Description

The new KODAK EASYSHARE Z981 Digital Camera is where creativity and versatility come together. It zooms in faster, wider, and closer than ever, giving you sharp, steady shots you’ll be proud to share. Kodak’s Share Button lets you tag pictures directly from your camera for e-mailing or uploading to YouTube™, FACEBOOK, FLICKR, and KODAK Gallery. And its unique vertical shutter release and detachable grip give you the flexibility to go from horizontal to vertical shots with ease. From dramatic wide angles to the convenience of ultra-zoom, the Z981 delivers extraordinary performance. Outstanding pictures are within your reach – put them out there for everyone to see. Because the real KODAK Moment happens when you share

Customer Reviews

 Camera stop working after 1 month - Aug 22, 2010

I bought this camera and in one month it stopped working I contacted Kodak and all they could do is tell me to send it out for repair at precision camera where it has been for over a month, I then contacted Kodak and they offered me a cheaper camera for replacement, I wrote back and nothing has been done. I am still without a camera, Do not buy Kodak only if you want to get burned and end up with nothing. Poor service, poor customer service, Kodak does not care about the customers. I will never ever buy a kodak product again or buy from amazon.Kodak EasyShare Z981 14MP Digital Camera with Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 26x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Lens and 3.0 Inch LCD

 Fantastic! - Aug 21, 2010

The camera was delivered before schedule and was is perfect condition and works better than I has hoped.

 Excellent Camera - Money Well Spent!! - Aug 21, 2010

This camera is fantastic. It takes great photos and is so easy to use!! I have only had it a few weeks so I am still learning all of its capabilities but the colors are acurate, sharp and distinct. The macro photos are superb, I took a photo of some kind of beetle and you could see the teeny hairs on its legs...such clarity. Zoom moves fast and with precision. Focus is accurate. I have read some professional reviews that this camera is like holding a brick or that it is awkward to hold. I do not find that to be the case and I have small hands. It is comfy to hold and to me it is lightweight. Some people have noted that the battery compartment is hard to close but all it takes is alittle pressure and it closes quite easily; I have no problem closing and locking the battery compartment. Kodak has outdone themselves with this camera; I love it!!!!

 Very Nice for the price - Aug 18, 2010

I find this to be a very nice camera for the price. Took it with me on my vacation right after buying it and it took great pictures! Very pleased! After I navigate through all the things it does I believe I will love it even more! As far as having issues with the battery/memory card compartment door. If you hold it down hard enough the lock closes easily and I have rheumatoid arthritis.

 camera - Aug 15, 2010

great little camera for the price - takes beautiful pictures and is simple to use.

 z981--best value for a loaded camera - Aug 11, 2010

I looked a long time for this type of camera. Glad I did. Outstanding about this camera is the fact that the controls are labeled with words and symbols I can understand as a semi-novice. Moreover, the software is incredible! The first thing I do when evaluating a camera is check for speed. Z981 is a winner. I can stop any action shot I tried from jet engine fans to waterfalls. The software is very user friendly and logical. In manual mode, you can shoot in total darkness and the result is just amazing! I am impressed with the range of each parameter. this allows shooting the most difficult scenes. Even the flash intensity is adjustable. ALL parameters are variable and easy to set. I am delighted with this camera and would buy it as a gift for others.

On the down side is lens cap which prevents the camera from turning on if you forget to remove it first, which occurs many times. A solution would be to let the lens pop it out automatically.
OVERAL, THIS CAMERA IS A WINNER AND A KEEPER FOR ME.

Hal F

 Kodak Z981 super camera - Aug 10, 2010

I have been a photographer since I was eight years old with a Kodak browney..
Since then, I have done commercial work with medium format film. The Z981 Kodak
does almost everything my Pentax 6 by 7 $1200.camera and then some with an amazing zoom lense.. I no longer need an SLR with seperate lenses as my Z981
does it all..OK, I could make barn door size prints with the Pentax but if I need nothing bigger than 16 by 20, I use the Kodak Z981..I love it!!

 Maybe I got a Lemon! - Aug 07, 2010

I am very disappointed in the Z981. I own a Z650 and I love it but it is not operating as it should. I also have a Nikon D60 but wanted a smaller, less expensive camera to take with me on our family excursions. I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new camera. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a Kodak since my Z650 was a fantastic camera. Boy, was I wrong! This camera takes FOREVER to focus. I changed the focus mode and it still has problems focusing. 80% of the pictures are blurry. The noise and vibration that comes from the camera when it is trying to focus is annoying! I've never dealt with anything like it. The zoom leaves my pictures looking distorted and fuzzy. The flash does not fire when it should.
I am going to give this camera a few more days to see if I can work the bugs out. If not, it will be going back!

 Good camera for the price,BUT... - Aug 05, 2010

26X optical zoom is misleading. You must advance into digital zoom to obtain that distance. You then lose picture quality. I was disappointed to find this out, as that was a huge attraction to the z981. However, considering the price tag, I still think this is a terrific buy. Having the capabilities of a DSLR without changing lenses is a plus. Think of this as an awesome point and shoot, and you won't be sorry about purchasing this model.

 Not as good as thought to be - Aug 02, 2010

I am not at all satisfied with this product. It makes sound when set in continuous auto focus mode....Full size picture quality is very bad.. it looks blurred... worst ever seen in any 14MP camera..Not at all recommended.

 Amazing and EASY Camera with FABULOUS pictures! - Jul 30, 2010

Well, I've owned this camera for two days now. I read all the reviews and was forewarned about the difficulty with the battery closure. Yes, it's tough to close, but if you press hard enough on the little door, it's easy to push the slider over.

This is more of an emotional review, of gratitude and excitement!

As an artist, I like to paint on site, and want to take good pictures to refer to once I'm back in my studio. I also sell on line (ebay) and blog, both which require high quality pics. But, I am so not a camera person! The ease of the intelligent point and shoot has made me feel like I am a photographer! I just wish I had it last month on my trip to Yosemite and Bodega Bay.

I spent time this morning taking pictures of the flowers in my garden... and I'm amazed and thrilled at the clarity! you can see them on my blog:[...]

I had wanted a slim camera to slide into my pocket or art supply bag for taking pictures on site (like Yosemite, beaches, etc.) So I deeply considered the extra weight and bulk of this jewel. It was the incredible zoom quality that convinced me. And I'm really happy about being able to zoom in from a distance to capture the tiniest details... important to an artist!

I am really, really happy with this camera!!

 Great purchase - Jul 29, 2010

This was an excellect purchase for the price, Amazon had the best price and I had delivery of the product faster than I expected.

 Just an amature - Jul 28, 2010

I have not had this camera very long but I am finding it to be a realy nice camera. I am not a profestional but i enjoy taking pictures of wildlife and nature shots.I have found this camera easy to operate and i get very clear pictures even with long shots, the zoom is great.It also takes great family pictures. I did my first video today of a red tail hawk in action. It was fantastic.

 Z981 Camera - Jul 27, 2010

Kodak engineers are making bad decisions. I purchase this camera because it had a viewer window, as most of their cameras you can't see what you are taking on the LCD because of bright sun light. Buying this camera (Z981) has a viewer window, but the engineer removed the date function and make you manually put the date on each picture on the day you take it. Then you have to delete the duplicate that doesn't have a date on it. The date function is not an option to turn on or off. To me, they ruin a good camera but the engineers screwed with the date. You spend more time putting the date on each picture instead of taking them. Simple design would have been let the user have the option to turn it on or off. No, they didn't do that and just made it painful taking pictures. Now wonder why companies fail with this type of thinking. Now that is two Kodak camera that are useless to me.

 GOOD AND USEFULL - Jul 25, 2010

USE IN REALESTATE FOR ONLINE LISTINGS. GOOD AND SIMPLEKodak EasyShare Z981 14MP Digital Camera with Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 26x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Lens and 3.0 Inch LCD

 Kodak Z981 - Jul 24, 2010

This is the third digital camera for me - my old Kodak broke and I replaced it with a Nikon but didn't like the fact that it didn't have a viewfinder. This camera is great. It's easy to use either the viewfinder or the screen. - It takes wonderful pictures of high quality. I especially like the ultra zoom lens which I use all the time!

 great camera ! - Jul 24, 2010

I love this camera. It takes incredible pictures with lots of features to satisfy the more sofisticated photographer as well as giving you the option to keep it as simple as you want and still take great pictures.
It especially shines with it's powerful optical zoom. I like the large viewfinder and find very useful the small EFV that you can look through to take pictures when there is too much light around you. This feature also saves battery.

 Kodak Digital Camera with a Big Zoom - Jul 20, 2010

This camera is lightweight and easy to use. The zoom feature is terrific. The only drawback is that adding the date stamp is manual for every photo.

 5 star - Jul 14, 2010

This is my first digital camera. I have been very pleased so far. It's fairly easy to use. The only complaint I would mention is the strap is cheap. It would be nice to have had the extended manual sent, but it is availably on line and reading this over helped to understand all of the buttons and features. I'm looking forward to doing more with this camera.

 Great camera! Good customer service from Amazon! - Jul 13, 2010

Good camera, easy to use and takes great pictures. The zoom lens takes good pictures from a distance and the LCD works well. I am still experimenting with some of the settings, but am enjoying using it. I am a scrapbooker and take lots of pictures, so it will be used a lot.

The first camera I received from Amazon wouldn't work on "video' or sports settings, so I emailed them, they sent me a label to return the camera, and credited my credit care for postage, I received the new camera the day after I mailed in the first one. Marvelous service!!

 Excellent camera for the money - Jul 13, 2010

I have used Kodak cameras in the past and find them very user friendly with great picture quality. I recently purchased this Kodak EasyShare Z981 and love everything about it. It takes beautiful pictures, High Def videos and very easy to use. I love the 26 Wide Angle Zoom, the 3 inch LCD makes it so easy to view the pictures. The battery lasts a pretty good time too, but it is nice to have an extra set available so you can continue using it without interruptions. After a lot of research and reviews, I believe this camera has the best value for the money and I also got a great deal from Amazon.com.

The only thing is that it is a little big and bulky (but NOT heavy for its looks) especially there are so many cameras with much smaller sizes that you can put in your pocket. But they cannot do all the things this camera can. So if you don't mind the size, it is a wonderful camera.

If you are considering this camera, make sure you get a memory card of at least 16 GB, because if you take HD videos, they will use more space and remember the photos can be at up to 14 mpxl.

In brief, I highly recommend this camera, it is easy to use, and will give you high quality photos and videos.

 Fantastic camera for a fantastic price - Jul 12, 2010

I'm not a professional photographer, so if you're looking for detailed specs, don't look here.

I just received my camera yesterday. I haven't played with it for many hours, but find that the time I spent playing with it I learned a lot. I'm just starting to learn more about cameras. I had a small Sony Cybershot 7.2 MP before I bought this one (I still have it) and have had it for over 5 years. It has been wonderful but I needed a major upgrade.

So far, the macro is good, the super macro is FANTASTIC, the 26x zoom is also fantastic, and the clarity is phenomenal!

Someone wrote a review somewhere saying that you can't take the date stamp off: let me elaborate. The date stamp can be placed on the photo (if you wish), but just in case you don't like it there, make sure you copy the photo first, then put the date stamp on it because once you place the date stamp you won't be able to remove it.

One thing I read many times over is that when you are shooting a video, the auto focus is noisy and so is the zoom: this is true. It can be quite noisy. This is the one drawback that I have noticed so far.

I knew what I was getting myself into before I bought this camera because I read tons of reviews and saw videos on youtube on the zoom and other attributes.

I will most likely write a review in a few weeks when I have had more time to find its pros and cons, but I just wanted to write a fresh review for others out there looking to buy this camera.

 Kodak Z981 - Jul 10, 2010

Really a great camera. Easy to use. Takes great pics. Would recommend this camera to everyone.

 Loving It - Jul 08, 2010

I purchased this camera after being disappointed with the one I had. There is not enough words to say how pleased I am with my purchase. The zoom is amazing & the picture quality is excellent. My friend is even purchasing one after seeing mine!!

 A Incredible zoom for take not good photos in 14 MP camera. - Jul 08, 2010

Yes, if you tried to do photos indoor its no so good its difficult to focus correctly the people, the photos taken are sharpness and blur the flash don't do a good work, take so long time to take a photo maybe 3 second or more, the autofocus make me crazy its difficult to catch a good photo indoor in automatic mode or smart mode.

In outdoors the camera makes a good photos but no great photos many of them are sharpness and sometimes blur, the result its sometimes poor and no accurate more if you considerer that you have a 14 MP quality photos.

The life of batteries if good for this camera, and the quality of material its no so good.

The camera its so easy to operate , you must download a firmware and install on your camera the firmaware its the 1.01, if you don't do that the result of photos is worse.

To close the batteries its no easy but no so hard.

You don't have a good print manual and the manual that you maybe get from the web side its no good.

You must have a little disappointed for the photos that you taken and the result from that when you see in the monitor.

The Z981 has a impressive zoom that's all, a mediocre to poor quality photos, an easy camera camera in good price, maybe you get that you paid for.

I have more satisfactory result from my old Kodak Z712 IS than for this camera, I don't make a good choice for upgrade my digital camera.