Kodak EasyShare Z812 IS

Model Design / Appearance (7.25)
The EasyShare Z812 IS looks like most compacts on the market; big and blocky. It has a protruding lens barrel and prominent right hand grip. The plastic body is lightweight and feels unsubstantial in the hand; it won’t stand up to rough handling. The rubber textures make the camera easy to grip. The buttons on the cameras back are easily accessible. However, buttons located elsewhere are poorly placed. The trio of buttons behind the shutter button are in an odd location and difficult to maneuver with the index finger. The jog dial that engages manual controls is also awkward to use. The zoom toggle would be better placed around the shutter button.

Size / Portability (6.5)
Measuring 4.3 x 3.0 x 2.9 inches, the Kodak Z812 IS is an average sized compact. The EasyShare ultra-zoom weighs 10.6 ounces and can conveniently fit in a backpack or large purse. Although it is light enough to be carried on the wrist, the camera’s strap eyelets are positioned so users can carry the camera with a strap around their neck. However, with its plastic body and vulnerable lens, it should be carried in a camera case.

Handling Ability (7.0)
The Kodak EasyShare Z812 IS allows for comfortable extended shooting. The ergonomic, molded right hand grip and portions of the lens barrel are covered with a rubber material so fingers don’t slide. The rubber wraps around to the back with an additional thumb rest divot so users can comfortably hold the camera with just the right hand. There is extra room on the left side of the LCD and lens for holding the camera while viewing the monitor.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (6.0)
The Kodak EasyShare Z812 IS suffers from a poorly-designed control panel. Like previous Kodak cameras, the Z812 IS lays out its controls and dedicates functions to buttons that deviate from other manufacturers, which can be disorienting for shooters that have used other brands.

For starters, the power button has been replaced with an on/off switch, which is different from most cameras but isn’t terribly distracting. The multi-selector functions (Flash, Focus, and Drive) have been moved to the top of the camera near the shutter release. The zoom toggle is too close to the viewfinder, making it uncomfortable to use. It would have been better if the zoom toggle was moved just a little to the right or if it were around the shutter button.

Most confusing is the unintuitive jog dial, which is too small and can be missed on first sight. The jog dial changes aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, flash compensation, and ISO settings in a two-step process. First users oscillate the dial to the setting, and then they have to push the dial inward to change the setting. This is unusual and tedious.

Overall, the ill-conceived control panel isn’t designed with either an SLR user or point-and-shooter in mind. The Kodak Z812 IS should follow the formulaic button model most manufacturers stick with for the sake of ease-of-use.

Menu (7.5)
The Kodak menu system is divided into three tabs that open up into submenus, a design similar to other cameras. Represented by a camera icon, a camera icon with a plus sign (+), and a wrench graphic, the tabs open up record functions and the Setup menu. The menus are logically ordered and display easy-to-read text.

The menus are set against a tinted black background with white font, which overlays most of the frame. The Kodak menus have previews for white balance and color filters, but it takes one extra step other cameras don’t require. For example, if a user wants to switch from Natural Color shooting to Black and White shooting, the user goes into Record menu, selects Color Mode, and adjusts the setting. Instead of showing an immediate live preview, the user must first select the Color mode before the screen shows the adjusted Black and White mode. This doesn’t take much more time, but other cameras have quicker live previews when selecting Record functions.

Pressing the "i" button while in the menu system brings up explanations of the function of each setting. This is a helpful inclusion that will keep new users from constantly consulting the user’s manual.

The Capture menu does a good job spelling out the megapixel count and aspect ratio, but leaves out the exact pixel resolution for each Picture Size option.

Kodak splits up the Record functions into two separate menus, but the first Capture menu and Capture + could have just as easily been listed in a single column. Record + has exposure and flash controls.

Capture +
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Open Shade
Exposure Metering	Multi-Pattern, Center-weight, Spot
AF Zone	Multi-Zone, Center-Zone, Selectable zone
Exp. Bracketing Interval	+/-0.3, +/-0.7, +/-1.0
Sharpness	High, Normal, Low
Red- Eye Preflash	On, Off

The Setup menu has the standard volume, sounds, and date and time information. The Setup menu contains the Image Stabilizer and Digital Zoom functions, which are better suited to the Capture menus. The Setup menu lists the current version of the camera’s firmware, which is helpful for when users eventually update the firmware to a future version.

Setup
LCD Brightness	5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Image Storage	Auto, Internal Memory
Set Album	Exit, Birthday, Holiday, Wedding, Clear all
Capture Frame Grid	On, Off
Image Stabilizer	Continuous, Single, Off
Quickview	On, Off
Advanced digital zoom	Continuous, Pause, None
Orientation Sensor	Exit, Still (On, On Transfer, Off), Video (On, Off)
Camera Sounds	Exit, Theme (Default, Sci-fi, Fun, Music), Focus Lock (Default, Sci-fi, Fun, Music), Shutter Sound (Default, Sci-fi, Fun, Music), Self-Timer (Default, Sci-fi, Fun, Music), Error (Default, Sci-fi, Fun, Music)
Sound Volume	Off, High, Medium, Low
Date & Time	Set Date, Time, YMD Order
Auto Power Off	10 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 1 minute
Video Out	NTSC, PAL
Language	English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Russian, Czech, Greek, Turkish, Dutch
Reset Camera	Continue, Cancel
Format	Memory card, Cancel, Internal Memory
About…	Firmware Version 1.0400

The Kodak Z812 IS menu system is easy enough to figure out on the first try. An immediate live preview with a different colored background (instead of black), however, would better allow users to see effects before applying them.

Ease of Use (6.5)
The EasyShare Z812’s mix of manual and automatic modes make it both easy to use and a camera to grow with. It handles well, so it can be used for extended periods of time without discomfort. The "I" button is a very useful for new users. It provides easy explanations of each function. The camera’s iffy button placement and a mediocre menu system, however, are some of the camera’s weak points.