9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
An average camera - at best!
Date of Review: Jun 18, 2008
The Bottom Line: It's the camera that could have been - average photo quality, poor construction and non-standard battery negate any advantages
The Kodak EasyShare V1253 could be a great digital camera, but it just isn't! It has the potential with a 12.4 Mega Pixel image sensor and large LCD display. It has HD capability with 720p video mode. But it's just not that spectacular.
The biggest disappointment is in its construction. Like most of the newer Kodak cameras it is very plasticy and cheap feeling. Kodak seems to be the WalMart of digital cameras! The large LCD display is not very well protected by the camera's case construction. We've seen several of these with broken LCD displays already (VERY expensive - might as well buy another camera.)
Next is the image quality. With over 12 mega pixels, you would expect razor sharp images, but they are disappointingly average. I've seen sharper photos from cameras of 5 to 7 mega pixels.
Finally, Kodak committed the ultimate sin in my book when they made this camera - they used a "special" (read that as expensive) battery. Of course you'll want to pay the extra bucks for a spare in case you run out of charge in the middle of a shoot. Why can't camera manufacturers just use standard AA batteries? You can then choose between Ni-Mh, Lithium, or regular Alkalines in a pinch. If they used AA batteries you would always be near a source of fresh power. But no, it's always better to require a "special" battery that is only compatible with one or two other cameras(?) (I don't know why manufacturers do this but they'll never get a good review from me because of it.)
Overall, this is an average camera with an HD screen. It's great for photos of the kids around the house or at a school function, but it's not for anyone who is serious about their photos. It's good for impressing your friends with HD photos and videos if you have any subject matter that requires HD screen widths.
Personally, I would rather spend the same on a good solid camera. I can do without the plastic feel, I don't need and HD display. Give me a good lens and good quality photos instead.
