Kodak EasyShare Z740

Viewfinder
Any fan of the traditional viewfinder has to have a soft spot for Kodak’s DX and now, Z-lines of digital cameras somewhere within them, as Kodak and Fuji are virtually the only major manufacturers to continue to include functional viewfinder windows in some compact point-and-shoot cameras. While an increasing amount of camera designs have omitted viewfinder windows altogether, opting for the slight, more ergonomic design, the viewfinder window has already become a lost novelty. Of great assistance to many photographers, the added window can be a fortunate supplement to the larger LCD screen below or a necessity in profuse lighting. The Z740 includes as high-resolution, electronic viewfinder with 201,000 pixels of resolution. The unfortunate drawback to an electronic viewfinder is that the LCD screen and viewfinder can not be activated simultaneously, forcing the user to manually toggle between the two; however, unlike optical viewfinders, the small electronic screen will generally contain a full 100% frame coverage.

LCD Screen
Kodak’s new Z-line, while similar in shape to the DX models, contains a significantly smaller LCD display. This helps to reduce the overall body size and minimize the camera’s proportions. The Z740 contains a 1.8-inch. high-resolution indoor/outdoor color LCD screen, composed of 134,000 pixels of resolution. While this has been reduced from the 2.2-inch 154,000 pixel screen included on the DX7590, it maintains adequate resolution and strong performance in exterior conditions; a common flaw of many LCD screens on point-and-shoot cameras.

Flash
The fixed flash on the Kodak EasyShare Z740 contains four selectable settings as well as a flash exposure compensation feature. Flash modes include Auto, Off, Red-Eye Reduction, and Fill settings. Illumination extends in Wide angle mode from 2-16.1ft. (0.6-4.9m) using a fixed ISO rating of 168 and from 6.6-12.1ft. (2.0-3.7m) in Telephoto mode, also utilizing the 168 ISO rating. The exposure compensation feature ranges from +/-1 in 1/2 EV increments. While the set of flash settings offered on the Z740 is fairly standard, the inclusion of a flash exposure compensation feature is rare for the point-and-shoot audience and offers a significant advantage for controlling the light output.

Zoom Lens
The major marketing focus of the Z-series is clearly the camera’s extended zoom lens, designed by Kodak to provide point-and-shoot and beginner users with greater telephoto capabilities. The 10x optical, aspheric Kodak Retinar center piece should have no trouble exposing details from a far. The zoom range on the Z740’s all-glass lens is equivalent to 38-380mm in 35mm format and should provide greater shooting flexibility by minimizing depth-of-field. A compatible 0.7x wide angle accessory lens offered by Kodak is available when extended wide angle perspective is also sought.