Kodak EasyShare Z8612 IS

Since the introduction of the affordable digital SLR a few years back industry observers have been predicting the demise of what used to be called the 'prosumer camera'; the highly specified compact with features aimed at the more serious photographer. A few years ago you could easily pay $700 for a top end compact; today that will buy you a decent SLR with a kit zoom, and it became obvious that the serious compact sector had to adapt or die - fortunately the manufacturers chose the former option.

We take a look at Kodak’s bargain-priced 8.1-megapixel super-zoom

Kodak's EasyShare Z8612 IS has a few things going for it, including a large zoom that is backed up by optical image stabilisation. However, its images exhibit a fair bit of fringing and it can at times be quite slow.

Kodak Z8612 review, find out how the Z8612 stacks up against the competition in our real-world review with in-depth image quality comparisons.

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The Kodak EasyShare Z8612 IS fits a superzoom lens on to a compact body. A slick, contemporary design complements its svelte profile, but it still manages to hold a 12x zoom. Optical image stabilisation is on board, as are manual controls, making this shooter easy to handle