Kodak Z740 - Thoughts and Questions about Lenses

Hi,

I saw that someone posted a couple of weeks ago asking about the Kodak
Z740.

I've had one since December '05, and I am extremely happy with the
camera. It takes amazingly clear and sharp pictures. As I put it,
it's a camera that makes me feel like I'm a good photographer.

In terms of a quick review: The auto focus mode is extremely reliable
and ninety percent of the time, it serves the purpose. If you need to
go beyond that - the Scene modes are extremely versatile and useful,
there are about 10 different modes from landscape to party to portrait.
I still haven't educated myself enough about PASM and the manual
settings to really utilize that feature with any expertise, but the
scene modes seem to take care of about everything I do. I've actually
found it to be very good even in lower-light indoor settings. In
extremely dark, night settings it isn't great without a tripod or some
sort of steadying support - but with a tripod I've gotten some great
night time shots.

The video feature is also a great bonus. You can't zoom in or out once
you've started recording, but it certainly does in a pinch and I often
leave our Sony camcorder behind these days. The onboard microphone is
really pretty good, so the sound quality on the videos is often
surprisingly clear.

In terms of cons, I only have a couple. The LCD is definitely a power
hog, I know that's the case with most digital cameras, but I'd estimate
that I get about 50 pics per charge with the LCD vs 250-300 just using
the viewfinder. The fact that you can't zoom with the video is a minor
complaint.

Now, the questions for the group. This camera has been my first dip
into 'real' photography (versus a 35 mm point and shoot) and has
whetted my appetite for more. I'm guessing in a couple of years I'll
be making the leap to the higher-end digital SLR bracket (or whatever
it will be called by then in this rapidly changing market.)

In order to bridge the gap, I'm looking at getting the additional
lenses and filters for this camera. It ships with a 55mm lens adaptor.
The Kodak lenses are a bit pricey - about 110 apiece for the telephoto
and wide angle, and 40 for the polarizer.

I was wondering if anyone has tried any 55mm third-party products.
I've seen some brands that I know I'll steer clear of based on user
reviews at various sites (for example, Opteka), but there are a few
kits for sale out there with the two lenses, or two lenses and filters
that seem like they'd be a good compromise. I'd love to hear if anyone
has had a good experience with any of the other products - or if the
answer is I should just save my pennies and get the Kodak
Schneider-Kreuznach lenses over time.

Thanks in advance.

"ScriptDude" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I saw that someone posted a couple of weeks ago asking about the Kodak
Z740.

I've had one since December '05, and I am extremely happy with the
camera. It takes amazingly clear and sharp pictures. As I put it,
it's a camera that makes me feel like I'm a good photographer.

In terms of a quick review: The auto focus mode is extremely reliable
and ninety percent of the time, it serves the purpose. If you need to
go beyond that - the Scene modes are extremely versatile and useful,
there are about 10 different modes from landscape to party to portrait.
I still haven't educated myself enough about PASM and the manual
settings to really utilize that feature with any expertise, but the
scene modes seem to take care of about everything I do. I've actually
found it to be very good even in lower-light indoor settings. In
extremely dark, night settings it isn't great without a tripod or some
sort of steadying support - but with a tripod I've gotten some great
night time shots.

The video feature is also a great bonus. You can't zoom in or out once
you've started recording, but it certainly does in a pinch and I often
leave our Sony camcorder behind these days. The onboard microphone is
really pretty good, so the sound quality on the videos is often
surprisingly clear.

In terms of cons, I only have a couple. The LCD is definitely a power
hog, I know that's the case with most digital cameras, but I'd estimate
that I get about 50 pics per charge with the LCD vs 250-300 just using
the viewfinder. The fact that you can't zoom with the video is a minor
complaint.

Now, the questions for the group. This camera has been my first dip
into 'real' photography (versus a 35 mm point and shoot) and has
whetted my appetite for more. I'm guessing in a couple of years I'll
be making the leap to the higher-end digital SLR bracket (or whatever
it will be called by then in this rapidly changing market.)

In order to bridge the gap, I'm looking at getting the additional
lenses and filters for this camera. It ships with a 55mm lens adaptor.
The Kodak lenses are a bit pricey - about 110 apiece for the telephoto
and wide angle, and 40 for the polarizer.

I was wondering if anyone has tried any 55mm third-party products.
I've seen some brands that I know I'll steer clear of based on user
reviews at various sites (for example, Opteka), but there are a few
kits for sale out there with the two lenses, or two lenses and filters
that seem like they'd be a good compromise. I'd love to hear if anyone
has had a good experience with any of the other products - or if the
answer is I should just save my pennies and get the Kodak
Schneider-Kreuznach lenses over time.

Thanks in advance.


If you are already thinking about a future upgrade to a DSLR, be aware that
you will want to change sooner than you expect.

Spending that sort of money on add-on lenses, which will never be anything
like as good as an SLR lens, seems to be a bit pointless.

Make do with what you have and save the money, so that you can aford to
trade up sooner rather than later. Once you get your DSLR you will want to
add an extra lens or 2 and they will easily cost as much as the original
Body and Kit lens.

I certainly would not spend $40 or £40 on a Kodak polarising filter, if you
must have one get a Hoya, and buy it on-line from Hong Kong.

Roy G