Front (6.0)
The Kodak AF 3x optical aspheric zoom lens extends out from a polished silver ring when the camera is turned on. When turned off, the zoom lens will retract into the camera body and be covered by an automatic built-in barrier. The lens sits on the right side of the camera’s front. Above the lens and slightly off-center is a horizontal flash unit that could potentially be covered slightly by fingers of the left hand if the photographer is shooting with two hands. To the left of the flash and continuing along the top of the camera body is the self-timer/video light. Between this feature and the lens of the camera are three small perforations which cover the in-camera monaural microphone that can be used during video capture. A slight thickening of the camera occurs to the left of these features along the entire vertical length of the front face. On the far left side and positioned centrally is a darker silver raised right-hand grip that provides a confident handling addition when shooting one-handed. The rest of the front face is composed of the standard light-silver colored plastic. A vertical Kodak emblem sits to the right of the grip while a Kodak Color Science emblem sits directly above near the top edge of the camera’s front face.
Back (5.75)
The 1.8-inch LCD screen is positioned on the left half of the Kodak EasyShare C433’s back face. The LCD is framed and raised slightly from the camera body. Located to the right of the LCD are four controls with full text labels. These controls are, from top to bottom: delete, menu, review and share. Each of these controls is well sized and placed for sufficient adjustments to be made without hassle. The menu and review buttons are separated by the four-way control that sits to the right of these buttons. The four-way control isn’t labeled but is intuitive in design and large enough to allow for switches in cardinal directions to be accomplished without hassle. In the center of the four-way control is an OK button which sets changes to control image parameters when moving through in-camera menu structures. Above and below the four-way control are raised dots to enable a little bit of extra grip when shooting with one hand. At the top of the camera body, above both the four-way control and textured grip, are the zoom controls for wide-angle and telephoto adjustments. These controls are split into two separate buttons, and this is probably the one control that could use some help since the buttons blend into the camera body and were overlooked a few times when trying to shoot quickly. If they were tinted a slightly darker gray like the delete, menu, review and share buttons, the zoom control would be a perfectly functional interface to shoot.
Left Side (3.0)
The left side of the Kodak EasyShare C433 has one feature located in the lower back corner for a USB cable to connect to either computer or printer. There is no cover for this port and it is easy to find so that novices shouldn’t feel overwhelmed when transferring pictures. There are no other features on the left side of the camera body.
Right Side (5.5)
The optional wrist-strap eyelet is located on the edge between the right side and top of the camera body and is inset into the body of the camera slightly to avoid snagging this attachment on clothing or protective cases.
Top (6.0)
The top of the Kodak EasyShare C433 continues the theme of simplicity and understated design. A large, perhaps oversized, mode dial allows for movement between Off, Favorites, Auto, Landscape, Close-up, Scene and Movie mode. When the camera turns off automatically, the user will have to return the mode dial all the way to the off position before the C344 will turn back on. This is a bit absurd when moving all the way back and forth from video mode since the dial doesn’t turn 360 degrees continuously. In the center of the mode dial is the polished silver shutter button. The shutter button isn’t labeled, but it is positioned in an intuitive location. To the left of the mode dial and shutter button is the flash button that rotates between flash settings by repeated pushing.
Bottom (5.5)
A port cover is located on the right side when viewing the bottom of the Kodak EasyShare C433. This cover slides to the right, away from the lens of the camera and reveals the area for the two AA batteries needed for power as well as a slot for SD/MMC memory cards. The port cover hinge seemed a bit loose, and stronger construction would be appreciated since it is an essential function. To the right of this port cover is the dock port for an optional connection to Kodak printers when engaging in direct printing. A plastic tripod mount is located directly beneath the lens of the C433 and it should be used with care since the plastic mount can easily be damaged and rendered useless if stripped or nicked. A metal mount would eliminate this concern almost entirely and would be a great improvement over what is currently offered with the C433.
