kodak Z740?

[mtnhiker10]

Just wondering if anyone has any first hand experience with the kodak Z740 digital cam. it's in kodaks high zoom series. i'm looking for a camera that will take great pics of the mts and her wildlife. this one has 5 mp, 10x opticle zoom and 5x dig zoom. a bunch of flash settings for different situations. i'm just not sure what to look at , when shopping around. i'm not set at all on this cam, but some of it's features are what i'm looking for. any info would be greatly appreciated! thank-you

[oldsmores]

I bought one for my son for his college graduation and it takes AMAZING pictures. The optical zoom is great, and you can use it in a full-automatic mode, shutter priority, or aperture priority. It also takes video clips with sound. If you want, PM me and I'll send you a couple of examples from our climbing trip in Colorado. Can't recommend it enough. In this price range I don't think you can beat it!

[kurtteej]

Note - disregard the digital zoom on all digital cameras. The only zoom that matters is the optical zoom.

[Hakuna Matada]

I had a Kodak digital camera all picked out and then found out I couldn't get a replacement battery. It had a docking station to recharge the battery but where do I plug that in on a mountain? Ritz camera told me they had had the battery on order for a long, long time and were unable to get it from the manufacurer.
I ended up buying a Minolta Dimage 5 MP 10x optical zoom. Takes great mountain shots and I can always have extra batteries with me. It also takes video. I took a 360* video on top of Hurricaine.
Check out Dpreview.com for camera info.

[oldsmores]

I had a Kodak digital camera all picked out and then found out I couldn't get a replacement battery. It had a docking station to recharge the battery but where do I plug that in on a mountain? ...

Not sure which Kodak camera you were looking at. The Z740 and the other two Kodak digital cameras I own all use standard AA batteries (lithium or rechargeable recommended). I consider the docking station a waste of money - I've got a $10 battery charger that plugs into either the wall or my truck's cigarette lighter. For downloading pictures, the cameras come with a USB cable.

[kurtteej]

I also recommend a USB card reader so that you dont drain the batteries in the camera transferring pictures. You can pick up 7 in 1 readers for about 15 or 20 bucks.

[cambece]

Cambece Agrees

Note - disregard the digital zoom on all digital cameras. The only zoom that matters is the optical zoom.

I agree, Digital zoom is BAD NEWS. All digital zoom does is make the pixals bigger and makes the picture look terrible.

Cambece

[AntlerPerak]

I got a z730 very similar to the 740 it is also a 5mp. The thing takes great pictures and is easy to use. It uses the same battery as the 740 and I bought an extra from Best Buy The batter is made by kodak and was about half what Kodak charged for theirs. With two batteries, the one that came with the camera and the upgraded longer life battery from BB I have not had any difficulty. Using a 256 smart card which at the 5mp setting yields about 47 pics if I remember correctly. The onboard memory only holds about 8-10 pics so you must have a card. more than one for any longer trips would be a good idea. Fortunately those smart cards are much lower in price than they used to be. I use the usb cable to upload and did not bother with the docking station it seemed to be a lot of money for not much in the way of convience.

[Kevin]

Fortunately those smart cards are much lower in price than they used to be.

Here's what I'm using:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211313

[mtnhiker10]

update!

Santa Clause is the man! I ended up getting the Kodak Z740 for x-mas. So far... very impressed. Havn't taken it on any trips yet, but looking forward to. It came as a package deal w/ the printer dock and a travel kit. For someone that doesn't have a computer, I definitly recomend the printer dock. Just set your cam on the dock, press one button, and u have profesional pics in seconds. The cam's zoom capabilities are tremendous, and there's more than enough picture settings. Thank-you oldsmores for your input, you definitly helped me go w/ the right cam. It also came w/ the 256mb card, and at 5mp a picture i was able to take over 100 pics just over x-mas break. Like i said, so far... VERY IMPRESSED! Thank you everyone. Maybe(and that's a big maybe) someday i will get in touch with the times and beable to put some trip pics on the board. Baby steps! Have a great and safe new year!!!!

[oldsmores]

Looking forward to seeing some pix!

[Lhakpa]

Kodak z740

I have had this camera for approx. one-year. The camera takes great pictures and is light weight. It's not the most rugged camera I have ever used but have taken it on many climbs, backpacking trips and paddling trips with no problems whatsoever. Make sure you use a dry bag if you take it out on the water.

[mtnhiker10]

telephoto lens?

ok , next ?, does anyone have any input on the" kodak Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 1.4X Telephoto Lens ". i had to copy and paste that one. just curious if it's worth the money , if it really gets u that much closer to your subject. i have the kodak z740, and it says that this lens is compatable for my camera. i'm just trying to increase my options as a novice photographer, and i use that term loosely. any info would be great
thank-you again