With the KODAK EASYSHARE V1233 Zoom Digital Camera, versatility and sharpness collide into one simple device. Experiencing stunning pictures is as simple as using the KODAK... more...EASYSHARE V1233 Zoom Digital Camera.
very good pictures, good battery, easy to use, compact
Disadvantages:
slow performance, no video control
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
My father always wanted a digital camera. His old cam is Kodak and it still works after almost fifteen years he owned it. That's why he desires a Kodak digital camera. I visited him a few weeks ago and bought him a surprise gift: Kodak EasyShare V1233 digital camera. I saw that he was so happy now that he owns a digi-cam. Now let's take a tour on this cam.
IN THE BOX
The camera
A rechargeable Kodak KLIC-7004 Li-Ion battery
A camera bag
A USB cable that fits on Kodak's proprietary slot
A USB to A/V cable
Kodak EasyShare dock insert
A CD (Kodak EasyShare Software)
Two manuals: one manual in English and Chinese, the other in Indonesian
A carry strap
DESIGN AND CONTROLS
The whole body is aluminium which makes it a solid camera. With dimension 101.9 × 54.6 × 23.4 mm and weight 150g without the battery makes it a quite compact camera. We can grip the camera comfortably and hold it securely since there is enough space for us to grip and hold it.
On the front we can find the lens, flashlight, microphone, video light/self-timer light/AF assist light.
At the back are 2.5 inch LCD screen, speaker, and the control buttons (Review, Delete, Share, Menu buttons) which are well-organized circulating the joystick. The Review button is used as a playback, Delete for file deletion, Share for sharing pictures like emailing, printing and putting pictures in Favorites album, and Menu for opening the menu. These buttons are illuminated to make it easier to operate the camera in low light conditions. The joystick helps us navigate through the menu.
On top there are various buttons. They are zoom lever, which is a rotary bezel around the shutter button; flash button, on/off button, auto/SCN (scene) mode button, video mode button, and favorites mode button.
Beneath the camera are the USB slot/ A/V out /dock connector (to charge the battery via computer), tripod socket, battery slot and SD/MMC card slot.
On the right side, there is DC-In for charging battery using Kodak 5V AC adapter (not included). Whereas on the left is a strap post to hang in the strap.
DISPLAY
The 2.5-inch high resolution color TFT display at the back of the camera offers adjustable brightness in direct sunlight. It has 12 Megapixels resolution and can capture pictures at up to 4,000x3000 pixels and shoot video at up to 720p High Definition resolution.
FEATURES
Here are some of the key features:
Face Detection
With this feature we can detect faces of our family and friends and let the camera adjust the setting like focus and metering.
Zoom
Its Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 3x optical zoom lens (35 mm equivalent: 37-111 mm) enables us to get closer to the objects without lowering picture quality. For close-up shots, we can even enlarge the pictures with 5x digital zoom.
High Definition Video
The uncommon feature in this cam is High Definition video mode. With this feature, we can shoot in 720p HD resolution at 30 frames per second (mono audio). The results of video and still pictures (in HD format) can be seen on a HD TV through HDTV dock (optional accessory).
Memory Storage
32MB internal memory is available in V1233. Surely this is not enough to bring in all our photos and videos. We will need SD or MMC memory card if we wish to expand the memory storage. It's also compatible with SD High Capacity (SDHC) card thus we can expand up to 8GB capacity. Isn't that amazing?
Share Photos
To share pictures we can simply push the Share button and tag it and it will be ready to be printed or emailed. Don't forget to install the software before printing it.
Other Features
It has 5 modes for white balance: auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, and open shade. There are also several color modes (high color, natural color, low color, sepia, black and white) and three sharpness levels. The cam allows self-timer up to 10 seconds, a single shot, and burst mode up to 3 frames. We can capture maximum 12 MP (at 4:3 ratio), other options are 10.7, 9, 6, 3.1, 2.2, 2.1, 1.2 MP. Scene selections include: portrait, sport, landscape, close up, night portrait, night landscape, snow, beach, text/document, fireworks, flower, museum/manner, self portrait, hi-ISO, children, backlight, panning, candle light, sunset, custom, panorama R-L, panorama L-R, digital image stabilization. Panorama stitch mode allows us to mix to three shots into one large picture with on-camera panorama mode, while digital image stabilization allows us to capture pictures with a higher shutter speed in low light conditions. Custom settings include LCD brightness, LCD dimmer, image storage, album, orientation sensor, camera sounds, sound volume, date & time setting, digital zoom setting, auto power off time setting, video out setting, language, reset camera and memory format.
MY EXPERIENCE USING V1233
I bought this camera for about US$150. I find out that its "twin-shaped" model, V1253, is more expensive, since it has larger LCD, higher video bits, and stereo microphone.We may need about three or four seconds to start up the cam and to shut it down about five or six minutes. Despite the slow start up and shut down, to use its autofocus is pretty quick. Sequence shot is not fast either. While other cam can shoot five pictures in sequence in about fifteen seconds, this cam is in almost forty seconds. Writing data to memory card is somewhat slow. For the first five captures, it was good. But then it slowed down. It took approximately seven seconds to write a single file to a card (I use SanDisk 2GB). For writing 3 files of three burst mode captures, it took about twenty seconds to write to the card before we can take another burst. Viewing a picture which has just taken using the Review button also might take a few seconds for loading it to the display.
After 30 minutes of video recording (HD format) with its screen always ON, it still had about 40% of remaining battery power. I can conclude that the battery life is good. I used the flash in night shooting and dark places and found that this flash was very much helpful. Despite the dim LCD under direct sunlight, the printed pictures taken in direct sunlight showed good colors, as well as night-taken pictures with flash. Even in the corners of the frame, the sharpness didn't lack its quality. Also by the use of optical zoom, it was still pretty good.
Unfortunately, we can't use the zoom function when working with the video. When using the zoom function while video recording, the camera experienced a problem staying focused all the time and for moments it was completely out of focus, making the video recording rot. Besides, we can hear some noises coming from the microphone; probably it was from the lens zooming in/out. And there was this spot on the display all the time. There are no video functions like white balance, exposure compensation, shutter/aperture, gain control, and manual focus. But there are macro/infinity/normal modes that might help in some situations.
I found no problem in installing the software and sharing pictures using the Share button. It's quite easy.
MY OPINION ABOUT THIS PRODUCT
Overall I would rate this product 7/10. The picture quality is a massively attractive feature for a 12 MP camera. The battery power is OK and it is a well-designed and easy to use camera. The price is reasonable enough for what it has inside. What bothers in this cam is its slow performance and lack of video control. Hence, I should advise to those who love Kodak you might get extra enjoyment with its brilliant pictures, but you might also want to consider other 12 MP same-price brands that offer all that you need including fast performance and a better technology in video recording.
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How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Viewfinder / LCD.,Modes.,Face Detection.,E. Zoom.,Hi-Def video recording., (-) Flash doesn't throttle down well in Macro mode ,Poor low light performance at low ISOs
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