Kodak EasyShare V530
Digital Camera Review
Jan 30, 2006
- By Emily Raymond
1.7
The Kodak EasyShare V530 hit the market in July 2005 and received a price reduction in November to make the camera an affordable choice for holiday buyers. Kodak shed fifty bucks from the original price tag so the stylish 5 megapixel digital camera is now $299.95. This model is designed to appeal to a range of style-conscious consumers with its offerings in several colors. The Kodak V530 comes in midnight black, silver essence, red shimmer, and absolute pink. The digital camera comes with a Schneider-Kreuznach 3x optical zoom lens, a 2-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels of resolution, and digital image stabilization in the movie mode. The V530 is very simple to use and has an auto mode, a movie mode, and 20 scene modes. The camera will appeal to consumers who want to print and otherwise share pictures. The V530 has a ruby colored Share button and the camera comes with a Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2 that streamlines the transference of photos and movie clips while charging the battery.
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Picture Quality / Size Options (6.5)
With the EasyShare V530’s 5 megapixels, the camera can produce pictures at a maximum resolution of 2576 x 1932 pixels. Four other image sizes are available at 4.4, 4, 3.1 and 1.8-megapixel sizes. All of these sizes are 4:3 formatted except the 4.4 megapixel size. This is 3:2 formatted to make standard 4 x 6-inch prints. The specs claim that this camera can produce prints up to 20 x 30 inches, but I wouldn’t recommend such large prints unless blurring and stair-step lines are acceptable. At the V530’s maximum resolution, 8 x 10 inches is probably the largest I’d print.
Picture Effects Mode (6.0)
In the Color Mode section of the Kodak V530’s shooting menu, users can find all kinds of options to tweak colors. Color can be exaggerated with the High Color mode or toned down with the Low Color mode. Natural Color is the default of course. Colors can also be completely changed with the Sepia and Black & White options. These have plenty of contrast and make portraits look quite good. The color modes can only be added while recording and not in playback. It is recommended that users use natural colors and add special effects like Black & White in the editing software if possible. That way, there is an original file that can be preserved for other purposes and a colored file for printing a birthday card, for example.
