Kodak EasyShare V530

Manual Control Options
While there is no traditional manual mode, some manual controls are still offered on the Kodak EasyShare V530. Users can select the metering mode, auto focus control, ISO speed, and exposure compensation value among other things. The Kodak V530 wasn’t really designed to have tons of manual control as it is mainly marketed for consumers who want the simple life with a point-and-shoot digital camera to match.

Focus
Auto Focus (6.5)
The camera’s through-the-lens auto focus system can be set to work continuously or only when the shutter release button is pressed. Most photographers will probably opt for the single auto focus control because the continuous option is audible and takes more battery power. The V530 has macro and landscape focus modes that are accessed by pushing the bottom of the multi-selector. The camera can focus from 2-28 inches in the wide angle of the macro mode and 15.7-28 inches in the telephoto end of the macro mode. In the normal focus mode, the camera focuses from 2 ft. to infinity. The landscape focus mode can only focus as close as 33 ft. The Kodak V530 can focus just on the center of the frame or in multiple zones, as selected in the shooting menu. Users cannot choose the zones, but must hope the camera finds their subjects instead. When the subject is in focus, a green light appears next to "AF" on the LCD screen. When the camera is not focused, a red light appears.

Manual Focus (0.0)
This feature is not available on the Kodak EasyShare V530.

Exposure (6.5)
Getting a proper exposure can be tricky on the Kodak V530 if the camera isn’t held just right. What does handling have to do with exposure? The light sensor on the front of the camera is placed in the top right corner, just where fingers tend to wander. So sometimes the camera meters a finger instead of a subject. When everything is just right, the exposure can be tweaked with the compensation scale. The EasyShare V530 has the typical range of +/- 2 with 1/3 steps.

ISO (7.0)
The Kodak EasyShare V530 has an automatic ISO setting that selects the rating in a short – but typical – range of 80 to 160. For dimmer lighting, users can opt for the manual settings of 80, 100, 200 and 400. This is a common selection for compact digital cameras. As an added bonus, Kodak has an 800 ISO setting that is only available at a reduced resolution of 1.8 megapixels. Such pictures could be used for email, but wouldn’t be of a good enough quality to print.

White Balance (3.5)
There are slim pickings in the white balance arena. The menu doesn’t provide live views as users scroll through the Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent and Open Shade options. There aren’t many presets and a manual white balance option is completely nonexistent.

Shutter Speed (1.0)
While the Kodak EasyShare V530 does not have a traditional manual shutter speed control, it does let users select longer exposures from a half-second up to 8 seconds. The automatic range usually keeps exposures much shorter. The camera’s slowest shutter speed is 8 seconds and its fastest is an odd 1/1448th of a second. The V530 has a blur detection system that alerts users with a shaking hand icon on the LCD if a picture has the potential to blur.

Aperture (0.0)
With a 3x optical zoom lens, the Kodak V530 has maximum apertures of f/2.8 in the wide setting and f/4.8 in the telephoto setting. The aperture cannot be manually controlled in the Schneider-Kreuznach lens and users never really know what aperture is used on pictures because it doesn’t show up in the information section in playback.