Ever since Panasonic put a big optical zoom lens on its F1 digital camera, all other camera makers have released similar models. The latest Kodak is a strong competitor. It combines the big zoom with 6-megapixel imaging and a big 2.5-inch LCD display.
The Kodak EasyShare Z612 is equipped with a huge 12x optical zoom lens from optics specialist Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon. The lens is combined with Kodak's own image stabilisation technology for zoom shots, which are especially vulnerable to blurriness caused by slight hand movements. A stabiliser is crucial as the greater the distance the zoom covers, the more prone a shot is to shakiness as any tiny movement of the camera is magnified over long distances.
The Z612 has other powerful features, including full auto, aperture/shutter priority, or full manual exposure settings. It also has a live histogram for exposure compensations, as well as on-camera editing features for automatic red-eye reduction, photo cropping and picture rotation.
Like most digital cameras these days, the Z612 will also take MPEG-4 video. In this case, it is VGA-quality (640 x 480 pixels) at 30 frames per second.
A handy feature is its freeze-frame option, which allows you to save a frame from video footage as a still photo.
Priced at $3,390, the Z612 is a solid mid-range model for most occasions.
