Front (7.0)
The front of the Kodak EasyShare C360 features a Kodak Retinar All Glass Lens shifted to the right of the camera’s font face (when looking at the lens). The body of the camera bulges slightly out from the left side of the camera, creating a visual break on the otherwise rectangular face and providing a stable grip for the user’s right hand. In the lower right corner of the front face between the lens and the corner of the camera body is the in-camera microphone, designated by three small horizontal bars. This placement means that users will always need to be aware of where fingers are positioned when shooting videos or the additional left hand support will muffle the audio. The lack of grip pads or other features to dictate hand placement may present handling problems for users of the C360. To the left of the microphone on the other side of the lens are two features. One is a light sensor, and the other is a self-timer light. Moving above the retractable 3x optical zoom lens, the user will find an in-camera flash situated slightly right of center from the camera lens, but still remaining above it. To the left of the flash is the Viewfinder window, positioned neatly away from meandering fingers. The right side of the camera features a protruding flat plane for holding the camera. A brushed metal plate is positioned on the face of this plateau and has no grip or texture beside the small Kodak logo positioned in the center of the metal plate. Bridging the plateau on the left side and the flat camera body is a long angled plane which is vertically emblazoned with the Kodak EasyShare C360 brand.
Back (7.0)
The back face of the EasyShare C360 has an appropriately sized 2.0-inch, 110,000-pixel LCD which would benefit from an increase in pixel count. Above and slightly left of center from the LCD is the real image optical viewfinder. This viewfinder is able to display zoom levels during use, although the inaccurate representation of the frame makes composing the image quite a challenge. The viewfinder is extremely small and has no surrounding protection, so users will need to be in a steady position when pressing their eye to the plastic. Also, unless the user only shoots photographs with the right eye, it is likely that the LCD will pick up sweat and dirt from the user’s face since it does not extend beyond the LCD plane. To the left of the viewfinder the user will find the “Ready Light” which indicates that the camera has finished starting up or when video/still images are ready to be shot or are being saved or deleted. The viewfinder and LCD screen are slightly built up from the main body of the camera but are just about even with each other. To the right of the viewfinder the user will find the hallmark share button which allows for quick transferal of pictures to print or email, or presents the option of saving them to the favorites section within the camera. Just to the right of the share button and creating a cross with the five hole arrangement is a small mono playback speaker. And finally, located in the upper right corner and partially raised are the small but separate buttons which control focal length. These controls double as a playback magnification control when viewing previously captured images.
Below the zoom toggle controls are eight raised dots intended to be a resting point and grip for the right-hand thumb. Below these dots lies the four-way controller which has a slight scallop that transgresses the border of the LCD screen frame. The four-way control is a continuous ring which is a little too small to really function well as a whole. If it is necessary for this to be a continuous ring it would help functionality if it was larger, or if small dimensions were the main concern, the control could have been broken up into four autonomous directional controllers and been far easier to utilize. At this point the size and design are not well balanced enough to permit concise use. In the center of the four-way controller the user will find the OK button. When depressed in Auto mode, this button provides a description of the setting. When positioned in a scene mode, the user is able to access descriptions for each individual preset scene mode setting. And when shooting in auto mode, the user is able to control exposure compensation by depressing the left and right sides of the four-way control. Located between the right side of the monitor and the four-way controller are four well spaced, yet somewhat small buttons. These buttons are vertically positioned and control from top to bottom: the delete setting, monitor settings, menu, and the review button. They are well labeled and easy to handle. Beneath the LCD screen along the bottom of the camera is the Kodak EasyShare C360 logo again.
Left Side (7.0)
A prominent display of the 5 MP CCD rating for the camera is vertically displayed up the left side of the Kodak EasyShare C360 camera body. At the bottom of the camera body towards the back the user will find the clearly labeled DC in 3V jack. Although the two partially opaque plastic stripes continue onto the left side of the camera body from the top, there are no LED lights within them on the side of the camera body.
Right Side (7.0)
The most prominent feature on the right side of the camera body is the cover for the SD/MMC memory card slot (the card is optional). The user must press this cover down and slide it towards the back of the camera to open it fully. It offers a significant degree of protection when closed, but is easily susceptible to damage when open. This cover not only protects the memory card slot but also the USB A/V out port, which allows the user to transport still and video/audio clips from USB to TV screen for viewing via the included USB to RCA video/mono audio cable. Bridging the edge of the right side and top of the camera body is a polished silver wrist strap eyelet which appears to be sturdy enough to support the camera for prolonged durations. It is also large enough to easily thread.
Top (7.5)
The top of the Kodak EasyShare C360 has a large and well sized mode dial positioned on the right side of the camera body. The mode dial feels sturdy and registers each mode position switch with a satisfying click. The mode dial is also stiff, but not prohibitively so. The dial contains a series of modes which are controlled by turning the dial counterclockwise from the off position. It is possible to set the mode dial to Off, Auto, Scene, Portrait, Sports, Landscape, Macro, and Movie Mode; however, it is not possible to turn the dial counterclockwise from Movie to the Off position, forcing the user to spin the dial all the way back to reset the camera when it enters into sleep mode. This can be a hassle at times. If the user turns the dial clockwise from the Off position, the camera enters into Favorite mode. This setting allows the user to review previously captured images which have been moved into this folder when the camera is in review mode. To the left of the mode dial is the flash button which enables the user to alter flash settings without having to enter the onscreen menu. To the left of the flash button is the dual purpose Self-Timer/Burst mode controller. Setting changes can be viewed along the top of the LCD screen. To the front and back of these two controls, towards the edges, are two strips of partially opaque plastic which have a series of LED lights situated beneath. When the camera is powered on, these lights turn on in rapid fire sequence down two parallel tracks. While they serve no functional purpose they may be enough to distract impatient users from restlessly pushing buttons before the camera is ready to capture images. I like to think that Kodak putting these lights on the C360 is analogous to decking an ’89 Camry with 20s—it’s both pointless and hilarious, but maybe you’ll feel really sweet when you roll past.
