EASYSHARE V550 (Kodak) Compact digital camera Sensor: 5-megapixel CCD (charge-coupled device) Lens: 36-108mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8–4.8 Shutter: 8–1/1,448sec Viewfinder: optical, 2.5in LCD (liquid-crystal display) with 170° viewing angle Storage: 32MB internal memory, SD (Secure Digital)/MMC (Multimedia Card) slot Battery: KLIC 7001rechargeable lithium-ion Interface: Audio-video out, Kodak Camera Dock/Printer Dock interface, USB 2.0 Other features: EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2 Weight: 143g (without batteries) Dimensions (w x h x d): 94 × 56 × 22 mm Price: RM1,899 Review unit courtesy of Kodak (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (03) 7680-3338.

THE V550 is aimed at novice photographers who would want a camera for quick snapshots. It has all the essentials of a compact camera – portability and simplicity to a degree, which should be well received by consumers.

In terms technical specifications the V550 has a lot similarities to the V530, but the V550 has something its predecessor did not have much of – style.

User-friendly design
The lightweight camera’s compact design makes it a good companion for all situations.

The V550 has 2.5in LCD display, which is considered huge for a compact camera and Kodak did the right thing by not cutting corners, as it is a 230,000-colour screen.

To test the quality of the LCD display I viewed it in both bright and dark conditions and found that it was viewable in both conditions. However I found it odd to find a small optical viewfinder placed to the left of the LCD.

The interface is simple and user-friendly. I didn’t have to rummage through the guidebook every time I needed to know how something worked.

Below the viewfinder are the buttons for accessing the camera’s menus and playback functions. There is also a dedicated share button for downloading pictures to a PC. The top of the camera is home to the buttons that control the shooting modes.

Good performance
Kodak has improved the movie mode option in the V550. Movies are now recorded in QuickTime format that supports the MPEG4 codec.

I tested the video performance by recording a VGA size video clip (640 x 480pixels) at 30 seconds per frame. The recorded sound quality was good but the downside is I filled up the built-in memory in just 48 seconds.

A lower resolution size of 320 x 240pixels is also available, but it’s recommended for you to invest in a larger capacity Flash memory card if you want to shoot movies.

Although you can use the zoom lens while recording a movie, the noise from the zoom motor will be recorded.

Still image quality was good as the camera managed to capture images with good colour and low noise. The images were also free of any unwanted purple fringing.

Night shots also turned out well. The camera managed to bring in enough light because of the long time exposure feature.

I was also able sharpen the pictures I took using the camera’s built-in sharpening tools.

The V550 also focuses rather fast for a compact camera. It managed to focus well in dim light situations thanks to its AF-assist lamp.

I experienced some shutter lag but it’s nothing of great concern. And Kodak should once again be congratulated for delivering a camera that doesn’t cause the dreaded red-eye effect.

Shot to shot speed was very good as I only had a wait just over a second to take another shot. But when I tried to perform continuous shooting, the LCD switched off midway.

The V550’s playback mode is good and easy to use. It comes with all the basic features such thumbnail, slideshows, print marking, zoom and scroll.

Other useful features include on-board photo cropping, as well as album and favourites options to help you organise your images.

There is also a histogram, which shows the image size, file name and date. Unfortunately, there is no information on exposure.

Conclusion
In the volatile digital camera market, it’s not easy to beat the competition – some even find it hard to stay in the race.

After testing the V550, I found it has enough quality and functionalities to be among the top consumer choices, especially for novice photographers.

The reason is simple – the V550 offers good image quality. It can capture vivid colours with high-levels of sharpness.

Pros: Stylish design; user-friendly; takes good pictures; good shot to shot speed.

Cons: LCD screen turns off midway during continuous shooting mode.

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