I've had this camera for two years and I love it! Once I figured out all the different settings it was a great camera! The buttons are a little small for my fingers but that's redundant. I recently dropped the camera in to the bottom of a boat and it got diesel in it and ruined it. I've been looking for another V603 ever since.

I love this camera. best money i have ever spent, this camera has been through it all the screws are missing off the face plate scrates on every corner but i can not find another camera like this one!

it took wonderful pictures and i really liked it because it was rechargeable, i had dropped it a few times and it stopped working. the front is retractable for when the camera is off and it woulden't even turn on or off so i tried to push it in (stupidly) and now it's beyond repair.

I discovered that there is a learning curve to this camera. People taking bad pictures probably haven't tried to find out why yet. The camera shutter release like all Kodaks requires you to hold the button half way before you take your shot, so the camera can focus. Once I figured that out- GREAT pictures.
I did have troubles with dark shots until I discovered that you can lighten or darken those shots as you like by hitting either the left of right arrow keys BEFORE you take the shot.
I have taken good quality pics of both bright beaches and of fireworks and the moon (pics in the dark need a tripod or a solid surface tho). The camera has maybe 20 presets for each situation - including a KILLER panoramic feature that works really easily!
My only complaint is when filming 30fps video there is a green light on the front of the camera - and it can reflect off of glass and the like. Other than that - this camera has been in my shirt pocket (and been battered) for a long while. Still working - and doing very very well. VERY happy - and only listed as "good" because of that green light issue.

While taking a 10 minute video it started to smell like smoke. Now, it does not work and I will buy a Canon.

I have had a Kodak V603 for about nine months now. The size is nice because it fits right into your pocket and takes up very little room. It also has a nice screen so you can easily review your pictures. The bad things definitely out way the good. For each picture you take a "blur warning" comes up, Red bad yellow OK and green good. Your hand has to be tripod like steady for this to ever come up green. Forget about taking a picture of someone running or an action shot. The camera also has a very poor focus. When taking a picture at a bar or dark restaurant one in ten pics will come out. all others are very dark and not to mention the red hand. Outside in nice bright light it takes good pictures. When you aim up a shot and hold button in half way, a green square comes up to let you know you are ready to take you pic, but in dark/low light pictures the camera can not figure out what you are trying to do, even if it set on low light. I sent the camera to get "repaired' per rep, received camera back in about three weeks. Problem was not fixed sent camera in again, when it was sent back 3 weeks later it was still not fixed. I than had to send the V603 to another dept at Kodak. They stated there was something wrong with the camera so I could get a new "Refurbished" camera at no cost. So all in all I paid 263.00 for a refurbished camera that takes bad pictures. Yes the one they sent me takes bad pictures also. DO NOT BUY.

I have had my kodak camera for nine months now and I absolutely love it. I have taken so many wonderful pictures that i can now share with my friends, family and generations to come. Alond with my camera, I got the kodak printer dock and I love the professional quality pictures that it can print. I Suggest this camera and printer if you are a professional photographer or just a family photographer. It is fun and very easy to use.

i have had my camera for a month now and love it. the person that commented about the focus is wrong. i get green shots all the time. When you are in a bar or a dark place, you use the party mode which makes it brighter. There are 22 different settings on the camera which makes the camera good. I am in a photography class at my school and my teacher always exalts me for my photos that i have taken. She always wonders what camera i use and i tell her this one. One of the girls has a really nice Cannon Camera that requires different lenses and we usually get the same shots. i love this camera and it is definitely a good choice to make. You are not going to waste your money!

Owned my V603 for only one month but use it daily. Had to get use to the size and where the buttons are, and the fact it does not have a view finder, but satisfied with the performance.

I have had a Kodak V603 for about nine months now. The size is nice because it fits right into your pocket and takes up very Little room. It also has a nice screen so you can review your pictures easy. The bad things definitely out way the good. For each picture you take a "blur warning" comes up, Red bad yellow OK and green good. Your hand has to be tripod like steady for this to ever come up green. Forget about taking a picture of someone running or an action shot. The camera also has a very poor focus. When taking a picture at a bar or dark restaurant one in ten pics will come out. all others are very dark and not to mention the red hand. Outside in nice bright light it takes good pictures. When you aim up a shot and hold button in half way, a green square comes up to let you know you are ready to take you pic, but in dark/low light pictures the camera can not figure out what you are trying to do, even if it set on low light.
I sent the camera back to Kodak for repair got it back today and there is no difference. Called them back and now I have to send it back to them again. Rep told me there was no way to get a refund and pretty sure I'm going to get stuck with a $300.00 paper weight. My girlfriends $150.00 D camera takes much more constintly good pictures minus the lower RES.

Kodak EasyShare V603 is a great camera. It is an underdog in the digital camera world. Many digital camera websites on the internet have a bias that Canon and Nikon are superior cameras, while Kodaks are considered inferior ——- but V603 proves that this is not true. The V603 is very small, takes great pictures with excellent exposure, and is built better than any ultra-compact Canon and Nikon has to offer. In my review, I'll try to mention aspects that other reviews haven't covered as yet.

By the way, there are people on this website who say the LCD cracks very easily. This is NOT true. I've lent the V603 to someone who dropped it many times, and there are no scratches whatsoever, and the camera is still fully functional. In my opinion, the abuse other users subjected to their camera would have broken ANY camera, not specifically the V603 if it really did break. For instance, you are not supposed to press your weight against your camera bag.......that'll break any camera! So it is not true that the V603's LCD breaks very easily.

Pros:

1) Instant picture taking. The V603 focuses really fast and takes a picture in less than a second. It doesn't matter if you pre-focus by pressing the shutter button halfway —- it's still fast. Canon Elph cameras (even with their "super fast" Digic II processor) aren't as instant because their mechanical auto-focusing takes a while to lock on focus. The Schneider-Kreuznach lens (German engineered) on the V603 is high quality, giving you sharp photographs and fast focusing.

2) Great, bright 2.5" LCD screen. It has 230,000 pixels of resolution, a lot more than its competitors. Basically, when you take pictures and view them, they will look very sharp, and life-like. If you check the specifications for other similar cameras made by Canon and Nikon, they tend to have around 130,000 pixels of resolution, often giving pictures a grainy appearance. There is only one flaw to this LCD screen, which I'll mention later on.

2) No red eye pictures. The manual mentions a hidden feature the V603 has ———- it actively scans eyes in the photographs you take, and automatically removes red-eye. (Page 9 + 33 in the manual) The camera also let's you set the flash to flash twice in order to remove more red-eye in pictures, but it is redundant since the post-processing in the camera automatically removes red-eye.

3) The battery life is good. Ultracompacts are known to have poor battery life, but on average, the V603 gives me about a whole day's worth of picture taking, video taking and picture reviewing. By the time I got home, it finally gave me a low battery warning. The low battery warning is great ——— the camera let's you take pictures for half an hour more before finally shutting off. Canon Elph cameras barely give you 5 minutes before shutting off on you. The V603 at least gives you the opportunity to finish up taking photographs.

4) Amazing panaramic feature. It's easy, you take 3 photographs, and the camera automatically stiches it inside of the camera! What's really amazing is that there is no overlap whatsoever —— it combines into one seamless picture. Cameras from other name brands don't even do this. It can also enhances pictures, and crop inside of the camera. This is great if you are the type of person who likes printing directly from your camera to your printer, for you do not need a computer to enhance your pictures.

Cons:

1) The LCD smudges way too easily with fingerprints. It is not a problem when you're actually using the V603, because when the LCD is lit, you do not see the dust and fingerprints which accumulate on it. You will only see it when you turn off the camera. Honestly, it'll only affect you if you want to show off your V603 to other people, but it does not affect the operation of the camera in any way. Wiping it off with a cloth will be a necessity every now and then.

2) Quicktime video format. The V603 takes videos in Apple's proprietary format, which Windows Media Player does not natively understand. Keep that in mind if you have a PC. If you want to burn your videos on DVD, (since V603 takes TV quality video) you have to make sure your DVD video editing program handles Quicktime's .MOV files.

3) Some of the camera's features requires the Kodak software. I'm especially referring to the Favorites feature, where you can keep a portable photo album of 150 pictures in the cameras internal memory ——— yet, if you use a program other than Kodak's Easyshare to transfer your photographs, there's no way to make use of this Favorites feature at all. This is important to point out because not everyone likes the Kodak software —— I think Google's Picasa is better at organizing photographs in your computer, but it cannot access the camera's Favorite mode.

Improvements from the older V550 model: The older model of this camera is the V550. This V603 has better buttons which are easier to press, the viewfinder was completely eliminated, is more battery efficient (perhaps due to improvements in internal circuitry or powersaving software), 6 megapixels vs 5 megapixels, and it doesn't with the photo frame stand which let's you sync and charge by dropping it in. Instead, the V603 comes with USB sync and an AC adapter wire to charge the camera. This is better for traveling as you don't have to take the big photo frame dock with you everywhere you go.

Other notes: Although it seems the V603 is meant for amateurs, there are features that photographers using SLRs would appreciate. The V603 does have a shutter priority mode, letting you keep the shutter open for up to 8 seconds, while the camera controls the aperture and other settings. It has the ability to show you a live histogram, letting you analyze a picture in real time to see if the camera will take a good exposure or not. It has a framing grid to help you frame your shot too. Last but not least, V603 also has an interesting blur warning system which rates every picture you take using a hand sign and color, letting you know if it's a good sharp picture or not. The scene modes help you adjust manual settings too. (For instance, selecting the Panning Shot mode allows the V603 to select an aperture setting which allows the background to blur, while keeping the foreground sharp and focused)

Overall ——- it is a great camera. People on the internet have a bias that Canon and Nikon are good cameras. The truth is that perhaps their $1000 SLRs are great, but their reputations shouldn't be rubbed off on cheaper point and shoot cameras. For point and shoot cameras, Kodak V603 outperforms any Canon Elph, Nikon or Casio camera you can use. The proof is in the great pictures, and the fast operation of the camera, which is easy and intuitive.

I had mine less than two weeks am very very careful, had in camera bag and set computer on it display cracked in lower left bottom a pressure point from what Ive read. Other than that this is a nice quality camera with better than average picture quality and ease of use. I wouldnt recommend trying to navigate while driving a car though unless you have paid your insurance premiums. Best have it set up and ready to go because this is not simple. If it wasn't for the display I would recommend one of these. If you have one or are going to get one all I can offer is its more fragile than an egg! Bye product insurance at any cost! have fun

If you have about $300 to spend and want an easy to use camera that is flexible and produces fine photos, this v603 is it. I had been looking at Canon's models (the 8mp A630 in particular)in this price range and had purchased a Sony DSC-s600 that had to be returned, defective out of the box, I settled on the V603 and have had no regrets. It is packed with features, will fit in a shirt pocket easily. The placement of buttons/ controls is quite good.You will find yourself taking the V603 everywhere as it is easy to carry and takes great photos. I put mine on a copy stand and make really good quality copys of old snapshots. The 8mp Canon A630 hit the market after I bought the V603, I did not get "pixel envy". With the V603 I shoot pictures that nicely fill a 15" flat panel LCD computer monitor. The 8mp Canon A630 is freakishly large compared to the nicely compact V603. I am happy with my choice. Oh, and be careful where you buy it. One Amazon reviewer said they got more than one defective V603 from Costco. Costco does have a real liberal return policy. You can return a camera you dont like up to a year later. That gives you a great chance of buying someone elses problem. Like a camera they did not take care of. I bought mine at evil ol' Wal-Mart. The photo dept staff was helpful, opened the box to make sure everything checked out. They have a 30 day return policy, that is plenty of time. I doubt you will return this camera because you dont like it.

I lime it alot. Nice style, good picture quality and very compact. I recommend.

We just returned our second camera in 3 months, as the LCD display cracked. The camera was not abused in anyway. It was purchased at Costco, and they are no longer carrying it, so when checking with other Costco's we discovered the next closest store in our area had had six returned.

We own an older Kodak Easyshare that we love, had been dropped numerous times and keeps on working like a gem.

What we did like about the 603 was the size, it fits in pocket or purse. And the screen was large — but what good is that if it keeps breaking.

I have owned several cameras in the past (Casio, Sony, Nikon) and this has to be the easiest out of the box camera ever! Plus the photos are nearly perfect everytime. Add to that the Perfect Touch technology built into the camera which correct many photos into perfect works of art. Clear video with sound, Panorama stitching that is next to flawless and ease of use make this one of the best cameras on the market. Don't forget about the 2.5'' LED display....it's bright and very clear.
Don't pass up the V603 when shopping for a camera. For the everyday average photo taker, this one is a no brainer.

I just got it 2hrs ago and havent put it down yet. great size as all the v-series are. the video picture really stund me. Most small compact camera/video combos tend to have a low quality pictur but this is really cool. the speeds not real high but the pictures is remarcable. U got to get one its awsome