Product Review: Kodak Easyshare Z740 Zoom Digital Camera

Three years ago, I had my first child. This had to have been the most exciting time of our lives, and we wanted every moment caught on film. There wasn't a moment that I didn't have a camera in my hand, capturing little smiles, and special moments. At the time, I didn't see the problem when I viewed the pictures, but after years passed, I realized how horrible the quality of the pictures actually were. There was no space in my life were low quality pictures. I wanted the best of the best.

Throughout the course of the next few years, I had experimented with different cameras, desperately trying to find the quality pictures that I was longing for. Surprisingly, I was not far from finding it. That Christmas season, I was attending a party with family members, and stumbled upon someone printing pictures from their digital camera. I was amazed at the quality, and how nice the prints came out. I immediately started asking questions, and within a few weeks, I purchased the camera.

The camera was a Kodak EASYSHARE Z740 Zoom. Ever since I purchased this camera, I have never been disappointed. It holds amazing features, such as 10X optical zoom and 5X advanced digital zoom (50X total zoom), 5.0 MP for stunning-quality prints up to 20 × 30 in. (50 × 75 cm), 1.8 in. (4.6 cm) high-resolution indoor/outdoor display, manual and custom controls, high-speed, and low-light auto focus.

One of the most amazing features is the fact that it has 16 different modes for particular shots, listed below.

Portrait-places the subject in sharp focus, softens the background

Sport-captures subject in action without blurring

Children mode-specifically for action photos of children in bright light

Party mode-specifically for photos of people in indoor setting in lower light

Beach mode-use for bright beach scene

Flower mode-captures close-up photos of flowers in bright light

Fireworks mode-specifically for for photos of fireworks

Snow mode-use for bright snow scene

Back light mode-use for photos when light is behind the subject

Close-up-captures sharp, full-frame images at close range

Night Portrait mode-clearly captures both subject and background at night

Landscape mode-provides maximum sharpness for distant scenes

Night Landscape mode-provides maximum sharpness for distant scenes at night

Museum/Manner mode-use when sound or flash are not desired

Text mode-specifically for sharp text when photographing documents

Self Portrait mode-use for close-up of self

It also offers several color modes, listed below:

High color-for vibrant colors

Natural color-for natural-looking colors

Low color-for muted colors

Sepia-for an antique appearance

Black and white-for a classic look

Of all the listed modes, I use one particularly more than often. With two young children, taking pictures can sometimes be a hassle. They always seem to be moving when you're trying to get a good picture, and with the sport mode, I have never had a problem catching a beautiful picture, even with a lot of movement. Of all the cameras I had tested, I was never able to find one that didn't blur, and finally, I had found one.

I highly recommend this to anyone who has children. All the pictures of my children have come out beautiful, especially up close portraits.

Overall, one of the best features has to be the price. Even with such amazing features, and professional quality photographs, it's inexpensive, priced at $279.00. You can also purchase a refurbished version from Kodaks official website, for a little less than $150.00. Package deals are also available through different locations, including Kodaks official website. It's definitely a steal.

Out of ten stars, I would definitely give this camera a ten, having no complaints about it whatsoever.