Home > Consumer Reviews > Kodak Z8612 Digital Camera - Black (8.0MP, 12x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch LCD

There is no doubt that for the money this is a pretty good camera, the build is pretty good, it feels and looks quite classy, the image quality is just fine....it does overexpose a little in full auto mode, it is adviseable to shoot in P mode and compensate with a bit of negative exposure compensation....easy to do, I shoot with about -0.7ev most of the time, and the P mode remembers this setting, so its not like you have to dial it in every time, menus are simplicity itself (like all Kodak cameras)

This camera will take AA rechargeables, a Kodak CRV3 Li-Ion rechargeable battery pack (the best option by far) or a single use CRV3 battery pack...which is supplied with the camera...when the supplied battery runs flat, I strongly recommend a rechargeable CRV3 battery (or two) and charger which are cheap enough and last for ages..that is the way to go in my opinion

Nice zoom lens...no complaints there...no optical or electronic viewfinder though, so you use the rear screen to frame the shot..it has optional gridlines to help compose your pic...this is standard on digicams these days...focus is quick...image quality is very good (apart from the overexposure in auto...but you can get round that easily enough) and the price is fair...its really pretty good

So what I dont like is the fact that the on/off switch automatically pops the flash up...even if you turn the flash off...I can live with it, but why Kodak why ?...so every shot, the flash pops up, and when turning off..it stays up, so you have to push it down again, I have had pop-up flashes before, but usually in auto if it is not required, it doesnt pop, and if you turn it off it wont pop up at all....but not on this
camera...I guess its a cost saving thing...simpler electronics..just a spring and a catch which are automatically triggered by the on/off switch

Ho Hum...its pretty good though, and to be honest I have used loads of digicams and the image quality from this Kodak is just as good/ better as any competitor camera regardless of price, it has a good quality 12x zoom lens with stabilization, the 8MP sensor is probably identical to the ones used in several other brands...its quite well constructed, and its easy to use, Kodak do know how to process an image using their "colour science chip"...I really do think that is more than just a marketing gimmik, some of the latest Kodak cameras do not boast about the "colour science chip" inside...namely the Z1015 and the latest Z1485 (see Kodak.com) and I have noticed that their colours are not quite the Kodak colours that I know and love

So...yes buy it...its good...the flash is annoying...but not the end of the world...and the movie mode is amazing, get an 8GB SDHC card and you have an incredibly cheap digital camcorder with a 12x optical zoom lens...amazing, I play it back on my 42" plasma TV and its just great...also check out the HD dock if you are into the video side of things....so apart from the flash...I give it a recommended

I bought this camera, mainly due to the excellent review that i read. It didn't disappoint. WOW!

I took it on a night out, my friends all thought that it was a really expensive camera, especially when they saw the quality of the photo's. It was so simple, 'just point and shoot' which they all did!

The place was poorly lit, I used the auto setting all night and never once lost a shot which usually follows the usual mumbles of 'who is that in the dark?'. Although I am a real amateur when it comes to taking pictures and technology scares the living cahoonas out of me, I really need not have worried. This camera was great and it made my night all the more special because of the fantastic pictures. (Much to everyones surprise)

I could zoom in really close and not lose any quality of pixels. I downloaded my pictures onto my computer and had a closer look at the photo's. They were very clear and the colouring was superb. The installation disc was easy to follow, with clear on-screen instructions, It has to be for me!


In short, it is a marvellous camera, designed beautifully for the likes of myself. (I cannot speak for all you David Bailey's out there but I think even professional photographers would like this for their back-up) I have small hands and the camera fit very snugly in my little paws.

I would also recommend a rechargeable battery and charger, but the camera came with a battery which lasted longer than any other battery I have used. Also a 2GB memory card wouldn't go amiss as it gave me well over 750 pictures.

The only negatives are, the quality of the video sound which was a little quiet and the fact that the flash stays up even when you turn off the camera.

If I can use this camera, anyone can because I am the one who takes pictures of her hair, fingers, and any other thing I can think of to ruin a perfectly good photgraph! Well, no more, I am reborn and a monster has been created.

Watch out all you poor animal, vegetable, or minerals, i'm back (well I was never really there to begin with!)

Thank you Kodak, reliable as always!

Have used this camera now several times the qulity of the pictures are superb and it is so easy to use, would reccomend it to anyone who needs a high quality camera at a good price

When it works, it's great but after six months, the flash died.

That should just not happen on a modern camera.

Apart from that, I can only find two faults. At longer zooms, there is a lot of chromatic aberration - objects have a purple fringe and the overall shade of whites tends to purple too at those zooms. Also, while the camera will accept normal AA cells, unless you use Lithium or better Lithium Ion rechargeable cells, you will be very unhappy with battery life.

Excellent camera. Bought just in time for summer holidays. Easy to operate and instructions simple to follow. Have had great fun experimenting and the lens gets great close ups. Really enjoyed using this and have had a couple of my pictures published in a Scottish newspaper. Great camera if you do not want to go the whole SLR route.
A good tip is to buy rechargeable CRV3 Lithium batteries as they will last longer.