SlashScope

The EasyShare Z612 is a camera for users serious about their photo shoots and with the 12X optical zoom, full manual exposure controls along with the other features, great shots should not be that difficult. 'Kodak's 6.1-megapixel EasyShare Z612 looks like a Lilliputian SLR. But as with the crafty little people in Jonathan Swift's novel, there's more to it than meets the eye, some of which should be approached with caution. Like most superzooms, it uses an electronic--rather than optical--viewfinder, so if you don't like looking at tiny LCD screens, this isn't for you. On the plus side, it's fairly high-res at 202,000 pixels and doesn't blank out as much as some EVFs when in burst mode, though the image is still a bit herky-jerky compared to an optical finder's. If you don't frame with the EVF, you'll use the Z612's 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD, which is viewable even in bright light and brightens--that is, gains up--in low light to make it easy to frame in dim situations. Its 12X optical, 35mm-to-420mm (35mm equivalent), f/2.8-to-f/4.8 Schneider-Kreutznach zoom lens gives you plenty of reach, and the camera's image stabilization should help keep things steady at the longer end of the zoom.'