Kodak Easyshare V1273 Review By Shaun Marin
	Product Details We clicked with: Styling Build quality Colour reproduction Video quality Shots in the dark: Touch screen can be temperamental Menus take getting used to Images softer than the best of the rest

Kodak cameras aren't generally known for their good looks. Okay, we're fully aware that Kodak has been responsible for several iconic cameras in formats passed, but digital seems to have passed its designers by. However, that has all changed with the £190 EasyShare V1273, which is not only one of the best looking digital compacts Kodak has ever produced, but one of the best looking cameras currently on the market!

And not only does it look great - especially the attractive gunmetal grey version - but it feels amazing too. The joy of holding a camera crafted from metal rather than plastic is one of tactile terrificness, but too many affordable compacts now opt for the latter in order to cut costs. Not Kodak, at least not here, because the V1273's casework has a reassuring chill that feels great whenever you retrieve it from your pocket.

The Camera:

It's very much of the moment in terms of features, because as well as the new benchmark figure of 12 megapixels of resolution the V1273 boasts the not inconsiderable appeal of a three-inch touchscreen display, and also high-definition video recording. We'll get to the latter later, but the former is key to the success and failure of this camera.

There's very little in the way of buttons around the back of the V1273, and all the more complicated - and simple - menu options are accessed via the screen's touch-sensitive interface. Good? Well, not perfect, for a couple of reasons. The first one being that it all feels a bit unnatural. We're used to using our thumb to work our way through most camera menus, so using your index finger to point feels a little bit strange.

That wouldn't be so bad - we don't fear change! - but for the fact that the screen itself is a too unresponsive to really win us over. It sometimes takes too many double presses to get into the right menu, and performing tasks such as changing the flash setting or adjusting white balance take far too long.

Images:

Apart from this, the V1273 is actually very enjoyable to use. It's quick to start up and get ready for action, and the shutter release is responsive and swift. The 3x optical zoom lens proves itself highly adept too, with little in the way of the unsightly barrel distortion that plagues many compacts. The V1273 is also impressively free of chromatic aberration, even when shooting from the shade into brighter sunlight through trees - a choice of shot that often brings about the effect of purple fringing.

Elsewhere the V1273 is capable of some wonderfully vivid, naturally coloured images. There's bags of wonderful blues and reds, but it's when out shooting nature that this camera really thrills us, with its wonderfully ability to render forestry and wooden scenes with naturally hued greens.

If there is a downside to the picture quality, it's that the images are not as sharp as they are on same exceptional compact cameras, and the Kodak V1273 does tend towards the soft side of razor sharp. While this isn't necessarily a massive problem when printing out 6x4 prints, it does become more troublesome when blowing pictures up large or displaying them on screen.

Finally, we should really talk about the video quality of this camera - after all, it is high-definition. The quality is excellent, and really gets you thinking about why anybody is still buying camcorders! Okay, so it's not up to a top notch HD moviemaker, but for many people this will be more than good enough. Brief clips of young babies blow up onto a flatscreen TV impressively well at 720p resolution, and it's easily good enough to keep the grandparents happy, and better than most YouTube fodder.

Conclusion:

All this combines to ensure that the V1273 is our favourite Kodak for a while and a decent all round compact for someone looking to undertake the4 occasional bit of video work. Only the rather tricky touch-screen interface lets the package down, and if you persevere with that, get used to it, and operate it more confidently, then we're sure this Kodak will grow on you.

Our Verdict

Sensor	12.06 megapixel (effective) on 1/1.72” CCD
LCD monitor	3” (230,000 pixel resolution)
Zoom	3x Optical Zoom (37-111mm 35mm equiv.) f/3.1-5.7, 5x Digital Zoom
Sensitivity	ISO64-3200 (ISO6400 in 3.1MP resolution)
Picture Modes	21 modes + movie recording up to HDV 1280x720
White balance	Auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade
Stabilisation	Yes (optical)
Continuous shooting	3 frames per second (burst mode)
Storage	SD/SDHC (32MB internal memory)
Battery	KLIC-7004 Li-ion rechargeable
Other / Key features	Optional HDTV dock Face recognition Multimedia slide show function Share this article: Del.icio.us this

Bookmark this Printer friendly version

Want to send this article to a friend? Please join here

Discuss this article, 1 of 1 messages, read more: Dennis   Posted: 23/07/08 18:42:28 28 I wish, if they'd insisted on writing on it, that they'd covered the front of the entire camera with specs... The huge screen on the back looks interesting though, as does the iPod-like interface... Look forward to seeing some high-res pics from this. Read more...

Read member reviews: 10+ MP (68 products) Kodak Easyshare V1273