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"highly recommended" on by JamesPylon
Pros: Color, exposure, no shutter lag, quick flash recharge,
Cons: very few: whould like screen to better predict photo
Summary: My co-worker purchased the Kodak 7440I and I was amazed with it’s response. I then went out and bought it’s big brother the new Z730 right off the loading doc at Best Buy. (this camera is so new it still has not made it to many other stores). After 5 digital cameras in the past 4 years including some very advanced and highly “reviewed” cameras (including Sony's DSC-V1, others) I've found a camera I can keep for a while. My needs were simple: A point a shoot camera with some bells and whistles but I mostly wanted to avoid the dreaded shutter lag to catch that perfect smile. Anyone with kids knows what I’m talking about. This camera fits the bill! I love the fact that the auto mode is almost always just right. I'm very very happy with this purchase. Perfect for dad's who love to take indoor and outdoor shots of kids. One last note, the CNET site lists 4MP, the Z730 is actually 5MP.
Here's a summary.
What I liked:
Excellent color renditions. Skin tones very good, bright vivid and real colors.
White balance in auto mode perfect every time.
Faster default flash shutter speed of 1/60 better tolerates hand shaking and subject movement. (Sony V1 was 1/30...this led to blurry shots
Good clarity on posed indoor photos.
Excellent “point and shoot” camera
Quick shot to shot recycle times
Quick flash recycle times
No shutter lag
Great focus even in low light or total darkness. Pictures always sharp.
Large LCD is usable in bright outdoor light or in low light indoors
Menus are intuitively placed and quick to access different features quickly
Can “save” two “modes for often used settings (one mode in ”P” (program) and the other in “C” (custom).
5 flash levels instead of normal 3 levels
Many manual controls
Excellent battery life even when screen is used 100% of the time.
Inexpensive batteries
Numerous easy-to-access scene modes
Lighter weight than other cameras
Smooth edges and ergonomically pleasant.
Very fast processor for quick reviewing of photos.
Quick to access “details” about each photo which don’t leave anything out.
Review photos done in shoot mode so always ready to shoot no matter what mode you’re in.
Self timer has audio cues and can be used with video mode
View finder accurately represents photo composition regarding alignment (although real photo has slightly more area).
Inexpensive SD memory (512 MB for $19.99 after rebates at some stores)
Auto adjust for vertical shots. A sensor can “tell” when the camera is in vertical mode and automatically adjusts the photo (no more looking at pictures sideways on the computer screen before adjusting them!)
Camera comes with a small separate battery charger so I can shoot and charge at the same time. Sony made me pay for that separately!
Why I didn’t give it a 10:
Screen image does not always respond to changes in Shutter, aperture, ISO, etc. in manual modes. Can therefore not always predict photo during more advanced manual setting adjustments. (Sony DSC-V1 did this well).
No manual white balance, although auto works perfectly.
No manual focus (although rarely have the need to use it).
Would have preferred to have custom setting closer to default position on dial instead of a several clicks away on the dial.
Like sound options but would have liked to have had the various shutter sounds available with quite start up.
Movie mode is .MOV which is not the standard .mpg. Therefore, conversion must occur before movies can be used in DVD software suites. Also, not everyone has Quicktime installed which is needed to view the movie. (although I use a camcorder for movies).
Slow transfer times from camera but non issue with purchase of a card reader (Highly recommend getting a dedicated card reader) -
"Great deal, great pictures except in low light" on by lowfatsourcreme
Pros: Phenomenal bargain, manual controls, scene presets, good resolution, lightish weight
Cons: Pictures in low light didn't turn out well, dirt had tendency to jam lens cover
Summary: I just got back from a two week trip and this camera took mostly excellent photos. The manual controls allowed me to take creative good shots and the scenes and auto mode took nice ones when I was doing snapshots. Mostly the photos seemed to have true color, vivid details, and great quality.
However I have two main gripes (not sure if they are bugs, my lack of experience, or actual problems with this line). First off, in low light, no matter what the pictuer looked like on screen, the result was very darkened. Also, I was backpacking, and dirt seemed to get in the sliding lens cover and made it not open fully until I blew the dirt out.Updated
Just went to best buy, they said that the lens jamming was a defect. So I have another camera, hopefully this will be better! Anyway it's not a con, then, like I thought. -
"Good value, excellent features, but a few quirks" on by prwhitby
Pros: Nice size, clear pictures, 4x6 aspect ratio capable (4.4 megapixel), nice features
Cons: Resetting date & time after battery recharge, "High color" setting dissappears after power down
Summary: To preface this review, let me first say that this camera will be a Christmas present for my wife. I've only got 10 days to evaluate this in case I need to return it, so I'm not opening the software or manual, and am not removing any tags, or the protective clear plastic over the LCD screen. So with that said, let me expound upon my pros and cons:
PRO's:
It's a nice small (and light) camera, yet not too small for my large hands. The controls are very intuitive, although turning it off and on took awhile to figure out (again, I'm not reading the manual).
The pictures are very crisp and clear, and especially colorful if you change the color mode to "High Color", rather than the default "Natural Color".
Although it's a 5 megapixel camera, you can set it to 4.4MP, which will give your pictures the same aspect ratio of a 4x6 photo. A nice feature if you're going to print the pictures to put into albums.
There are 16 preconfigured scene modes to choose from if you decide to switch out of "Auto" mode.
CON's:
If you have the battery out for charging, you will have to reset the date & time. In my tests, the D&T were still there after 1/2 hour of battery absence, but needed to be reset after 1-1/2 hours of battery absence. Not sure what the exact cut-off is, but maybe an extra battery ($30) is worth-while so you don't have to reset the D&T after every recharge.
Again, I haven't read the manual yet, but if I change the color mode to "High Color", this change resets itself to "Natural Color" if you turn the camera off. In comparing fall foliage pictures, I do prefer the high color setting.
In reading through the rating guidelines, I'm torn between a 7 and an 8. I gave rated it as an 8 because I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt because I AM male, and haven't RTFM yet. -
"Pure Perfection- when used correctly" on by got2bjennyg
Pros: Fabulous photos, auto, manual and pre-set modes make taking photos fun and rewarding
Cons: the Easyshare software is nothing special
Summary: This camera is a replacement for a 5 yr old HP point and shoot digital.
I love the 4X optical zoom and higher resolution that my other camera lacked.
The ergonomics are good for me too, not to big, not too small- feels comfortable in my hands.
I have taken photos with this camera under all sorts of conditions; low light, close-up, outdoors, action shots, etc.. The only time that it produced anything but great photos was when the operator(me) messed up.
Now, because of the assortment of useful features that were non-existent with my old camera, I HAD TO READ THE FREAKIN' MANUAL. Once I spent a grand total of 15 minutes figuring it out, it was all good!
The Easy share software was unimpressive, but I wasn't looking for photo editing or emailing software, I needed a good camera for under $200. Frankly, if it came without any software, it would still be a great camera and a fantastic deal. The Z730 is MUCH MORE than I expected.
Want to see some of the low light and indoor shots that I (complete photo novice) took with this camera? - All are UNEDITED AND UNTOUCHED You be the judge.
http://community.webshots.com/album/436980013YCvvBb
For the price, I don't think it could be any better.
I did buy an extra battery so I always have a spare. I have never lost any settings when changing batteries as some reviewers claim. If you leave the battery out for a longer period, maybe the setting have to be reset. But it took me less than 2 minutes to put the "settings" on the camera initially, so it's not a big deal for me. I also bought a 512MB SD card, just because more is better!
I don't own the camera dock, and I see it as an option, but not a necessity. I'm not planning on getting one.
I would buy this camera again in a heart beat. I am having sooo much fun with it and I couldn't be more satisfied. -
"Excellent camera from Kodak." on by garebear6
Pros: Excellent images, easy-to-use, especially in auto mode, compact, reasonably priced.
Cons: User booklet weak as well as Kodak on-line PDF info. Add a metal ring & lanyard to camera hole hook for better security when using.
Summary: This is my second Kodak digital camera and I am very pleased. Excellent images and many options/modes in addition to the fully auto mode. I love this camera.
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