Kodak EasyShare C663

Model Design / Appearance
The case of the C663 is made of plastic, but it feels solidly constructed, and the rectangular handgrip on the front makes for a firm handhold. The styling is acceptable, but looks a little outdated. In an era where most digital cameras are going for flowing curves, Kodak has gone with a more traditional, solid design. Not that there is anything wrong with that; it just opts for a more utilitarian and less sleek aesthetic.

Size / Portability
At 3.3 x 2.5 x 1.4 inches, the Kodak EasyShare C663 is a boxy, rather lumpy looking camera that’s significantly thicker than many of the other compact cameras we’ve seen. The depth in particular means that it won’t fit into a shirt or pants pocket. But it would fit into a coat pocket or small bag, and the bits that do stick out (such as the mode dial) are not likely to get caught on the hem or lip of a pocket.

Handling Ability
The EasyShare C663 fits comfortably in the hand, with the shutter and zoom controls falling naturally under the index finger and thumb. The mode dial can also be operated with the thumb, but you’ll have to look up to see the mode you are in: the icons are on the top of the camera and can’t be seen without rotating the dial around. And though the aesthetic is almost retro in design with its square lines and bold shapes, the handling is not awkward at all.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
Some of the C663’s buttons are a located in less than ideal places; the flash and shooting mode buttons are on the top of the camera, meaning that you have to use your left hand to reach them. This seems a little odd with the flash mode button especially: it’s a commonly used button, so it’s a pity that it’s not placed somewhere where you can reach it without taking your eye away from the viewfinder or LCD screen.

The other buttons are well placed and comfortable to use. The joystick can be reached with the thumb of the right hand (although you do need to use the left hand to brace the camera when doing so). The buttons underneath it and more out of reach (menu and review) are less likely to be used during framing or capture.

Menu
Although the LCD screen does not have a particularly high resolution, the menus are clear and well laid out. Pressing the menu button opens them up. The menu is displayed over a live preview of the images and is easy to read: the options are visually organized and you use the joystick to scroll up and down the menu. There are menu options for Picture Size, AF control, Color mode, Set Album (to save images to a user-defined album of photos), Image storage (to control if images are saved to internal memory or the SD Card), Setup (which contains a number of submenus for various settings), and Exposure Compensation. That’s quite a few options, but it doesn’t take too long to scroll through them, and the most commonly used ones (picture size and AF control) are the first ones available.

Ease of Use
Although the odd placement of some of the buttons (such as the flash mode mentioned above) does make some operations a little difficult to execute, the C663 is generally a very easy to use camera with a logical approach to the menus and control structure. Then again, this is a Kodak EasyShare, and that shouldn’t be a surprise.