Kodak ZD710 7MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom

wait. I’m confused. does it come with rechargeable batteries or not? to quote:“the AC charger isn’t included. But you can buy one on your own, and there is a rechargeable battery included for when you do.” and yet what’s included in the box says nothing about how “there is a rechargeable battery included…” in fact the copy says see below for compatible rechageable batteries. Well at least it has a lens I can’t pronounce so it must be good.

Full review from CNET UK:
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/digitalcameras/0,39030233,49295560,00.htm

I have the older version of this camera - it’s a 4mp. This Camera has traveled with my family everywhere, been handled by my 10 year old when he was 5, dropped repeatedly, and even left at an airport and returned to us by the airport cops. My advice - A great rugged camera. My old sony would not have ever taken this much abuse. And my current panasonic I would never let my 4 year old handle. And 10x optical? Those little pocket cameras are nice, but just try getting a good shot of your kid from anywhere but the front row. With this I can stand in the back row with the parents and their cameras that cost 4-5 times as much. If you have kids it will be a hundred dollars well spent.

The biggest issue with such cameras is speed. And my that I mean, how fast doest it actually takes the picture after you press the button. If you have auto focus, flash and other fancy features (like image stab, face reco) some cameras have a delay of 2 seconds!!! A friend came back from a whale watching trip with hundreds of pictures of water splashes!!! by the time the camera actually fired, the whale was under the water… not fun…
CNET in its review (6 of of 10) specifically mentioned the slowness of this camera…

note, the SLR of SLR cameras is completely irrelevant really (and just plain stupid in a digital camera if you ask me), but because SLR cameras have traditionally been the best quality with film, that carried over to digital cameras. usually, DSLR cameras have much higher quality optics and lenses.

anyway, this looks like a nice mid range camera. or at least the z710 does ( http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Kodak/kodak_z710.asp ), im hoping that its the same other than a couple additions? and is that optical image stabilization, or digital?

i wouldnt get any thing below 10M…

Kodak, 35mm =#1
Kokak digital = #1 FORM THE LAST.

My niece got this camera when it first came out. She still has it, and takes pictures with it nearly daily. As someone said, people need to learn to take pictures better, and indeed, she has. It’s been to the beach, in her daughter’s mouth, dropped on the bus, tossed in a backpack and still performs very well.

It’s at a nice price and arguably a superzoom, but the “Digital Image Stabilization” is about as good as “Digital Zoom”. In other words, not so good as the real thing. Better’n none at all.

You can get regular NiMH batteries and charger anywhere, that’s no problem. Kodak’s own “Pre-Charged” NiMH batteries and charger are good.

Don’t be concerned about this being a r e f urb, it has a Kodak warranty. It is probably a manufacturing overrun/now discontinued model that just was not retail packaged - I mean it is probably actually new. (Probably.)

Digital SLRs have the huge advantage of shooting almost instantly when you press the shutter, especially when using manual focus. This is not one of those, so be aware of its shutter lag just like any point-and-shoot.

This is pretty much a point-and-shoot plus an electronic viewfinder along with the usual live screen, plus a long zoom, and a definite shutter lag. At a very good price.

Those flickr pics from this model look pretty nice.

It doesn’t matter how many MP it has when the lenses suck. This is a nice entry level camera, but who the hell would want to drag that big ass thing around and get entry level photos??

who said anything about the lens sucking? if anything there are several instances of people saying its quite good.
also, its not very big - 3.9 x 3.1 x 2.9 in.

Exactly the problem with most digital cameras!

i have the 4mp of this camera, if you ever been to at&t park in sanfrancisco, i was by the glove in the back of the park and got bonds at the plate. the 10x zoom is sweet. and this camrea is better than the kodak that woot puts up. and i have put mine through a beating. not saying that this is the best. for the price you cant beat it. im going to pick one up. one thing if you go past the 10x zoom the rest is digital, that can take away from the over all shot and loose pixels. but the 10x zoom is good enough for most people. good luck, and happy wooting.

Not a particularly great camera, especially because it’s Kodak. It is not a DSLR, although is stylized to look like one. Pluses include the look mostly, as well as a 10x zoom and allowing more manual customization of photos. Image quality is just “ok.” but the average user wouldn’t be able to tell. I can tell you first hand that 10x or higher zoom pretty much needs optical image stabilization unless you use a tripod. Don’t expect to use this in low light conditions, ISOs 400 and up become very noisy to point of being unusable. It’s low on features, and isn’t all that great, but may be ok for someone who wants a cheap superzoom camera to get into photography with. I’m personally a bigger fan of the FujiFilm Finepix S700, but the two are in the same league (with the S700 coming out on top).

Also, I’d expect color fringing, aka chromatic aberrations to be a big problem with this camera in high contrast scenes. This is basically bright red or blue/purple bleeding on borders of sharply contrasting subjects i.e, dark trees and a brightly lit sky. This is a problem with most superzooms, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 being a notable exception.

{quote}By the way: Currently $149 at Costco.com (new, not refurb) with 2GB SD card thrown in for free…
[/quote]

I looked at costco.com, they don’t even have this camera there. the one for 149. after an online rebate is not even the same camera. it’s possible I am not finding it. do you have a link?

in for one. it is exactly what I have been looking for. a digital camera that would allow me the option of manual settings when I want them. hell of a price too. the others i looked at at costco.com…holy hell expensive. but I have awesome pics on my little ol’ digital pocket cam. n_n (see my flikr page- Sarita's Adventures | Flickr ) when digital first came out I was a silly snob about it and stuck to my regular camera…wow…when I think back to all the rolls and rolls of film taken. now the money I save on being able to instantly see the pic and delete the bad ones makes the decision to get another digital camera as easy as breathing. LOL

If you’re a beginner looking for a cheap digi cam then Kodak is for you. Midgrade has a few options, I prefer Canon although they have a slow shutter rate. Professional digi buy Nikon. But In general Kodak digi’s are junk.

Should I assume from the specifications that my rechargable battery comes with a power adapter?

I have an older 2.1 Megapixel Kodak digital DC290 that I got at the beginning of the digital age. It takes incredible pictures. The colors are true. Good in low-ish light. Some shutter lag. Zoom is weak but decent.

It is a larger model that has a grip which for guyz with huge hands is the only way I can go. Otherwise my gorilla fingers would be all over the lens, viewfinder, buttons etc. And I’d be unable to hold the darn thing and hit a single button without punching them all while taking a picture.

Dunno about this one, but thought i’d counterweight the Kodak trashing. Some of their cameras are decent.

I have a Canon PowerShot A80 and a Panasonic Lumix FZ1.

Is there any good reason for me to buy this as a spare?

Price comparator post ! - Is this a good deal ? Let’s see ! :slight_smile:

Refurbished Kodak ZD710 7MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom, for $109.99 + $5 shipping
Product: 1x Kodak ZD710 7MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom

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