If you are looking for an inexpensive, no frills, easy to use digital camera that takes pretty good pictures, then the Kodak EasyShare C300 is the camera for you. This is also a great camera to give to your kids.
I'll be the first to admit that I am not a digital camera guru. In fact my first digital camera was one that I bought off of eBay for $10. It worked fine for me for a while but then I decided I wanted a camera that took crisper pictures, so I hit the Internet to search for cameras priced at less than $150.
After visiting many websites and reading a ton of reviews, I settled on the Kodak EasyShare C300. It was inexpensive, wasn't full of features that I wouldn't use, had a decent size viewing screen and the reviews I read were pretty good.
The Kodak EasyShare C300 is a 3.2 mega pixels camera with built in flash, an auto flash setting, date and time setting, night time setting, 5x continuous digital zoom, 10 second delay timer, and no sound video capabilities. It came with a wrist strap, usb cable, users guide, batteries, and the software needed to transfer pictures from the camera to your computer.
Installing the software onto your computer is easy. The software makes is a snap to transfer pictures from the camera to your computer. My biggest complaint is that there are a few steps needed to get the pictures into the folder I want on my computer. By default all the pictures go into a Kodak EasyShare folder that is automatically placed into you're My Pictures folder. The pictures are also saved with numbers like 001.jpg. It takes a few steps for me to edit the picture and save it with a file name that I want.
I love the point and shoot simplicity of taking pictures. The pictures are crisp and clear. The internal memory can hold up to 20 pictures but there is a place to use a SD/MMC memory card to allow more space. I use only the internal memory since it is so easy to transfer the pictures when it gets full. The flash is automatically set to auto flash when you turn it on, so all I have to do is turn it on and take pictures. Simplicity at it's best.
I will be honest and say that video was not really a feature that I cared about which is a good thing since it isn't a great feature of this camera. I see no reason to shoot video without sound. The video shoots nicely but it isn't a feature I have used. If you really want video features then this isn't the camera for you. The zoom falls into this category as well. It is not a feature I really use and it is lacking in quality.
The 1.5 inch LCD Viewing screen is a nice size and easy to see. You can access the menu for all your options with the simple push of one button. Most of the options and features can be maintained from the menu, which shows up on the viewing screen. There is also a review button to review all of the pictures and videos stored in memory, as well as a flash button, delete button and share button. I have never used the share button to share photos with one click.
I purchased rechargeable AA batteries and have not had any problems with the batteries running out. The batteries last longer when you don't use the viewing screen, but I still use it all the time. I change the batteries regularly since I use the rechargeable so I am not sure how many pictures can actually be taken before the batteries will run out. I would guess that I easily get about 200 pictures before changing the batteries. The camera requires 2 AA batteries.
The Kodak EasyShare C300 camera takes great pictures that print out beautifully. I even used this camera to take and print wedding photos for a friend of mine, who was thrilled with the results.
This is a terrific camera that is so easy to use that even my 8-year-old daughter uses it without problems. She did drop it a few times and the only casualty is the battery compartment, which got a little bent but still works just fine.
Overall the Kodak EasyShare C300 is a terrific starter camera and is an excellent choice for kids. With great features geared towards the tech beginners, crisp and clear pictures, gorgeous prints, and a price tag around $100, you just can't go wrong with this point and shoot digital camera.
