Kodak MC3 64 MB Portable Digital Camera/Camcorder and MP3 Player (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

I bought the MC3 because I wasn't quite ready to buy a real digital camcorder, and because I currently work overseas and didn't want to worry about power conversion, etc. Overall, I can't complain. As an MP3 player, it's solid. 64MB is a good amount of memory and the earphones are better than most (maybe it's just mine, but the wire for the left earphone is MUCH shorter than the one for the right. strange.).As a camera, yes, the lack of a flash can be annoying, but if you want quality still-photos, you should NOT be considering this product. Even expensive camcorders take lousy photos. Outdoor, particularly long-range cityscapes/naturescapes, shoot pretty well. Anything up close, especially in low light, will come out blurry.I've been pleasantly surprised by the video features of the MC3. There are two settings: high and low resolution. The high setting can capture very clear video, but results in HUGE files. Low-resolution picture quality is ok, but the files are still pretty big - not a very good trade-off. E-mailing videos of either size to friends (a big reason I wanted the MC3) can be a hassle.There is sort of a contradiction when shooting video. Outdoor shots can come out great, but even a small amount of glare can make it hard to see exactly what you're shooting. Conversely, when indoors, the viewfinder might display a clear image, but the final video will usually appear much darker.Software is included to add titles, effects, etc. to your video, but the program is awful. Adding even the most basic title screen, etc. can triple the file size. Functionality is minimal and online support (from the software manufacturer, not Kodak) is a joke. I haven't tried the program for still-photos.The MC3 seems pretty durable, too. I dropped it on a concrete sidewalk from a height of about four feet with no problems, although the batteries did pop out.Bottom-line: this is something you can have fun with, as long as you don't take it too seriously.

This camera was such a disappointment. I purchased it brand new before it was even on the shelves at Best Buy. The salespeople didn't even know about it so they weren't very helpful as to it's features. I didn't buy it for it's mp3 feature but it was an added bonus. The video footage was nice but consumed a lot of space. It also was not very responsive and took a while to get it going... by that time the moment was gone. When I took pictures, they seemed a bit on the green blah side. My children looked ill that I didn't even want to put the photos on our family web site. There is NO FLASH, nor is it expandable to accomodate one in the future. I (purchased) mine when it first came out, but (...) this is (not the best deal I found). If you want a good digital camera with no flash, try a polaroid (...).... it is comparable to this quality. If you want a good camera WITH a flash, you won't find it here. Try a Minolta, Olympus, or Polaroid. Kodak focused too much on too many features... they should stick to just taking good pictures...

I just bought this camera, for a fantastic price...(...) and I am returning it.1. The battery door is too weak, and will break with in a week or two.2. The pic card door is SOOO weak, when you slightly touch it with pictures on it, it will need a refortmat and you will lose all info on card.3. So unbeleivably dark that wont take indoors pictures even with florescent and halogen bulbs.4. NO FLASH5. Wont work with my windows ME pc.which is top of the line.6. Ive seen Fischer Price Toy Cameras that work better.I owned this camera for less then two hours before returning it. You can say I didnt give it a chance, I can say I didnt give it a chance to aggravate me as much as it has potential to do.If you don't have ME, and can get it for (price) go ahead, maybe for jsut music its great.

I've had my Kodak MC3 for about 2 weeks now, and I've got mixed opinions. On the positive side:1) Music performace: The MC3 does an excellent job of playing MP3's, especially if you upgrade to a 128 MB card so you can store lots of 'em!2) Video Quality: When set on best (30 fps) quality, the video is great- very smooth and clear, provided you have good lighting (more on this in a minute). While it does take up a large amount of memory, it's worth it.3) Outdoor Daylight Pictures: The picture quality in excellent lighting (ie outdoors on a sunny day, etc) is fantastic 4) Ease of Use: The MC3 is idiot proof- very simple to use, install, etc...But the negatives:1) Pictures in less than perfect light: If you want to take pictures indoors without bright lights, at night, or in any other situation where the lighting is a bit dim, get another camera. This is my biggest dissapointment with the camera. There's no flash, so trying to capture anything that's a bit dark or unevenly lit is an exercise in futility.2) LCD Screen: While it is often sufficient, the screen can be difficult to see alot of the time.Overall, this is a great little toy for taking outdoor pictures while listening to music, and even making the occaisional video clips. Just make sure you can live with the limitations caused by the lack of a flash.

God, i miss this thing. Lightyears ahead of it's time.