Kodak adds P712 to top of EasyShare line

Without as much worry for raw megapixels this time around, Kodak is bringing out their new EasyShare P712 7.1 megapixel camera with 12x zoom and high-speed capturing to tempt the semi-prosumer crowd. With a suggested retail price of $499, the shooter strikes quite the bargain for its price range, with 12x optical zoom, optical image stabilisation, speedy auto-focus and a 0.07 click-to-capture rate. Kodak has also included a 2.5-inch LCD and a hot shoe, along with 30 fps VGA video capture and RAW support. The P712 should be shipping worldwide this July.

[Via DP Review; thanks Justin]

[Washington DC Photographer @ Jun 20th 2006 10:30AM]

That looks like an interesting camera, and the 7.1MP is astonishing given that just a few years ago, this MP was the size of the high end pro cameras!

John

[Jason @ Jun 20th 2006 3:14PM]

Astonishing maybe, but not very important. Even DSLRs are content to hover in the 6-10MP range. Increase that much farther and you are adding dollar cost (and file size) without much benefit. A 7MP image and a 10MP image will look pretty similar. Besides, the lenses on consumer cams don't produce sharp enough images to benefit from a higher pixel resolution. Put a 100MP sensor in that Kodak camera and you'll have a very precise rendition of an image that is every bit as fuzzy as before.

More important are the features Kodak is bragging on, like the faster shutter lag and focus speed.

[bliss @ Jun 20th 2006 9:31PM]

I might beg to differ when it comes to difference in a 7MP file and a 10MP file... it's a world of a difference when you're editing, especially if you're planning to create large prints. I mean, sure, when it comes to digital noise it's probably initially due to camera performance and such.. but yeah, just my 2-cents.