Home > Consumer Reviews > Kodak EasyShare ZD710 Digital Camera, 7.1 Megapixel, 10x Optical + 5x Digital Zoom

I bought this camera before my trip to Las Vegas in March 2008. The last time I went to Las Vegas I took a Sony camera and was very disappointed with all of the blurry pictures I ended up with. It was a total waste of time even taking the pictures. With this new Kodak ZD710 I had 1 blurry picture out of over 350 total. I am very pleased with the color, lighting and very sharp images. I had no trouble with the lens cap like the previous review stated. The cool thing is the camera automatically kicks off the lens cap when you turn the camera on. You will never take a picture by accident with the lens cap on again. Overall, its is a great camera. Great color, lighting and the biggest for me only on blurry picture. That picture was taken as a test while traveling 40 miles an hour down the strip. Just my two cents.

I've had this about a month now, with one week taking lots of photos. I can't speak for the repair service of how well it holds up in the long run. I've been quite happy with it so far.

Pros:
- incredible 10x optical zoom. Listed as 38mm-380mm, although it was hard to see a difference compared to my 300mm "real" lens (which is plenty).
- very lightweight
- lots of settings offering lots of control, including a very nearly manual option.
- marvelous panoramic stitch function
- image stabilization
- good (short) shutter lag time
- two AAs keep it lightweight and make it easy to find batteries when yo need them (works best with rechargeable NiMHs, of course).
- Plays directly to TV very easily
- easy to process and transfer image files

Cons:
- slow to process. It will take a picture when you click the button (no lag there), but AFTER the shot it takes time to save the file.
- lightweight construction at the expense of sturdiness
- turning it on, even to review photos, opens the lens, pushes off the lens cap, and opens the flash.
- lens cap sometimes comes loose.
- SLR shape and point-and-shoot size make it a little awkward to find the right carry case.

Other:
- it's tiny compared to a real SLR - should really compare to a point-and-shoot

A few personal observations:

Switch it on and the (tethered) lens cap flies off and the flash pops up!
Quite impressive unless you want to be unobtrusive. Just manually remove lens cap and open flash.

Great being able to toggle to EVF for demanding lighting situations.
And with the nothing-left-of-the-lens design my nose doesn't get in the way and smear up the back of the camera.

The neck strap hooks on both sides of the camera and is great for composing and stabilizing shots using the external display.

Nice flat base means you can put it on a table for an autotimer shot of the group with you in it.

Video is impressive. At full res (640x480) about 5min/GB.

Overall picture quality is pretty good.

The zoom rocker (on the camera back) falls well to the thumb, leaving the index finger free for the shutter release. The joystick control for menu navigation and review was not what I anticipated, but works well.

I wish that rechargeable batteries had been supplied - camera takes AA x2 or equivalent.

Overall, a pretty good camera for someone who wants a compact but not tiny camera with awesome optics, but who is way too cheap for a DSLR.

This is a great camera, the movies are nice too. Great focusing abilities. The lag time after capturing the shot is a little annoying, but I typically do not need to take pics right after each other too frequently.

The cameras design gives the subject a good feeling that your picture is going to turn out well.

I found that the best case for my needs for this camera is actually the lowepro telephoto lens case Lowepro Lens Case 1 (Black)The fit is very snug, but not too snug. It also eliminates the need for the lens cap. There is room at the top to hold an extra two re-chargable batteries. I attached a Nikon lanyard instead of the includeded neck strap in case I drop it while taking pics, as I am a klutz. The lanyard also makes the camera more transport friendly when it's in the case. Other cases did not fit into my roller laptop bag properly.

I added this camera to my christmas list after reading reviews online. This is our second Kodak Easy Share that we have owned and both have been great cameras.

Lots of options for you on this camera and the zoom is incredible!!

The only one holding me back from giving it 5 stars is the lag time between taking pictures. But I have found the lag time really only shows up when my battery is running low. I have also found that if you want to take another picture without waiting for it to show up on the screen to just push the zoom and it will move right to taking your next picture.