Despite complaints that this camera is a trap because it uses a storage medium that is unavailable(MMC cards), I specifically bought this camera because it uses MMC cards. While MMC cards are not the primary medium of storage in this country, they are the primary source of storage for these devices in Europe. In fact, most high end European devices using digital storage mediums use MMC cards. Yes, they are currently more expensive byte per byte than some other storage mediums but they are also significantly smaller.
They are also the fastest growing storage medium in this market.
I currently have a mp3 player, a digital camera and a motion activated security device that all use the same MMC storage technology. Figure about a buck per megabyte.
Kodak made a savvy move using the MMC storage medium. They are hoping to challenge current European/Japanese offerings by using a storage medium currently popular in Europe combined with a camera that takes superb pictures.
The "kicker" is the Kodak docking station. No matter how inept the computerphobe, once installed to a USB port, photo manipulation becomes as simple as dropping off 35mm film to a one hour developer. The docking station charges the battery while a single push of the button downloads the photos to the computer for manipulation, printing, emailing or whatever.
Kodak offers some truly impressive printing technology whether or not you use their cameras.
Controls are easy to use but like most digital technology, the number of control decisions offered are overwhelming unless one has a week or two to spend learning all of the potential permutations.
Unlike film formats, bad pictures from digital cameras can be erased by the push of a button with no more expense than the cost of the electricity to record. Why digital cameras (Including this Kodak) offer so many different photo modes when it is just as easy to take a ton of pictures that can be later manipulated on a computer still confuses me
Bottom line, the camera fits nicely into most hands neither too big or too small, the controls are easy to understand and use, the camera takes great pictures and computer manipultation using the docking station is a breeze.
Downsides are the Kodak name which is typically connected with low end(read quality) camera products (unless one is in the medical industry where their products have no peers), the use of MMC cards which are more expensive than than comparable storage mediums, and the ever present debate that compares digital to 35mm film cameras.
If you get past these issues, you still might find that this is not a great but a pretty good camera for the money. The docking station pushes it over the edge for the computer challenged.