We bought 3 Kodak Z612 cameras. One for my family, my brothers family and grandma. We bought three so we would all have the same camera and could help grandma when she had questions. Two of the three cameras have the same problem, white lines through the picture and overexposure problems. Kodak Z612 is not a reliable camera.

I really like this camera except for a few problems. 1) sometimes the pics are blurry for no apparent reason, even when subjects are standing still. 2) I bought a 4GB SD Memory card to make sure I had enough memory for some movies of my new Grand-Daughter but the 4GB card will not work in this camera and I did not see any firmware update at Kodak.com. Anybody else have a problem like this? The 4GB card does work in my son's newer Cannon camera.

Other than the lack of a hot shoe or a pc plug for flash, what the hell were they thinking, this is a great point and shoot!!!
I am impressed by the quality of the images on every mode and am especially impressed with the video and stereo sound as well as the ability to turn a video frame into a snapshot .jpg file on the camera. This is not for enlarging but will give you a 4 x 6 image that is good for web sites or small prints. The ease and having total control of the settings for depth of field and low light situations is a major advantage. Iforget, because I only use the EVF, that it is not a DSLR. I get very close to what I see because you are looking through the lens rather than a view finder. I have a rare Siriname Red Tail Boa that is stunning and I shoot pictures after every shed because he changes for the better each time and the true colors are amazing. This camera has impressed me every time I have used it. The zoom is great, optical not digital, and ease of the wide to long switch is very nice. I would recommend this camera to any one who doesn't require a lot of flash. I do and still shoot 35mm when it matters. Frim close ups on a tabletop for ads to portraits and fashion as well as capturing my sons Karati tournaments on video and making a lot of snapshots of the frame of video I choose leaves every one wondering how I always have the highest kick shots and the perfect timing of action when fighting. This camera pulls it's weight.

I really like the pictures it takes and I learn new things all the time. The draw backs I have had are. 1.If you use the gallery to send photo's to your friends they can't get a good print, but you can send them without using it. 2. You can only use a certain battery and you can only buy it at certain stores. 3. The 55mm lens attachment and adapter is a rip, $200 down the drain you can get the same amount of zoom without it.

Outdoor-Indoor-Zooming-Close ups -In dark attics and Crawl spaces- The pictures are great! Easy to use, comfortable to hold, and super great software for up loading. We love everything about the camera and recommend it to everyone!

When I bought it in June 06 it was due to a bargain price that was offered to me. Got it for 239€ brand new! After a few shots I was like WOW!!! 12X zoom with IS electronic viewfinder, 240.000 DPI 6.4 inch screen. I am very impressed. Never owned a digital camera before Kodak. I can take crisp clear photos with max digital and optical zoom. Movie is recorded in QuickTime format. No large avi files :)) Supports 2 GB SD cards. I just love it. For me, it is the best money/quality ratio.

I only owned the camera for 8 months before it broke. I sent it to be repaired because it was still under warrenty, however even though the problem with the camera was no fault of my own, KODAK would not fix it. The company that Kodak had me send my camera too stated that "the reason my camera broke was due to corrosion, and nothing that i could have done would of prevented it from happening, nore did i cause it to happen." Corrosion is not covered by the warrenty. So even though all the information that i read from Kodak about them replacing your camera if something would happen to it within a year was void. Even though this was not my fault or that i could of prevented, I sit here camera-less. Hopefully someone reads this and its saves them from all the trouble that i went though with this camera company.

this is my second camera and im very happy for the price its really easy to learn how to use and is a great camera for portraits and artistic photos alike

I love this camera. It takes wonderful pictures and its nice to hold. Could be a bit better in low light but for the price i cant complain. Also, Dave, you can get one at circuit city or on ebay pretty cheap. I got a refurb and it works great.

Pros: Picture quality is fantastic. I first took it to Clearwater Beach, FL, and the pictures turned out AWESOME. Beach and night mode are very beautiful; however, I don't think the image stability is in use for those modes, especially the night mode. I just recently used this camera during 4th of July and I swear this camera made me look like a model. The pictures looked like it was taken by a professional photography camera...whatever those are called. =D

Cons: Zooms really far; however, the farther you zoom the less image stability it has. On video mode, when you zoom out and in, you can hear the camera zooming out and in and the audio gets a little disrupted at the same time.

Overall: GREAT PICTURE QUALITY AND MODES. SUCKY IMAGE STABILITY ON VIDEO AND WHEN ZOOMING FURTHER OUT AND WEAK BATTERY.

I couldn't believe the quality of photo. After reading some other reviews about objects having to be still to take picture. I have some excellent photos of people skiing behind a boat and they are focus and close up too. It wasn't me focusing the camera it was the camera auto-focus. I was extremely happy with this camera and was disappointed when someone else decided they needed it more than me and stoled it. I am trying to locate another z612 which appears to be discontiued and replaced with the z712 which seems to not have the same quality.

Moving up from a HP318 I am beyond words in satisfaction with this camer. I have taken indoor photos; fireworks at night; closeup of photos of photos (copying) and youth baseball ames. Have yet to be disapointed. While I am still learning all the features I really am happy with this camera. Whether ato settings or setting a special type of picture taking I have et to be unhappy with its performance. I also am in retail sales of cameras. The feedback from customers is also excellent. Again I am very happy with my camera.

I bought the Z612 in Oct '06 and have loved it for what I paid for it. The pics were great. It is rough in a few ways but the photo quality was unreal for the price. I upgraded in June '07 to a Nikon 40D w/ 28-135mm and 75-200mm lenses and paid $1100. I then compared the two cameras directly. The Nikon was much fast and sweet to operate BUT the small less refined Kadak CRUSHED the Nikon in all but close up photo quality. The Nikon will need maybe as much as a 400mm lens to beat this little Kadak at its own game. I wonder what this will cost. Some reviews have comment on the lack of refinement and some auto-focus noise. So what !! this thing is a zoom camera and for its price and even double it absolutely excels at taking zoom pics.

I have owned the z650, z610, z612 and now the z712. I have used the 612 the longest and in its class, find it to be an excellent camera. Some of the great features; the viewfinder is sharp, large and bright, situational shooting is very good, controls are easy to learn and easy to reach, the zoom is of course very nice, the video capture is clear and stable (not choppy) and the zoom can be adjusted (unlike earlier models),and great battery life. Some drawbacks are lack of static memory. So that if you don't change to a new battery quickly you lose your settings each time, the camera has a penchant for using the flash even in well lit conditions, a quirk that makes you press the flash selection button 3 times to turn it off, and proprietary replacement batteries are pricey! Overall I consider the drawbacks quirks that are easily overcome and lose meaning with regular use. I also find all the "ya but ifs" the same for all other cameras (ya but if you didn't bring extra batteries your camera won't work either...). I take about 100 photos and 45 minutes of video a week. The only camera I love more than this is my new z712... can we say panoramic stitching?

This is the first digital camera that I have ever owned. I have a pentax asahi k1000 35mm
and a canon sureshot 85 platinum 35mm which have
both been very good cameras but they can"t touch
the quality of the Z612. The pictures that I have
taken with this camera are sharp crystal clear
images.I Love the 12x Zoom.and the Macro photos
are unsurpassed. This is the best of both worlds.
The one drawback with this camera is the noise
when shooting video it"s because of the auto focus. But I didn't buy this camera for shooting video I have a camcorder for that. This is a great camera. I read a lot of reviews and shopped
around alot before making the decision to buy this and am thrilled with with the Z612.

I purchased this camera after much research. I had previously owned a Kodak and was very happy with the results. This camera has me a little perplexed though. When I get a good picture it is fantastic, but I have many blurred pics. Seems that unless your subject and you are frozen the pic is unfocused and blurry. I bought this camera for my child's grad/prom and to be truthfull not quite happy with the lack of good pics I have been able to obtain.

I am very disappointed with this camera. I guess you get what you pay for. I have a Pentax 3 megapixal camera that takes much better pictures and captures action shots with ease. Aside from the poor picture quality there are many other issues to deal with. First of all, the auto focus system is terrible. Don't even think about catching action shots and if you do prepare for them to be blurry and usually out of the frame. The fit and finish of the camera is cheap. The pop up flash usually will not go back into place once it is up. The plastic body looks and feels cheap and poorly constructed. I could go on and on but my real advise is buy a more expensive camera that will last and give you the quality you want.

My first digital camera and I love it so far.

I bought a Z612 for my father-in-law for Christmas and soon after bought one for myself. It takes great still shots but the amount of noise generated by the auto-focus is horrible...and loud enough to be picked up by the built-in microphone when taking video's. So if you want to actually record the live audio of whatever you're taking a video of...forget it! Unless you're taking a video of a frog pond the constant "croaking" will ruin any audio you record. I too returned the first Z612 I purchased, thinking the problem was unique to my camera. Unfortunately, my second Z612 "croaked" right out of the box. And setting the focus on "one time" instead of "continuous" didn't remedy the problem. This is not my first Kodak camera but it may well be my last.

I had been using a KODAK C340 prior to buying my KODAK Z612 two weeks ago. That was a great point and shoot camera. Was small and portable...took decent pics. Then I had to have a 12X Zoom camera. I did extensive research online. I am just your everyday average user. Holidays..kids programs etc. Love to take pics of scenery etc. The KODAK Z612 seemed to be everything I wanted for a decent price.

First impression right out of the box is how 'cheap' it actually looked. I think KODAK would have been better off using heavier metal and adding some 'black' contrating material such as on the grip. Pure asthetics though. The 12X Zoom is great and there are so many different options for pics that I haven't had the chance to work with it all yet. The lithium ion battery is great! Seems to last a long time and I've been able to take quite a few pics on a single charge (and counting).

I wanted to get a 'back-up battery' just in case so I'm always porepared. Was a bit miffed that I couldn't find one at several stores one would assume would carry them. So, I ended up making a purchase straight from KODAK at a pretty steep price. So far, I'd give the camera a 4 out of 10. I think I was more thrilled about getting it, until I actually got it. I'm already eyeballing the 'Olympus SP 550UZ' that comes out at the end of March 2007!

I have written three emails and one letter to Kodak who to date have not replied! Buyer beware, you will own a camera by a company that treat their customersa appallingly. This, by the way, is the second Kodak digital camera I have owner this year that broke shortly after buying it. My next camera will be a Fuji.

Kodak Z712 is awesome. Quality pics,easy to use
simply great.

pride owner of kodak!

I am a beginner with digital cameras, so I did a bit of research before making a purchase. From the moment I turned the camera on, I was disappointed. The continuous auto focus grinds and makes the whole camera vibrate. Photos of stationary objects (a boom box 8 feet away) were blurry. The flash was inadequate for almost any situation except close up indoors. Reviews I read raved over the minuscule lag time, bit I missed shot after shot of my son shooting hoops, except when using the multiple photo setting. The sport setting gave me dark pics, almost always blurry... I returned this camera and gave it the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps the auto focus was damaged in shipping. When my replacement arrived, the battery couldn't be inserted due to a bent contact in the battery compartment. I immediately returned this to the store I ordered it from, only to watch the kid at the return counter cram the battery in, smashing the loose contact up to the top of the compartment...I asked to see it one last time, and to my surprise, it did still work. When I set it for continuous auto focus, this one too continually vibrated, groaned, and made grinding sounds. I handed it back to the return counter kid, and began checking other 12x zoom brands... (none of them seem to grind or vibrate!!!) I wouldn't recommend this one to others.

I recently purchased this camera and since my purchase I have had nothing but problems. The LCD/EVF button did not work, the red-eye reduction never worked, and today when I went to take a picture of my son an error appeared on the screen and I was unable to take a picture. I even contacted Kodak customer support twice and have yet to hear back from them. I did research on different cameras and the write-ups on this one were good. I previously owned a Sony camera and someone highly recommended Kodak. My experience so far with the Kodak camera has made me frustrated and I will be returning this camera tomorrow and looking for a Canon.

Great all round camera with plenty of advanced features
id recommend it 100%

Easy to use and lots of storage options.I will never need another camera.

As a gadget addict, I have been using digitals since they came out. I have a couple Olympus models and also have a Canon. For my use this Kodak exceeds all expectations. They have a winner here in the Z612. It is by far the best of all I've owned. The others will become hand-me-downs.

I want a digital camera that operates quickly. In the past I have missed so many great shots because the camera's electronics is doing its thing while I wait. This 612 gets up and ready to shoot instantly. When I want to snap a shot, it is there for me. Now when my grandkids are out on the paying field, I'm able to capture the action when it's happening, not half a second too late. When I want to be able to zoom in from the sidelines, the built in stabilizer allows me to take great close up action shots with phenomenal detail.

The Lithium Ion battery life has been great. One inconvenience that I've noticed is that when I take the battery out for a recharge, by the time I'm ready to reinstall, the date and time must be reset. Perhaps with a second backup battery a quick change may keep my settings.

The other normal things that I want a camera to do are perfect. I just want to snap and shoot and get clear pictures. The presets modes that are built in are easy to set and just fine for me. I'm not a professional, but many of my shots look like they may have been taken by one. Kodak lives up to its reputation for great color and clarity.

Finally, I think Kodak has done itself a disservice with its numbering of this Z line of high optical zoom cameras. Some people seem to be confusing the two models because of model numbering, but the differences are major. When you compare the Z650 to the Z612, on the surface it appears that the only difference is the extra zoom capability from 10X to12X, but the differences go far beyond that. The power up time is half that of the 650 and the shutter lag is far less with the 612. The image stabilization that I love with the 612 is not built into the 650. There may be other technical differences as well, but for me these alone make the extra $70 +/- well worth the money.

i must say that this cam is the best i have evry bought

Great camera except for the proprietary battery. I was more than a little tweaked when I found out I would have to go directly to Kodak to get another one.

this little darling is small, very light, and packs a great punch. its very smooth and very quiet.it is very easy to use even one handed. it is packed with so many options i-e pasm or auto and even scn. the large 2.5 rear screen is so useful and has full crop and edit and fave settings. kodak have got it so right in this little package. the pictures are clear and crisp. and the 12x zoom works very well even through glass windows at a safari park. the battery life is better that most too. having just two i can take well over 200 pics on zoom and review. I'm so glad i made the jump from 35mm to this delightful digital camera. in fact I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner as i have been missing out. my photography has jumped leaps and bounds. thank you kodak for making photography so much fun.

I spent weeks researching cameras and finally went with the Z612. I had it two days, flipped through the manual, and headed out on vacation. In all situations, beach, boats, planes, ships, cars, indoors and out, in all weather situations, this camera took outstanding photos. I used many of the scene settings, beach, landscape, night, sports, auto, night landscape, and the picture were great. The zoom is incredible.

I did not experience any of the issues reported by other users, blurry pictures or loose cap for the lens.
I would highly recommend this camera.

I had a three year old kodak digital camera that I used extensively and loved. When I read about the z612, I couldn't wait to get it. I was one of the first to purchase it from Kodak.com. My interest is in portrait photography. My first time shooting was action in a swimming pool. I noticed a slow shutter lag, and missed a lot of great expressions from my 5 yr. old subject. I thought maybe it was me. But on my second shoot, I began to feel very disappointed as I realized that the shutter was just too slow for my use. I have sold the camera, and printing dock, and case. I must say that the camera takes true color, and crisp shots. The Kodak printer for this camera really rocks; take it to a party a you'll always be invited back!

I bought this for a trip to France this year and am fully satisfied. Easy to use controls, excellent resolution with no discernable distortions. Resolution at 12X is supberb. Everyone comments on the quality of the photos it takes. I have no regrets which is unusual as quickly as the technology advances.

I looked around for a long time before buying this camera. I had looked seriously at the Cannon S3 IS and some of the Konica Minolta DiMAGE cameras that I had used at work. I have had no regrets buying this camera and have taken more than 1200 pics with it. The ergonomical design makes it easy to hold steady and all the features are easy to use. The zoom picture quality is amazing! While standing at the Washington Monument in D.C., I can see Lincoln inside his memorial with pics from this camera! It takes amazingly clear nature and landscape pictures. My friends and I have loved the pictures we get from this camera every weekend. I have used the video function at drag races, and it did great, including the sound. This camera is worth another $100-$200.

...so far, I've taken some really nice pictures. I also have the Kodak Z740 which I really liked, but the Z612 has all the missing pieces. The 1st morning I used it I was riding my bicycle and when I stopped to take pictures my pulse rate was up, but the image stabilizition gave me sharp pictures even at 12x magnification. In spite of all the bells and whistles, the controls are fairly easy to use and figure out. On a few water shots the blues seemed too enhanced, but this happens with my Z740 sometimes also. All in all this is a great camera.