The user interface of the V530
uses beige icons to remind the user of current settings, placing
them at the top and bottom right of the monitor. In addition,
each time a mode is selected, be it any of the scene modes
or any other, a short descriptive sentence of the mode is
displayed on the monitor.
The other parts of the interface are the various menus which
allow the user to modify camera settings. These menus are
all presented in a similar manner, with the option's name
at the top of the screen when the cursor is on it, and the
current settings for each shown in yellow below. The system
is legible and makes it easy to see many current settings
at a glance.
The Setup Menu, accessed in all menus as the last
option before the menu loops back to the beginning, is organized
in a similar way, the active settings appearing in a list:
Return: returns to the previous menu, either the
recording menu or the playback menu.
Camera Sounds controls the sounds produced by the
camera, either as a group, or for each individual function:
Themes: applies different sounds of all a similar
style to all functions. The options are None, Default,
Animals, Fantasy, Music or Sci-fi.
Power On
Focus lock
Shutter
Self-timer
Error
Sound Volume: serves to adjust the volume of the
sound produced by the camera (Low, Medium, High or Off).
LCD Brightness: has three settings, Auto, Power
Save, or the default, High Power.
LCD Dimmer serves to select the time delay until
the monitor dims to conserve power: 10, 20 or 30 seconds
or Off.
Auto Power Off: sets the delay before the camera
automatically powers down after a period of inactivity (10,
5, 3 or 1 minute).
Date and Time: to set the internal clock and calendar
of the V530.
Video Out selects the video out signal, NTSC or
PAL.
Photo Frame serves to select slide show setting
that will be used when the camera is docked on the EasyShare
Photo Frame Dock 2: Interval (between 3 and 60 seconds per
image), Loop (On or Off), Transition (sets the transition
effect between frames), Image Source (Auto, Internal Memory,
or Favourites), Run Time (from 1/2 hour to 12 hours in 1/2
hour increments).
Orientation Sensor: rotates photos so that they
are displayed the right way up on the monitor. Three options
are offered: On, Off, or On Transfer which only reorients
the photo when it is transferred to a computer.
Red-eye Pre-flash: On or Off. Worth noting, the
camera automatically corrects images for red-eye internally
whether or not the pre-flash red-eye reduction system is
used.
Date Stamp: On or Off. Decides whether or not the
date will be permanently superimposed on images.
Video Date Display: On or Off. Displays the recording
date and time of the video at the start of playback.
Blur Warning: On or Off. Decides whether or not
the camera shows an indication that the image might be blurred
when the shutter speed is below a certain threshold.
Language selects the language for the interface
and the menus: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian,
Portuguese, Chinese, Korean or Japanese.
Format: to format either the internal memory or
the memory card.
About: displays the firmware's version number.
A printed manual is provided with the V530. The manual is short,
as befits a relatively simple camera, and focuses first on setting
up the camera, and then on its basic camera operations. Explanations
are limited, kept to a minimum for most camera features and
functions, and the manual tends to hop around in a convoluted
progression. Nevertheless, if perused from beginning to end,
it covers all that is necessary to understand the functions
of the camera.
Software
As is the case with other current Kodak EasyShare cameras,
the V530 is supplied with a single CD called Kodak EasyShare
Software. EasyShare is primarily an image browser that
serves to download images from the camera when it is docked
or connected directly to a computer via USB. Once in the computer,
images can be organized into albums and seen as adjustable-size
thumbnails, or sorted using keywords that have been assigned
previously.
The task bar at the top of the program’s window provides buttons that
can be used to Add pictures, create a New Album, Edit Picture,
Rotate an image, or Burn photos to a CD. Meanwhile, tabs on
the left side of the program's window serve to Print images
at Home, Order Prints Online, E-mail photos, connect to the
Kodak EasyShare Centre, or the Kodak Camera Centre which controls
the creation of Albums, Favourites, etc when the camera is
connected to the computer.
The editing functions offered
with EasyShare are all presented in a secondary window, once
an image has been selected for editing. Images can be cropped,
red-eye can be removed, the entire image can be enhanced automatically,
brightness and contrast can be adjusted, the exposure can
be lightened or darkened, "fun effects" can be applied
(black and white, sepia, colouring book, cartoon or fisheye),
and last the image can be rotated. A zoom feature is available
so the image can be inspected closely, and once edited an
image can be saved as a new image so as to not overwrite the
original.
Within EasyShare's
browser window, double-clicking any image presents it full
screen, as part of a manually controlled slide show. In addition,
right-clicking an image and selecting Properties from the
drop list that appears reveals the basic parameters of the
image: date of capture, image size, file size, capture mode,
shutter speed, aperture, focal length, subject distance, ISO,
flash mode and white balance.
Interface & Software
