Kodak Easyshare V1253 12MP Digital Camera with 3 x Optical Zoom
- Filed under: digital cameras
- Date: Jul 16,2009
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  Publisher : Kodak Company : Kodak |
Features
- 12.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
- 3x optical zoom lens; 3.1-inch LCD screen
- Face Detection technology; locates faces and automatically adjusts camera settings
- Panoramic stitch mode; digital image stabilization
- Stores images on SD/SDHC memory cards (not included); 32MB built-in memory
Product Description
At 12 Megapixels, the Kodak EasyShare V1253 is capable of shooting still pictures at up to an amazing 4,000×3000 pixel resolution. Better yet, the V1253 lets you capture images in a 16:9 HD perspective to fill the surface of your HDTV screen. Shoot videos at up to 720p res. Trust Kodak for simple, easy use and high quality images. Capture a great shot time after time with multiple scene modes such as portrait, children, snow, beach, backlight, and panorama stitch Large, bright 3.1 Widescreen LCD Stores images on SD memory cards (at least 1GB recommended option for practical use) On-camera Share button ISO sensitivity to 3200 Creative Point-&-Shoot use - Focus modes normal autofocus, micro AF, infinity; Programmed and adjustable autoexposure modes; Long time exposure 0.5-8.0 seconds adjustable Drive modes - single shot, first burst (1.7 fps up to 3 frames), self timer (10 sec.), self timer (2 sec.), two-shot self timer Built-in multimode electronic-flash Quicktime and MP4 video capture at up to Quality HD (720p) at 30 fps widescreen; VGA (640 ? 480) at 30 fps standard screen Connections - A/V output (NTSC or PAL, user selectable), KODAK Camera/Printer Dock interface, digital USB 2.0 high-speed connection PictBridge Unit Dimensions W ? H ? D - 4.0 ? 2.2 ? 0.9 in. (101.9 ? 54.6 ? 23.4 mm); Weight 5.5 oz (155 g) without battery Kodak EasyShare accessory compatible
Customer reviews
Great features for the price 
by .. D. L. Hollembaek (SFO)
I’ve had minor issues with this camera but wouldn’t call them complaints considering I got more features (HD Video!) than my last Nikon at half the cost. The camera takes great pictures and has excellent ISO settings. The problem is that it occasionally locks-up where I can only recover by ejecting the battery which resets the clock and sometimes costs me the picture or video I just took. I never had such issues with the prior Nikon, but again, the same features cost twice as much in new Nikons and frankly I usually lose point-and-shoot cameras to falls or water within about two years (they go places I wouldn’t risk my SLR) so this one offers a lot of value.
It has no problems working with my Apple or the variety of PC’s I’ve attached it to. Kodak, work on that firmware and you’ll have an outstanding five-star product.
storyteller 
by .. J. Nolen (southeast)
I have had this camera for a little over a year. I expected much better from Kodak. The computer constantly gets stuck in the scan mode which makes the camera unusuable. The buttons are so small that it’s easy to hit the wrong ones which messes up everything. You can’t take pictures in the sun because you can only see your reflection in the view finder not the picture you want to take. The shutter speed is very slow. Something that costs this much money should last longer then a year. Don’t waste your money on the dock. That only lasted two months. The movie part cuts in and out. Maybe I got a lemon but I won’t put money in another Kodak. Tech support is absolutely no help!
Makes good HD videos with stereo sound by .. ORZ (SF bay area)
I purchased Kodak V1253 from Amazon website (from unknown vendor). Before making the purchase I researched compact digital cameras for several weeks comparing specs, sample photos and videos. I wanted compact camera that makes decent photos and HD video using H.264 codec. I have Canon Optura 60 camcorder and found inconvenient carrying both camera and camcorder everywhere I go.
I started my research with Canon and found several excellent Canon compact cameras (SD990, SD890 and some others). They make good quality pictures (for compact of course), have good lenses, optical IS, good and conveniently placed viewfinder, convenient and extensive controls. But Canons do not make HD video. Another less important problem was omnipresent Canon menu system that honestly sucks. I already tired using it on Optura so did not want that pain anymore. And Canon designs are neither slick nor elegant. But if I needed only still photos I would definitely choose one of small high-end Canon because of picture quality, features and lenses.
Sony photos have quality not as good but similar to Kodak. But Sony cameras do not do HD video, and another weakness is overpriced memory stick. In other words Sony does not worth all the money they ask for their products anymore.
I skipped Olympus and other niche brand just because I did not hear anything interesting about them. Nikon does not offer HD video. Casio makes gadgets - they make decent calculators but I would stay away from cameras made by Casio (BTW I have Casio keyboard)
Another option I was seriously considering was Panasonic TZ5. It is a compact, but it is not pocket camera (what is not a problem for me). I found it kind of cheap feeling and it does not look pretty either. But TZ5 makes pretty good HD videos. My problem with Panasonic was that sound quality was tinny (bad) compared with higher quality on Kodak. But the main problem was that Panasonic encodes video using JPEG codec (requires less processing power than H.264) like on Mini DV camcorders. Even VGA resolution videos have almost the same size as HD 720p made on Kodak. It means extra GBs of memory (1/2-hour video size in H.264 format is about 3.5 GB so for Panasonic you have to multiply it at least by two if not by three). With Optura 60 I have constantly re-encode videos from JPEG motion on tape to H.264 or MPEG-2 to watch them on computer or DVD player. Any re-encoding means video quality deterioration. And besides photos made on Panasonic look lifeless and flat. Panasonic makes good camcorders but I am not so sure about still images.
Now back to Kodak V1253. I was also considering Kodak v1273 - a newer model with optical IS. It has cool modern design, touch screen (which is not so good) but sound is mono. The main reason why I chose V1253 over V1273 is HD720p videos with stereo soundtrack. And I have to tell you that stereo sound on V1253 is pretty good - there is more stereo than in more expensive Canon Optura 60 camcorder. When I learned that Kodak discontinued V1253 I rushed to buy it because was afraid they will not make stereo cameras anymore.
V1253 is solidly built and looks stylish. There is a big wide aspect screen on the back. It does not have dedicated charger - and I like this fact very much. It can be easily charged from the laptop, which always travels with me and never gets turned off (charge continues even after laptops goes into sleep mode). It is no different from charging MP3 player, which I regularly do. The advantage is that you do not pay extra cash for useless junk like dedicated AC adaptor - I have too many already that I do not use. AC adapter for mobile devices should be thing of the past. But if you do not feel comfortable - you can always buy AC adaptor with USB output, which costs only $9. Kodak makes one - you can buy in Best Buy for $10 (what I did just in case) and use it to charge any USB based device. And there are adaptors that charge several devices at the same time - with 2, 3 or 4 USB ports.
Kodak V1253 controls are convenient. I especially like small joystick on the back. Dedicated review and menu buttons are convenient too. Menu system is fabulous - very easy to use and understand especially if you used to suffer from atrocious menu system designed by Canon.
Video quality is pretty good. It is not the full HD, only 720p, but to make excellent quality video you have to buy camcorder, not available on still cameras yet. In fact it is so good that I have to put my Canon Optura 60 to the rest. It is true that Optura has less noise and smooth 60 fps video quality - but it lacks in resolution and colors (because of re-encoding from JPEG motion to MPEG-2). So for some time I will use V1253 as a camcorder replacement until I buy new flash memory based camcorder, which also makes good photos, at least 5 mega-pixels.
Photos made by V1253 have typical Kodak quality. It means excellent color rendition - after all Kodak sets standard in this area. But as in case with all pocket cameras 9-12M does not really mean 9-12 mega-pixels - there are no details. It will look good on HDTV or computer screen and on printed form, but if you zoom in you will see all kind of noise and artifacts. Small lenses have good quality (distortions are not noticeable) but add to more noise (even though sensor is not small). And as with all Kodak cameras there is a problem with over-compression of JPEG files. The bad thing is that there is no way to change compression settings. I am not even talking about raw images. But at least they should give user the choice to make higher quality photos. I tried different compression methods and even in most compressed scenario file size still was bigger than I got in Kodak. And who cares these days about file size - quality is more important. Kodak has to fix this issue otherwise they cannot compete.
Also compared to Canon Kodak oversaturated and over sharpens photos. Of course pictures look pretty until you pay close attention. In menu you can choose different mode but it does not help much.
My next step is to try Kodak HD theatre. It is HD player optimized for photos and videos but can also play you-tube videos from Internet and streaming from laptop. I read good reviews about it, about speed sensitive remote (that allows to use it as a mouse on TV screen) and about quality of rendition. My Samsung HDTV has USB port but photos are rendered oversaturated and you cannot changed that, it does not play videos and user interface is a monstrosity to say the least - it is simply impossible for human being to use it. I also have Sandisk card player, but it has composite output only, does not playback videos, looks and feels cheap, very slow and etc. I am going to put all my stuff on external HDD and attach it to Kodak HD theatre. This way I can also get rid of DVDs. Currently I have to create DVDs to watch my videos. I think it is already obsolete approach when there are devices like Kodak HD theatre, Apple TV
Try this for blurry pictures . . . by .. Happy2bMe (PA)
First of all, make sure your lens is clean. I had a fingerprint smudge on mine, but after cleaning it my pix were still blurry. Go to Kodak’s website and update your firmware, easy to do! This helped with other issues I was having with this camera, but didn’t help with the blurry pix. This is what did help with the blurry, grainy pix. . . turn off your camera and take out the memory card. Now, take a picture using the internal memory. When I did this, I saw a remarkable difference in my picture quality. I was so relieved because then I knew the problem wasn’t with the camera. I finally had a sharp, clear picture once again! I had not formatted my new memory card. I thought you just bought one and put it in the camera! I missed so many great shots over the holidays because of my own dumbness, how frustrating! Now, reinsert the memory card into the camera and format it by first pushing the Menu button, then go to Setup, then scroll down until you come to Format. Caution: this will remove all pictures from your internal memory and from the card, so make sure you transfer them prior to doing this. Hope this helps those of you out there who are as “untechnical” as I am. I was about ready to give up on my camera, thinking it was damaged or was just a dud. Read some of the other reviews on this camera for additional info that helps you to get the most out of this camera. Dadio gives some good info in his comments on the 1-star reviews.
NEEDS MORE BATTERY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 
by .. naynay ()
I JUST PURCHASED THE KODAK V1253 12MP, USED OF COURSE. THE CAMERA WORKS OK BUT I FOUND OUT THAT AFTER A COUPLE OF PICS THE BATTERY LIFE (DIES) WHICH IS NOT GOOOD!!! I EVEN WENT AS FAR AS PURCHASING A (NEW) BATTERY CHARGER AND AFTER CHARGING ALL NITE IT STILL (DIES) OUT AFTER A COUPLE OF PICS..SHOULD’VE KEPT MY KODAK 6.2 WHICH HAD AT LEAST 2.5 OF BATTERY LIFE AFTER BEING CHARGED AND BETTER PIC QUALITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
