Kodak EasyShare V530

Connectivity
Software (7.0)
The Kodak V530 comes with a Kodak EasyShare Software CD-ROM with both Win 4.0.4 and Mac 4.0.5 versions. Unlike most manufacturers, however, Kodak gives free software upgrades to its customers, so users can freely download the most recent software version available.

Kodak’s software is extremely easy to use and intuitive to navigate. A group of labeled tabs runs down the left side of the home screen, as well as a Help link and Edit button, which appear on every screen of the software. From the home screen users can choose from: My Collection, Print at Home, Order Online, Email, EasyShare Center and Camera Center, depending on their needs.

My Collection is essentially the image collection manager from which one can view thumbnails and movies, organize and sort, make albums, transfer pictures, edit photos and make or play slide shows.

Print at Home allows editing of photos for print, as well as choosing printer setup, paper alignment, paper type, print quality, print layout and paper size.

The Order Online tab brings users to a Windows Wizard-like format where users can scroll options, add borders, and then order prints or various photo-enhanced novelties like calendars, poster and mugs. Prints ordered from the Kodak EasyShare Gallery are priced as follows: 4 x 6' prints $0.15, 5 x 7' prints $0.59 and 8 x 10' prints $2.39. Shipping is additional.

Kodak’s EasyShare program even has an Email tab that syncs with the owner’s computer email program – such as Mozilla Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook – to send pictures easily at reduced sizes for online sharing.

The software has an EasyShare Center tab from which (with Internet access) users can sync with the online Kodak EasyShare Gallery, update software and read software and camera tips, and shop the Kodak store. The software automatically syncs with the Internet and a Kodak EasyShare Gallery account.

From the Camera Center, Kodak V530’s Favorites album and built-in address book can be accessed. While address changes can not be done in-camera, users can add or edit the profiled email addresses from the EasyShare Software.

EasyShare editing tools (zooming, rotating, saturation etc…) are adequate for brightening up and cropping an image to put in a frame for Grandpa, and the effects like Sepia, Fisheye, Cartoon and Coloring Book will be fun for the kids; but anyone who owns Photoshop may be insulted: these applications, such as the red-eye tool we tested, are poorly applied to the images by professional standards. The good news is that an Enhance button gives one a chance to preview a tweaked image before saving the changes.

One nice thing to mention about the Kodak EasyShare Software is that Editing and Help links abound; as mentioned, there is a link to them from every screen of the software.

Jacks, Ports, Plugs (6.5)
The jacks, ports and plugs on this model are left out in the elements and open for business. Don’t dip the Kodak V530 in the lake because there are no rubber seals or covers to protect it. And don’t leave your five-year-old alone with a pack of gum and this camera; you’ll be picking gum out of the ports. The power adaptor plugs into the left side of the camera and the card slides into the right side. The bottom has a door that covers the battery – thank goodness – and an open jack that sits on the Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2’s connector. An A/V cable cannot plug directly into the V530 but plugs into the included camera dock instead. The A/V cable, which doubles as a USB cable, can be manipulated within the camera to use an NTSC or PAL signal for European or American power standards.

Direct Print Options (8.0)
The EasyShare digital cameras are fitted with Share buttons and in-camera cropping to streamline the direct printing process. The V530 is even more successful at this because of its included Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2. The camera is PictBridge and ImageLink compatible, but users must still have the dock handy to transfer pictures "directly" to the printer (because the A/V / USB cable only hooks up to the dock). That is, unless the photographer decides to also buy the Kodak EasyShare Series 3 Printer Dock. The Kodak-branded printer lets the camera sit directly on top. Within the V530, users can choose which pictures to print and how many of each print is desired. The Share button sends the print order to the connected printer and users can hold the pictures in their hands a few minutes later. That’s the beauty of digital photography.

Battery (5.5)
The Kodak EasyShare V530 comes with a KLIC-7002 rechargeable lithium-ion battery that slides into the bottom of the camera. The battery charges within the camera body when the V530 is docked in the included Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2. An indicator on the dock lets users know when the battery is low, half full or fully charged. Unfortunately, there is nothing on the LCD screen to let users know how much power the battery has left. The V530 gives about five seconds of warning before it shuts down, so be sure you plug the V530 into its dock every few hours. If users feel so inclined, a second battery can be purchased for a retail price of $30; however, it shouldn’t be necessary if the camera is docked most of the time.

Memory (5.0)
The Kodak EasyShare V530 has 16 MB of internal memory and an open slot for SD or MMC memory cards. The internal memory is used mainly for the Favorites album, which saves users’ best photos and videos for spontaneous slide shows and such. In the Camera Center of the Kodak EasyShare Software, users can choose how much of the internal memory is to be used for the Favorites album.

Other Features (2.0)
Sounds – There are a wide variety of sound themes that will suffice for little kids’ birthday parties or more formal settings. The default sounds are like any other compact model: boring. There are more adventurous sound themes like Animal, Fun, Music and Sci-Fi. These sounds can be applied to the start-up, focus lock, shutter, self-timer and error sounds. The volume can also be controlled.

Self-Timer – This feature can be activated within the camera’s shooting menu and takes a picture 10 seconds after the photographer presses the shutter release button. If the sound is on, users will not only see the green flashing light but they’ll hear some sort of music or noise as well to indicate when the shutter is open.