Kodak EasyShare V803

Latest - Review and Sample Photos at WashingtonPost (added 02 October ‘07)

Kodak EasyShare V803 features:

• 8.0 megapixel
• 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) color LCD
• 3x Optical Zoom
• ISO 800
• 22 scene modes
• Digital image stabilization
• Advanced video mode to record VGA video (640 x 480) with sound at 30 fps
• On-camera tools include blurry picture alert, digital red-eye reduction and picture cropping

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WashingtonPost
What Digital Camera Magazine
Imaging Resource
Tech Tree
ePhotozine
Cameras.co.uk
InfoSync
ComputerActive
DCRP
DigitalCameraReview
CNET
ThinkCamera
PhotographyBlog
TrustedReviews
Pocket-lint

WashingtonPost - 02 October’07 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 and writes;
“Loaded with options and outshining the H7 with features, the Sony Cyber-Shot H9 has everything you could ask for in a camera without buying a dSLR. Offering an 8 megapixel imaging sensor, a 15x image stabilized optical zoom, 3 inch tilt-up screen and a slew of manual and automatic features, the H9 is a very versatile package that delivers excellent image quality. We feel that this camera will make a a great choice, whether you’re trying to decide between a smaller digicam or a dSLR with a large zoom lens. With the loads of exposure control and a 15x stabilized optical zoom, this model is thousands of dollars cheaper than the equivalent options on a dSLR with an image stabilized lens. With an MSRP of US$479, this is a very capable digicam that offers ease of use for a beginners as well as full manual controls for novice users.”

What Digital Camera Magazine - 6/9/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “This is an accessible camera that provides easy access to advanced features at an entry-level price. The 2.5in LCD monitor is clear, yet has a tendency to streak when composing images in difficult lighting conditions.”

Imaging Resource - 6/5/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “As much as I liked the design and feel of the V803, I was disappointed in its real-world performance. Much of that can be explained away by the $200 price tag, but it was so hard to read the LCD and “catch the moment” with this camera that I quickly put it aside. Focus was very slow and shutter lag consequently horrible. And when I did look over the images, they were far too saturated with too much contrast in sunlight.”

Tech Tree - 5/23/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “What I liked most is the multitude of shooting modes available with the V803. Most of all I liked the Panorama mode because the end result is a stitched image composed from 4 back-to-back shots. The video performance is below average but offers the zoom function being available while shooting. There’s one thing to note though, the A/V cable is not included in the bundle so you’ll have to buy it separately incase you plan to connect the cam to your TV. Also, the printed manuals are not included and you can get them only on the Kodak website.”

ePhotozine - 5/10/2007 - reviews Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera and points out they think the metering is poor. They continue to write,, “The headline feature of the camera is a whopping 8Mp resolution in a compact body at a very affordable price. With such a low price other features have to be sacrificed, so it’s just a paltry 3x optical zoom and this is pretty poor, lacking any kind of smoothness when zooming in. What’s perhaps less palatable is that the zone metering system isn’t very good, losing highlights on shots where it blatantly should pick up the bright areas right in the middle. Also, the focusing is somewhat hit and miss and gives up very easily. Throw in noisy images and only the fact that it’s a cheap 8Mp camera and that the color rendition is pretty good saves this from a good hiding. Even so, the performance is lacking in almost every department, and so it can only be recommended if you really need a big resolution at a very low price.”

Cameras.co.uk - 4/24/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “Available in ten different colours the Kodak Easyshare V803 is aimed at the style conscious. My tests were something of a mixed bag with the camera working well indoors, but struggling in other areas.”

InfoSync - 4/21/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “If you are going to take pictures of outdoor fruit stands on bright sunny days, the EasyShare V803 does a nice job with exactly this type of shot. Panorama shots, too, came out looking great, once we got the hang of lining up our shots. Otherwise, the V803 had some serious problems with image quality. Indoor shots were rarely usable, even with the middling flash, and low-light or high-speed shots suffered from serious noise issues. The camera was also very slow to startup, and slow to focus, defeating some of the spontaneity of a point-and-shoot camera. Though fashionistas may be enticed by the delightful colors available for the camera’s shell, even casual shooters will be disappointed by the images this camera produces, especially if you’re going to be taking most of your pictures indoors.”

ComputerActive - 4/16/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “Distracting from the fact that there’s not much new or original about the V803, the camera is available in a range of colours, including ‘mystic’ purple or pink ‘bliss’. Lacking manual features it may be, but omissions are considerably offset by that appealing price tag.”

DCRP - 3/30/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “Camera performance was mediocre. The V803 is slow to start up, slow to focus, and there is some shutter lag (but not much). Shot-to-shot delays were minimal, though, and battery life was average. The camera’s burst mode was unremarkable, taking just four photos in a row at 1.7 frames/second. The V803 does not support the USB 2.0 High Speed standard.

Photo quality was a mixed bag. The EasyShare V803 produced photos with good exposures and plenty of saturation (too much in my opinion), pleasing sharpness, and minimal purple fringing. While there isn’t much noise at lower ISO settings, there are some noise reduction artifacts to be found, most notably in the sky. At higher ISOs (400 and above) the image quality drops rapidly, with ISO 800 and 1600 worth avoiding. Redeye was also a problem, and the camera’s dual redeye removal system didn’t seem to help.”

DigitalCameraReview - 3/26/2007 - has a hands on preview of the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “The delete function is (like the V603 I tested last year) a bit wonky - it doesn’t always delete the image you want it to delete (it sometimes skips back to the first image on the card) and the delete OK/cancel screen completely covers up the image that is going to be deleted, making it easy to delete an image you wanted to keep. The V803 is easily the most frustrating digital camera I’ve ever used, but it may be an OK choice for those to whom style and compact size are more important than results.”

CNET - 3/20/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “It’s telling that the second paragraph of Kodak’s press release for the V803 starts with a quote from chief marketing officer Pierre Schaeffer rather than a product manager or engineer. “As consumers look for more ways to expand their picture taking experience, the Kodak EasyShare 10- and 8-megapixel digital cameras make it fun to personalize the camera look and feel,” said Schaeffer. Unfortunately, the same company that ushered in color photography with Kodachrome now seems more interested in the color of the cameras than the technology inside them and the usability of their design.”

ThinkCamera - 3/7/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera writes, “So is the Kodak V803 any good? It’s a pleasure to use, has scene modes for everything and has looks to be proud of. Picture quality is good enough if you think flash not ISO when it gets dark. But I’m not totally won over. There are rough edges, small buttons and the camera doesn’t excel at anything. It’s not truly terrible (ISO 1600 aside), but there are compacts that do everything better than the V803. I wish the Perfect Touch technology was faster to give the V803 an edge, but it’s too slow to use often.”

PhotographyBlog - 3/3/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera for a test drive and they write, “The Kodak Easyshare V803 is a stylish, well-built and very easy-to-use point and shoot camera that looks, feels and delivers better image quality than its budget price-tag might suggest. The V803 inherits the styling and build-quality of the more expensive, dual-lens V705 camera, whilst cutting the price by using a standard 3x zoom lens. Overall image quality is fine, although there is some blurring of image detail at ISO 200, and progressively more blurring and noise at higher ISO speeds. This means that the V803 is best suited to situations with adequate lighting, especially if you want to make larger prints. The new extended ISO range looks good on paper as a marketing bullet point, but not so great in reality - ISO 800 and 1600 are bordering on unusable. The Kodak Easyshare V803’s main problem is in terms of performance. It takes too long to start-up, there’s a very slight pause when focusing, and the continuous shooting mode is very slow, although focusing in both good and low light situations is always accurate. The Kodak Easyshare V803 is just a simple point and shoot camera in terms of creativity, with no control over aperture or shutter speeds, but Kodak have gone to great lengths to make the V803 easy to use, with a wealth of shooting modes, playback and sharing options available.”

TrustedReviews - 2/27/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera and they write, “If you can forgive its sluggish start-up time and underpowered flash, the Kodak Easyshare V803 is a well made and stylish camera with a good range of user options, long battery life and easy handling, and which can provide excellent picture quality at a very reasonable price.”

Pocket-lint - 2/20/2007 - reviews the Kodak EasyShare V803 digital camera and they write, “The V803 bucks a trend in terms of the level of detail captured for high-resolution compact digital cameras (that – normally – over processes noise and detail) its pictures look great.

It is also inexpensive at a penny under £150, but while it looks nice, is well made, has some nice features, and is simple to operate, its problems with all those frustrating delays means, in the end, I cannot recommend this camera.”

Sample Test Photos

[Sample Photos at What Digital Camera Magazine]
[Sample Photos at Imaging Resource]
[Sample Photos at Tech Tree]
[Sample Photos at Cameras.co.uk]
[Sample Photos at DCRP]
[Sample Photos at PhotographyBlog]
[Sample Photos at TrustedReviews]
[Sample Photos at Pocket-lint]

Specifications

[Official Kodak Specifications]

Owners Manual

[Owners Manual]

Press Release

LAS VEGAS, NV, Jan 7 At the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Kodak introduced a new addition to its award-winning line of KODAK EASYSHARE Consumer Digital Cameras. The KODAK EASYSHARE V803 Zoom Digital Camera.

Now, a new menu feature called “Maintain Settings” stores your preferred settings for flash, white balance, ISO and resolution between uses, saving you time and assuring you have the camera set up your own personal way. With the Favorites feature, you can keep your special pictures on your camera all the time for showing and sharing, without filling up your internal memory.

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See also: Kodak, Kodak Review Roundups