Kodak V803 Performance

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Kodak EasyShare V803 Performance

Timing and Performance

Slow to average speed for a consumer camera.

Mode switching
Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	3.7 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	2.7 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens.
Buffer clearing time	3 seconds (buffer clearing after Large JPEG)	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Play to Record, first shot	0.7 second	Time until first shot is captured
Record to play	1.5 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture
Display recorded image	0.5 second	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time):
Full Autofocus Wide	0.69 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	2.04 seconds	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.33 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Continuous AF	1.24 seconds	This mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have no way to measure performance with moving subjects.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large JPEG	1.62 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode Small JPEG	1.45 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	Yes	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous mode Large JPEG	0.54 second (1.84 frames per second); 4 frames total; 3 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode Small JPEG	0.55 second (1.81 frames per second); 4 frames total; 2 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Flash recycling	2.5 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	746 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode.

The Kodak EasyShare V803's performance ranges from slow to just average, though its 2.5-second flash recycle time is very fast. Start-up time is below average for a camera in its class. Full autofocus shutter lag at wide angle is reasonable at 0.69 second, but the V803's shutter lag at telephoto is among the longest we've tested in recent years, at 2.04 seconds. Prefocus times are also on the slow side. Shot-to-shot cycle times are fairly good, at about 1.6 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Continuous-mode speed is about average, at about 1.8 frame/second, though the camera can only capture about four images at this rate. Connected to a computer, download speeds are about average, so you may feel a need for a separate card reader. Bottom line, the Kodak V803 is a real mixed bag when it comes to performance. While shot-to-shot and flash recycle times are reasonably fast, start-up time and autofocus speed lag behind the competition.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Below average battery life for a Lithium-Ion design.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery, (CIPA standard)	200

The Kodak EasyShare V803 uses a custom rechargeable Li-Ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Battery life is below average, we strongly recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Kodak EasyShare V803 accepts SD/MMC memory cards, and includes about 24MB of internal memory.

Image Capacity with 24MB Internal Memory		Fine
3,264 x 2,448	Images	10
3,264 x 2,448	File Size	2.3MB
3,264 x 2,176	Images	11
3,264 x 2,176	File Size	2.1MB
2,560 x 1,920	Images	16
2,560 x 1,920	File Size	1.5MB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	24
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	985KB
1,920 x 1,080	Images	31
1,920 x 1,080	File Size	755KB
1,280 x 960	Images	47
1,280 x 960	File Size	509KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/MMC memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)