Kodak EasyShare V1003 First Impressions Review

Manual Control Options
The Kodak V1003 doesn't allow direct control of aperture or shutter speed, though there is an exposure compensation control, which allows the user to shift the exposure from 2 stops below the meter reading to 2 stops above, in 1/3-EV steps. The compensation control is in the menu, though, so it's clunky to use. Other controls such as for metering pattern, white balance, and ISO can be operated manually.

Focus
Auto Focus
The V1003's focus system can be set to single or continuous mode, meaning it either focuses once and stops, or continues to focus while the shutter is pressed halfway. The V1003 appears to measure focus in 5 squares near the center of the frame. Focus was slow, but accurate, and it worked with some dim subject matter at the convention center. The system can also be set to focus exclusively on the center of the frame.

Manual Focus
The V1003 does not offer manual focus. Given its LCD's performance and the trouble we had with the joystick, it's unlikely that a good manual system could be grafted onto the V1003. The V1003 can be set to infinity focus, however.

Exposure
The plus-or-minus 2-EV compensation control shifts in 1/3-EV steps, and that is a small enough tolerance to achieve good exposures. Unfortunately, it's a menu function, so it's cumbersome to operate in shooting situations.

Metering
Metering patterns are typically the province of manual cameras, but the V1003 offers multizone, spot and center-weighted. We could not test the patterns in the course of this first look, but check back in the next few months - our full review should reveal more.

White Balance
The V1003 offers automatic white balance, plus presets for daylight, tungsten and fluorescent light. In the mixed lighting of the Las Vegas Convention Center, we couldn't test the system accurately, but we got pleasing color in flash pictures and under the bright tungsten lights in the Kodak display.

The V1003 does not offer a custom white balance or fine-tuning adjustment.

ISO
The V1003 offers a manual ISO range of 80 to 1600, in full-EV increments except for the slight jump between 80 and 100. In Auto mode, the V1003 stays at the bottom of the range, sliding from 80 to about 160, according to Kodak. We clearly couldn't test image quality in the chaotic, exciting confines of the Las Vegas Convention Center, but we assume that the narrow range of the Auto feature is meant to avoid increased noise and deteriorating color quality at higher ISOs. Though we can't quantify the V1003's slide in quality at the high end of its ISO range, the problems are apparent.

Shutter Speed
The Kodak V1003 doesn't allow the user to set the shutter speed manually, and in fact, doesn't display the shutter speed except in playback mode. While shooting, the V1003 offers a warning that a shaky picture might result from the current settings, but it offers no specifics. In the online manual, Kodak specifies a shutter range from 1/1448 to 8 seconds, noting that the range from ½ to 8 seconds is available only through the LT menu item. On the unit we saw on the convention floor, we got a maximum exposure duration of 2 seconds. Flash sync apparently runs the full exposure range.

We expect the V1003 to appeal to users who want an automatic camera. With ISO set to Automatic, the shutter speed range is perfectly adequate for snapshots. If the user ventures to set the ISO to 400 or above while shooting outdoors, the V1003 won't be able to make a proper exposure. To the extent that the V1003 offers manual controls, it offers inexperienced users the chance to mess up, but it fails to give more ambitious users the controls they need.

Aperture
Again, the V1003 doesn't indicate its working aperture while shooting – it's only available during playback. The maximum aperture of the lens ranges from f/2.8 to 4.9 across the zoom range. We didn't find a minimum aperture listed, but in reviewing our shots, we get the impression that the V1003 stops down to about f/8. That's a typical minimum aperture for a compact camera – anything more extreme is just too tiny to allow the lens to form a sharp image.

The dark maximum aperture at telephoto (f/4.9) is partly responsible for the meager flash range of 6 feet at that focal length.