Kodak EasyShare V1003 First Impressions Review

Model Design / Appearance
As we said in the introduction, the EasyShare V1003 is an attractive camera, with simple and appealing lines. The designers were consistent in implementing these concepts, so all the details of the V1003's appearance contribute to its sleek, restrained look.

Size / Portability
The V1003 is 4.1 x 2.1 x 1.0 inches, and weighs 4.4 ounces without a battery or memory card. Because the lens telescopes out from the camera, it's much thicker in use. The size and shape make the V1003 very portable – but it's vulnerability to dust and dirt. This means that it definitely shouldn't go everywhere, even though it could. Pockets, purses, and backpacks will be too dirty for the V1003. Dust and grit can get into the lens mechanism, the battery and memory compartment, the USB/AV port and the DC jack.

Handling Ability
The V1003 is just large enough to hold securely. Though it doesn't have a hand grip, the surface of the Kodak logo on the front of the camera is grippable. The design doesn't really encourage a two-handed grip, but the V1003 will be more stable if the user grips the top and bottom with their left thumb and forefinger.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
The buttons on the V1003 are smaller than they should be, most likely a result of the sleek design we find so appealing. Still, we found ourselves missing the buttons we wanted because they are too small and close together. The shutter release is weak and uncertain. The joystick controller gave us problems, too – it frequently pressed in when we wanted to push it up. The power button is small and sunken slightly, probably so users won't accidentally turn the V1003 off or on. We found it hard to use, and our experience is that power switches that slide or turn are better.

Menu
Since the EasyShare V1003 is meant to be a simple camera, it has a relatively short menu. Much of the menu is only available in Program mode, the setting that allows the user the most control. Cameras typically split menus into sections for shooting, playback and setup, often with a separate menu for customizing the interface, image rendering or both. On the V1003, set-up is a submenu that appears in both the shooting and playback menus. A single menu item allows the user to save many of the camera preferences, very much like a customization menu.