After trying out the Kodak Z7590 mega-zoom camera and being impressed with its build quality and performance, I wanted to see if Kodak improved the build quality and performance of its other cameras. After all, the Kodak EasyShare Z740 was less than stellar. I bought the 5-Megapixel Kodak EasyShare V550 in black color for $302 and was pleasantly surprised.

Pictures

The pictures of the Kodak EasyShare V550 as well as sample photos I took using it are available at the address below:

Click here to see the sample photos I took with this Kodak EasyShare V550 camera and photos of the camera

What Is Kodak EasyShare V550?

The Kodak EasyShare V550 a compact 5-Megapixel digital camera with 3x optical zoom (36-108 mm equivalent), huge 2.5-inch LCD screen, zooming optical viewfinder, powered by a compact rechargeable battery.

The V550 can also record videos. It stores pictures and videos on SD (Secure Digital) or MultiMedia memory cards or its built-in memory (32MB built-in memory included) and features USB connection to PC and Mac computers. It is also compatible with Kodak EasyShare camera and printer docks. The cables, software, rechargeable battery with charger, docking station and even the soft carrying case are included.

The camera comes with a stylish Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame 2 dock, which can be used to transfer images as well as to recharge the camera battery.

First Impression

Once the V550 arrived, I was pleasantly surprised that the camera and its accessories were very well built from high-quality materials. This is a stark contrast with the Kodak Z740 that I reviewed a while back, which had fit and finish not in line with that of the Japanese competition. The V550, on the other hand, is very well built from good materials and has excellent finish quality. The camera I received was made in China. The V550 I got is in black color, but it is also available in silver.

The camera is compact and has slightly unusual arrangement of its flash and the viewfinder. The flash is on the right side of the body, if you look from the back side if the camera and the viewfinder is on the left and not above the LCD. The LCD screen is large at 2.5 inches and takes up the vertical space on the back of the camera.

The rear houses a huge 2.5-inch LCD screen, an optical zooming viewfinder, control buttons and menu controls with a blue translucent OK button in the middle. The zoom control is also on the back panel.

The camera looks nice and stylish. It is miniature and feels sturdy and heavy in your hand. The camera looks and feels durable as well. The V550 has a retractable lens that extends and has a lens cover that opens when the camera is powered on. When the camera is powered off, the lens retracts and the lens cover closes.

The camera features an on/off button on the top deck as well as a shutter release button. In addition, the top of the camera has a flash mode button and four mode buttons. Those four buttons are non-conventional. They are backlit with blue light and are flush with the camera body. I don't quite know how to describe them. They are part of the panel itself and have laser-cut outlines and icons in the middle. You have to see them for yourself, but the bottom line is they look cool and work well. They are Auto, Portrait, SCN and Movie.

The bottom of the camera has a threaded tripod mount and a battery and SD card compartment lid. The lid is made of metal/plastic combination and is sturdy. The bottom also has the connector for the camera dock. The camera has a speaker in the bottom panel and I found that often the speaker gets covered by my finger, which varies the volume of the sounds the camera makes when focus lock is obtained dramatically.

One of the sides has a DC power input, another a rubberized-lid covered USB/A/V ports along with the Auto/Favorites switch.

Getting Started

Although the camera can (and probably should) be used with the supplied image dock, I decided that I should start using it immediately without attaching the cables to the dock. I inserted the supplied rechargeable battery pack into the camera, inserted my Kingston Elite Pro SD memory card and discovered that the camera powers on, but shows the low battery warning. The battery needed charging.

I plugged the supplied battery charger into the AC power outlet and inserted the plug on its end into the camera's DC power port. The blue light on one of the top deck buttons illuminated and another one started blinking letting me know that the battery is charging.

Usage

Once the battery was charged, I powered the camera on and discovered that it is easy to use. The menu system is rather easy to use, but strangely enough it shows the parameter itself in the menu as a description and the description of what it applies to as an icon and you can see what it is if you don't remember only after you select that menu item.

For example, it says AUTO and to the left you see the icon of some sort. Only after you scroll down to that item you will see above the description of the icon: White Balance. Most cameras use the opposite: the name of the item is displayed on the left and the value on the right. The V550 is a bit confusing in this respect, but once you memorize some of the less recognizable icons, you will have no problem using them quickly. And the menu items are large and very legible.

Just as with other cameras I used, I have not read the manual and have not even opened it, but was able to use the camera and all its features in no time. The camera can be used by any member of the family and by photographers of all levels of expertise from novices to advanced ones (albeit it will not give you much control over the shutter speed or aperture).

The camera comes pre-set to Auto mode, in which you have no need to adjust settings. You do not have to do anything other than point and shoot - the camera takes care of the rest. Just as with any other compact digital camera you press the shutter release button halfway to make camera focus and the camera beeps to indicate it focused. Then you take the picture by pressing the shutter release button all the way.

In case you want more control, you can select Portrait or one of the Scene modes. The camera also uses the menu down arrow button to switch to Macro or Landscape mode.

The flash mode selection is available at a push of a button on the top deck.

Histogram

The camera can show you a live histogram to help you adjust the exposure better.

Color Settings

The camera has several color saturation settings that let you make the colors more or less saturated. I found that the default setting worked well.

Tripod Mount

The camera has a metal tripod mount. It is useful if you want to take macro pictures or pictures with long exposures (e.g. nighttime). The camera has a timer, which you should use to avoid blurry images when the camera is on the tripod.

Build Quality and Ergonomics

The camera has a solid feel and excellent build quality. The camera is a bit small, but for its size it is convenient to hold and its compact size lets you put it in a jacket pocket or a purse easily. The major controls are within easy reach and the tactile response is good. But the zoom control is awkwardly located and could have been better implemented. The camera comes with a protective soft camera bag.

LCD and Viewfinder

The camera has a large 2.5-inch non-articulated (fixed) LCD screen and an optical zooming viewfinder. The LCD coverage as about 100% - you can see exactly what will be recorded. The viewfinder, as is usually the case, covers only about 80% of what will be recorded.

Computer Connectivity

The camera has a USB connector to transfer pictures to a computer. You can also remove the SD memory card and use a memory card reader (if you have one). And you can use the supplied camera dock to connect your camera to a computer (USB used).

I used the memory card reader.

Performance

The camera takes about a 2 seconds to power itself on and extend its lens in shooting mode. The camera can capture images at about three per second in burst mode (I used the Kingston Elite Pro SD memory card). In single-frame mode, the camera could snap pictures as fast as I could push the shutter release button - about 2 seconds per picture. The focusing takes less than a second, at both wide angle and telephoto (focusing at telephoto is a little slower than at wide angle)

The shutter lag, when pre-focused, is almost unnoticeable. The camera has a flash recycle time of about 4-5 seconds, but unlike most of the other cameras, it will allow you to take a picture even if the flash was not fully charged. The result is faster shooting, but you may end up with some underexposed photos, if shooting in dim light indoors.

The zooming from wide angle to telephoto (or back) feels a bit slow and takes about three seconds. I find the 3x optical zoom of the V550 sufficient for most situations.

Battery Life

I have not fully tested the battery consumptions, but took more than 60 pictures and the low battery warning has not appeared yet. I estimate that you should be able to take about 100-150 photos on one charge.

The LCD is large, bright, gains-up in the dark (increases brightness) and is fluid. But the resolution of the screen stayed virtually the same (actually decreased slightly) comparing to the SD400. Still, it works well.

The camera's flash is adequate for its size, but not very bright overall.

Image Quality

The camera produces excellent photos with well-exposed, sharp, contrasty and richly-colored images (see the sample below).

Sample: Wide angle (click for full-size image)

The lens exhibits slight blurring in corners, which is not a big issue. This will be mostly unnoticeable in printed pictures since corners normally don't make it to the print due to the aspect ratio difference and other factors. There is some chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in the areas of high contrast, especially at wide angle (look at the upper left corner of the sample photo).

Aside from these small issues, the photos come out sharp with very pleasing colors. And the automatic white balance system worked well too.

Image Noise

The situation with the image noise of the V550 is rather typical for a compact digital camera. The noise is low at ISO 80 and increases as the sensitivity goes up. The photos a ISO 400 are suitable up for prints of up to 7x5 and look sharp at 4x6. The camera lets y you use ISO 800 at 1.8-Megapixel resolution only, which is only good for web or email photos. At ISO 80-100, you can print your photos at up to 11x14 inches with good detail.

Bottom Line

The Kodak EasyShare V550 is a very good choice if you want a compact digital camera with high resolution and a large LCD screen. It comes with a lot of useful accessories and produces excellent photos. My only concerns are relatively short battery life and some chromatic aberration at wide angle. But with good build quality, size and ease of use, the V550 is a good choice overall.

Recommended
Yes

Product Rating
(Excellent)

This review is also available at Epinions.com: Kodak EasyShare V550 Digital Camera Review on Epinions.com

My Reviews of Other Digital Cameras