KODAK AZ 522 STARTRAIL SOFTWARE
KODAK AZ 522 STARTRAIL ISO

It's a big step up from the 230k-dot screens that you'll find on budget-priced superzooms like the GE X600. The SL1000 has a better one-it's 920k dots-but I found the Kodak's display to be adequate for image framing, and it held up during outdoor use. That's pretty par for the course with a midrange camera. The rear LCD is a 3-inch panel with a 460k-dot resolution. The user interface is by no means slick, but it's functional. It's also where you need to go to access the more detailed menu, from which you can set the clock, format a memory card, and perform other non-shooting tasks. There's also a button that looks like a sheet of lined paper-it brings up an overlay menu that grants you control over the metering pattern, image resolution, stabilization settings, the autofocus mode, and HDR image capture. Italian gives images a green look, for example, while Punk goes for a high-contrast duotone look of hot pink and black. Names aside, these nationalities just shift the color tone of your images. And then there are options that are labeled Japan Style, Italian Style, French Style, and Punk. There are the standard Normal, Vivid, Negative, Sepia, and Black and White, as well as a number of more artistic filters, including selective color and soft focus. There's also a button that's labeled 'i'-it gives you access to color output and art filters modes. The rear panel includes buttons to start video recording, adjust the autofocus mode, enable macro focusing, control the flash, and set the self-timer.

KODAK AZ 522 STARTRAIL ISO

The EV compensation button does a bit more than you would expect it to it dives into a menu that gives you control over aperture, shutter speed, EV compensation, and ISO sensitivity. On the top plate you'll find the zoom rocker, shutter release, exposure value compensation control, drive mode control, and a mode dial. The control layout and menu system is identical to the to AZ521. As part of its successful bankruptcy reorganization the company licensed its brand to Chinese manufacturer JK Imaging: The AZ522, along with the AZ362 and AZ521 are among the first of these new Kodak-branded cameras to hit the US market. It's one of the best examples we've seen of this style of camera, thanks in part to the great image quality that its image sensor and 24x f/2.8 zoom lens produce.ĭesign and Features The AZ522 is one of the first cameras released with the Kodak brand name since the company announced that it was exiting the digital camera space in early 2012.

And if you can stretch your budget a bit, and live with a more limited zoom ratio, our Editors' Choice Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 is worth strong consideration. But at its asking price the AZ522 is a tough sell there are better superzooms to be had for not that much more money.

The AZ522 adds $50 to the price tag, and for that money you get an electronic viewfinder, and in the case of our review unit, a little more image quality. Like the AZ521 it packs a 52x zoom lens, a 16-megapixel CMOS image sensor, and feels very solid in the hand. The Kodak Pixpro AZ522 ($349 list) is the most refined camera in the Astro Zoom line, but it's also the most expensive.

KODAK AZ 522 STARTRAIL SOFTWARE

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