Kodak AZ528 Astro Zoom Camera - Black

First tested an AZ528 out in June and then ended up buying my own for under $70 used in August. My main reasons for using one was to take pics of mostly stationary pictures of scenery, birds and animals while hiking, fishing or hunting. The bad: - The overall sharpness of the images won't be as good a DSLR most of the time. - Lacks the higher ISO setting for taking pics in lower light levels (3200 for this cam). - Can record video, but Imo, that feature isn't very good. - Use of a wireless or wired remote would have been a nicer option to have instead of only through an app with a smartphone. - No tiltable or rotating LCD. I didn't know how much I would have liked having that feature till I used this camera for a while. In bright outdoor light or odd viewing angles ... MoreFirst tested an AZ528 out in June and then ended up buying my own for under $70 used in August. My main reasons for using one was to take pics of mostly stationary pictures of scenery, birds and animals while hiking, fishing or hunting. The bad: - The overall sharpness of the images won't be as good a DSLR most of the time. - Lacks the higher ISO setting for taking pics in lower light levels (3200 for this cam). - Can record video, but Imo, that feature isn't very good. - Use of a wireless or wired remote would have been a nicer option to have instead of only through an app with a smartphone. - No tiltable or rotating LCD. I didn't know how much I would have liked having that feature till I used this camera for a while. In bright outdoor light or odd viewing angles the fixed LCD is hard to see. The good: - It's a cheaper, lighter and easier to wield option over a DSLR and is still able to obtain some nice pics. - The auto features do an adequate enough job that you don't have to fiddle with other settings if you don't want to. Just turn it on, get your desired zoom level, focus on your subject and snap the pic. - The best thing about this camera: I can take pics near and far without changing lenses to do it. First mistake I made when using this camera wasto take long distance shots of deer at max zoom. Some of them weren't bad but ended up with mostly diminishing returns. After using this camera for awhile I don't take pics beyond it's native zoom of 52X and often stay a bit under that. Use a tripod or brace yourself however you can when taking long distance pics for the best results. When taking pics, take several to increase the odds of getting some good ones because much of the time you don't get a second chance.

The KODAK PIXPRO AZ528 Astro Zoom Camera is a great little camera. I must say, It's been a while since I've seen a solid camera that is easy to point and shoot. It's comfortable on the grip and lightweight. So light that my son of about 6 years of age is holding it with ease. It's not bulky like many other kinds of cameras around this pixel quality. I love how easy it is to select different modes and the cam and the video button is conveniently located with a click of my thumb for those quick precious video moments. I am surprised at how rich the display on the camera looks. The lens is average and takes pictures of any kind from macros to portraits to different landscapes. It's a very simple, user friendly, point and shoot camera. I will say the macro function is a ... MoreThe KODAK PIXPRO AZ528 Astro Zoom Camera is a great little camera. I must say, It's been a while since I've seen a solid camera that is easy to point and shoot. It's comfortable on the grip and lightweight. So light that my son of about 6 years of age is holding it with ease. It's not bulky like many other kinds of cameras around this pixel quality. I love how easy it is to select different modes and the cam and the video button is conveniently located with a click of my thumb for those quick precious video moments. I am surprised at how rich the display on the camera looks. The lens is average and takes pictures of any kind from macros to portraits to different landscapes. It's a very simple, user friendly, point and shoot camera. I will say the macro function is a bit low quality in the resolution and that's something I would suggest improvement on but that's also because of the average lens. The flash works well and the pictures turned out well. It saves quickly on the sd card I have and non-issue transferring it to a laptop. I've also discovered there are several apps to use to get more out of this camera. In addition, having to model over 10 years, shortly after that I discovered a new interest in taking pictures of my kids, nature, and the beauty of nature and animals. I love learning new skills using this awesome camera. The camera itself also looks very stylish and modern. I love the color of the case itself. The manual mode works well for quick aperture adjustment and different iso modes.

This is a nice looking camera, has great weight and feel, however, I have not been able to use the camera to see how it takes photos. Everything was included in the box, a SD card, battery, (very short) charging cable, etc.Plugged the camera in and allowed it to charge two hours and got ready to take it out to shoot some photos. The camera would not turn on. Checked to make sure the battery was properly installed, plugged it in to charge again for another hour, still not working. Plugged it back in and hit the power button, and it came on, set date and time, language, etc. Unplugged it from the charger, and it immediately shut down. I figured the battery needed longer to charge, left it on to charge all night.Same thing next morning, unplugged it, wouldn't turn ... MoreThis is a nice looking camera, has great weight and feel, however, I have not been able to use the camera to see how it takes photos. Everything was included in the box, a SD card, battery, (very short) charging cable, etc.Plugged the camera in and allowed it to charge two hours and got ready to take it out to shoot some photos. The camera would not turn on. Checked to make sure the battery was properly installed, plugged it in to charge again for another hour, still not working. Plugged it back in and hit the power button, and it came on, set date and time, language, etc. Unplugged it from the charger, and it immediately shut down. I figured the battery needed longer to charge, left it on to charge all night.Same thing next morning, unplugged it, wouldn't turn on, plugged in, turned on, though it had erased the settings I saved previously. So I went to the Kodak forums, turns out this is a VERY COMMON issue with the AZ528 battery, they are defective.Contacted customer service via email, receieved a prompt response stating the issues was a battery defect and asked that I send may mailing address so they could send a replacement battery. Sent the information and waited nearly 3 weeks, still no battery, contact Kodak customer service again, they asked I return the camera, explained I was simply waiting on the battery. They apologized, battery was never mailed, they would mail it on Monday (a week ago)Still have not recieved replacement battery for the camera so that I can actually use a camera I have owned for a month now.Highly disappointing product with a known defect.Do not recommend, especially if you are needing the camera for something happening in less than a month.