| | |  | Point & Shoot Digital Cameras | Home » » » » » Kodak Easyshare Z1285 12.0 MP Digital Camera with 5xOptical Zoom | | | | | | | Description: | | Point-and-shoot ease coupled with cutting-edge imaging technology! The Kodak Z1285 boasts 12.0MP resolution and comes loaded with plenty of user-friendly features such as 5X Optical Zoom to get you closer to the action, Smart Scene Mode to capture stunning shots with ease, and Digital Image Stabilization to reduce blur and produce crystal clear pictures. The high ISO capability ensures that bad lighting doesn't stand in the way of capturing great stills or fast-action videos. | | | Features: | |
• 12-megapixel resolution for stunning prints up to 30 x 40 inches
• 5x Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon optical image-stabilized zoom lens; HD still capture and HD video
• 2.5-inch indoor/outdoor color LCD; advanced settings include program and full manual mode (P/M)
• Digital image stabilization reduces blur; High ISO (up to 3200) capture details in low-light conditions and fast-action situations
• Compatible with SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 7.3 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.4 inches | | Product Height:
| 2.9 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.63 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.05 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 102 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 102 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
98 of 105 found the following review helpful:
 Awesome HD Movie but Worst Macro mode shooting!Mar 18, 2008
By Teetee
This camera replaced my old F10 Fuji Finepix. I had several cameras (Fuji/Canon/Olympus) but this is the first time I'm trying out Kodak (cheapest HD camera I've found that allow zoom during movie recording mode)
I took two stars away from it for two reasons:
1. Macro shooting mode is horrible. It won't shoot at close range at all comparing to other cameras I have had. I was able to shoot a nice close up at 1 inch range with Fuji and Olympus but this Kodak Easyshare will not focus and get blurry as soon as the lense is in the 6 inch range from object. I returned and exchange my Easyshare once because I thought the first one was broken. I was surprised to learn that this camera will not do a close up shot.
2. Movie recording length is limit to 29 minutes when shooting in HD. I read on Kodak website and it says "80 minutes" and I misunderstood. 80 minutes max ... at lowest resolution - that is :(
There are many good things about this camera. It uses SD card. It records very nice HD quality video (picture/sound). It can zoom in recording mode (Fuji does not). It takes good pictures (12MP). Battery life is pretty good. Forget Sony Handycam, get this Z1285 instead and have a blast with HD video recording!
72 of 76 found the following review helpful:
 Decent quality photos and videosMar 12, 2008
By Mark Druziak
I do a lot of photography with my dSLR but I like to have a flexible point and shoot with me when I don't have the dSLR. I also have been interested in shooting videos lately and have tried a Aiptek Go-HD and a Sanyo HD700.
I like the form factor of the Z1285. It handles better than my Kodak V550 and it really isn't much bigger. Yes it is a little thicker. The z1285 has a lot of pre-set modes and a full manual mode that works quite well. It is easy to change shutter speed, f-stop, ISO and focus mode. You can do it all from one screen using the controller button on the back. No need to read the manual.
Image quality is great for a point and shoot. There is a lot of noise at 1600 ISO however it cleans up quite well by using a noise reduction program like Noiseware. The image quality is better than my V550 and significantly better than the HD700.
The videos are surprisingly good. Video quality is much better than the Aiptek Go-HD and sharper than my Sanyo HD700. Indoor videos taken with the Z1285 have less noise than the HD700. I did my comparisons in full auto mode and I think I could fine tune the HD700 a little, but I don't think the video would be as sharp as with the Z1285. Video stabilization is better on the HD700. The audio quality on the HD700 is significantly better than Z1285. But the audio quality on the Z1285 is significantly better than the Aiptek Go-HD.
Overall it is a very good package at a decent price. I think it is a better value than the HD700. If the audio quality were up to the HD700 standards, it would be a slam dunk and I would sell the HD700.
4 stars only because of audio performance. Other than that it is great!
35 of 35 found the following review helpful:
 EasyShare= Easy DecisionJun 03, 2008
By J. Park
The Kodak EasyShare Z1285 is more than just a camera. It's a camcorder, sound recorder, slideshow creator, image cropper, and of course a camera with myriad functions.
Pros:
-12.1 Megapixels means maximum 3000 by 4000 pixel images
-Adjustable image resolution settings
-Amazing video quality with adjustable resolution settings
-Extremely easy to use
-Really low price for product
-Many, many adjustable settings and shoot modes
-Large, vibrant screen
-Expandable SD & SDHC card slot
-USB connection (with cable included)
-and perhaps my favorite part--the fact that it uses 2 AA batteries
Cons:
-When adjusting zoom, the picture becomes temporarily unfocused
-Poor image stabilization for free hand 1280 by 720 video shooting
-When filming videos to my Transcend 8GB SDHC card, you can hear the camera writing to the card faintly. It sounds similar to a helicopter in the distance. The sound is only noticeable when no noises are present in the video. I think it may have something to do with the High Capacity SD cards because I didn't notice the noise with my Sandisk 1GB SD card.
I paired my camera up with a Transcend 8GB SDHC and some Energizer NH15BP-4 ACCU 2500mAh Rechargeable AA Batteries to make it literally the best camera around. I can have over 2100 pictures at the highest resolution on it or hours of High Definition videos. The 1280 by 720 pixel videos have a maximum of 29 minutes for one continuous video. However, the 8GB card will hold hours of collective feeds. My high-drain batteries allow me to take many pictures and lots of videos without having to change or charge the batteries. Plus, when I do have to change them, I just switch the dead batteries with freshly charged ones and I'm good to go--unlike most others, I don't have to wait for the camera to charge.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with my purchase of the Kodak Z1285 EasyShare Camera and would recommend it to anyone. (We have already purchased another for my mother and my sister wants one now too.) The price is well worth the value--I paid $185 for mine and would be willing to pay $300 plus. Don't let the three cons discourage you, the benefits of purchasing this camera far transcend the drawbacks.
39 of 42 found the following review helpful:
Great camera for the moneyFeb 14, 2008
By Andrew Ludewig
"itchykawa"
I wasn't very big with the kodak brand digital cameras, but they have come a long way now. This camera packs 12MP worth of resolution, prints up to a whopping 30 x 40 print. Most people will never print that big, but that means your smaller prints will come out even clearer. One thing I love is that it works on my iMac with iLife 08. It's Vista compatible. It shoots native 720P HD video. Basically, you need a very large SDHC card. I have an 8GB Transcend card that I bought off of New Egg. On that 8GB card I can shoot 2172 12MP photos, or 2 hours of HD video. This camera only shoots in 29min segments, so make sure you don't need to continuously shoot for over 29mins long. To give you an idea of file size for video, it's 1MB per sec. For pictures, it's 2MB per image. Over all, i love this camera, I'm taking it to Europe this June, it is compact and easy to use.
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Great Camera For the PriceJun 29, 2008
By Tech Nut
"Tech Nut"
I bought the Kodak Z1285 about 3 weeks ago on Amazon for $149.95 and I was initially skeptical about so many features for such a low price. After shooting about 100 pictures and about 20 minutes of video, I feel that my purchase was a good one. Here's the pro's and con's why...
First, the highlights:
The 5x optical zoom is wonderful. I have had 3 digital cameras before this and the best of those had only a 3x zoom. So, 5x zoom really gets you up close. This is a real plus when you are taking pictures from, let's say, the back of a school auditorium.
Panoramic shooting mode is awesome. I have only played around with this so far, but it would be nice in outdoor shots of nature.
There is no shutter lag that I could detect.
The camera is compact enough to fit into most pockets. It is not the most compact camera out there, but it is reasonably small.
The 12 megapixel pictures are very impressive, sharp and the colors are true to life.
The video, whether at 640 x 480, or HD widescreen, is very good for a point and shoot camera. You can also zoom while taking a video (but see my drawback section). I use Pinnacle and Magix to create DVDs and have no problem creating DVDs with the quicktime (.MOV) files this camera creates. I would not throw away my camcorder just yet, but I guess the day is coming...
There are plenty of shooting modes, but the camera can be left on automatic which makes it a simple point and shoot process.
It takes AA batteries and, with the rechargeables that I use, the life of the batteries is not bad. I know what the other reviews said, but, compared with all of the other digital cameras I have had, this one has the best battery life by far and they are AA!
There is only about 2-3 second delay between photos when not using the flash. That's a decent turn around time. There is a "burst" setting if this is a problem for some.
The image stabilization mode is helpful.
Now, the drawbacks:
The camera body is all plastic. This is really not a problem, but it does lessen the "feel factor" that you are holding a quality product or showing it off to a friend.
The compression of the JPEG files by this camera cuts the picture down to anywhere from 1.4 to 2.0 megs per shot. This is not necessarily a problem, but it is not adjustable as some other manufacturers make this a user setting.
In a side by side comparison of a friend's Canon SD 1100 IS camera, I would have to say that picture quality is roughly the same. I had a difficult time telling the difference between the pictures taken by these two cameras. Keep in mind that the SD 1100 is only a 8mp camera. However, keep in mind that my friend also paid $70 more for his camera. So I am not sure if this one is a "pro" or a "con".
There is "noise" in the photos when shooting in the image stabilization mode. This appears to be due to the camera stepping up to a higher ISO.
The camera picks up a sound from the data writing to the flash card during the recording of HD video. The sound is not noticeable if, let's say, the video you are recording has a lot of sound already. However, during quiet passages, the camera picks up soft "clicks" that end up on your video. It's not terrible, but just be aware.
The camera picks up the sound of the zoom motor if you zoom while recording a video. I guess that's why most every other manufacturer out there does not allow you to zoom while taking a video.
The flash could be stronger. It's not bad; I just wish it could go beyond the 12 foot range since the optical zoom gets you out so far.
Summary:
All things considered, this camera packs a lot of features and quality for the price. The good points far outweigh any drawbacks this camera may have. No, it is not a Canon, or a Sony so your family and friends might not be impressed by the label. However, if you do not want to spend $200+ on a camera with all of these features and you want something easy to use that takes good quality pictures and video, then you will not go wrong selecting this camera. If you can get it at $149.95 like I did, then it is a real bargain.
See all 102 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
