatively fluid. Shooting action (auto racing, team sports, skateboarders, BMX bikers, etc.) works better with a fluid LCD or EVF display the Z812 IS�s LCD is not as fluid as most of the competition rapid subject movement is sometimes jerky a faster LCD refresh rate would have provided smoother movement.

LCD screen usability outdoors is about average, but brightness can be adjusted manually. The LCD gains up (brightens automatically) in low or dim light and there's a live histogram display for assessing dynamic range and spotting over or under exposure in real time.

Zoom The Z812 IS's f2.8, f4.8, 5.8mm, 70.2 mm (36mm-432mm equivalent) Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon all glass optical zoom covers approximately the same range as the zoom sported by the mega zoom class champ Canon S5 IS. When the camera is powered up the zoom extends out of the zoom well and when the camera is powered down the zoom retracts into the zoom well. Kodak provides a tethered lens cap to protect the front element.

Zooming is quick, about 3 seconds from wide angle to full telephoto. Center sharpness is excellent and corners are surprisingly crisp, noticeably sharper than average. I didn't see any vignetting (darkened corners), but barrel distortion (straight lines bow out from the center of the frame at the wide angle end of the zoom) is slightly above average.

Pincushion distortion (straight lines bow in toward the center of the frame) at the telephoto end of the zoom is negligible. Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is well controlled, but visible in bright color transitions and high contrast edge demarcations. Close ups are very sharp, but the minimum focusing distance is 4.7 inches or 12 centimeters (at the wide angle end of the zoom) and that�s just not tight enough to capture dramatic full frame bugs and flowers.

Technical Specifications

• Resolution : 8 mega pixels (3264x2448).
• Viewfinders : EVF and 2.5 inch LCD screen.
• Lens : f2.8--f4.8, 5.8mm-70.2 mm (36mm-432mm equivalent) Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon optical zoom.
• Exposure : Auto, program, shutter priority, aperture priority, and manual.
• Flash : Built in multi mode.
• Metering : Multi Pattern (Evaluative), Center Weighted Averaging, or Spot.
• White Balance : TTL Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent and Open Shade.
• Auto Focus : TTL multi-zone, Center AF point, and Selectable Zone AF (5 zones).
• Exposure Compensation : Yes (+/-2EV in 1/3 stop increments)
• Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) : Yes.
• Sensitivity : Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, & 3200 ISO.
• Image File Format(s) : JPEG.
• Image Storage Media : SD/SDHC/MMC cards and 32MB internal storage.
• Connectivity : USB 2.0 Hi-Speed out, A/V out, DC in.
• Power : CRV3 lithium, AA lithium, or Kodak KLIC- 8000 Li-ion battery