Kodak EasyShare V803

Model Design / Appearance (8.25)
The Kodak EasyShare V803 is petite and attractive, with its shiny body and curved edges. It is really part camera, part fashion accessory. The buttons and layout on the camera’s back side are modern and minimal. The V803 is offered in eight colors: Pink Bliss, Red Shimmer, Cosmic Blue, Mystic Purple, Golden Dream, White Glaze, Silver Essence, and Midnight Black. Users can pick a color that suits their personality, or at least matches their wardrobe.

Size / Portability (8.0)
While cute, the Kodak V803 isn’t the thinnest camera around. Measuring 4.1 x 2.1 x 1 inch, the camera weighs 5 ounces. This EasyShare camera is portable but portly, stylish but stout. The camera, about the size of a clamshell cell phone, can easily be tossed into a clutch purse but might bulge from a pants pocket. While most of the ports are covered, there is one bare DV port left exposed, making it vulnerable to debris. Overall, the camera is small enough to carry, but won’t fit easily into crowded book bags or tight pants.

Handling Ability (5.5)
The Kodak EasyShare V803 requires two-handed control. With a unique dual control panel design, users can handle the Kodak camera like a video game controller. The camera even comes with a joystick control in lieu of a traditional four-way controller. Handling was relatively easy when using both hands, but one-handed use was less than stellar since the LCD screen divides the controls onto both sides of the camera. There aren’t any handgrips for added support, but that’s typical of this type of point-and-shoot.



Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.0)
The V803 is more attractive than it is practical. The back has two controls panels; one on either side of the LCD. The left side features sleek, uniform buttons, but their small size makes them difficult to press. The right hand side includes a nubby joystick in place of a standard four-way controller. The joystick is not all that intuitive; it often misreads button depressions and draws up the wrong setting.


Menu (8.0)
The Kodak V803’s menu system draws up one long list of camera functions, rather than separating them into different categories such as Record and Setup, like other camera menus. The benefit to the one-menu system is that beginners won’t have to dig through multiple tabbed menus.

The continuous menu list is disorganized and a little crowded. For instance, the first setting on the menu is Self-Timer, which is not as critical of a control as image size or white balance, for instance.

Menu
Self-Timer	2 Seconds, 10 Seconds, Off, Two shot
Burst	On, Off
Picture Size	8.0 MP, 7.1 MP [3:2], 4.9 MP, 3.1 MP, 2.5 MP [3:2], 2.1 MP, 1.2 MP
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Open Shade
ISO	Auto, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Color Mode	High Color, Natural Color, Low Color, Black & White, Sepia
Sharpness	High, Normal, Low
Exposure Metering	Multi-Pattern, Center-weighted, Center-Spot
AF Control (Still)	Continuous AF, Single AF
Focus Zone	Multi-Zone, Center-Zone
Long Time Exposure	None, 0.5 seconds, 0.6 seconds, 0.8 seconds, 1.0 seconds, 1.3 seconds, 1.6 seconds, 2.0 seconds, 1.5 seconds, 2.5 seconds, 3.2 seconds, 4.0 Seconds 5.0 seconds, 6.0 seconds, 8.0 seconds
Maintain Settings	Exit, Flash, ISO Speed, Color Mode, Sharpness, Exposure Metering, Focus Zone (check/uncheck)
Set Album (Still)	On, Off
Date Stamp	On, Off
Image Storage	Auto, Internal Memory
Setup Menu	* (see below)

The Setup Menu opens a sub menu of functions to control sounds and monitor settings.

Setup Menu
Return
Camera Sounds	Exit, Theme, Power On, Focus Lock, Shutter, Self-Timer, Error (Options for each camera sound setting: None, Default, Secret Agent, Jazz Lounge)
Sound Volume	Off, High, Medium, Low
Digital Zoom	On, Off
LCD Brightness	Power Save, High Power
LCD Dimmer	30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, Off
Auto Power Off	10 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 1 minute
Date & Stamp	DMY
Video Out	NTSC, PAL
Photo Frame	Exit, Interval, Loop, Transition, Source, Run Time
Red Eye Preflash	On, Off
Blur Warning	On, Off
Language	English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Czech, Greek, Dutch,
Format	Memory Card, Cancel, Internal Memory
About	Kodak EasyShare V803 Firmware Version 1.010000

Kodak could improve the V803’s menu by creating two main categories – Record and Setup – to make things easier for the target point-and-shoot audience.

Ease of Use (7.25)
The Kodak V803 has its pros and cons. The important functions are clearly labeled and have dedicated buttons so users can easily access the critical automatic functions. The crowded menu system, however, isn’t ideal, especially when trying to maneuver with the poorly designed joystick button. Besides the quirky joystick and cluttered menu system, the V803 is easy enough to operate right out of the box.