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Kodak Z740 Camera
Hello All;
I was all set to buy the Kodak Z740 (10x Optical Zoom) for my daughter for Christmas -- the main attraction of course was the 10x optical zoom lens. I have a rather old DC280 with a 2x optical zoom lens which I love, and use all the time -- can't imagine what a 10x zoom would be like. However, one comment I saw does give me a bit of a concern. It was mentioned, that too reduce the cost of the Z740, it does not come with an image stabilizer, which can impact on the sharpness of the picture. Firstly, I assume that this statement is correct, in as far as the Z740 does not include an image stabilizer, which most longer zoom (5x or greater) normally do include? Secondly, on a practical level, how much does this impact on the quality of the photo? For example, can you *only* get a perfect picture if you use a tripod, no matter how still you hold the camera? Is the difficulty directly related the length of the zoom (ie: you must hold the camera more still at 10x zoom than you would at say 5x zoom to get the same sharpness)? As mentioned, the camera is for my daughter, who is not a professional photographer, or a even a prosumer. However, she would like to take nice photos that don't look blurry, obviously. I really like the 10x optical zoom lens, but I am begining to wonder whether I should drop down to a lower zoom camera that either has an image stabilizer, or one that doesn't need one? My price limit is really set at the Z740, so the obvious option of getting a 10x zoom with an image stabilizer isn't an option at this time. Secondly, on Kodak's web-site they recommend using a 512MB SD flash card. Does this mean that the Z740 will not accept a 1GB SD flash card, as that is what I was planning on getting. If it does accept a 1GB card, why would I opt to use a 512MB instead of a 1GB? Also, would the Z740 take advantage of hi-speed SD flash memory or not? I checked the specs on Kodak's web-site but could not find any mention of memory speed or access times. If so, what speed memory would I get to get the best performance from the camera? (ie: 60x, 100x, 133x, 10 MB/s, 15 MB/s, etc....) For example, I looked on the Kingston memory web-site, and it states that generally camera's up to and including 5.0 MPs (which the Z740 is) work fine with the standard SD flash memory. Camera's higher than 5.0 MPs, SLR cameras, or those that have burst mode (or continuous) shooting would either benefit, or require the faster flash memory. The Z740 does have the burst mode option -- would the burst mode only work if you had faster flash memory or not? Thanks so much!! Hugh, |
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Kodak Z740 Camera
Thanks Daniel so much for your reply, and all the added information and
insight. It really helps. Thanks again, Hugh |
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Kodak Z740 Camera
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Kodak Z740 Camera
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#6
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Kodak Z740 Camera
Daniel Silevitch wrote:
On 5 Dec 2005 08:02:21 -0800, wrote: Firstly, I assume that this statement is correct, in as far as the Z740 does not include an image stabilizer, which most longer zoom (5x or greater) normally do include? Correct. Secondly, on a practical level, how much does this impact on the quality of the photo? For example, can you *only* get a perfect picture if you use a tripod, no matter how still you hold the camera? Is the difficulty directly related the length of the zoom (ie: you must hold the camera more still at 10x zoom than you would at say 5x zoom to get the same sharpness)? It's a question of how much light does the camera need to take a sharp picture. Basically, as the light level goes down, the camera has to keep the shutter open for a longer time, which means that blurring from shake becomes more of an issue. The rule of thumb is shutter times of 1/focal length are OK; so for the 740 at full zoom, if the shutter speed is 1/400s or faster you'd be fine. At 5x zoom, you could get away with 1/200s or thereabouts and could take blur-free pictures in lower light. A stabilizer, by cancelling out some of the vibrations, allows slower shutter speeds (1/60 or 1/40 at full zoom would be typical). If your daughter is likely to do most of her photography in full daylight, a stabilizer doesn't add much. Indoors or outdoors in twilight, it'll be a big help. As mentioned, the camera is for my daughter, who is not a professional photographer, or a even a prosumer. However, she would like to take nice photos that don't look blurry, obviously. I really like the 10x optical zoom lens, but I am begining to wonder whether I should drop down to a lower zoom camera that either has an image stabilizer, or one that doesn't need one? Panasonic sells the LZ2, which has a 6x zoom lens with a stabilizer for about $210 or so. Other than that, I think most/all of the cameras with stabilizers are 10x/12x zooms that are above your price bracket. Secondly, on Kodak's web-site they recommend using a 512MB SD flash card. Does this mean that the Z740 will not accept a 1GB SD flash card, as that is what I was planning on getting. If it does accept a 1GB card, why would I opt to use a 512MB instead of a 1GB? Should be fine. 512 was probably recommended because it's (a) the smallest 'useful' card these days and (b) is cheaper than 1G. Some people recommend a pair of 512s instead of one 1G to give some redundancy in the (unlikely) event of a card failure. Also, would the Z740 take advantage of hi-speed SD flash memory or not? I checked the specs on Kodak's web-site but could not find any mention of memory speed or access times. If so, what speed memory would I get to get the best performance from the camera? (ie: 60x, 100x, 133x, 10 MB/s, 15 MB/s, etc....) For example, I looked on the Kingston memory web-site, and it states that generally camera's up to and including 5.0 MPs (which the Z740 is) work fine with the standard SD flash memory. Camera's higher than 5.0 MPs, SLR cameras, or those that have burst mode (or continuous) shooting would either benefit, or require the faster flash memory. The Z740 does have the burst mode option -- would the burst mode only work if you had faster flash memory or not? According to the review of the 740 at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/kodakz740/page4.asp the burst mode is quite slow, as is the write-to-card operation. I wouldn't bother with the more expensive fast cards. -dms The only real advantage of a fast card on a camera below professional quality is the speed of use when plugged into a card reader to transfer the pictures to a computer. This operation can take ages on a slow card that is full of images. |
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Kodak Z740 Camera
On Tue, 06 Dec 2005 03:27:36 -0600, Ron Hunter wrote:
Daniel Silevitch wrote: According to the review of the 740 at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/kodakz740/page4.asp the burst mode is quite slow, as is the write-to-card operation. I wouldn't bother with the more expensive fast cards. The only real advantage of a fast card on a camera below professional quality is the speed of use when plugged into a card reader to transfer the pictures to a computer. This operation can take ages on a slow card that is full of images. The higher-end consumer P&S models can use the speed of the faster cards. Anything with a continuous burst mode above 1 fps will need at least a couple of megabytes per second worth of bandwidth, and that means a fast card. Cameras at the $400ish point hit that mark. Also, if you want to shoot in TIFF or RAW rather than JPG, a fast card makes the difference between 2 or 3 seconds and 10 or 15, again looking at cameras in the $400-500 range. -dms |
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Kodak Z740 Camera
"Daniel Silevitch" wrote in message .. . On 5 Dec 2005 11:18:52 -0800, wrote: Thanks Daniel so much for your reply, and all the added information and insight. It really helps. My pleasure. One thought that just occurred to me is that if you really want a 10/12x stabilized zoom at the $300 price point, see if you can find a Canon S1 IS or Panasonic FZ3. These are last year's models (3 MP instead of 5), and may be somewhat harder to find. -dms My wife uses an S1 IS and I'm not terribly impressed with the quality of the photos--seem to be awfully blurry compared to the Sony (Cybershot P72 I think) she replaced. Any thoughts on why the photo quality is so poor? Thanks |
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Kodak Z740 Camera
On Tue, 06 Dec 2005 15:16:19 GMT, Mark wrote:
"Daniel Silevitch" wrote in message .. . On 5 Dec 2005 11:18:52 -0800, wrote: Thanks Daniel so much for your reply, and all the added information and insight. It really helps. My pleasure. One thought that just occurred to me is that if you really want a 10/12x stabilized zoom at the $300 price point, see if you can find a Canon S1 IS or Panasonic FZ3. These are last year's models (3 MP instead of 5), and may be somewhat harder to find. -dms My wife uses an S1 IS and I'm not terribly impressed with the quality of the photos--seem to be awfully blurry compared to the Sony (Cybershot P72 I think) she replaced. Any thoughts on why the photo quality is so poor? Thanks I've never actually used an S1, so can't really help here. Some problem with the autofocus, perhaps? -dms |
#10
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Kodak Z740 Camera
Greetings,
I can appreciate your concern, Hugh, and would like to share on your observation. First, the fact that the camera does not have Image Stabilization was not to reduce cost. Rather, the only camera Kodak offers at this time that includes stabilization is the P850 12X optical zoom. It was felt that this camera had an extreme zoom capability that warranted this feature and so it was included.We offer three others that are the big brother of the Z740 that have a 10X optical zoom but no stabilization, i.e. DX6490, DX7590, and the Z7590. The top of the line model Kodak offers (P880) is a 5X optical camera. If you or anyone excercises good camera handling, you can get great pictures. At the extreme settings of 10X it is quite important that you use care in how you hand hold the camera. There are a number of ways to do this that I will share with you later in this posting. Whether or not you buy the Kodak (of course I think it your best choice), you should use this information to your benefit. As to the card, yes, Kodak cameras will accept a 1 gig card. Also, Kodak cameras have had burst mode features for a long time. So, it is not a requirement that you have a larger faster card. Burst will take a series of pictures and store the images in the camera buffer until it can process them to the card. If you were to use Burst all the time, then a larger card would make sense, but not many use this feature all the time. Also, the Kodak cameras write to the memory card at one speed so the extra features of high speed might not apply. It may for other devices she may have or get in the future, so it still may be worthwhile. Please also know that there could be many reasons why the pictures seem a bit soft and out of focus which is not just a long lens. To avoid this, if you have the option, I suggest you place the camera on a table or other stable surface and use the Self-Timer feature. This will eliminate any possible camera shake while the picture is taken. Might be a nice accessory for your Daughter later. There are some nice tripods around that are lightweight a small. When you are going to take pictures while holding the camera, a good stance is important in getting a good picture. Stand with your legs about two feet apart with your arms close to your sides. Hold the camera comfortably, but in a way that is not blocking the flash or the meter of the camera. If you are going to take a picture using the viewfinder, keep this stance and bring the camera gently to your forehead. View the image with both eyes open if you are using the viewfinder and compose the picture. When you are ready to snap the shutter, press the shutter half way to set the cameras features (shutter, aperture, ISO, etc.) for exposure. When ready to snap the shutter, do it slowly, yet deliberately, avoiding any jerky motions. Note: Digital cameras take just a split second longer to capture the picture so keep your position for just a second longer than you would with a film camera. This will help you prevent blurring due to removing the camera from the picture taking stance too soon. If you are going to use the view-screen to preview your composition, use the same techniques as noted, but do not hold the camera to your forehead. It will be a bit more difficult to keep a good stance, as you will not have the option of steadying the camera against your forehead. So, to limit blur, lean against a wall, rest your elbows, or use some other object, if possible. Try to rest your arms on something in front of you. You should do this anyway if you can to enhance the quality of the image. The object here, is to make sure you have the support to steady the camera and prevent camera movement during exposure. Hope this helps, Hugh, I will be around if you have questions. Ron Baird Eastman Kodak Company wrote in message ups.com... Hello All; I was all set to buy the Kodak Z740 (10x Optical Zoom) for my daughter for Christmas -- the main attraction of course was the 10x optical zoom lens. I have a rather old DC280 with a 2x optical zoom lens which I love, and use all the time -- can't imagine what a 10x zoom would be like. However, one comment I saw does give me a bit of a concern. It was mentioned, that too reduce the cost of the Z740, it does not come with an image stabilizer, which can impact on the sharpness of the picture. Firstly, I assume that this statement is correct, in as far as the Z740 does not include an image stabilizer, which most longer zoom (5x or greater) normally do include? Secondly, on a practical level, how much does this impact on the quality of the photo? For example, can you *only* get a perfect picture if you use a tripod, no matter how still you hold the camera? Is the difficulty directly related the length of the zoom (ie: you must hold the camera more still at 10x zoom than you would at say 5x zoom to get the same sharpness)? As mentioned, the camera is for my daughter, who is not a professional photographer, or a even a prosumer. However, she would like to take nice photos that don't look blurry, obviously. I really like the 10x optical zoom lens, but I am begining to wonder whether I should drop down to a lower zoom camera that either has an image stabilizer, or one that doesn't need one? My price limit is really set at the Z740, so the obvious option of getting a 10x zoom with an image stabilizer isn't an option at this time. Secondly, on Kodak's web-site they recommend using a 512MB SD flash card. Does this mean that the Z740 will not accept a 1GB SD flash card, as that is what I was planning on getting. If it does accept a 1GB card, why would I opt to use a 512MB instead of a 1GB? Also, would the Z740 take advantage of hi-speed SD flash memory or not? I checked the specs on Kodak's web-site but could not find any mention of memory speed or access times. If so, what speed memory would I get to get the best performance from the camera? (ie: 60x, 100x, 133x, 10 MB/s, 15 MB/s, etc....) For example, I looked on the Kingston memory web-site, and it states that generally camera's up to and including 5.0 MPs (which the Z740 is) work fine with the standard SD flash memory. Camera's higher than 5.0 MPs, SLR cameras, or those that have burst mode (or continuous) shooting would either benefit, or require the faster flash memory. The Z740 does have the burst mode option -- would the burst mode only work if you had faster flash memory or not? Thanks so much!! Hugh, |
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