Shaped like a brick and sporting a lens that dominates the face, we expected this HD video-shooting clunker to wow us with its images. Did this ugly duckling turn into a swan?
Review summary of the Kodak EasyShare Z1275:
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 Right off the bat, we were not drawn to this camera. It's design is clunky, reminiscent of years past when we expected cameras to be bulky and unattractive. The lens is massive, yet somehow it doesn't translate into crystal-clear images or even a superzoom, stopping short at 5x. We liked the video and panorama modes, but these certainly weren't enough to make us actually want to own one. Release: August 2007. Price: $180.
Pros: HD video in 720p resolution, panorama mode
Cons: Average pictures, no in-camera editing, big, clunky design
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Full Kodak EasyShare Z1275 Review:
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Design - Mediocre
The 2.5-inch screen on the EasyShare Z1275 is about average for a point-and-shoot, and while it appears there was more room for Kodak to squeeze in a slightly larger LCD, it is adequate. Like many new digital point-and-shoot cameras, there is no optical viewfinder, so all shots must be lined up on the LCD. We're not huge fans of this trend, but it doesn't hamper our overall experience. It did a slightly below-average job of representing what the picture will look like on your computer. We expected better from such a chunky package.
We found most of the buttons to be too narrow and flush against the surface of the camera. Many times we found ourselves being forced to push a button multiple times to achieve the desired effect. We also didn't like the square D-pad; we thought it was big enough, but it was quite loose and required significant concentration to navigate. Aesthetically, this camera leaves much to be desired. Considering the zoom was only 5x, we were surprised at how long the lens extended. The lens cover was extremely flimsy, and doesn't look like it could stand up to much of anything outside of the occasional dust particle. The hand grip is useful but not perfect, and the on/off switch was a pain to use.
Shooting Features - Very Good
The Z1275's sensitivity settings, reaching up to ISO 1600 -- 3200 at reduced resolution -- were nice, as was the 12-megapixel sensor. But we expected a better zoom lens from such bulky package; we think Kodak could have done a lot better than 5x. We loved the panorama mode, however, and were impressed by the ease of use.
There were 20 different scene modes, and much like the Olympus 790SW that we tested side-by-side, none of them seemed to be able to capture the portrait-against-the-skyline shot we so desperately wanted when strolling the Brooklyn Heights promenade after sundown. While we liked the panorama feature and found it to be useful, unfortunately the picture quality didn't do the shots justice. With some external equipment this might have worked out, but certainly not out of the box.
Start-up was sluggish; we were able to get a focused shot in about 5 seconds after powering up. The second shot was much faster, coming in at just under 2 seconds, which is better, but the initial startup speed is too slow, and needs improvement.
There are manual options on the Z1275, but they were pretty barebones, and consisted of settings for white balance, exposure metering, sharpness and red-eye reduction. ISO settings were not manually adjustable, but there is an "ISO" mode, which Kodak suggests the user should "use to capture pictures in very low-light conditions." Unfortunately, we were not able to actually take a picture in the mode, because every time we attempted to depress the shutter, we were inexplicably kicked out to Favorites mode and then back again. Someone call the exterminator: we have a bug.
Image Quality - Mediocre
We experienced some mixed results with the Z1275. On rare occasions, we were able to capture brilliance through the lens, but for the most part the images were dominated by noise and fuzz. Oddly enough, the best shots we got were not in cloudless sunlight, but on a partly cloudy day, which resolved the glare issues we experienced with direct sunlight.
White balance, exposure metering, sharpness and red-eye pre-flash were all modifiable in the manual mode, but with only 3 or for presets for each one, we were left wanting more. In addition, the only in-camera editing option was a crop tool and something called PERFECT TOUCH Tech., whose purpose we couldn't quite figure out, but it certainly didn't make our pictures look any better. This is definitely not the point-and-shoot for people who want more manual control.
The best still photography feature on the Z1275 was by far the panorama mode. We loved how simple it was to paste two or three pictures together to create one extremely wide panoramic image. Provided conditions were right, we were able to stitch together up to three pictures in-camera with ease. It took a little practice, but once we had it down it was simple. A tripod would make it infinitely easier, but is not wholly necessary.
We also loved that we could shoot video in 720p widescreen. The quality was definitely a step up from most other cameras we've tested, and we were even impressed with the quality of video taken in extremely low light. That being said, we were never able to get more than a few minutes recorded, thanks to the atrocious battery life (more on this later). To be honest, this camera would have been more appealing as a $200 720p camcorder, stripped of some unnecessary options, but maybe include a light and a Li-Ion Battery.
Image Transfer - Very Good
We weren't too upset about not getting a free trial to Kodak's online galery, because the Kodak Gallery is one of our least favorite online photo hosting sites. The software told us we were allowed to upload as many pictures, at any size we pleased, but navigation was cumbersome, and when we shared galleries or received galleries from other users, it usually took several tries for us to figure out exactly what buttons to click to find the pictures. Even then, we were extremely disappointed that there was no way for our friends to save full-resolution copies of the pictures we shared with them. And therein lies the rub. We can upload as many pictures as we want, but no one can download them. Not without paying, of course. In the age of free photo-hosting services like Flickr, Photobucket and Webshots, its embarrassing that the only way our friends could download pictures was to pay.
We liked the custom install option, as it allowed us to omit the greeting card templates and photo printer (which we do not have) options from the installation, preventing us from having a bunch of stuff we don't want or need on our computer.
The software allowed us to send pictures as e-mail attachments, letting us choose if we wanted to resize for quicker transfer or to keep the original size. We were given basic editing options like rotate, red eye fix and "enhance," in addition to scene balance, color balance, scene effects and "fun" effects. While some effects were pretty useless, we did like the balance options, which were effective and easy to use.
Transfers with the USB 2.0 cable were fast enough, with 15 9MP pictures taking less than 15 seconds to transfer. We liked that it used the ubiquitous SD format, but didn't like the proprietary USB cable.
While we didn't hate the software, it certainly wasn't enough to replace our current setup with iPhoto on our Mac and Adobe Photoshop Album on our PC. That being said, if you were to completely buy into the Kodak Gallery service (which we wouldn't recommend), the integration might be worth using the included software.
Accessories - Poor
Accessories bundled with the Z1275 include a wrist strap, EasyShare software, two AA batteries, a USB 2.0 cable, and a plastic piece to connect the camera to an EasyShare dock or printer (not included). We hate AA batteries. Sure, it's nice to have a Plan B for batteries in case your camera drains them, and finding batteries at any gas station is convenient. Unfortunately, and especially with this camera, this is not Plan B, but more like Plan A. The batteries were constantly dying on us, after less than an hour's use at times. Replacement batteries didn't fare much better, and we found ourselves spending about $10 a week just to keep our camera in fresh batteries. We also would have liked a more standard mini or micro USB cable (instead of the included proprietary one). Not only did Kodak include the bare minimum required to shoot and upload pictures, but they did it without making the experience convenient for the user.
Price and availability
The Kodak EasyShare Z1275 is available now for $250.
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