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Kodak EasyShare CX7530 5 Megapixel Compact Camera
Strengths: Intuitive controls, compact, clear LCD, zoom-in picture review, internal memory, video-length not limited (except by memory card), uses two AA batteries, battery life, optical zoom
Weakness: Flash range, flash speed
I really like this camera. I had a Kodak digital camera before, 2.0 megapixel, and I thought I wouldn't get another Kodak because the old one was clunky and slow. But, I did a lot of research and realized that Kodak has come a long way -- its new cameras are highly rated and have won awards on customer satisfaction. So, after also seeing that it was one of the best buys, I bought the CX7530.
The controls are very intuitive. I have been taking lots of pictures and video, reviewing many within the camera and deleting those not-so-good ones, and I have uploaded pictures to my PC (without an EasyShare docking station) - all without opening the manual. Now, I'm sure there are features I'm not using and I will review the manual when I can, but I just want to point out that you can just open the box, put in the batteries, and start using this camera immediately.
The size is great. The LCD is a nice and clear, 1.8" color screen. And, I love the fact that you can zoom into (1X-8X) and scroll/pan around a picture you are reviewing. You get 32MB of internal memory, on which you could store up to 200 "favorite" pictures. You don't need to have an external memory card to use the camera for pictures, but I got a 512MB SD card to try to get the most out of the camera when I'm away from home.
Another great feature is the movie mode. You can create a continuous video with audio capture and playback; the length of the video is not limited except by the capacity of your memory card.
As for batteries... I love that I just need 2 AA batteries. So, if I run out of power and don't have spares, I can easily find AA's just about anywhere. Luckily, I haven't run into that problem yet; I've been using Maha PowerEx batteries, and they last quite a while (sorry, I can't be more quantitative). I'm not sure if it's the batteries or the fact that I don't usually use the LCD when taking pictures... probably both.
The optical zoom seems to be fine for my needs. I haven't used the digital zoom yet.
The one complaint I do have is with the flash. From the specs, it seemed like the flash range would be pretty good (2 to 6.9 or 11.8 ft). But, I have found that some pictures don't come out as bright as I think they should at the distance from which I take the pictures. In addition, the shutter speed has been ok in that I can take a second shot fairly quickly after the first, but the flash doesn't always recover so quickly and so I end up with a very dark picture. These two weaknesses aren't always issues; other users may not even notice them.
As for the complaint I commonly see in other reviews -- that the camera setup needs to be re-set if you take out the batteries -- I've only see this happen when I've tried to turn on the camera when there are no batteries in the camera. So, I think you just need to make sure there are batteries installed whenever you have your camera on.
The prints that I have developed so far are great. I have no complaints there; they look pretty much the way they do on the computer screen.
Overall, I still recommend this camera. It has so many great features for a somewhat intermediate point-and-shoot user like me. And, for a 5 megapixel, it's such a good buy.
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