Physical Tour

When facing the lens of the camera, the user will notice two sets of two small dots symmetrically spaced so that the in-camera flash, which is positioned directly above, connects to the lens housing at the same point as these two audio features. The microphones for the Z612 are well placed and should avoid getting covered by wandering fingers.

The self-timer/AF assist light is located slightly above and to the left of the microphone to the left of the flash. A right-hand grip protrudes out from the body in a visual homage to the grips of SLR cameras. The right-hand grip has a polished silver center which splits the handle neatly while drawing the eye up to the controls of the camera which rest above on a polished silver surface.

**Back
**The back of the Kodak EasyShare Z612 offers two viable viewing options and a host of external controls. The 2.5-inch LCD screen is slightly raised from the camera and framed by a quarter-inch frame, constructed out of the same material as the camera. The LCD screen is on the left side of the camera and provides a resolution of 230,000 pixels over 2.5 inches.

A circular electronic color viewfinder is centered directly above the LCD screen. This placement will inevitably lead to the user smearing a face across the LCD directly below it. The circular viewfinder is surrounded by a black square of rubber intended to function as an eyecup for this feature. The electronic color viewfinder has a resolution of 202K pixels. The EVF/LCD toggle is located directly above the left corner of the LCD screen and can be easily activated with the thumb of the left hand when holding the camera in a two handed shooting stance.

The zoom toggle for the Z612 is located above and slightly to the right of the upper right corner of the LCD. The focal length control is a rocking zoom lever. Beneath the zoom lever and along the right side of the LCD are three buttons, with the uppermost controlling the level of information displayed on the LCD. The review button is located beneath, followed by the delete button. All three buttons are circular, stand out from the body of the camera slightly and have full text labels.

Between the review and delete button and set slightly to the right is the four-way control, well sized and well placed for access with the thumb of the right hand. The four-way control has a centrally placed OK button which allows users to set controls within the menu. Beneath the four-way controller is the menu button. Finally, running along the bottom edge of the camera, the red centered Share button is clearly labeled.

Moving back up to the top of the camera, the jog dial is located on a section of the camera that bulges slightly outward. This jog dial protrusion also functions as a nice thumb grip.

**Left Side
**The left side of the Kodak EasyShare Z612 has only two features of note: an eyelet for the left side of the neck-strap at the top of the camera, and beneath it, the in-camera speaker for monitoring audio levels and quality during movie playback.

**Right Side
**The right side of the Kodak EasyShare Z612 has a strap eyelet that mirrors the one located on the left side. A port cover located directly beneath this strap is opened via a tab at the top; it remains connected to the camera along its lower edge. The port cover conceals ports for USB / A/V out as well as In for optional alternate powering. The ports are spaced with an appropriate amount of room between each so that users won’t need to be concerned about accidentally unplugging either feature when switching cables.

**Top
**There are numerous features located on the top of the Kodak EasyShare Z612, with a number positioned on the polished metallic surface atop the right-hand grip. The most forward control is the large and rectangular shutter button, which spans nearly the entire width of the grip. It ensures that even the clumsiest of users will make a shot.

Behind the shutter button and towards the lens is the flash button, which can be pressed to cycle through the flash control options of the Kodak EasyShare Z612. Behind it is the focus button. Lastly is the burst/self-timer button. All these controls can be accessed via the index finger of the right hand.

Between the flash and the right-hand grip are two essential controls for the Z612 with one, the mode dial, sized for access and maximum control. The mode dial settings for the Z612 allow for the user to switch between the following modes: Auto, Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual Mode, Favorites, Movie Mode, Scene Mode, Night Portrait, and Sports Mode. Since all of these modes are represented as symbols only, it will be up to the user to memorize the icons.

The somewhat undersized on/off switch is located to the front of the mode dial, an awkward position for quick activation. The flash to the left is an in-camera flip-up flash that will automatically open when the shutter is depressed half-way and extra light is needed.

**Bottom
**The bottom of the Kodak Z612 has a port cover on the right side. This cover is opened by pressing it in and pulling it to the right, which exposes the battery and memory card slots. The dock connector is directly to the left and towards the back of the camera and allows direct connection to either EasyShare or ImageLink printing systems. The tripod socket is directly in front of the dock port and enables the user to connect this camera to a tripod for night and portrait photography. The tripod socket is constructed out of metal so users won’t need to worry about damaging the threads.

Components

**Viewfinder
**The Kodak EasyShare Z612 has an electronic color viewfinder directly above the center of the LCD and slightly raised from the body of the camera. This raised position may help users from smearing their face against the LCD, but it’s not wholly unlikely. The viewfinder is circular with a square of slightly forgiving gray/black rubber surrounding it to function as an eyecup. The button to switch between the LCD and the viewfinder is located above the upper left corner of LCD. The electronic color viewfinder has 202,000 pixels of resolution, and is accurate and usable, two attributes often missing from optical viewfinders on inexpensive cameras.

**

LCD Screen
**The LCD on the Kodak EasyShare Z612 is 2.5 inches with a resolution of 230,000 pixels, which is becoming more and more standard on high zoom cameras at the $399 price point. The LCD performed with a fair level of success, eventually solarizing when tilted at extreme angles. The LCD screen has a number of display options, including a live and review histogram display, manual controls, preset modes, date and image size/quality. The user will find a button directly above the left corner of the LCD for toggling between it and the electronic color viewfinder above the center of the LCD.

**Flash
**The Kodak EasyShare Z612 has an in-camera flash positioned properly, directly above the center of the lens for an even illumination of scene and to help control shadows. The flash is automatically opened when the flash options are set to an ‘on’ position and the shutter is depressed half-way.

The flash settings for the Z612 can be accessed and cycled via the flash button located on the top of the camera. The flash controls for this camera allow for settings of auto flash, fill, red-eye, and off to be set by the user. In addition to these controls there is also a flash compensation option that can be controlled when in program, aperture priority, shutter priority or manual modes. The flash option is located at the bottom of the LCD screen and enables the flash to be set to +/-1.0 in 0.5 steps. Press the jog dial to access the flash compensation setting, make the selection again by turning the jog dial, and press it again to finalize this setting.

**Zoom Lens
**The Kodak EasyShare Z612 contains an extending Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 12x zoom lens with a focal length of 35 mm – 420 mm (35mm equivalency) and has a maximum aperture of f/4.8 in telephoto mode and f/2.8 in wide angle. The zoom lens is accurately controlled via the rocker on the back of the camera. Since this control is bigger than those found with smaller framed point-and-shoot cameras, zoom distance is accurately registered when this control is handled.

Design / Layout

**Model Design / Appearance
**To put it nicely, the EasyShare Z612 is not a stylish camera. Nearly the entire body is the same shiny silver. There are no highlights or visual complements and no extra textures or materials are applied other than light plastic. The camera has the same aesthetic as a piece of molded plastic lawn furniture.

Then again, Kodak is not known for design innovation. The camera’s lack of attention to style is not necessarily an oversight, but probably a matter of differing priorities. Also, though the Z612 is visually boring, it is also visually simple—and simplicity is Kodak’s hallmark. In the end, the design does complement the camera’s intended functionality and is comfortable to handle, although not quite fashionable.

**Size / Portability
**While certainly not the smallest camera, the Kodak EasyShare Z612 is well within the standard body size of compact cameras with high zoom levels. The camera isn’t going to fit comfortably in a pocket, but a small bag or carrying case will easily suffice. The camera also comes with eyelet straps on the left and right sides for an optional neck strap. Although somewhat awkward, the Z612 could be carried around the neck for a day hike or at a soccer game, due to the mere 10.6 ounce weight. The external dimensions of the Z612 are 4.1 inches in width, 2.9 inches in height and 2.7 inches in total depth.

**Handling Ability
**The handling on the Kodak EasyShare Z612 was surprisingly successful, considering the camera size; the Z612 placed control settings for most options easily within the reach of the thumb or index finger. The right-hand grip felt pronounced and well designed for users to grip and shoot with one hand, but the slippery nature of the plastic body and the lack of texture make holding it in warm or damp environments a bit risky. The flash opens automatically so users don’t need to engage external controls or a menu setting, and the external controls are easily navigable.

**Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
**There are a number of external controls on the top and back with all but the EVF/LCD button in reach of either the thumb or index finger of the user’s right hand. The controls are all well labeled, and the user will be able to use these controls even in low light since they are raised a fair amount from the body of the camera.

There were only two control problems that came up during use. The first was the placement of the sizeable shutter button at the front edge of the right-hand grip. There was a tendency to naturally rest my finger on top of the shutter button outside of shooting, which led to accidental photographs. The second problem involved the controls on the top of the right-hand grip. This section of the camera has a polished metallic silver finish that matches the finish on the buttons; this makes the labels for these buttons difficult to read at some angles. Other than these problems, the design of the frame of the camera did not impede my ability to access and use the controls.

**Menu
**All of the menus besides the Share menu are accessed by pressing the menu button on the back of the Kodak EasyShare Z612. The Share menu is opened by pressing the dedicated Share button. The menu structures are displayed as slightly transparent screens that overlay nearly 2/3 of the LCD, which tended to make monitoring the live view somewhat difficult. The menus are structured as lists. The user can navigate and set controls by using the four-way control and the OK button. These controls are generously sized and were simple to use and move.

When the menu button is pressed in either scene or auto mode the options available within each modes menu will be identical. The menu options for these two modes cover camera settings pertaining to picture size, compression, AF control, color mode, set album, image storage and setup. Lacking from this menu setup are the manual features, which become available once the camera is entered into aperture priority, shutter priority, program or manual modes. The menu options in these modes provide access to picture size, compression, white balance, exposure bracket, meter, focus zone, AF control, color mode, sharpness, set album, image storage and setup.

Not to be outdone, the movie mode for the Z612 also provides a variation to the shooting menus listed above. The menu for movie mode provides controls for self-timer, video size, set album, AF control, video length, image stabilization, image storage and setup. This menu is entered, like all the other shooting menus, by pressing the menu button located directly beneath the four-way controller on the back of the Z612.

The common setup menu lets the user tailor the camera to their shooting and image storage needs. This menu allows alterations to the following image and shooting parameters: return, LCD brightness, capture frame grid, image stabilizer (optical), date stamp, quickview, advanced digital zoom, orientation sensor, camera sounds, sound volume, date and time, auto power-off, video out, video date display, mode description, print warning, language, reset camera, format and about camera. These settings, like the controls located within the two previous menu structures, are displayed on a transparent screen overlay.

Once the camera is placed in review mode the menu system changes once again to provide access to these options: album, Perfect Touch Technology, crop, make picture, action print, protect, slide show, copy, image storage, multi up and setup.

The last menu is accessed by pressing the Share button on the back of the camera. The Share feature allows the transference of images to either PC or printer via the following settings: print, email, favorite, print all and cancel prints.

**Ease of Use
**Although the menu variations are enough to make any beginning user fret, the Kodak EasyShare Z612 does come with an overtly simple auto mode that restricts the user and gives them basic access to controls like flash settings while avoiding options like metering, white balance presets, ISO or other features.

The jog dial is a bit more complex. Users must select some in-menu options with the jog dial by depressing it, navigate by turning it, and confirm it by pressing it once more to move on to another control option. The jog dial sometimes didn’t register when I pressed the control, and it also felt ‘sticky’ which made shifting through shutter speeds nearly impossible.

The menu structure is easy to move through and although the plethora of variations seems unnecessary when Kodak could just restrict options when switching between modes, this is only troublesome when trying to remember which modes provide which settings.

Modes

**Auto Mode
**The auto mode on the Kodak EasyShare Z612 is a true auto mode; it leaves all image parameters to the control of the camera. The camera does allow the user to control options like flash settings, but options like exposure control, metering, ISO and other settings remain outside of access.

Although it’s great to see a normally auto-centric EasyShare expand into the manual control range with such a flourish, there really isn’t an easy way to ease into manual options when remaining in auto mode. Though there is a Program mode, I didn’t find it very easy to use. Without a comfortable bridge between full auto and full manual mode, it seems unlikely that users will graduate from the auto mode and into the realm of manual controls. But anyhow, the auto mode worked with success and accuracy. Check back in the future to see how the auto mode stands up to our image quality tests in the full-length review.

**Movie Mode
**The movie mode can be selected by switching the camera to the movie mode setting on the mode dial. The movie mode allows settings of 640 x 480 VGA quality at 30 fps or 320 x 240 QVGA at 30 fps. Video is recorded as an MPEG-4 file with QuickTime formatting. Audio is recorded simultaneously when shooting video and is captured as a stereo file and played back as a stereo file; the microphones for the camera are positioned on either side of the flash, along the edge of the lens. The Z612 can optically zoom when shooting video and users can select a video print feature that will print 4, 9 or 16 images on one photograph.

**Drive / Burst Mode
**The burst mode for the Kodak EasyShare Z612 can be set by pressing the burst button on the top of the right-hand grip. The user can then scan the following list of options: self timer 10 second, self timer 2 second delay, self timer 2 shots (one after 10 seconds and one at 18 seconds), first burst (first 8 shots at 2 fps), last burst (up to 30 shots with 2 per second for up to 15 seconds with the last 8 shots recorded) or finally a bracketed exposure mode which allows settings of +/-0.3EV, +/-0.7EV, or +/-1.0EV to be selected. The burst modes performed consistently, and the lag time from writing to memory was brief and didn’t cause delays in shooting.

**Playback Mode
**The playback mode can be entered by pressing the review button located to the right of the LCD screen. The Z612 can view images in single frame or multi frame setup with a maximum of 9 images displayed. When viewing images as single frames it is possible to engage the telephoto and wide angle controls to view the image with anywhere up to 8x of digital playback zoom. Images can be displayed with a variety of information including a review mode histogram for better picture analysis.

When reviewing video footage, users can monitor audio via the speaker located on the left side of the camera while watching clips at 1x, 2x or 4x playback rate. There are some image editing options, although they’re nowhere near the number of features provided with the Casio point-and-shoot line. Users can basically copy and crop.

**Custom Image Presets
**The custom image preset modes are accessible by entering the Scene Mode, Night Portrait or Sports mode settings located on the mode dial. Scene modes tailor the optics of the camera to react to generalized shooting situations which may frequency occur. The scene mode settings are displayed on the LCD screen with accompanying thumbnails displayed on the lower half of a live view screen. In the upper half of the screen, the highlighted scene mode is accessorized by a textual description.

The following options are provided: Portrait, Landscape, Night Landscape, Self-Portrait, Flower, Sunset, Backlight, Candlelight, Manner/Museum, Text, Beach, Snow, Fireworks and Children modes. Although manufacturers like Casio offer upwards of 30 presets, the options included with the Kodak EasyShare Z612 will more than suffice for the needs of most point-and-shoot users.

Control Options

**Manual Control Options
**The manual control options are quite extensive on the Kodak EasyShare Z612. This is great, considering that the EasyShare series generally emphasizes strong auto control while forgoing manual controls. The one interesting omission to an otherwise full list of manual control options is the suprisinly lack of a manual white balance setting. This makes no sense, considering the variety of manual control variations and breadth of coverage.

Manually, the Z612 provides control over exposure, metering, ISO, aperture, shutter speed and focus through either the shooting menu or the jog dial controller. The manual control options are accessible when the camera is in manual, program, aperture priority or shutter priority modes, entered by turning the mode dial to the appropriate setting.

**Focus
***Auto Focus
*When shooting with auto focus the camera reacted quickly to changes in focal depth and appears at first glance to perform well with fast moving subjects and lower light situations. The focal modes can be altered by pressing the focus button positioned on the top of the camera and cycling through the following auto focus options: macro, normal, and infinity.

Changes to individual auto focus modes can be made by entering the shooting menu of the Z612. Within the AF zone submenu the user can select between multi-zone, center-zone or selectable pattern. The selectable pattern option allows the user to move the focal frame across the LCD screen by engaging the four-way control.

A second AF setting can be accessed by entering the AF Control submenu, which provides settings of continuous or single AF (default) shooting modes. The continuous AF mode provides a constantly focusing auto focus whereas the single AF will engage final focus setting once the shutter button is pressed halfway.

*Manual Focus
*The manual focus option can be engaged when the camera isn’t placed in any auto mode. The manual focus control is activated by pressing the focus button on the top of the camera above the right-hand grip and manipulated via a sliding scale displayed on the LCD screen, navigated with the left and right arrows on the four-way controller. Shifting through the focus range occurred quickly, so controlled adjustments on the run will be possible even for the less experienced user.

**Metering
**The metering options are only accessible in manual mode and are located within a submenu of the shooting menu, entered when the user presses the menu button. The metering mode options for the Z612 include multi-pattern (default), center-weighted and spot modes. The spot metering option measures light from the front plane of the subject so the subject isn’t cast in shadow. In contrast, the multi-zone option will provide a more accurate exposure setting when shooting under a variety of light sources.

**Exposure
**To enter the exposure control menus, the user must set the Kodak EasyShare Z612 to any of the manual control modes. The exposure compensation settings are located within the control options displayed along the bottom edge of the LCD screen. The jog dial for the Z612 is once again the only way to access this manual control, so that it will be necessary to select the exposure compensation icon, press the jog dial in to highlight this control, and spin the jog dial to select the appropriate exposure compensation setting with a +/-2 EV range with 1/3 step increments.

It is also possible to shoot three images simultaneously, with the exposure settings bracketed for either +/-0.3 EV, +/-0.7 EV, or +/- 1.0 EV depending on the needs of the user. The exposure bracketing feature can be found within the burst mode, which is opened by pressing the burst button on the top of the camera.

**White Balance
**While the white balance settings aren’t available when shooting in auto or scene modes, they do become available when shooting in program, aperture, shutter or manual modes. Once the camera is placed in any of these, the white balance submenu becomes visible in the shooting menu options. The white balance settings are Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent and Open Shade. Kodak has chosen once again to not provide a manual white balance, though they offer a full coterie of control options for the rest of the camera. Excluding it seems very illogical.

**ISO
**Image sensitivity can be controlled only when the camera is set in program, aperture, shutter or manual shooting modes. It remains unavailable in other modes. The ISO settings are located along the bottom edge of the LCD and can be accessed via the same control as the aperture and shutter speed: turn the jog dial to select the ISO option, then press the jog dial and highlight the feature. Once highlighted, the jog dial can be turned to cycle through the following settings: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400 and 800 ISO (ISO 800 has a resolution of 1.1 MP). Once the proper ISO setting has been selected, the user must press the jog dial one more time to select this setting. If the jog dial isn’t pressed in a second time the user will, in all likelihood, accidentally spin through the ISO features when they attempt to move through the controls listed on the bottom of the LCD.

**Shutter Speed
**Shutter speeds for the Kodak EasyShare Z612 are accessible when the camera is placed in shutter priority, aperture priority, program or manual modes. The shutter priority mode is entered by switching the mode dial located on the top of the camera to the shutter speed setting. The shutter speed will be listed along the bottom edge of the LCD screen and is altered by turning the jog dial until the shutter speed setting is selected. The jog dial must then be pressed into the camera, which will highlight this setting and display arrows indicating which direction the jog dial can be moved to alter it. The shutter speed range for the Z612 is 16 seconds to 1/2000th. It should be able to shoot in both well lit scenes and situations where the lighting is less than desirable.

**Aperture
**The aperture controls for the Kodak EasyShare Z612 are accessible when the camera is entered in aperture priority, shutter priority, program mode or manual mode. The aperture priority mode can be engaged by moving the mode dial to the aperture priority setting. The aperture setting, like the other PASM settings, can be entered by spinning the jog dial until the aperture setting at the bottom of the LCD screen is selected. Once chosen the jog dial must be pressed into the camera to highlight this control. At this point the user will be able to turn the jog dial to the right or left to properly select settings from an aperture range of f/2.8 to f/8.0.

Image Parameters

**Picture Quality / Size Options
**These two image parameters are found within the main shooting menu. The picture size settings are located within the picture size submenu and offer the chance to set the image resolution to 6.1 MP, 5.3 MP, 4.0 MP, 3.1 MP and 1.1 MP resolution levels. The image quality levels for the camera are positioned within the compression submenu with control settings for Best, Better and Good levels. When shooting with an ISO 800 level, the camera automatically sets the camera to the lowest resolution of 1.1 MP for email-quality results.

The video settings for the Kodak EasyShare Z612 allows two settings of either VGA quality video with a resolution of 640 x 480 at 30 fps or QVGA video resolution of 320 x 240 at 30 frames per second. The videos are recorded as MPEG-4 files and saved as QuickTime files for later viewing. Video is recorded with a simultaneous stereo audio signal via the two mono microphones on either side of the flash.

**Picture Effects Mode
**The picture effects settings for the Kodak EasyShare Z612 aren’t nearly as expansive as the My Colors mode options provided with Canon A-series cameras; however, these options provide at least a token representation of digital effects. The picture effects options are located within the Color Mode submenu of the initial shooting menu and are as follows: high color, natural color, low color, black & white and sepia. There is also control over the level of sharpness within images through the sharpness submenu, also located within the initial shooting menu. The sharpness levels for the Z612 are high, low and normal (default).

Connectivity / Extras

**Connectivity
***Software
*The Kodak EasyShare Z612 does come bundled with optional software for editing. This software covers the basics of image editing and include settings like crop, trim and zoom, and while it provides a handful of digital effects which can be layered, the user won’t have the image control abilities found with more professional systems like Adobe’s Photoshop or Aperture by Apple. The Kodak EasyShare software editing suite is compatible for both Macintosh and Windows platforms.

*Jacks, Ports, Plugs
*A dock port is located on the base of the camera and connects to the included dock for direct printing. There are also two ports located on the right side of the camera beneath a rubber port cover, which connects securely at the bottom edge. When opened via a tab located along its top edge, the port cover reveals two ports for access to USB / A/V in/out. These ports are well positioned so that users will have enough space to accurately switch cables without accidentally unplugging others. And finally, on the base of the camera beneath a port cover that, when *

*opened, exposes the rechargeable battery and optional memory card slot.

*Direct Print Options
*The included dock for the Kodak EasyShare Z612 allows the user to instantly connect the camera to either EasyShare or ImageLink compliant printer via the port located on the base of the camera. There is also a USB out port on the right side of the camera to allow the user to connect it to the aforementioned compliant printers as well as to PictBridge enabled models. With this number of options available there is no reason for the Z612 user to be unable to find an appropriate printer to fulfill their requirements.

*Battery
*The battery for the Kodak EasyShare Z612 is accessed by opening the port cover on the base of the camera. The Z612 uses the rechargeable Li-ion digital camera battery KLIC-8000 and has a 225 to 300 shots per battery charge depending on the shooting style of the user.

*Memory
*The Kodak EasyShare Z612 comes with an included 32 MB of internal memory, which will surely be sufficient for back up memory, short shooting sessions, or brief video clips. If the user is planning on shooting a multitude of high-resolution photographs or frequent use of the movie feature, the purchase of additional memory would be advisable. The Kodak EasyShare Z612 accepts SD/MMC memory formats via a slot located beneath a port cover on the base of the camera.

**Other Features
***Optical Image Stabilizer - *The Kodak EasyShare Z612 does have an optical image stabilizer, which can be used or disengaged through the setup menu available in any of the shooting mode settings. This optical image stabilizer is essential to a camera like the Z612 with its high level of zoom and nearly 12x total optical zoom; hand-shake is an inevitably visible side effect of these zoom levels. The optical image stabilizer will perform with greater quality results than an electronic stabilizer.

*Video Action Print: 4-up, 9-up, or 16-up -*The video action print feature is located within the review menu under the action print submenu, and allows 4, 9 or 16 frames of video footage to be placed on a single print for the user to then print or share.

*Perfect Touch Technology - *The Perfect Touch Technology system is intended to be applied to images that are suffering from inaccurate exposure levels, flare and slight noise. The Perfect Touch Technology submenu is located within the Playback mode and when selected, this feature will display the selected image as a before and after split screen. If the user likes the automatically altered results, the user can ok the photo and save a copy to memory. It works; it takes subjects and scenes in deep shadow or less than vivid light, and compensates for these exposure inconsistencies while not applying this adjustment to areas of the image which are already appropriately balanced.

Overall Impressions

**Value **

The 6-megapixel Kodak EasyShare Z612 offers an optically stabilized 12x zoom lens and provides beginning and amateur camera users with a full auto mode, preset scenes and a full manual mode in addition to shutter and aperture priority modes. The camera can record video clips in MPEG-4 QuickTime format with simultaneous stereo audio. While the manual controls listed in the PASM menus weren’t easy to access with the reluctantly moving jog dial, the inclusion of these will appeal to the manual control market not able to make the jump to DSLR cameras like the Canon Rebel due to monetary or technical limitations. The camera has a high zoom level of 12x optical, 6x digital zoom lens, a 2.5-inch LCD with 230K resolution, a 6.1 MP CCD and an optical image stabilizer. The Z612 is retailing for $399.95 and should provide strong competition in the compact high zoom camera market.

**Who It’s For
***Point-and-Shooters --*The point-and-shoot user will find this camera an inviting option if higher zoom levels and eventual manual control wanted. The Kodak EasyShare menu structure is inherently simple and understated, with fast navigation and an auto mode that will provide quality image results for under $400.

*Budget Consumers -- *With the number of manual control options, well placed flash, movie control, presets and other features, the budget consumer with a slightly higher price range and more control needs than a straight-up point-and-shooter may want to look at this camera twice.

*Gadget Freaks -- *While the Perfect Touch Technology is an interesting addition to the stable of features provided by Kodak, the lack of real trend-setting innovation will make the gadget freak hunt other manufacturers for the elusive next-big-thing camera.

*Manual Control Freaks --*This camera does have manual control over a number of options including shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure, focus and metering—but honestly Kodak, no manual white balance? What gives? The omission of this important and basic control and the insinuation that the smattering of presets will suffice, is, well, misguided at best.

*Pros/Serious Hobbyists -- *The 12x zoom is nice and the manual control options are a start, but without an external zoom or focal ring, a lack of white balance in manual control, and the lack of in-camera image control, this camera is not a candidate for this market.

Conclusion

**Conclusion
**The Kodak EasyShare Z612 provides a 6.1 MP CCD, a 12x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization, manual control over aperture, shutter speed, focus, exposure and metering and a simple menu structure in either full manual or full auto modes. The Kodak EasyShare Z612 has a handful of useful presets, live and review Histogram displays, and a 2.5-inch, 230K LCD. Movie settings allow users to capture MPEG-4 video clips with stereo audio recording and in-camera playback options.

With all these features come a few inconsistencies and shortcomings. The user can only control white balance via presets, and a poorly designed jog dial control is responsible for controlling the manual options listed along the bottom of the LCD screen. In review mode, Kodak ironically hasn’t caught up with the competition and is only providing one editing option for images; this is underwhelming when compared to the plethora of editing options available for both still and video review from other manufacturers.

But so far, the price of $399.95 seems reasonable. It boils down to testing, and the value will be in the quality of images. Check back for the test results when we conduct our full review of the EasyShare Z612 in the coming months.