Announced at CES in January 2006, the EasyShare Z650 replaces the Z740 at the top of the Kodak's affordable super zoom range, and offers a lower cost, lower specified alternative to the 'professional' P850. The changes over the previous model are fairly modest; the pixel count increases from 5 to 6MP and the lens is now a Schneider Variogon (as opposed to the Z740's Kodak Retinar) - though it looks suspiciously similar. The new model also gets a bigger (though lower resolution) LCD screen, a few new scene modes and a live histogram. It may have a budget price, but the Z650 boasts a comprehensive set of shooting options and Kodak's famous ease of use, though it is one of the few models in this class not to offer any form of image stabilization.
Schneider Kreuznach Variogon (38-380mm equiv.) 10x optical zoom lens
6.0 million effective pixels
Exclusive Kodak Color Science Image Processing Chip
2.0" indoor/outdoor display
High resolution Electronic viewfinder
Manual and semi-automatic controls
High-speed, low-light auto focus
17 scene modes
One-touch simple sharing
MPEG movie recording
Aside from the obligatory resolution and screen size increase the changes are minor - though some are very welcome (finer AE compensation steps, live histogram). Externally the two cameras are very very similar (save for the bigger screen and the different badge on the lens)... [read more]