Kodak Easyshare Z1285 12.0 MP Digital Camera with 5xOptical Zoom

I first saw this camera when a friend of mine was using it at Sturgis. His pictures, taken under all kinds of difficult conditions, turned out great. Before buying this Kodak 1285 I searched the internet, stores, and websites looking for any camera that may have been a better deal but could not find any! The combination of 5X Zoom (plus an additional 5X digital Zoom) was tops in it's class alone. But when you add the unprecidented 12MP nothing else came close unless you went to a SLR size camera. I already have a fantastic 35mm SLR camera but seldom have it with me because of the size. This camera will fit in a pocket or in a small belt pouch and I have had it with me nearly all of the time since I've purchased it. It also has the advantage of taking AA batteries rather than the rechargeable internal batteries. I use rechargeable AAs and have been using the first pair for a month now without having to replace them. And if I'm ever in a situation where my rechargeables are dead I can always use standard AA batteries which are available everywhere! This camera is easy to use, with several "smart" modes but is still able to be set up manually. It is versatile, easy to use, takes AWESOME pictures under most conditions and, best of all, it's affordable. The only other cameras I was able to find that even came close in features were $50-$100 more costly. BUY IT! YOU'LL LOVE IT!!!

I have purchased two of these cameras, in hopes of the second one working better than the first. They both had the exact same problem! They will not even stay on, the screen is constantly black! Sometimes I can take about 5 pictures & then it goes black & I have to replace the batteries. I have tried every kind of battery (including lithium & the actual Kodak brand) Nothing works! Kodak is well aware of the problem, yet they will not do anything to rectify the situation. Please do NOT buy this camera. It will only cause you hassle & heartache (constantly losing beautiful pictures of my 7 children - including Christmas morning!!) And by the way, for the couple times the camera actually did take pictures, the red-eye reduction is terrible - does NOT work at all! I sincerely hope I can save you $180 with this review. I wouldn't pay even $5 for this defective model from Kodak!

This camera takes excellent pictures. Learning the differences between the settings is very important though. I tested all the settings in multiple lights and scenarios when I got the camera and when it came to using the camera at work, it was easy to take fantastic pictures. I received a lot of compliments for the pictures but it was mostly the camera. I let 5 to 10 year old students take pictures with the camera on smart scene and most came out pretty good! It was also very easy for them to use the zoom as well. Cons: I do sometimes get blurry pictures. On smart scene it takes a few seconds for the camera to get ready for the next shot. I definitely recommend this camera for the beginner or average user.

I bought the Kodak Z1285 about 3 weeks ago on Amazon for $149.95 and I was initially skeptical about so many features for such a low price. After shooting about 100 pictures and about 20 minutes of video, I feel that my purchase was a good one. Here's the pro's and con's why... First, the highlights: The 5x optical zoom is wonderful. I have had 3 digital cameras before this and the best of those had only a 3x zoom. So, 5x zoom really gets you up close. This is a real plus when you are taking pictures from, let's say, the back of a school auditorium. Panoramic shooting mode is awesome. I have only played around with this so far, but it would be nice in outdoor shots of nature. There is no shutter lag that I could detect. The camera is compact enough to fit into most pockets. It is not the most compact camera out there, but it is reasonably small. The 12 megapixel pictures are very impressive, sharp and the colors are true to life. The video, whether at 640 x 480, or HD widescreen, is very good for a point and shoot camera. You can also zoom while taking a video (but see my drawback section). I use Pinnacle and Magix to create DVDs and have no problem creating DVDs with the quicktime (.MOV) files this camera creates. I would not throw away my camcorder just yet, but I guess the day is coming... There are plenty of shooting modes, but the camera can be left on automatic which makes it a simple point and shoot process. It takes AA batteries and, with the rechargeables that I use, the life of the batteries is not bad. I know what the other reviews said, but, compared with all of the other digital cameras I have had, this one has the best battery life by far and they are AA! There is only about 2-3 second delay between photos when not using the flash. That's a decent turn around time. There is a "burst" setting if this is a problem for some. The image stabilization mode is helpful. Now, the drawbacks: The camera body is all plastic. This is really not a problem, but it does lessen the "feel factor" that you are holding a quality product or showing it off to a friend. The compression of the JPEG files by this camera cuts the picture down to anywhere from 1.4 to 2.0 megs per shot. This is not necessarily a problem, but it is not adjustable as some other manufacturers make this a user setting. In a side by side comparison of a friend's Canon SD 1100 IS camera, I would have to say that picture quality is roughly the same. I had a difficult time telling the difference between the pictures taken by these two cameras. Keep in mind that the SD 1100 is only a 8mp camera. However, keep in mind that my friend also paid $70 more for his camera. So I am not sure if this one is a "pro" or a "con". There is "noise" in the photos when shooting in the image stabilization mode. This appears to be due to the camera stepping up to a higher ISO. The camera picks up a sound from the data writing to the flash card during the recording of HD video. The sound is not noticeable if, let's say, the video you are recording has a lot of sound already. However, during quiet passages, the camera picks up soft "clicks" that end up on your video. It's not terrible, but just be aware. The camera picks up the sound of the zoom motor if you zoom while recording a video. I guess that's why most every other manufacturer out there does not allow you to zoom while taking a video. The flash could be stronger. It's not bad; I just wish it could go beyond the 12 foot range since the optical zoom gets you out so far. Summary: All things considered, this camera packs a lot of features and quality for the price. The good points far outweigh any drawbacks this camera may have. No, it is not a Canon, or a Sony so your family and friends might not be impressed by the label. However, if you do not want to spend $200+ on a camera with all of these features and you want something easy to use that takes good quality pictures and video, then you will not go wrong selecting this camera. If you can get it at $149.95 like I did, then it is a real bargain.

Great camera. I also have a Cannon Cool Pix, and it just doesn't produce pictures like the Kodak. It was easy to use and different settings to let me take the pictures I want and not always what the camera wants. The video is crisp pictures and clear sound. Unfortunately, it won't turn on. It does have a common problem. I hoped that Kodak would improve it, but it doesn't look like that they will any time soon, so sad.

Had a hard time getting the camera to turn on --- took about 10 trys to get it on. Took some great pictures. Truned it off. came back later to take more pictures and finally got the camera on again after 10 or 15 attemps. It kept getting worse untill it will not turn on at all.

This camera was a Christmas present for my wife and she was so excited. Even had good results for first 50 pics. Then it started. Batteries, batteries and more batteries to finish up Christmas Eve. What a disappointment. Have to send back to Amazon (I THINK AMAZON IS THE ONLY PLACE FOR ONLINE SHOPPING. CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GODOD THINGS.) PS We used 12 batteries on Christmas Eve and even bought a charger and rechargeable batteries. These did not last any longer.

I have gotten my z1285 a little over a week ago and i love it. the zoom is awesome on it and the video is great as well. i was kind of worried by some of the other reviews i read. i have a class 6 8 gig card and i do not hear it trying to "write" on the card when i'm doing a video. yes you can hear a lil hum when your zooming on video but it's not that bad. Overall the pictures and video quality are awesome. it's very easy to use and to operate as well. i'm very pleased with my purchase of the z1285 and the 8 gig class 6 sd card!