Kodak EasyShare V603

When you think of Kodak, you think of simple point and shoot cameras that even the most novice of users can get his hands around. You don't need any particular expertise in getting around Kodak cameras' options because they are all so simplified into presets that anyone can understand. This is what makes them a favorite in the casual user level.

The Kodak EasyShare V603 follows the same footsteps to bring you simplicity when it comes to shooting options, but excellent quality where it matters the most. But before we get to that we'll start with the way it looks and feels.

Build
Like with the other cameras in it's V-series is that even though it's thoroughly a compact consumer camera, it still requires 2-handed operation to successfully click the picture and then view it. Why Kodak? Why can't you shift the screen a little to the left and move those buttons to the right, where they rightfully belong?

Moving away from my dramatic moment, the V603 also has one other annoyance in it's build—the smooth and shiny metallic exterior. The shiny bit may look good, and may also be less susceptible to finger prints than the shiny plastic finish that most gadgets seem to be getting into these days, but it sure does get slippery after a while of use.

The 2.5" display at the back may boast a 230,000 pixel resolution, but it still ended up looking terrible. It's as if the camera shoots up the camera's sensitivity to give a fast preview and in the process adds in a lot of noise. Not that this noise reflects on the images, on the contrary the images look pretty good (more on that in the performance section), but the preview can get pretty misleading about what you're shooting.

Still I'll give the display props for keeping things visible even is low-light conditions, thanks to its super-high light sensitivity.

But all's not lost here. The buttons are surprisingly convenient to use considering their small size. I especially appreciate the soft-touch shutter release, which makes it easy to click pictures inspite of the rest of the build.

The thing with this camera's build is that even though it's not the best one for my tastes, everyone around me thought that the camera looked pretty cool and sleek in its black, slim, rectangular body. So it brings to mind that though the build is not the most functional one, it still has a lot of appeal.