Kodak Z740

[Pauline]

Since I didn't get the 700, I thought I would start a new heading. Well what can I say about my new camera?? I LOVE IT!!! I only used automatic setting today. We were at a Fair. Lots of colours, lots of movement, a tough job for a camera. Well this little camera handled it extremely well. I love the 10 x zoom. What an incredible difference and I am surprised at how well focused it looks when using it.

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=19rx6tKqqsnjwY3eapth6JvAjLzJd

I haven't done anything but resized these. This first one I realize needs straightening, but it shows how fast the shutter is as that is the drop zone and moving very fast on it's way down. No blur! I'm impressed. In burst mode I could only get 2 shots in before it hit bottom.

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1rsrrFn0wLgQ0qIcVhx1suI15b7W0

We were in the grand stands for this one. The horse and rider were on the opposite side farthest away from us, and trotting. This was using 10 x zoom.

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1YNTiRxAGzhncKENrNeQmtzrkTBSj0

I love this one. This horse was acting up and pawing at the earth. He looks like he's posing.

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1IBd4iA1Yr8cVldm1Opd2KStdGb5k

The worst picture of the bunch. The camera did a great job at exposure for my son in this dark building, but the cow gets lost. I will have to do a little masking work on this one and bring out the cow. Overall though in the low light it handled it pretty well.

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1r97wCcEzNYez0KTPw8wFCUcQr9vj0

Last one. I love how it handled this huge assortment of colourful stuffed toys. Everything is clear, including the writing on one of the signs.

Overall, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty happy. The outdoor pictures were all taken during the worst time of the day with the noon day sun, and I think they all turned out pretty darn good!! I'm one happy camper and I think this was a very good investment with lots of room for learning. :D

[Jodi Frye]

wow...and just think..this is only your first day with the new toy ! Wonderful !! You'll be a pro photog in no time with that little gem ;)

[Pauline]

The one thing I didn't like in the store was it was hard to read the dial for the settings (these old eyes seem to be having trouble reading the fine print all of a sudden!). The 700 had the symbols in black which I could see better. It turns out that the reason I can't see them well is that they are back lit when the camera is turned on! :wink: Also a little glitch with hitting the button behind the shutter button, but I think I got that one finally figured out. Now I'm reading the HUGE manual the came with the new HP. I'm going to need a vacation from all this learning I've been doing lately. :lol: :lol:

My job for Monday will be printing some pictures before I return Epson's printer. No way I'm sending them back half full ink cartridges!!

If I have the energy I might take both cameras out tonight for the sunset shot. I'd like to see a side by side with them both in auto mode. I have a feeling there will be no comparison.

[GaryK]

Pauline

Great colours....glad you like it.

Sounds like it will do the trick for you :D

[Kathy]

Pauline,

I am so happy that you are liking it. My point and shoot was Kodak and I still love the colour that Kodak delivers.

The zoom is wonderful on that camera isn't it?

Great pics! Happy learning!

Kathy

[Pauline]

The zoom is fantastic, and as for the colours that's on "normal" mode! There's also a "vibrant" mode!! I'll have to find that for next weekend when we go to Algonquin Park and take pictures of the fall leaves. The colours are dead on from what I can see, because that is how bright all the stuff at the fair was. I knew it would be a good place to check it out.

[Spyder]

The review favoured for it here:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/z740.html

Sounds impressive for the price. Only info I didn't find there was what formats it output in, jpg tif,raw etc.
I own a Kodak right now, never been disappointed in the image quality, only downside to my model is that it's lacking zoom (only 3x optical) and can't capture images fast enough for moving subjects, yours sounds like it's spot on.

[MikeH]

Spyder,

The still format is JPEG (it doesn't do TIFF or RAW), here the Kodak spec:

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/19/131/6547/6551&pq-locale=en_US

Mike

[JennB]

Pauline, looks like your new camera is working for you! BTW, I was wondering why you chose a Kodak camera when your old one was a Canon. Did you check out the S2 IS with 12x optical zoom? It looks comparable to the Kodak. Just curious! :)

[Jodi Frye]

...I bet it's a color thing ;)

[Pauline]

Well for one thing it was the colour and I found with my Canon group shots really turned out horrible in low light. I just thought I would like a change. The other one I thought about was the Fuji (because of Jodi's rave reviews). Also I didn't want to spend a fortune and this one is cheaper. The one thing that I did notice that was on dpreview (I reread it last night) was the time it takes to process the pictures is a bit on the slow side, so if you want to take one right after the other you have to wait a bit. NOW that being said, I feel we have become quite an impatient society and I remember my old old camera that you had to advance the film between each shot! (I think it was a 110 film camera?). The basketball game Wed. will be the true test, but I find the shutter speed extrememly fast compared to my Canon. That drop zone ride would have been blurry on it because it was coming pretty fast.

The grainy LCD and viewfinder is grainy only in low light conditions, but the pictures are fabulous and that's all that matters. If it were grainy all the time on the LCD and through the view finder I wouldn't have been happy. I plan on printintg an 8 x 10 today to see what I think. Perhaps the one of all the stuffed animals would be good!

[GaryK]

Pauline

Beaverton Fall Fair???

[Wendy]

Pauline ...

... Great images. I just knew that you would love the camera :)


Wendy

[Pauline]

No Gary, this is from the Lindsay Fall fair. (quite a bit bigger than the Beaverton one) Beaverton was the weekend before, and I didn't attend. (I wasn't feeling very sociable).

Wendy. Welcome back. Hope your holiday was a good one. This is an upgrade, not the Z700 as planned, but I am happy that things worked out the way they did! The coupon from Costco steered me this way and then the fact that it was only on line, I ended up with an upgrade at the store. I did find out that I wasn't crazy though. This camera WAS NOT in the store a couple weeks ago, it was the Z700. The salesman told me he'd been away a couple weeks and hadn't even checked this one out yet, it was there when he got back. I think it will serve me very well. Hopefully for many many years!

[Wendy]

Hi Pauline ...

... I had a great time and took lots of photos :)

... but its taking me forever to read all the messages, so far I have been reading them for 2 hours :(


Wendy

[Pauline]

:lol: and by the look of the messages I've just caught up on you've been busy replying. :lol: :lol: Have you unpacked yet, or did you just run to the computer, shaking with withdrawals?? I'm not going to be watching you on one of those tv shows where the family confronts their loved one about their additions am I?? :wink:

[Wendy]

Pauline...

... I quickly unpacked, collected the cat and then rushed to the computer. I'm now so tirred so I guess I will go and make dinner ... but I will be back later :)


Wendy

[Spyder]

Thanks Mike, I suspected as much.

[Pauline]

I just printed an 8.5 x 11 picture of the last picture posted on pixentral of all the stuffed toys. WOW. It's pretty amazing, and clear as a bell. All the details are there. The colours are vibrant. I love it. Again no chance to get outside today and play with the camera as it's pouring rain. That's okay. I have lots to do inside so it can wait.

[Jodi Frye]

Pauline, that's great news about the print ! You are definetly off to a good start ! Yup, pouring here as well...Rita's sweat after she destroyed the south. I feel bad for those in Louisiana. I wont complain about a little rain....

[Pauline]

We have had a very dry summer here, so I won't complain either. I do feel sorry for my son though. They have a trip today to the Science Center down in Toronto. It was probably a long bus ride down there. The rain will slow everything down, and also my husband's ride was probably extra long today. (it's already close to 2 hours on a 'good' day)