Kodak EasyShare Sport C123 12 MP Waterproof Digital Camera (Red)

UPDATE: Kodak's bankruptcy and exit from the digital camera business probably means that these cameras will be gone forever! I have the updated C135 in pre-order, but I'm not holding my breath. Amazon says it's 'unavailable,' but my account's order status has the C135 shipping in April. Who knows? All I know is that I'm glad I own a backup C123 in the box. The C135 is supposed to have digital stabilization, as opposed to no image stabilization in the C123 - but the C123 still takes great pics for its intended purpose.although it's more orange than red, i like my new c123... i carefully read every review, and although i can understand why some folks are disappointed, i am more than happy with this camera after playing with it, taking indoor, outdoor, and yes, even close-up shots!the controls are fairly intuitive, but i found that i had to set up the camera before it would take acceptable pictures (specifically, the 'sharp' selection under 'Sharpness' on the Capture menu; you may also want to manually select an ISO if you're going to be in the same lighting conditions for your picture session - see below)this camera works with my version of iPhoto on an older iMac, so i'm grateful - the kodak setup was fairly easy: plug in the camera, turn it on, install the resulting kodak.pkg from the Desktop, etc. ... i use 'Other Application' for the 'Computer Connection' item under the Setup menu...UPDATE: i have since found that there is no reason to use any Kodak software with my C123 and iPhoto, since iPhoto recognizes the C123 and imports pictures with no problems - and especially since i can (if i wish) send iPhoto pics straight to facebook if desired (something i rarely do)this camera's firmware is deceptively sophisticated, but honestly, these were all the initial settings i used...you *will* have to hold this camera steady! it does NOT have 'shake reduction' featured in most higher-end cameras...that said, anyone who knows photography knows that it's not the camera that makes the best pictures, but the photographer's eye (and to a degree, technique)i was a bit apprehensive about the lack of macro shots, but tried a 24" flash pic of some stuff on my desk - the picture came out perfectly sharp and acceptable, considering this is an inexpensive camerai next tried to take pictures indoors, with no flash, use the digital zoom about a third out... first, i tried the 'Auto' ISO mode; next, i set the camera to ISO 80... carefully bracing the camera, i squeezed off one shot each of a stack of books about 20 feet away in the living room...the results were as i expected: the ISO 80 picture was noticeably 'sharper'... so there is a some manual control available to the picture taker...i have no intention of going snorkeling with this camera, but wanted something that will be impervious to dust, dirt, or sand at the beach - in this regard, this little kodak will fit the bill perfectly... it's compact, uses AAs, has simple controls, tripod socket, and accepts an SD or SDHC card (although it did not like my 16GB Adata, but worked fine w/a 4GB microSDHC in an SDHC carrier taken straight from my Canon A570is and stuck in - even the Canon's pictures showed up under the C123's preview! w00t!)five stars for this camera for me - i look forward to an improved model or firmware... i also recommend going to kodak's web site to get the 'extended c123 user guide' - there are more hints and tips in the manual

We recently took two waterproof cameras on a week long vacation that involved many hours of swimming in pools and in the ocean: the Vivitar VF526 (~$50) and the Kodak Sport C123 (~$70). The Kodak C123 outperformed the Vivitar VF526 in almost every way and was easily worth the additional ~$20.Disclaimer: We are not photography experts and may have achieved better results if we knew how to properly adjust settings on either camera. These results are based on factory settings for each camera after confirming that picture quality was increased to the maximum setting (14MP for Vivitar VF526, 12MP for Kodak C123).*Vivitar VF526*Purchased: 04/2013Settings: 14MP (4320x3240), dynamic exposure (ISO 50 to ISO 400), focal 8.5 mm, O EV, f/2.8, dynamic exposure (1/4 to 1/500 seconds)Picture Count: 146Batteries Used: 2 AAA (Alkaline)Batteries Consumed: 4 AAA (replaced batteries once)Waterproof Performance: No problem at 1 meter, Salt Water and Chlorinated WaterUnderwater Photo Quality: 4/5 (very clear)Time: The date/time is LOST (reset to 01/01/2012 12:00 AM) each time the cover is opened to access batteries or memory card.Default Image Quality: 2MP (defaults to lowest image quality, be sure to change to 14MP)*Kodak Sport C123*Purchased: 08/2011Settings: 12MP (4000x3000), fixed exposure (ISO 80), focal 6.3 mm, 0 EV, f/4.5, dynamic exposure (1/8 to 1/1250 seconds)Picture Count: 628Batteries Used: 2 AA (Rechargeable Sanyo Eneloop)Batteries Consumed: 2 AA (did not have to replace or charge batteries during entire trip)Waterproof Performance: No problem at 1 meter, Salt Water and Chlorinated WaterUnderwater Photo Quality: 3/5 (slightly cloudy)Time: The date/time is MAINTAINED each time the cover is opened to access batteries or memory card.Default Image Quality: 12MP (defaults to maximum image quality)Comparison in various lighting conditions:Pictures taken in direct sunlight at noon: the Kodak C123 captures faces with light shadows while the Vivitar VF526 captures faces with VERY DARK shadows. The Kodak C123 pictures are very good compared to the Vivitar VF526 pictures.Pictures taken 30 minutes prior to sunset: the Kodak C123 sunset pictures looked good while the Vivitar VF526 sunset pictures were fairly dark. The sun appeared yellow or orange in the Kodak C123 pictures and green in the Vivitar VF526 pictures.Pictures taken less than 5 minutes prior to sunset: the pictures from both cameras looked good. The sun appeared red in pictures from both cameras.Pictures taken 20 minutes after sunset: the pictures from the Kodak C123 were brighter and contained more detail than the pictures from the Vivitar VF526.Pictures taken in dark at night: neither camera was able to capture pictures in dark settings at night. Pictures from both cameras were very dark with almost no detail.Overall, the picture quality from the Kodak C123 were much better than similar pictures from the Vivitar VF526 except for those taken underwater. The Vivitar VF526 seemed to take slightly better/clearer underwater pictures. Of the two cameras, I would recommend the Kodak C123 (or possibly the newer C135). The quality of the Vivitar pictures was mediocre at best and the need to reset the date and time after opening the battery cover is ridiculous!

After just having used this camera to go snorkeling and seeing the results, I can say that this is a fair camera for the price. It stays watertight as advertized, I actually like that it uses AA batteries instead of a rechargeable since it's fast and easy to swap them out while on vacation, it takes nice clear regular pictures as well, with very good color quality, face detection seems to work great, etc.. The underwater features work great as well, and we got some very nice underwater video of the fish and coral, etc... Having said all that, however, the camera has some serious flaws. First, it apparently has no optical zoom whatsoever, it's all digital, which means it has no zoom at all, because the digital zoom is horrible. I would recommend not using it at all. Second, when shooting underwater, if you do use the zoom while you're recording video, the zooming mechanism is very loud and very noticeable when you play back the video on your computer. Sounds like something is hitting the camera twice every time you zoom in or out. Very very annoying... Not even sure why it happens since there is no optical zoom, but trust me it's there. The position of the mic is also poorly designed, as it's near the bottom corner and more than once I've found my finger covering it up while holding the camera underwater, and so when you play back the footage, it's like there's no sound. The built-in speaker is also very weak for video playback, if you're outside, good luck hearing it.So basically, it's good for the price point, especially since it's 12MP and it shoots underwater, but the lack of any zoom and the poor design of other components only merits 3 stars from me.