Introduction

Kodak Z700 Review Links Overview Picky Details Design Operation Recommended Accessories Test Images Specifications Conclusion

The Kodak EasyShare Z700 is the latest in a long line of Kodak digital cameras bearing the EasyShare name. EasyShare cameras generally live up to their name quite well, being easy to use, with the accompanying software doing a good job of facilitating sharing through a variety of media. The Kodak Z700 is no exception, providing true point & shoot operation with accurate exposure, a very flexible automatic white balance system, and the bright, highly-saturated color that seems to be preferred by most US consumers. At the same time, while the Kodak Z700 sports a very easy to use "green zone" fully automatic mode, it also offers programmed, shutter- and aperture-priority exposure control for more experienced users. Add its 5x zoom lens and 4.0 megapixel CCD, and the Kodak Z700 is a very user-friendly and capable digital camera. Read on for all the details!

The Z700 is compatible with Kodak's latest line of EasyShare camera and printer docks. There's a new bottom connector that makes the Z700 incompatible with older EasyShare docks, but it is compatible with Kodak's latest EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3, which will itself be compatible with other brands of camera that conform to the new IMAGELINK standard. You simply put the camera into the dock, and then download and/or print. The dock station also serves as an AC adapter and in-camera battery charger for NiMH batteries. (The Printer Dock comes with a 2-cell NiMH battery pack.) Built into the Kodak Z700 are 12 megabytes of internal memory, but the camera also features an SD/MMC memory card slot so you can expand the camera's memory capacity. I highly recommend picking up at least a 128-megabyte card right away, given the camera's 2,304 x 1,728-pixel maximum image size, though cards are currently available as large as 2 gigabytes. For power, the Z700 uses either a Kodak NiMH battery pack, two AA-type batteries (NiMH, alkaline, or lithium), a single CR-V3 battery, or the optional AC adapter. Read my NiMH battery shootout page to see which batteries currently on the market are the best, and see my review of the Maha C-204W NiMH battery charger, my current favorite. The good news about the Kodak NiMH battery pack is that it recharges right in the camera when placed on the optional Printer Dock. Also packaged with the Kodak Z700 are USB and AV cables, as well as a software CD loaded with the EasyShare software for downloading and managing images.

On the right side of the camera (as viewed from the rear) is the SD/MMC memory card compartment, beneath a hinged, plastic door. Opening the door reveals the actual card slot, as well as the USB/AV Out shared connector jack. Directly above the compartment is the eyelet for attaching the wrist strap.

The opposite side of the camera features solely the DC In jack (without a protective cover).

On the camera's top panel are the Power/Mode dial, Drive button, Flash button, and the Shutter button.

The rest of the camera controls are on the rear panel, along with the optical viewfinder and 1.6-inch LCD monitor. Adjacent on either side of the optical viewfinder is a diopter adjustment dial for eyeglass wearers, and a small status LED that reports camera status (such as when focus is set, the flash is charging, or the camera is accessing the memory card.) The Zoom lever is positioned right where your thumb will rest, making for easy adjustment of the optical and digital zoom. The Information button is just above the LCD monitor, with the Share button adjacent to the monitor's top right corner. A Four-Way Rocker button navigates through menu settings, and confirms selections when the center OK button is pressed. (This controller also changes exposure options such as aperture and shutter speed in the semi-manual modes.) Directly below are the Delete, Menu, and Review control buttons.

On the bottom panel of the Kodak Z700 are the tripod socket, dock connector, and battery compartment. The plastic, threaded tripod socket is far from center (but close to the center of the lens) and just far enough from the battery compartment for quick battery changes while working with a tripod. The battery compartment features a locking, hinged door, which slides forward to open. The dock connection jack connects the camera directly to the EasyShare dock for quick image downloading. Note that this is a new connector, compliant with the new IMAGELINK standard for camera dock compatibility between several manufacturers. (Kodak is the first manufacturer to announce a camera with this connector, others will presumably follow.)

Shutter Button: Crowning the top of the handgrip on the top panel, this button sets focus and exposure when halfway pressed, and fires the shutter when fully pressed. In Playback mode, pressing this button returns the camera to the selected Record mode.

• Favorites: Lets you view any images saved as Favorite, like a digital photo album.
• Off: Turns the camera off.
• Automatic Record: Best for most average shooting conditions, this mode places the camera under automatic exposure control, with limited user options available through the Record menu.
• Scene Mode: Offers 13 preset shooting modes, including Children, Party, Portrait, Beach, Flower, Fireworks, Snow, Backlight, Night Portrait, Night Landscape, Manner/Museum, Text, and Self-Portrait.
• Sports: Sets up the camera for recording fast-paced action shots.
• Landscape: This mode captures distant subjects with both foreground and background in focus.
• Close-up: Changes the focus for smaller, closer subjects.
• PAS Mode: Provides access to the Program, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority exposure modes.
• Movie: Records moving images with sound, for as long as the memory card has available space.

 

Drive Button: To the left of the Power / Mode dial on the top panel, this button cycles through the First Burst, Last Burst, and Self-Timer drive settings.

Flash Button: Just behind the Drive button on the top panel, this button cycles through the Auto, Fill, Red-Eye Reduction, and Off flash modes.

Zoom Lever: Tucked in the upper right corner of the camera's rear panel, this lever controls the optical and digital zoom in any record mode. In Playback mode, the lever controls the amount of digital enlargement applied to captured images, to a maximum of 8x.

Diopter Adjustment Dial: To the right of the optical viewfinder eyepiece, this notched dial adjusts the viewfinder display to accommodate eyeglass wearers.

Information Button: Next to the top right corner of the LCD monitor, this button controls the image and information displays on the LCD monitor.

Share Button: Just below the Information button, this button lets you tag images for printing, emailing, or as a favorite image. (A heart icon appears on "favorite" images.) Pressing this button automatically displays the Share menu with the following options:

• Print: Designates the number of copies of the current image to be printed.
• E-Mail: E-mails a low-resolution copy of the image to a recipient, based on a saved address book.
• Favorite: Marks the current image as a "favorite."
• Print All: Prints one copy of each image on the memory card or internal memory.
• Cancel Prints: Cancels a print order.

Delete: Below the Four-Way Rocker button and adjacent to the lower right corner of the LCD monitor, this button calls up the Delete menu in Review mode. You can delete individual images or all images on the card. There's also an option to cancel.

Menu Button: Down and to the right of the Delete button, this button displays the settings menu in Playback or Record modes.

Review Button: Directly to the right of the Menu button, this button activates the image review mode when pressed in any record mode. Once in Review mode, pressing the button again, or the Shutter button, returns to the Record display.

 

Camera Modes and Menus

Favorites Mode: An album icon with a heart on its cover indicates this mode on the Power/Mode dial on top of the camera. In this mode, any images that have been designated as "favorites" are displayed.

Movie Mode: Indicated by a movie camera icon, Movie mode is indicated by a movie camera icon. In this mode, you can record 640 x 480 or 320 x 240-pixel resolution movies with sound, at 13 or 20 frames per second.

PAS Mode: Marked on the Mode dial as "PAS," this mode provides access to the Program, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority exposure modes.

Close-up Mode: The traditional macro flower symbol indicates this mode on the Power / Mode dial. This mode changes the focus for close-up shots of smaller subjects. The focus distance ranges from 2.0 to 27.6 inches (5 to 70 centimeters).

Landscape Mode: This mode is best for distant subjects, such as large vistas and sweeping scenery. Both the foreground and background remain in focus.

Sports Mode: This mode is indicated by a figure in action on the Mode dial. Here, the camera employs a faster shutter speed to "freeze" moving subjects.

Scene Mode: The letters "SCN" indicate this mode on the Mode dial, which offers 13 preset shooting modes. Available "scenes" are Children, Party, Portrait, Beach, Flower, Fireworks, Snow, Backlight, Night Portrait, Night Landscape, Manner/Museum, Text, and Self-Portrait. .

Auto Mode: Marked with a camera icon and the word "Auto," this mode is best for most average shooting conditions. Exposure is automatically controlled, but a small selection of user options is available through the Record menu.

Playback Mode: Accessed by pressing the Review button, this mode lets you review captured images and movies, as well as manage files.

Record Menu: The following menu items appear whenever the Menu button is pressed in any Record mode. However, not all menu options are available in all modes.

• Focal Length: (PAS mode only.) Sets the macro or infinity focus adjustments for Program, Aperture Priority, or Shutter Priority modes. Options are Auto, Macro, or Infinity. (For example, since you wouldn't otherwise be able to access Macro or Landscape modes in PAS mode, you can change the focal range for macro subjects or infinity.)
• Picture Size: Sets the resolution for still images. Choices are 4.0 MP (2,304 x 1,728 pixels), 3.5 MP (3:2) (2,304 x 1,536 pixels), 3.1 MP (2,048 x 1,536 pixels), 2.1 MP (1,656 x 1,242 pixels), or 1.1 MP (1,200 x 900 pixels).
• Video Size: (Movie mode only.) Sets the video resolution to 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels.
• White Balance: (Not available in Auto mode) Sets the color balance to Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, or Fluorescent settings.
• Exposure Metering: (Not available in Auto mode) Sets the camera's metering mode as Multi-Pattern, Center-Weighted, or Center-Spot.
• Focus Zone: (Not available in Auto mode) Controls where the camera's AF system determines focus from. Choices are Multi-Zone and Center-Zone.
• AF Control: Sets the autofocus to Continuous or Single modes.
• Color Mode: Allows you to record images in Black and White or Sepia tones.
• Reset to Default: (Not available in Auto mode) Resets all camera settings to their defaults.
• Set Album (Still): The Kodak Z700 lets you set up albums through its interface software on a computer. If albums have been set up and downloaded to the camera, you can associate images with an album as they are recorded.
• Image Storage: Dictates where images are stored, either in the 16MB internal memory or SD card. If Auto is selected, the camera automatically stores images to a memory card if one is present.
  
  
• Setup Menu: Displays the following Setup options:
  • Return: Returns to the previous menu display.
  • Liveview: Turns the LCD monitor's Liveview function on or off. If turned off, the LCD monitor does not act as a viewfinder display.
  • Advanced Digital Zoom: Controls how digital zoom is accessed. The Continuous setting allows you to seamlessly zoom from the optical zoom range into the digital range. "Pause" tells the camera to pause between ranges. "None" disables digital zoom altogether.
  • Print Warning: If activated, this feature forces a pause in the digital zoom when the amount of digital zoom would be too much to render an acceptable 4x6-inch print.
  • Mode Description: If enabled, displays a description of each camera mode on the LCD monitor when first accessed.
  • Auto Power Off: Sets the period of inactivity that must pass before the camera shuts itself off. Choices are 1, 3, 5, or 10 minutes.
  • Date & Time: Sets the camera's internal clock and calendar.
  • Video Out: Specifies PAL or NTSC as the Video Out signal.
  • Date Stamp: Turns the date stamp function on or off, which records the date over the image. You can choose from a selection of date formats as well.
  • Video Date Display: Like the Date Stamp option above, imprints the date and time on video files, with a choice of display formats.
  • Language: Sets the menu language to one of nine languages.
  • Format: Formats the SD memory card or internal memory.
  • About: Displays the camera's firmware information.

Playback Menu:

• Album: Adds images to an image album, created on a computer with the camera's interface software.
• Slide Show: Enables a slide show of captured images, with user-adjustable intervals between images.
• Multi-Up: Enables a index display of images on the memory card or stored in the internal memory.
• Copy: Copies files from the internal memory to the SD card, or the reverse.
• Protect: Write-protects the displayed image, preventing it from being accidentally erased or manipulated (except via memory or card formatting). Also removes protection.
• Image Storage: Selects between the internal memory or the SD card for image storage.
• Setup Menu: Displays the same settings as under the Record menu.
  
  

Recommended Software: Rescue your Photos!
Just as important as an extra memory card is a tool to rescue your images when one of your cards fails at some point in the future. We get a lot of email from readers who've lost photos due to a corrupted memory card. Memory card corruption can happen with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. A lot of "lost" images can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digital camera reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now, so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for Windows or PhotoRescue for Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF manual and quickstart guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...

 

Specifications

See the specifications sheet here.

 

Picky Details

Information on shooting speed, battery life, etc. can be found here.

 

Test Images

See my sample pictures and detailed analysis here. The thumbnails below show a subset of our test images. Click on a thumbnail to see the full-size photo.

"Sunlight"	Indoor Flash	Indoor
House	Musicians	Macro
Davebox	Resolution	Viewfinder Accuracy

 

"Gallery" Photos

For those readers interested in a set of less "standardized" photos from the Kodak EasyShare Z700, we've put together a "photo gallery" of more pictorial shots captured with the Kodak Z700.

 

Test Results

In keeping with my standard test policy, the comments given here summarize only my key findings. For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the Kodak EasyShare Z700 sample pictures page.

• Color: Very bright, appealing color. Oversaturated, really, but likely to be appealing to most consumers. Like its "big brother" the Z700, the Kodak Z740's color is very bright when dealing with colors that are already strong, but it (mostly) manages to avoid oversaturating skin tones and other more subtle colors. The result is a "look" that, while not strictly accurate, is bound to be pleasing to a majority of consumers, the group this camera is aimed at. Like most Kodak digital cameras I've tested, the Z700 is also better than average at handling a wide range of light sources, including difficult mixed lighting. - Its white balance system consistently delivers images that look more or less they way you remember the original subject looking. (A noble goal for any camera.)
  
  
• Exposure: Better than average exposure accuracy, but high contrast, both indoors and out. The Z700 generally required less exposure compensation than average on my test shots that typically require it, but the combination of its high contrast and relatively coarse 0.5 EV exposure adjustment steps sometimes made it hard to get just the right exposure for a given shot. The high contrast is part and parcel of its appealing, bright, snappy-looking photos, but does result in a tendency to lose detail in strong highlights and deep shadows. On a positive note though, the Z700 has a pretty powerful flash, making it a good choice for after-dark photography, although I found that flash shots routinely required a slight exposure boost for the best results. often produced high contrast, particularly in the "Sunlit" portrait and outdoor house shot. Highlight and shadow detail were often limited as well. Still, the camera exposed the Davebox target well, distinguishing the subtle tonal variations. The Z700 also has a fairly powerful flash, though it requires a small EV boost for the best results.
  
  
• Resolution/Sharpness: High resolution, 1,100 lines of "strong detail." The Kodak EasyShare Z700 performed about average on the "laboratory" resolution test chart for its 4.0-megapixel class. It showed artifacts in the test patterns at resolutions as low as 800 lines per picture height vertically and horizontally. I found "strong detail" out to at least 1,100 lines, although one could perhaps argue for 1,150 lines. "Extinction" of the target patterns didn't occur until about 1,400 lines.
  
  
• Image Noise: Moderately high image noise in most cases, even at the lower sensitivity settings. Noise is moderate at the lower ISO settings, but becomes noticeable at ISO 200, objectionable at ISO 400. ISO 200 shots are a little rough-looking when printed at 8x10 inches, but should be acceptable for most users at 5x7. ISO 400 images are still quite rough at 5x7, are really only usable when printed at 4x6 inches.
  
  
• Closeups: A small macro area with great detail. Flash had trouble and was blocked by the lens. The Kodak Z700 did well in the macro arena, capturing a minimum area of 2.44 x 1.83 inches (62 x 46 millimeters). Resolution was high, with strong detail, although the corners of the frame were somewhat soft. (This last is a trait of many digital cameras in macro mode.) The flash however, was blocked by the lens in the closest shots and created a strong shadow in the lower portion of the frame: Plan on using external lighting for your closest macro shots.
  
  
• Night Shots: Very good low-light performance. Noise was high at ISO 400, but overall performance was very good. Good autofocus performance, works to a bit darker than 1/4 foot-candle. The Kodak Z700 did pretty well in dim lighting. It lacks an autofocus-assist light, but still focused down to light levels a bit less than 1/4 as bright as typical city night scenes, and it captured well-exposed shots with relatively modest noise levels down to that light level as well. (In our tests, it managed good exposures all the way down to 1/16 as bright as city street lighting at ISO 400, but with considerable image noise and loss of subject detail. Still, the Z700 is more than capable enough to shoot typical outdoor scenes at night.)
  
  
• Viewfinder Accuracy: An accurate LCD monitor, but tight optical viewfinder. The Z700's optical viewfinder was pretty tight, showing only 80 percent frame accuracy at both zoom settings. The LCD monitor proved much more accurate, however, showing about 97 percent accuracy at both wide angle and telephoto.
  
  
• Optical Distortion: High barrel distortion at wide angle, very low pincushion distortion at telephoto. Low to moderate chromatic aberration , very good sharpness in the corners. Geometric distortion on the Kodak EasyShare Z700 was higher than average, as I measured approximately 1.13 percent barrel distortion at the wide angle end, but only 0.2 percent pincushion at the telephoto end. Chromatic aberration was moderate at wide angle, but decreased to a much lower level at telephoto. While there was a little softness in the corners of the Z700's images, there was generally much less than I'm accustomed to seeing from the digital cameras I test.
  
  
• Shutter Lag and Cycle Times: Good shutter response, good shooting speed. Apart from its leisurely startup/shutdown times, the Kodak EasyShare Z700 is faster than average in most of its operations. With a shutter lag range of 0.46 - 0.61 second, it's more responsive than the majority of cameras out there, and its shutter delay when "prefocused" (by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the shot itself) is a very fast 0.076 second. Shot to shot times are also better than average, at a bit over 1.5 seconds per frame in single-shot mode, and its continuous shooting modes capture images at a rate of 2.33 frames/second. All in all, performance that's a fair bit better than average, ideal for keeping up with fast-paced sports or young-family action.
  
  
• Battery Life: A bit shorter than average battery life. With a worst-case run time of only 86 minutes with the LCD screen on in capture mode, the Z700's battery life is on the short side of average. (Note though, that this time is based on the 1600 mAh "standard" NiMH battery capacity we've used for years in our digital camera power tests. Modern, high-capacity NiMH batteries could increase this by 25% or more, producing a more reasonable 108 minute worst-case run time.) With the LCD turned off, run time increases to almost 5 1/2 hours, an excellent figure, but the mediocre accuracy of the Z700's viewfinder will force you to use the LCD more often than you might otherwise. Bottom line, plan on picking up at least two sets of high-capacity NiMH rechargeable batteries and a good-quality charger. See my battery shootout page for a current listing of the top batteries, tested under actual load conditions, and read my review of the Maha C-204W charger, my current favorite.
  
  
• Print Quality: Somewhat soft prints at 11x14 inches, good at 8x10. High-ISO shots only look good at smaller print sizes. Testing hundreds of digital cameras, we've found that you can only tell just so much about a camera's image quality by viewing its images on-screen. Ultimately, there's no substitute for printing a lot of images and examining them closely. For this reason, we now routinely print sample images from the cameras we test on our Canon i9900 studio printer, and on the Canon iP5000 here in the office. (See our Canon i9900 review for details on that model.) Prints from the Kodak EasyShare Z700 were a little soft when printed at 11x14 inches (normally the upper limit I'd consider for photos from a 4-megapixel camera), sharper at 8x10 inches. As always, the tougher test was with high ISO images, and here the Z700 struggled a bit. Shots captured at ISO 200 looked good only as large as 5x7 inches, and those shot at ISO 400 were really only acceptable at 4x6: ISO 400 shots printed at even 5x7 still looked pretty rough, with soft details and distracting noise patterns.

 

Conclusion

Pro:

Con:

Much faster than average shutter response Fairly quick from shot to shot, good buffer depth Auto white balance handles a wide range of lighting well Very bright color is likely to appeal to most consumers Good exposure accuracy Good close-focusing for macro shots Good lens, good sharpness in the corners of the frame Very simple user interface, but advanced exposure options also available Accurate LCD monitor Good low light capability Case design fits both large and small hands well

Slightly reddish skin tones High barrel distortion at wide angle High ISO image noise higher than average Contrast is on the high side Tight optical viewfinder Bright color may be too saturated for some tastes