Kodak EasyShare Z1275 12MP HD 5X Opt/5x Digital Zoom Camera

So FAR I LOVE THE CAMERA, but I am not totally thrilled with the software. The software is good, but I like another program that I a have better (cannon photo shoot), and I transfer photos back and forth to that program.UPDATE: This Camera eat's ALKALINE Batteries for lunch, USE Ni-NH Recharagable Batteries for longer life and to save money. you can also use KODAK Lithium Digital Camera Battery CRV3. I am noticing people saying they are not getting good shots with thier camera, But I must say I am getting extreemly sharp shots.The Kodak Z1275 is a great little camera loaded with tones of user friendly features and has fantastic resolution at 12 megapixels. I have a 7.1 megapixels camera and was looking to upgrade a 10, Then I saw this 12 and at the same price my 7.1 coast a couple of years ago. I suggest 2 gig cards to hod more pictures when you shoot at high res and for video. With 12 MP your shots capture every detail, with outstanding resolution. This is easily as good as most 35 millimeter cameras if not better. You can do prints up to 30 X 40 and you can do quite small crops and get great resolution. I am having some minor problems with my memory cards, I have been getting a non format message on the camera a few times, which is not right, I did format the card. So what I do is shut the camera off, and remove the card and then reinstall it and that fixes the problem. Maybe it works better with Kodak cards, and I will get one and see for sure.The lens is a SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON high quality lens with F Stop as fast as 2.8 to 5.1 when zooming. The Zoom is equivalent to a 35 to 175 mm on a regular film camera. There is also a 5 X digital zoom and Digital image stabilization (The camera software automatically minimizes camera shake to deliver a clear picture); I still get great resolution zooming all the way out.The camera has 64 MB of internal memory, and has SDHC/SD/MMC card expansion slot that lets you keep shooting longer, I would suggest you get 2 or more 2 to 4 gig cards for vacations etc., When you insert a card it becomes the defult memory.The color display is a good size at 2.5 in. (6.4 cm) for such a small camera this camera is elph size (4 inches by 2 1/2 by 1 1/2 basically) and will fit in a shirt pocket. The Viewer is easy to see outside.If you shoot your pictures vertically or horizontally, you can view them right side up with an orientation sensor, which is automatic.You can do some editing right on the camera like cropping, histogram, digital red-eye reduction, and undo delete (also you can edit video as well).The Z1275 has a High ISO mode from 100 up to 3200, and with 3200 you can capture the details in low light situations without using the flash, such as concerts. I can't wait to test it out at a GFR show, I will report back after I do so.The Z 1275 automatically adjusts for all lighting situations such as tungsten nd florescent lighting and has 9 shooting modes it can automatically select (or you can manually select the mode you wish). Modes include; Portrait, landscape, Bright scene, Close-up, Action, Text/Documents, Manner/Museum (for places you cannot use flash) and Party mode ( for shooting people in low light situations) etc.,. the Macro is good but you can not get within 5 inches you need to stay back a bit. It also has 5 color modes, high Color, Low Color, B&W, Natural Color and Sepia. these are all under one button on the dial they come up on the screen nd you scroll to the one you want, it's very easy to sue and even being a small camera, with my BIG HANDS, I find it no problem to operate.The Z 1275 has a Panorama stitch mode where you can combine up to three shots together into one large picture with panorama stitch mode. I am not great at this LOL. But it is a fun feature. This gives you a more realistic panoramic.For Video you can Record HD video (1280 × 720) at 30 fps with sound, with MPEG 4 compression which uses less memory. I don't use a lot of video with my digital camera but its nice to have just incase, this looks very very good and you can Zoom in and out which you can't on most digital cameras.The Z1275 is a wonderful camera that is easy and fun to use, it is perfect for someone who just wants to set it on automatic and go; and is at a very low price, hear at amazon, it is a must have as a second camera for photo buff and as the only camera for someone whos wants a point and shoot only.

Nice product. Works as promised. Zoom excellent. Simply use as point and shoot or it has many many features for the more advanced user. Bought for a family member who does not play well with electronics and he absolutely loves it. As with most digital cameras, this unit eats AA batteries! Suggest the long life types or rechargeables and carry spares. Also, Kodak has decided on mutiple units to do away with the view finder. My personal preference would be to keep both the view finder and the LCD screen. I have read other reviews and don't understand the 'grainy' pictures some mention. I am quite picky about quality and find this unit to have high quality pictures. I agree that the speed between pictures is sometimes quite a bit but if I were to be taking pictures at sport events where speed was of essence - most the time - I would have bought a higher end camera. This unit is excellent in 98% of the settings in which I need a camera to work and give quality results! Other than that way to go Kodak.

In my 41 years, I've owned four cameras, all of them made by Kodak. Each has enjoyed a long life and has only been replaced when I wanted the features more modern models offered. From that first Kodak Instamatic that `Santa Claus' brought me one year, followed by a Kodak Advantix, then my first digital camera, the Kodak DC260. I finally upgraded my digital camera a few years ago to the Kodak Easyshare Z1275 12 MP Digital Camera with 5xOptical Zoom and have been extraordinarily pleased with it.The size of the Z1275 is much more compact that my previous camera yet has much more capability. At the time I bought it, it was one of the slimmer cameras available, although there are much slimmer today. I expect that when I finally replace it one day it will be to get an even smaller camera, but for now this is just perfect for me.This camera boasts an admirable 12MP resolution for photographs and the quality of the pictures I've taken with it definitely reflects that.With a 5x Optical Zoom, I can get close up with the subject or zoom out for a much wider shot. Zooming is quick and easy with a button that is placed in a position that is very convenient.The camera has 64 MB of internal memory, which will hold a bit, but also has a slot for an SD card. I put a 4 GB SD card in it and have never needed more space, although I've taken hundreds of photos at high resolution.Transferring photos from the camera to a computer is a snap. You can either attach the camera to your computer with the provided USB cable and use the Kodak software to transfer and manage the photos or you can simply remove the SD card and insert it in the SD card slot on your computer to copy or move the photographs.Rather than a traditional viewfinder, the Z1275 has a 2.5 inch color LCD screen on the back that works much better than the old-fashioned alternative. You can also review the photos after you've taken them using this screen and use the buttons on the camera to navigate through the photos and delete them if you wish.Underneath the camera is a port for a tripod and it works as well as any other tripod port.It takes two AA batteries. You can use regular AAs, but I highly recommend using either Lithium or rechargeable batteries with any digital camera.The camera does a great job taking pictures and automates many functions for you. When you are an amateur photographer like me, that's something you really appreciate. It automates the flash, reduces blur from camera shake or subject movement, automatically selects from ISO 100 to ISO 3200 based on lighting conditions, and smart scene mode automatically selects from nine available scene modes. A professional photographer will probably want a camera that lets them control these functions themselves, but someone like me prefers that the camera do the majority of the work for them. I don't want to spend a lot of time fiddling with the camera - I want to snap the picture fast so I can put the camera down and enjoy the moment with friends or family.Another feature I really like is the video mode. This camera can capture HD video (1280 × 720) at 30 fps with sound using MPEG-4 compression. My problem is I often forget it can record video and I don't use it. But the times I have remembered to use the video option it has turned out great.My old digital camera was good in its day, but it suffered some of the same pains that those older digital cameras did. My chief complaint with it was that you had hold the button down for a moment after you took a photo and if your subject moved, the picture turned out badly. Not so with the Z1275 - it takes the photo fast so that you get a great photo nearly every time without forcing your subject to freeze position for several seconds.The Kodak Easyshare Z1275 has been a really great camera for me and I expect it will last a number of more years. I had always thought that when I finally do replace it, it would be with another Kodak as I've enjoyed fantastic quality cameras with stellar technical support and customer support over the years. I was saddened when Kodak announced their bankruptcy this year and that they were going to get out of the camera business. I only hope that they reverse that decision before I finally need a new camera.