Not quite picture perfect

~~~~ Introduction ~~~~

Kodak is a market leader in the photographic industry and they produce an astounding range of digital cameras. Ranging from budget models starting at £50 to high-end all singing all dancing models that can cost upwards of £300.
The Kodak v803 is a mid priced model with basic, easy to use features and is available from £120-£130.

~~~~ The Features ~~~~

Sorry for the list part of the review but it is really the best way to give a snapshot of the capabilities of this product. Providing a useful buying guide to help assist you in your choice.

Pixels -8.0 MP (3273 × 2457)

Zoom -3X optical, 4X digital

Focus -single, continuous

Flash Modes -auto, fill, off, red eye

Scene modes -portrait, sport, landscape, close up, night portrait,
Night, landscape, snow, beach, text/document, fireworks, flower, museum/manner, self-portrait, high ISO, children, backlight, panning, candlelight, sunset, custom, panorama, anti blur.

Dimensions -W × H × D:
4.1 × 2.1 × 1.0 in. (103 × 54.5 × 25 mm)

Weight -5.0 oz (141.5 g)

Power -KODAK Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery

LCD -2.5 in. (6.4 cm)

~~~~ Product Overview ~~~~

This model is a 8 megapixel camera with a conventional 3x optical zoom (pretty standard and usually sufficient for your average user).The camera is well built bit the all plastic casing is a bit of a let-down giving a bit of a cheap feel.
There is a 2.5 inch screen to the back of the unit with function buttons either side of the display. The display is bright and clear and works well even in bright sunshine. There is no viewfinder so you will have to rely solely on the display.
When the camera is first switched on it can take a while for the auto-focus to correct itself this can be quite annoying at times. General operation is easy and quick once you get past the focus issue.
Use of the menus is simple and quick and with 22 different mode settings you will have no problems in quickly learning the different settings.
Picture quality in normal conditions is fantastic and looks vibrant and realistic. However pictures taken in less than perfect conditions may need further editing on your pc (if you have the relevant software).
In use the camera is really quick to copy the images to the internal memory of memory card (32mb internal memory or SD/MMC card) giving a quick response rate of images you can take.
The flash is powerful and well controlled giving realistic looking images when in low-light or inside.

~~~~ Summary ~~~~

A good sturdy product from Kodak with good overall picture quality. Lack of advanced features is probably the biggest let-down and the focus issue can quickly put people off using this camera.
If you just want a point and shoot camera then this is the model for you. I personally prefer a bit more advance features so found this model to be a bit lacking in overall performance.
In summary an ok camera but just too basic for my needs.