Kodak Easyshare P712 Digital Camera First Thoughts

The Kodak Easyshare P712 is a new addition to Kodak's "Performance" line of digital cameras.  Announced last month, the P712 features a 7.1 megapixel capture resolution, a stabilized 12x optical zoom, a 2.5 inch LCD, and plenty of features to appeal to someone ready to expand their digital photography horizons.  I've had the camera for a  few days now and wanted to give my first impressions (and let you know that a full review is coming soon).

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In addition to the above features, when announced, Kodak claimed that the P712 had the fastest click to capture ratio in its class, boasting a speed of less 1/10 of a second.  A full complement of exposure modes (auto, program, aperture priority, shutter priority, full manual) provide plenty of degrees of control over your shots.  The standard scene modes are also available as well as three custom modes that can be set by the user.

The 2.5 inch LCD works well indoors and out, with 115K pixels of resolution.  A pretty nice electronic viewfinder (EVF), has 237K pixels of resolution and a diopter adjustment for those folks that need it.

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Styled like a miniature SLR, complete with comfortable hand grip and larger lens, the P712 also features several buttons that are dedicated to a particular function.  There are dedicated buttons to change flash modes, focus modes, drive modes, and metering modes.  There is also a AE/AF button that allows you to easily lock exposure or focus while you're composing your shot.  Switching between use of the EVF and LCD is also handled with a dedicated button.  Also, in another nod to SLR controls, a command dial lets you scroll through menu options quickly.

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So far, my experience with the camera is good.  The LCD could use some more resolution, but colors are good and the display is fluid - more so than earlier Kodak models.  The EVF is actually pretty good, with lots of resolution. I don't typically like EVFs, but this one is one of the best that I've seen.  The camera is fairly comfortable to hold and the controls are fine.  So far, my biggest gripe with the camera operation is how slowly the zoom mechanism moves.  Image quality so far, in limited tests, is pretty good.

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Stay tuned for our full review!