Kodak's new ultrazoom, high-ISO, and budget cameras
Kodak EasyShare Z712
Kodak just announced four new digital cameras at PMA 2007. The different models range from budget snapshooters to photographer-minded ultrazooms, and none of them cost more than $300.
The Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS is the company's newest superzoom camera. With a 36- to 432mm-equivalent, optically stabilized lens, the 7-megapixel Z712 IS offers a generous 12X zoom power. Like most ultrazooms, the Z712 IS is modeled more after digital SLRs than snapshot cameras, with many more manual controls and a much bulkier design. The Z712 IS's 12X zoom isn't quite as impressive as the upcoming 15X Sony Cyber Shot DSC-H7 and DSC-H9, or the 18X Olympus SP-550UZ, but it's also not nearly as expensive. The Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS ships in April with a suggested retail price of $300, far less than the DSC-H7, DSC-H9, and SP-550UZ's $400, $480, and $500 price tags.
The EasyShare Z885 doesn't have quite as big a lens as the Z712 IS, but its higher resolution and extremely sensitive sensor make it just as notable. The Z885 sports a 36- to 180mm-equivalent 5Z zoom lens, and can reach up to ISO 8000 sensitivity. Higher ISO settings let photographers capture photos at higher speeds and in darker environments, but they also create a great deal of grainy noise in images. ISO 8000 might sound handy on paper, but we'll have to see for ourselves if the images are actually usable or not. The EasyShare Z885 ships in May, with a suggested retail price of $200.
Kodak is also releasing two new budget snapshot cameras, the EasyShare C613 and C763. These two simple 6- and 7-megapixel snapshooters sport 3X zoom lenses, compact bodies, and small price tags. The Kodak EasyShare C713 and C763 ship in April, with suggested retail prices of $120 and $180.
