Kodak - EasyShare 12.1MP Digital Camera - Black

I am sorry to have taken so long to write this review. I have had the Kodak Z1285 camera for about 6 months now. This camera has angered me so much, that I finally had to sit down and warn others of its absolutely terrible performance. Sure, it looks like a great deal: 12 megapixels, 5x optical zoom, HD video, etc. However, the performance is UNACCEPTABLE. The first thing is a constant blue screen of death. After literally each picture, when you are ready to snap the second precious pic of any loved one or special moment, this camera blanks out to a "blue screen of death" with the word "Processing" displayed. This blue screen lasts anywhere from 3 seconds to 30 seconds and disables your ability to snap a picture. Bye Bye precious moment. This one feature alone makes this camera unsatisfactory for anyone's use. It is a definite deal killer. I called Kodak about this and wrote emails. They do not seem to be aware of this problem and gave me the standard "we apologize for blah blah blah." They suggested that either the batteries needed replacement or the memory card was defective. Neither was the problem. I use lithium AA batteries (great batteries by the way - forget alkalines for your camera.) I also used different memory cards all from the most reputable supplier "SanDisk." The Blue Screen of Processing Death is in the camera. You will be EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED due to this design defect. Kodak did not offer to refund my money. The next deal killer is the video. Forget taking HD video with this camera. My Razr cell phone takes better video - literally. The video on this camera is CHOPPY, STAGGERS, MISSES ACTION, and is TOTALLY UNWATCHABLE. You could take successive photos, place them in a stack and flip through them quickly and get better animation movement. The video at ANY setting (of quality resolution) is UNACCEPTABLE. It's like the camera has to stop taping and REFOCUS every 1/2 second to 2 seconds. Much action is truly missed and the movie is more like flipping pages through a story book and "skipping through time." The next deal killer is the optical zoom. The camera zooms but it is too shaky to take a picture with. And for some reason all the pictures taken at high zoom are GRAINY. Color rendition is also EXTREMELY POOR. In essence, the zoom is USELESS. In addition, the "Image Stabilization" option is a knob setting and not a selection that can be used for every mode of picture taking. So if you want to use a night shot or the "Beach" or "Firecracker" or "Museum" or ANY mode setting, you CANNOT USE the image stabilization at the same time since it is not setting. In fact, when you select the Image Stabilization, there is no way to tell what mode the camera is in or how it is adjusting the speed or ISO settings. The "Image Stabilization" setting is thus USELESS. When on high zoom, you definitely need image stabilization because the camera is so shaky and sensitive to movement your photo will be BLURRY and SMEARED and UNACCEPTABLE. So if you wanted to, for example, take a night time shot of a city scene with all the city lights, from far away, and you zoom up on it, you CANNOT engage the stabilization feature and your picture will, without FAIL, come out BLURRED. I should note that the camera has a good feel to it and does not feel like a cheap plastic camera. That is its one nice feature. However, it cannot take a decent picture even when all lighting and subject conditions are optimal. Note also that there is no viewfinder so you must always use the LCD screen (a battery life waster). In conclusion, this camera is SLOW, POORLY DESIGNED, and takes LOUSY, POOR-COLOR RENDITION pictures. The video is COMPLETELY UNUSABLE. I had owned a Kodak 3 megapixel camera for several years before I got this one. The old Kodak camera took wonderful pictures. This Z1285 model however, has set digital photography back many years. All in all, buy AT YOUR OWN RISK. I wish I had taken this camera back when I first got it. I just couldn't believe it was as bad as it truly is. My fellow citizens - consider yourselves FOREWARNED. Best of luck to all.

This is a gem of a digital camera. I’ve similar cameras in the past, but I’m glad I moved over to a Kodak. First, it’s reliable, easy to handle, and was ready to go to work, when I wanted it to. It has a number of “capture modes” to use. You can’t go wrong picking “Smart Scene.” With this setting, the Kodak does all of the magic for you, and trust me, the results have been “magical.” Point and shoot just about explains how it is done. If you’re taking a picture under a particular circumstance, like at a sporting event; at the beach; or like I recently did at dusk on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C.; then, all you have to do is put the capture mode in the “Scene” selection; and then, go ahead and choose the specific setting that you need. I’m very fond, too, of the fact that the camera can also store my “favorite” photos, so that I can show them off to the family and friends when I want to. I found another feature on my Kodak that I’ve appreciated. It also can do a video and I mean of a first rate quality, too. There is much more to this little guy, with its setting, such as“manual,” which lets you do the fine tuning to capture the picture you desire. Also, its “Easy Share” feature works just fine with my Mac. I’m very pleased to recommend this digital camera from Kodak.

If you want something small that will take decent pictures and amazing video then this would be a great purchase. I found that the battery life from AA batteries was awful, so purchasing the extra ni-mh batteries and charger is a must. I am disappointed with almost all my pictures taken indoors and 3 out of 10 outdoor pictures have a wonderfully clear crisp background and a blurry subject. That blurriness doesn't seem to show up on the viewfinder, so you do not know it is a poor picture until you download it to the computer. The HD video is amazing, but I am very disappointed that the only program to use the video with is Quicktime. So forget windows movie maker without purchasing some type of converter program. I bought this camera to replace a broken Canon powershot, and believe that the canon powershot spolied me as far as image quality goes. But for now it will do until I can replace it with another canon! I am actually thinking of purchasing a canon slr camera and using this one for the amazing HD video.

I love my camera. I am not super photo savvy, just taking photos of friends and family. I get great picture quality. My beef with this camera and my reason for writing this review to inform potential buyers: the software to get the most use of my photos on the computer is awful. It is constantly having to shut down, slow with tasks, confusing. One example: There is a button for express upload to a site such as Kodak gallery. The message I continually get is: you must be connected to the internet to do that. please sign on and then click "ok" on the message. I have high speed. I am always signed on and have other working webpages up and cannot seem to get this through to the software. I'll be sure the internet is functional and click "ok." I just get the same message with a beep. I don't think this is an easy share camera as it is called. I am very frustrated with the software, not the camera so much. I agree with other reviewers who are displeased with the battery life. It's awful. I have friends with other brand cameras who seem happier. I think my picture quality is higher, but I cannot seem to get the pictures to anyone for anyone to notice or care. Because of this frustration and the seeming lack of it with other persons who seem content with their camera, I would not recommend it. In short, I like the camera, but if I can't share the photos, there's not much point to having the great picture quality it gives me.

I love this camera. I get great pictures, beautiful color, the pictures that have not come out? Probably my fault. If you want to take pictures in rapid sucession you can use the burst mode. I love the quality of my photos when I print an 8x10...just beautiful. I also get great battery life. However, I am not going to say those who post that they have problems with this camera are wrong. I've read too many reviews on different sites not to realize there may be a production problem going on. Overwhelmingly I see people who either love this camera or hate it, and it consistenly has to do with battery life, hd picture quality, etc. So, really, really try it when you get it, and if you find you got a bad one, you know what to do...return it. Out of all my digitals I've had so far, Nikon, Canon and another Kodak, this is the one I love most, so I am glad I took a shot at it.

Well this is my first camera and given that I am a camera n00b and thus cannot fully appreciate what I have in the Z1285, from what I can tell, this is an amazing camera and at 200 bucks was an astounding deal as well! All other comparable cameras were over 300 dollars. But don't get the KLIC-8000 rechargeable battery for it because even though the website says they are compatible, they aren't. I just got the Ni-MH rechargeable battery kit with charger and it seems to work great! The videos it takes are by far the best part of the deal. Also, even at the highest zoom the picture quality was still remarkable. Overall, I recommend that you get this as soon as possible because I looked everywhere and this was the best camera for the best price I could find.

WOW what a bad camera! I returned it the next day! Really grainy pictures!! It was pretty easy to navigate but I'd much rather read a manual than have grainy pictures. That was my main upset. I knew something would be lacking a little for the price, I just didn't figure it would be something as vital as picture quality. Also, the battery life was TERRIBLE! I don't recommend the easyshare. It was my first Kodak experience and it was not a good one. Maybe other Kodak cameras are good, but most people made a face when I told them I had just gotten a kodak. I was advised to stick with canon and niko. I actually wound up getting a samsung, and am happy. Good luck if you purchased this camera, it's a waste for the money.

Just got it today and it's pretty great. I got it on sale so it was only $170.00. Definitely worth it. Every comparable camera was $300 or more. You do need the goofy docking station to view your pics on an hd tv I think but who cares, still very cool for an inexpensive point and shoot. It also has a cool panorama feature that stitches together three 4 mega pixel pics which works great. Pics even look good at full digi zoom backlit by the sunset which is surprising. Overall I'm impressed and would recommend it.