Product Description

Who says you can't have it all? The Kodak EASYSHARE Z1015 IS Digital Camera brings the picture-taking technology right to your fingertips. With Kodak's innovative smart capture feature, it's the take-anywhere camera that does it all - automatically.Capture the details in low light and fast action situations. The Z1015 IS features a powerful, high ISO.The Z1015 IS is part of the Kodak EASYSHARE System, so sharing your pictures is amazingly simple. Just press share.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4587 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Kodak
• Model: Z1015IS
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 4.00" h x 2.50" w x 5.00" l, 1.25 pounds
• Memory: 64MB
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 10-megapixel resolution for stunning prints up to 30 x 40 inches
• 15x optical zoom with 28mm Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon wide-angle lens; HD still capture and HD video
• 3.0-inch indoor/outdoor color LCD; advanced settings include program, aperture and shutter priority, as well as full manual mode (PASM)
• Innovative smart capture feature automatically adjusts settings for a great picture in just about any environment
• Compatible with SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Amazon.com

Increase your range. Expand your depth. Show off your photographic prowess. The new Kodak EasyShare Z1015 IS zoom digital camera has the versatility to capture both long distances and wide-angle shots. With the 28mm wide-angle lens, get landscapes and group pictures with ease. And with 15x zoom, you can get in even closer. The compact, easy-to-use and versatile Z1015 IS will make sure that your amazing shot is just that.

EasyShare Z1015IS Highlights

Versatility at Your Fingertips

Powerful 15x optical zoom lens The all glass 15x Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon optical zoom lens (420 mm) zooms in fast to deliver extraordinary creative performance.

Fast (f/2.8) 28 mm wide-angle lens Capture dramatic shots in tight quarters or in front of spectacular landscapes.

Image stabilization

• Get sharp, steady shots when shooting at long zoom ranges
• Image stabilization automatically minimizes camera shake to deliver sharper pictures

Amazing quality prints with 10-megapixel resolution

• 10 MP means you can make stunning prints up to 30 x 40 inches
• However you choose to print--at home, at retail, or online--trust Kodak for picture quality that’s truly exceptional and for memories that will last

Amazing click-to-capture speed Capture pictures in less than 0.22 seconds, meaning you can capture that challenging action shot without delay

Beautiful Pictures -- Automatically

Who says you can't have it all? The Kodak EasyShare Z1015 IS digital camera brings the latest picture-taking technology right to your fingertips. With Kodak's innovative Smart Capture feature, it's the take-anywhere camera that does it all -- automatically.

Smart Capture feature Take better pictures than ever before. Kodak's innovative Smart Capture feature adjusts camera settings for great pictures in just about any environment -- automatically.

• Intelligent scene detection detects and analyzes scene conditions
• Intelligent capture control automatically sets camera settings including exposure, focus and ISO for clear, sharp pictures even in low light and challenging situations
• Intelligent image processing reduces noise and clears up dark shadows for vibrant, crisp details and true-to-life colors

High ISO mode Capture the details in low light and fast action situations. The Z1015 IS features a powerful, high ISO (up to 6400**).

• Faster shutter speeds mean you can capture the details in low light conditions and fast action situations
• The camera automatically selects from ISO 80 to ISO 3200 based on lighting conditions
• ISO 6400 available at 3.1 MP setting and less in PASM modes

True HD Quality: Capture Stunning Pictures and Video

HD picture capture

• Capture beautiful HD pictures in 16:9 format
• View your pictures in high definition on an HDTV or other HD devices

HD video features

• Capture HD quality video
• Capture more video while using less memory with MPEG-4 compression
• Print multiple frames on a 4 × 6 in. (10 × 15 cm) print
• Save single frames and e-mail family and friends
• Mark special spots in your video with video bookmarking

Kodak EasyShare HDTV dock (optional accessory) Elevate your high definition experience: view your photos on your HDTV using the Kodak EasyShare HDTV dock.

• Experience HD video playback at 720p and 1080i resolution
• Show off your still photography in vivid HD
• Connect to your Kodak EasyShare HDTV dock however you want; place your Kodak EasyShare camera on it, use an SD card, USB flash drive, or card reader attached to the USB port
• Display your photos as single pictures, multi-up, or in slideshow format

PASM, Scene, and Color Modes for Advanced Creativity

Multiple scene modes

• Portrait modes: portrait, night portrait, backlight
• Landscape modes: landscape, night landscape, fireworks
• Bright scene modes: sport, beach, snow
• Action modes: sport, children
• Close-up modes: flower
• Text/Documents mode: ensures sharp text when photographing documents
• Manner/Museum mode: use when sound or flash are not desired

5 color modes

• High color
• Low color
• Natural color
• Black and white
• Sepia

Program auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes

• Program mode (P): camera sets optimal shutter speed and aperture combination
• Aperture priority mode (A): you choose aperture, the camera sets shutter speed
• Shutter priority mode (S): you choose shutter speed, the camera sets aperture
• Manual mode (M): you choose both the aperture and shutter speed

Manual controls

• Exposure compensation: ± 2.0 EV in ± 1/3 EV step increments
• Aperture: f/2.8 (wide), f/4.8 (tele)
• Shutter speed: automatic
• ISO equivalents: (automatic) 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, up to 6400
• Auto focus: TTL imager AF system
• Exposure metering: multi-pattern, center-weighted, center-spot
• White balance: auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade
• Flash mode: auto, off, fill, red-eye preflash

Takes great pictures, makes them even better

When the perfect picture taking opportunity arises, we’ll make sure you’re ready with features like face detection, Kodak Perfect Touch technology, scene modes, and much more. And after you take the shot, do even more. Turn your pictures into a multimedia slideshow, complete with music and effects.

Face detection technology For great shots of friends and family, face detection technology locates faces and automatically adjusts camera settings

Multimedia slideshow Tell your story your way using the multimedia slideshow feature

• Turn your pictures into a creative multimedia slideshow right from your camera
• Set the mood when you choose from pre-loaded sound themes to accompany your slideshow
• Insert creative transitions and bring your pictures to life

Kodak Perfect Touch technology Make your pictures as vivid as the moment you took them. Print better, brighter pictures using Kodak Perfect Touch technology in PASM modes.

• Make better, brighter pictures
• Relive your memories in richer detail
• Clear up dark shadows to reveal more smiles

Text and sound tagging Add text or sound tags to your pictures, so you can easily find and organize them later

Histogram feature Verify the exposure of your picture using the histogram feature on live view, quick view, and review

On-camera editing features Easily create great shots with features such as on-camera cropping, blurry picture alert, and digital red-eye reduction

Internal memory plus

• Don’t miss a shot if your memory card becomes full, switch to in-camera memory quickly, thanks to the internal memory plus feature
• 64 MB internal memory and SD/SDHC card expansion slot let you start shooting right out of the box

The Simple Way to Share

The Z1015 IS is part of the Kodak EasyShare system, so sharing your pictures is amazingly simple. Just press Share.

On-camera Share button

• Sharing starts right on the back of the camera
• Have a picture you want to share? Tag it using the exclusive on-camera Share button and it will be ready to print or e-mail later

Kodak EasyShare software (included) The award-winning, elegant design makes your pictures the star of the show for a more enjoyable viewing experience.

• English, French, and German photo card templates turn pictures into 4 × 6 in. (10 × 15 cm) announcements, invitations, holiday cards, and more, right at home
• Get more out of Kodak EasyShare software with a variety of useful tips
• Use Kodak EasyShare software to access your pictures at the Kodak Gallery then view, edit, and save them to My Collection

The Simple Way to Print Your Pictures at Home

Real Kodak pictures are just a touch away with our convenient home printing solution.

Kodak EasyShare G610 Printer Dock (optional accessory, where available)

• One touch to Kodak lab quality prints
• Waterproof, stain-resistant prints that last a lifetime
• Automatic Kodak camera battery recharging
• Transfer pictures to a computer at the touch of a button
• Compatible with Kodak color cartridge & photo paper kit / G

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Customer Reviews

Excellent Camera - Great Value
I recently purchased the Z1015 IS mostly for it's HD video and mega zoom features and I'm pleased with the results. The zoom feature is available while in the video mode which was what I was looking for. The sound is recorded in stereo and is good although it's compressed. Kodak using .MOV (QuickTime codec). The 720p widescreen video is quite impressive and you can film up to 29 minutes, if you have the memory. I find making videos with digital cameras convenient and easier than using a camcorder.
The picture quality is excellent too and the smart capture mode works well. It is true that there is a delay in processing the photos as another reviewer mentioned but this is not a problem for me. There may be a firmware upgrade for this in the near future. You can avoid this by using the program mode according to another reviewer.
The Z1015 IS may be a better value then the lower model Z1012 IS as the Z1015 IS comes with a rechargeable battery and charger. The Z1012 does not. Also the Z1015 has a 3 inch screen compared to 2.5 inch screen for the Z1012. Lastly, the zoom is 15x compared to 12x for the lesser model.
I purchased the Easyshare camera dock which works well with this camera and is very convenient as it's always connected to my computer. It also works as a charger too.
One minor complaint. The screen could be of higher resolution like I've seen on the Panasonic models but that's about it. For the price, this is an excellent camera.
Update (Oct 12, 2008): Kodak has a 1.02 firmware update that addresses the slow processing speed when in Kodac's smart mode. I've updated my camera but don't see any significant difference.
Update (Nov, 2008): Kodak has updated their firmware again with version 1.03. This takes care of the processing delays. A Big improvement.
About the video: This camera does not film with stereo sound although the manual and online user guide shows two microphones. Zoom up on the photo here on Amazon and you will see two holes next to each side of the lense. These are the mic holes. Well, my 1015 comes with only one mic on the right side (if facing the lense). I called Kodak and they confirmed that this model records in mono. They have since updated their manual online but not the user guide. The Z1012 records in stereo but I think the Z1015 has higher quality sound (less compression)than the Z1012. I'm a little disappointed but this camera is excellent and most people should be very pleased with both the photo and video quality.

Better Pictures Than Kodak Z1012IS and Fuji S2000HD
Consumer Reports camera ratings have recently improved as they now match my first hand experience. Several commercial sites are not telling the truth either as the Fuji f50fd received very high ratings but smeared close-up detail of pine trees. Terrible PQ. Now Consumer Reports finally gives the f50fd camera the low rating its always deserved. The same goes for the new Fuji S2000fd - still way too much noise, though I do like the feel of the body.
Actually all these smaller cameras (with their tiny sensors) have visible noise which CR takes pains to list for every point-in-shoot!
The Z1015IS has less than the older Z1012IS. The muted colors of the Z1012 are gone in the Z1015. The blues may be a bit too saturated (update: the camera was probably on High-color). Very naturally sharp with a bit of purple fringing with bright store lights off the central lens axis. No issues otherwise with color fringing. Nice pictures! Menu system is easy to figure out.
A rechargable lithium battery is now included. Kodak Easy Share software is designed for first graders. At least the RAW images can be saved to 8bit TIF format for Noise Ninja cleanup to make the PQ from the best superzoom camera even better. (Well there is no batch processing so a simple task becomes difficult.) The 28mm wide angle is most welcome.
Lastly its nice to see an American company effectively compete with the competition. Good show Kodak.
Update:
Consumer Reports just rated the Z1012IS as the best non-DSLR camera, which is why took the time to test it.
Because of the local 15% restocking fee (you know where) I took a Scandisk 4GB SDHC card into the store and shot there for the Z1015 and the Fuji 2000. Both cameras show a strong superficial resemblance.
I bought the Z1012 and also compared it to the Nikon D300. I set them both to ISO 100 and ISO64 (Kodak). At ISO 64 the 1012 exhibited excellent fidelity with low noise. Nice.
The $1800 D300 had improvements in fidelity and tonality in showing the fine texture and detail of surfaces. Images have more "pop" and life.

Vista's columns and and IEXIF 2 viewer shows the:
Fuji S2000HD noisy pictures shot at 1/60 sec, f/4.8 and ISO 125-400, quality set to Fine
Kodak Z1012IS - f/2.8-f/4.8 ISO 64-400. 1/30-1/100 sec
ISO64 shot on tripod for optimal clarity
Kodak Z1015IS - lost capture info with RAW conversion to TIF. Uninstalled Easy Share hoping for some better RAW software!
Will buy Z1015 when it goes on-sale at Amazon.

Update2: Received the Z1015 and have analyzed three days of pictures.
Recommendations:
Casual users should make exclusive use of the Smart Capture mode as it will properly expose pictures. Pictures are almost always in focus too. Its that simple if you want it to be! This is why my wife says the Creative Memories ladies like the Kodak Easy share. Add in the advanced controls and its a camera for everyone.

For advanced users the good-lighting strategy is to take Aperture controlled RAW then quickly switch the top Mode dial over to the red color/Smart Capture/Perfect Touch setting. Between the two pictures you will get the best picture 99% of the time. In RAW mode set the sharpness to low and use noise reduction and unsharp mask on the TIF images with computer based processing, as the normal sharpness is a bit grainy. The improvement is worth the effort. Indoors use the Smart Capture mode as the Kodak technology does pick the best compromise. I use IrfanView software with 420 plugin for RAW batch .KDC to .TIF conversion.
Lastly Noise Ninja allows for quantitative noise analysis and direct comparison between different camera sensors. (But watch out for unadvertised manufacture noise reduction which decreases detail). Bigger sensors are better as the Kodak Z1015IS at ISO 80 has as much noise as the Nikon D300 at ISO640!
The situation is complicated by the the TI/Kodak image processing chip skewing of the Z1015 noise readings. The ISO 100 and 200 noise measures lower than ISO 80. You see evidence of this unadvertised image processing at work in the low-gain and high-gain being set in the EXIF data.
Telephoto (420mm) image quality degrades a bit. Best to use a tripod and low ISO settings here.

Background: The KODAK Color Science image processing chip was first introduced in cameras in 2006. This Perfect Touch technology results in fewer dark shadows and increased detail. (Since then many other post processing programs mimic Kodak's leadership. Most of the major name camera manufactures quietly pay Kodak royalties.)
Significantly this technology was not available with the P880, Kodak's last enthusiast camera. This camera was twice the Z1015 price too. So we have a bargain priced, intuitive and fun to use camera.

Wonderful Images
The camera can produce top notch images in RAW, with exquisite detail. Jpeg images are fine also, although RAW is superior because of uncompressed files. Either way the images are full-colored (no-one does color like Kodak), clear, dynamic and detailed. I haven't tried the video functions.

The RAW capability is the great strength of the camera and also a source of some weakness. DO NOT USE THE AUTO MODE (or SCENE MODE)if you intend to take several shots in rapid succession. In these modes the camera takes an inordinate amount of time to process the shots. The camera takes time to apply Kodak's Perfect Touch editing to the shots. It is not defeatable in Auto and Scene modes. I use the P mode. Perfect Touch is not applied here. In P mode the camera takes a bit longer with RAW than it does with jpeg in writing to the card.

Another drawback to RAW is that few programs read the Kodak RAW files from the Z1015IS. Kodak's own Easyshare software that comes with the camera does. Personally I don't like the software--too basic and clumsy for my taste. Irfanview, a free editing program, does read and edit Kodak Z1015IS RAW files and allows you to save in lossless TIF or BMP, along with jpeg and other types. My hope is that Adobe and others will soon add this camera to their list of readable RAW files.

I already had a 12 times optical zoom camera (the Z1012, a fine camera itself), so the 15 times zoom was not a big attraction for me--the RAW was and it has proved to be a real winner in image quality. Anyway, the 15 times zoom works as intended. There is occasionally a bit of purple fringing, but it is not noticeable on normal-sized prints (up to 8.5x11). Macro focusing distance is moderate.

Ease of use is excellent. The buttons are well located and handy to manipulate. You can change exposure, flash compensation and other functions quickly and easily. The grip is very convenient. It has a viewfinder and the LCD is large and of very good quality. With moderate flash and LCD use I got about 300 shots off the provided rechargeable battery. The battery recharges in the camera via the provided external power connection--reasonably quick and handy.

In summary, the camera does what I want and does it beautifully--produce first-rate photos. I have posted a large number of large-sized photos at http://www.pbase.com/tgaf/kodak_z1015is. Feel free to visit there to see what the camera is capable of. It is easy to use, reasonably-priced and produces first-rate photos. I heartily recommend it.

P.S. November 2, 2008. Automatic application of Kodak's Perfect Touch editing to every picture in the Auto mode is what slows down the write time for the camera in Auto mode (it doesn't happen in the other modes). Kodak has issued a firmware update (1.03) for the camera that now lets the user disable this feature. With the Perfect Touch disabled the camera is very fast in writing in Auto mode. I imagine that new cameras will come with this firmware installed. If not, just visit Kodak's web site to download it for free.

Adobe has updated their RAW plugin to include the Kodak Z1015 IS in the cameras covered.