"Picky Details" for the Kodak EasyShare Z700 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Kodak EasyShare Z700:
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(secs) |
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| Power On -> First shot |
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LCD turns on and lens extends forward. One the slow side.
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| Shutdown |
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First time is time to retract lens, second time is worst-case buffer-clearing time. Also somewhat slow.
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| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured. Quite fast.
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| Record to play |
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First time is that required to display a large/fine file immediately after capture, second time is that needed to display a large/fine file that has already been processed and stored on the memory card. Quite fast.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. Quite a bit faster than average. |
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Shutter lag, continuous autofocus |
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As usual, no benefit to continuous AF for stationary subjects. (May help with moving subjects, but I have no way to test that.)
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| Shutter lag, prefocus |
0.076
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. Very fast. |
| Cycle Time, max/min resolution |
1.55 / 1.45 |
First number is for largest resolution files, second number is time for smallest resolution. Times are averages. Shoots 7 frames this fast at either resolution, then slows to about 6.1 seconds apart in large mode, or 5.3 seconds apart in small mode. Buffer clears in 38 seconds for large images, 32 seconds for small images. Better than average, good buffer depth. (Buffer clearing times measured with Lexar 32x SD card, slower cards may take longer.) |
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Cycle Time, First Burst mode, max/min resolution |
0.43 (2.33 fps) |
First number is for largest resolution files, second number is time for smallest resolution. Times are averages. Shoots first burst of 6 frames this fast at either resolution, pauses to clear the buffer, then shoots successive bursts at 3.4 fps. Buffer clears between bursts in 43 seconds for large images, 37 seconds for small images. Better than average, good buffer depth. (Buffer clearing times measured with Lexar 32x SD card, slower cards may take longer.) |
| Cycle Time, Last Burst mode, max/min resolution | 0.43 (2.33 fps) |
First number is for largest resolution files, second number is time for smallest resolution. Times are averages. Captures last 5 frames of first burst this fast at either resolution, pauses to clear the buffer, then captures last 5 frames of successive bursts at 3.4 fps. Buffer clears between bursts in 35 seconds for large images, 31 seconds for small images. Better than average, 5-shot capacity is good. (Buffer clearing times measured with Lexar 32x SD card, slower cards may take longer.) |
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.
Power
The Kodak EasyShare Z700 uses a two AA batteries for power, and a twin pack of NiMH batteries is included with the camera. The table below shows the power drain I measured in various operating modes, and the corresponding run times to be expected from a standard set of 1600 mAh NiMH cells.
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(@3.2 volts on the external power terminal) |
(two 1600 mA cells) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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| Capture Mode, no LCD |
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| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
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| Memory Write (transient) |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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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.
Storage Capacity
The Kodak EasyShare Z700 stores its photos on SD / MMC memory cards or in approximately 12 MB of internal memory, and no card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored in the internal memory at each size/quality setting.
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Resolution/Quality 12 MB Internal Memory |
Normal | |
| 2304 x 1728 | Images (Avg size) |
9 1.3 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
9:1 | |
| 2048 x 1536 | Images (Avg size) |
11 1.1 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
9:1 | |
| 1656 x 1242 | Images (Avg size) |
16 728 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
9:1 | |
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Images (Avg size) |
27 435 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
8:1 | |
Download Speed
The Kodak EasyShare Z700 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading files to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 906 KBytes/second, a very good pace. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second.)
Z700 Test Images
Z700 Specifications
Z700 "Picky Details"
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