Kodak EasyShare Z650

Reviewed by

Philip Ryan

on 07/05/2006

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Page 2

With the exception of shutter lag, the Kodak EasyShare Z650 was slow in our lab tests. It took 3.6 seconds to start up and capture its first image and 3.6 seconds between images thereafter without flash. With flash, it took 3.9 seconds between shots. Shutter lag measured 0.4 second on our high-contrast test pattern and 1.0 second on the low-contrast pattern. The camera fared slightly better on continuous shooting, capturing VGA-size images at 5fps, slowing to 2.5fps when capturing 6.1-megapixel images.

Auto white balance yielded a slightly warm image with the tungsten lights in our test lab. While the tungsten preset turned in more neutral results, they look just slightly cool. Either setting should work though, with auto preserving that touch of warmth that some people prefer for indoor shots. In general, colors looked natural, and exposures were typically accurate, though very bright whites tend to become blown out.

Noise fared slightly worse. At ISO 80, noise was minimal, with just a few speckles showing up, mostly in darker colors, and it remained well under control at ISO 100. By ISO 200, noise was obviously noticeable, and at ISO 400, it grew to the point of obscuring finer details and gave images an overall softer look. Images we shot at ISO 400 were usable as 4x6 prints but likely wouldn't be pleasing at larger sizes.

Casual snapshooters who need a long zoom lens might be happy with the Kodak EasyShare Z650, though if you plan on shooting in lower light, you'll likely want to look for a camera that has less noise at higher ISO, such as Canon's PowerShot S3IS, or at least step up to a Kodak with image stabilization, such as the EasyShare Z612.