Kodak EasyShare Z981 14MP 26x Optical/5x Digital Zoom HD Camera (Black) - One Touch Sharing!

We've been a Kodak family all our lives, having lived near Rochester NY as a child, and my father working there straight out of college until he retired.As such, I had a clear view of what made Kodak the giant it was in the last century. However, I was an early adopter of digital, and before that, 35mmSLR, both of which Kodak didn't offer at the time(s), being a consumer camera niche supplier in the hardware area. Of course, they continued to be the quality leader in all the film areas, including exotic ones for the pros, and, with family ties, I'd sort of kept an eye on the company's products.Our point-and-shoot (with enhancements mimicking 35MM manual cameras) digital cameras, aside from the very earliest, turned out to be Olympus. The Kodak offerings during those years weren't either sufficiently geeky, or too expensive, or lacking a viewfinder.However, we live full time on a boat in international waters (read: salt), and our most recent Olympus had not only suffered enough salt air to lose its view screen (the one on the back - the finder was fine) during a wave-watching period; it got drenched when a wave slammed ashore, climbed a 50' rock face, and leapt over the 30 feet we were standing back, hitting our companion hard enough to knock him down, and drench us (along with the camera).We eventually sent that camera off to Olympus, where we were informed it was unrepairable; "Would you like to buy a refurb with a full new warranty?" It was more than I'd expected to pay for a new camera, and, by that time, 2-year-old technology, so I demurred.I'd found several potentials in looking around in anticipation of this day, and Kodak had several possibilities. I referred them to my professional photographer brother. He had very nice things to say about this camera, even though it wasn't the current model. That it's not will make finding one, other than on Amazon, challenging, unfortunately, but one of our must-have's being a viewfinder limited our choices, as the industry is moving away from those in all but the very high-end cameras.More research showed that this camera had all the bells and whistles I'd ever need, and, as you can easily find the specs on the internet, I'll not repeat them here.I've had several weeks to play with our new camera, and am very well pleased. The ability to use a common SD chip, rather than the somewhat wonky XD Olympus requires, makes retrieval of the images a snap. We don't shoot in ultra high resolutions, as our usage is to document what we do and experience in our waterborne home, so even a small chip holds more than we'd ever take without unloading it.I find, despite my high speed chip, that images are a bit long to write to file for my preference, but my reading of the specs showed me that a really fast chip wouldn't change that, as the write speeds aren't fast enough to change matters by going to a higher speed chip. For someone who needs to take pictures in other than a burst speed, but very quickly, this may be a knockout for this model.The flash is automatic - it pops up when needed or specified, with no latching button to release, a very nice feature.Many of the reviews I read complained about the battery door. Pish-Tosh! Push down on the outer edge so that the pressure of the battery springs is relieved (hold the camera so that your non-latch-moving hand has the thumb on the top) and the latch moves without effort, whether closing or opening. Helps to be a physics major in my prior life! :)The camera is physically larger than my prior, but nowhere near the size and weight of the DSLR my brother uses, and only marginally heavier than my prior Olympus, so it's an easy user.Two minor complaints as to familiarity vs most other digital cameras: The power switch is right in front of the wheel controlling the setting you want to use; it can get bumped into another place while operating it. The zoom button isn't around the trigger, but on the back of the camera. The zoom is a matter of familiarity, but the power switch has required extra care - I have to look, and activate, carefully, before I turn it on or off.This camera has a vertical (portrait vs landscape) button, but I've never used it, preferring to turn the camera as I always have. I presume the button will transform the viewfinder and image 90° so that you see (a much smaller, which is why I don't use it) the vertical orientation - which would also save an editing step by having the image presented that way on review. Some may prefer this option.So far, we've found the battery life to be satisfactory, but then, we never use the viewpane, so save a lot of milliamps that way. The camera comes with an included charger and 4 Kodak AA NiMH batteries to get you started. I wasn't able to determine whether the charger was "smart" - that is, it cuts off when the batteries are charged, so as to not cook them if left in too long - and the lights don't change character to indicate full charge. So, I assume you have to be careful as to how long you leave the batteries in it. It's also not one of their quick-chargers; the appropriate charge time is many hours.All in, I'm a very happy camper (well, boater, if you can call how we cruise as merely "boating"). I was offered an all-perils extended warranty, administered through Amazon, and given the environment we're in, took it. I got a followup call from the warranty company in a few days wanting to make sure I was happy. That's pretty unusual customer service. The way it's registered is also unique in my experience (maybe living offshore has limited my exposure and it's now the norm?); one merely tied the digital receipt from Amazon to them, and it's done. Pretty simple, I'd say. Dropping, water, and other hazards are covered, so we're very glad of that, given our relatively hazardous marine environment.Thumbs up for me on this camera!

I pre-ordered the Z981 and received it promptly upon release. I am very happy with this camera. As with any change from one brand and model to another, I had to acclimate to the location of controls, experiment with exposure options, etc. Well worth it.Kodak has placed the functions you use most often in actually taking photographs right under your fingertip with a toggle button. NO NEED TO HUNT THROUGH MENUS TRYING TO REMEMBER WHERE THEY HID THE THING YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.I have put the extra grip on the camera and I highly recommend using it since it INCREASES STABILITY and makes it easier to avoid moving the camera when you push the shutter button.It might be nice to have a screen that you can tilt - However, it's one less thing to break when I am photographing while dog walking, and the price of the camera is so good that I'll put up with missing a couple of luxuries.I am not a kid and have some odd vision problems - I was concerned about the lack of a diopter adjustment on the viewfinder. I can take my glasses off and use the viewfinder with no problem at all. Don't ask me why or how. I don't know, but I think you don't need the diopter adjustment on this camera. My last camera had a diopter adjustment which had to be adjusted properly for me to see.No way to attach filters - you can hold a polarizer if you need it. The color intensity is good without it. Sometimes I want to penetrate water surfaces for images. I thought this would bother me a lot more than it is.The viewfinder is good, and I have found it helps holding the camera steady to use the viewfinder for wildlife shots - not always my choice, but sometimes.I am learning to love this camera - The design of the dials, toggle switch, and menus is enabling me to enjoy photography as I did when I was using 35 mm and had a camera with controls under your fingertips. For the first time since I have switched to digital photography, I can concentrate on the photography instead of concentrating on manipulating menus looking for settings.No need to carry the manual with you to find stuff. Shutter priority, aperture priority, and manual are all easy to use - especially easy due to the toggle switch. You might want to read a couple of photo books if you are a novice to gain information to enable you to use these areas effectively. I don't mean the camera operation. I mean the knowledge of photography principles to enable you to use the many capabilities this camera offers.Kodak has left off a hot shoe - However the camera's flash is reasonably powerful for most stuff, and while a hot shoe would be nice, you can put a flash on a bracket which you can adapt to trigger when your flash fires. I actually have another camera with the dedicated larger flash, and I found that I rarely use it - a change from 35 mm when I used the larger dedicated flash a lot. It's often easier to adjust the camera to use available light.Things are well placed, the camera is working well - the convenience of the controls is exceptional. The price is excellent. The good zoom with no extra lenses and attachments is a major convenience.A little practice to become accustomed to a different camera than I was using, a lot of fun, some very good pictures (I do a lot of wildlife and nature stuff) - the manual focus works well when you need it. You need to check your photo style to pick your metering preference - A change in metering preference can affect your results. I only use the continuous auto-focus rarely - mostly that is a battery hog and a distraction.There is minimal lag time between photo capture and shutter release, which is a great benefit in getting the shot you thought you saw -If you are a raw novice, there is a "simple" button. The camera will evaluate the scene and set itself. You can start right off with that setting without knowing much and learn as you go how to use the other capabilities available.I love this camera and highly recommend it to anyone considering it, beginner or advanced. While it may not have every base covered for filters and flash add-ons, the price of this very versatile camera is pretty attractive, too. It has amazing flexibility for the price, and since I am retired and on a fixed income, price is important - especially in this economy. A very good choice for convenience, varied capabilities, good price.

I carry both this camera and an Olympus DSLR in my bag. I had the DSLR for sometime and wanted a camera with a nice zoom on it with out paying the great cost for a DSLR lens only. So I got this camera and I love it. The zoom is what got me to look at it but after using it this summer I can say the entire package is pretty good.I took some shoots of kids jumping off the boardwalk into the ocean at the beach one day and the picture of them in mid air and how clear they are is great. And I did this before I found out how to use the burst mode. In addition to the diving shoots I got great pics of a speed boat passing by and a bird in flight.Color was great no motion blur everything seem nicely blanced in the shoot. I then took a video of the group I was with at the beach and was blown away at the quality. No little window playback it was full screen and looked outstanding.The weight of the camera took a bit of getting use to. It is solid built but at the same time a lot ligher then expected. Start up time was ok recovery time was seemed long if you forget that a lite press on the shutter button would clear the display of the picture just taken.Another reason I when for this camera is it has both a nice display screen and an eye piece view finder, a lot of camera in this class I looked at dropped the eye piece view finder.I am no pro I just enjoy taking pictures and if you are like me looking for a really nice camera that will not break the bank uses standard AA battries and is use to using a eye piece view finder I am certain you will enjoy this camera alot. In the comming year I will be shooting a friends wedding with both cameras and can not wait to see how they both perform.