Model Design / Appearance (7.0)
The EasyShare Z700 is encased in a condensed silver-toned package with an added black rubber protrusion for gripping. Its shape and proportions mimic a generic 35mm SLR of 10 or 15 years ago, with a bulging grip for the right hand, and a lump above the lens resembling an SLR pentaprism. With its rounded corners and some extra lines, the Z700 feels more familiar and less modern than many of its competitors, helping users with their initial acclimation. The lens barrel is labeled with a large “5x” to describe the zoom ratio, and the body sports “4.0 megapixels,” advertising the resolution of the sensor. The bold typeface is big in an awkward way. There isn’t a good reason that I can think of to post specifications on the side of a consumer camera — since they're mid-market, they aren’t going to impress many folks, but many manufacturers seem intent on doing so anyway; guess they just can't pass up an advertising opportunity.
The EasyShare Z700 has a built-in, automatic lens cap. It’s great that the lens is covered and protected when the camera is shut off, but this cover is made of several very small, very thin pieces of plastic that pivot in and out of harm’s way. They look too delicate to be practical to me — I worry that they’ll break or jam over time.
In addition to the sensor and LCD size, the Z700 strays a bit from its initial Z-series counterpart, the Z740, in terms of design as well. Unlike the Z740, the Z700's stock flash is encased in a fixed rectangular form, where the Z740 offers a pop-up mechanism. This will sacrifice a bit in terms of illumination, but aesthetically, looks far more mundane. The back of the camera is also slightly compromised from its peer, with a smaller LCD screen and flat, plastic viewfinder. The viewfinder on the Z700 is small and virtually flush with the camera's back face, making it uncomfortable to use and far more like other compact cameras that do not intend for users to take advantage of the feature. This would make far more sense if Kodak retained the larger LCD monitor of the Z740, however, to compromise on both viewing mechanisms does not make much sense, other than trying to force users to upgrade to the more expensive and lavish model.
Size / Portability (7.0)
The Z700 is small compared to cameras it will likely replace — smaller than Kodak’s DX series cameras, and certainly smaller than many of the earlier generation digital cameras and 35mm point-and-shoots that its target market may have left languishing in kitchen cupboards and glove compartments. It is also nicely proportioned — at 3.8 x 2.85 x 2.2 (23.83 cubic inches) when shut off, it tucks in its lens, avoiding the space-hogging “T” shape of many larger cameras with long lenses. It has a single lug for attaching a strap, on the right side, intended for a wrist strap rather than a neck strap. At 7.7 ounces, carrying it won’t wear anyone out, but there are many cameras with comparable specs that are far lighter and more compact.
Handling Ability (8.0)
There are smaller cameras than the Z700, but size and a bit of bulk has its benefits as well. The buttons on the Z700 are not so close together that it would be hard for large-fingered users to hit the right button. By spreading the buttons apart, and keeping some important ones large — the shutter release button is huge — Kodak uses the camera’s size to ensure its ease-of-use.
The camera includes an optical viewfinder, for people who don’t want to use the 1.6-inch LCD screen to frame their shots, although the viewfinder is quite small and not accurate close up. The manual even warns against using it in macro mode. But if you do use it, and turn off the LCD, Kodak promises increased battery life. Of course, the rational button layout is a real benefit when you peer through the viewfinder: because it’s relatively easy to find the right button by feel, there isn’t any need to take your eye away from the viewfinder to look for it.
The hand grip on the right side is a great feature — your hand wraps around it, right palm at the back of the camera, and fingertips all the way round in front. That encourages the user to grip the camera firmly, reducing camera shake and the possibility of dropping it. In contrast, many of the smallest cameras these days are shaped like a deck of cards, and folks hold them with their fingertips. Those users are more likely to move the camera as they take a picture, blurring the image. This should not be an issue with the Z700.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.0)
Most buttons and major controls on the EasyShare Z700 are both large and well-placed. I found the menu navigation control easy to use and responsive — it was easy to locate and select the option I wanted. A notable exception is the zoom rocker switch. It’s small, and I found it hard to control. The lens continued to zoom for a fraction of a second after I lifted my finger from the button. I ended up getting shots that were a little closer up or further out than I wanted, which I found very frustrating and unavoidable.
Kodak’s “one-touch” system — providing a dedicated button for each major function of the camera — is very effectively embodied in the Z700. The camera will perform its basic functions with a single button-press. When the LCD is on, the camera provides very clear feedback to the user as the controls are actuated. For instance, as you turn the shooting mode dial, the menu not only shows the names of the modes, it also gives a brief description of the mode, or a tip for using it.
The Z700 also departs from the Z700 with separate mode and navigation dials. The Z700 has a traditional continuous navigation ring on the back of the camera and a rotating mode dial on top. The Z740 aims to simplify this process, making a joint control for both and placing it on the back of the frame. While perhaps a good idea, in practice, the joint dial on the back of the Z740 proved to present a sequence of problems that are fortunately avoided on the Z700 (relying on a feeble joystick to render selections).The Z700's more traditional controls do not have the aesthetic edge of the Z740, but will enable users to operate the camera with far more accuracy and ease.
Menu (7.5)
The menu system on the Z700 is designed to be self-explanatory, even for the first-time user who ignores instruction books. The user interface is designed to be as simple as an automatic teller machine.
The menu button on the back of the camera brings up the top-level menu, which includes options for shooting modes, color temperature, optical and digital zoom, adding images to the favorites, and a few other general camera settings controls (date and time, etc.). The menu also functions as the user interface for printing when the camera is docked to the EasyShare printer. Options are displayed on the LCD screen and selections are rendered using the navigational pad.
Each setting on the mode dial — full auto, video, action, scene, favorites, sport, landscape, closeup and PAS, or manual mode — has its own sub-menu. Though all share the setup menu item, to simplify the display, items that don’t apply to certain modes don’t appear in them.
The Scene mode indicates exactly how interested Kodak is in making this camera accessible to the casual user. Scene is actually a set of 13 preset modes, engaged through the menu. As the user scrolls through the options, an abridged description of the mode's function is displayed across the menu, which may help the user choose among them.
