Kodak V550

Reviewed July 2005

Characteristics

A 1/2.5 inch, 5.36 million pixel CCD is used in the Kodak EasyShare V550, providing 5 million effective pixels to capture images at a maximum size of 2579 x 1932 pixels.

In all modes with the exception of the Auto mode, CCD sensitivity is controlled by the camera and can vary over a range of 80 to 160 ISO. Using the Auto shooting mode, not only can the sensitivity be left up to the camera, it can also be set manually to 80, 100, 200, 400 ISO, with the added option of an 800 ISO setting that is limited to an image size of 1.8MP (see further).

The V550 is equipped with a 3X Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon aspheric zoom lens that is equivalent to a 36 to 108 mm in the 35 mm film format. Its apertures start at f2.8 when the zoom is set to the wide angle end and f4.8 at the telephoto end, closing down to f4.5 and f8 respectively.

In addition, the camera includes a 4X digital zoom which interpolates the central portion of the image up to the selected image size when used up to a 2.4X magnification, and then reduces the image to 1 megapixel (1024 x 768 pixels), when used to produce a magnification effect from 2.4X to 4X.

As if often the case with compact cameras, the shutter speed range available to the camera varies according to the zoom position and the sensitivity. Nevertheless, a range of 1/1600 sec to 8 seconds is possible overall, although it is only when the Auto mode is used that a shutter speed longer than 2 seconds — the maximum available when the camera is set to either Night Scenery or Fireworks — can be selected. And, with all photos captured with a long exposure or at high ISO, noise reduction is automatically applied.

Any one of five sizes are available to record the photos captured with the V550:

• 5.0 MP: 2576 x 1932 pixels,
• 4.4 MP (3:2): 2576 x 1716 pixels, a format proportional to 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 prints.
• 4.0 MP: 2304 x 1728 pixels,
• 3.1 MP: 2048 x 1536 pixels,
• 1.8 MP: 1152 x 1164 pixels.

Whatever the size, all images are recorded in JPEG format, and there is no option provided to select a compression level.

All the other capture parameters are selected in the menu presented for any given mode, and with the V550, the greatest number of settings are accessible when the camera is set to the Auto shooting mode:

• Self-timer: starts the 10 second Self-timer which can be used to capture a single photo or to start capturing a video.

• Burst: allows capturing up to 5 high resolution (5MP) images at 3 frames per second.
• Picture Size: serves to select the picture size (see above).
• Video Size (shown instead of the previous option when the camera is set to capture video): 640 x 480 pixels (VGA) or 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA).
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Tungsten (incandescent), Fluorescent or Open Shade.
• ISO Speed: Auto or 80, 100, 200, 400 or 800 ISO (the last option is only available with the 1.8MP image size).

• Colour Mode allows selecting the effect applied to the image as it is being saved:
  • High Colour increases saturation,
  • Natural Colour the default setting,
  • Low Colour decreases saturation,
  • Black and White,
  • Sepia.
• Sharpness: this option makes it possible to increase or decrease the image sharpness (High, Normal or Low).
• Exposure Metering: selects the metering mode Multi-Zone, Centre-Weighted or Spot.
• AF Control provides two options for the way the auto focus operates:
  • Continuous AF: adjusts the focus constantly, shortening the time it takes for the camera to be ready to capture a photo, but discharging the battery more rapidly.
  • Single AF: the default, only auto focuses when the shutter release is pressed halfway.
• Focus Zone serves to select the zone the auto focus system takes into account when operating:
  • Multi-zone finds the focus point using 3 horizontal AF points.
  • Centre-zone only focuses on the subject at the centre of the frame.

• Long Time Exposure: exclusively available when the camera is set to the Auto mode, allows specifying the long exposure time (0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 or 8 seconds).
• Set Album: Off (default) or On. This option allows creating an album into which albums or videos will be stored.
• Image Storage controls where images are stored:
  • Auto (default) the camera uses the memory card if one is in the camera. If not, the camera uses internal memory.
  • Internal Memory—the camera always uses internal memory, even if a card is installed.

• Reset to Default: this option only appears when the camera is set to the Custom mode and serves to reset all camera parameters to their default values.
• Video Length (only shown when the camera is set to the Video mode): allows limiting the video length to 5, 15 or 30 seconds or let it continue until the memory card is full.
• Motion Image Stabilization (only shown when the camera is set to the Video mode): On or Off serves to improve video stability.
• Setup Menu: provides access to the Setup menu the options for which are detailed in the Interface and Software section of the review.

In the Playback mode the menu is shown superimposed on the image currently under review. To improve legibility here, the menu is shown on a black frame:

• Album: using the EasyShare software included with the camera, it is possible to create up to 32 album names and save them to the camera's internal memory. This makes it possible to associate images or videos to any of the albums, which will cause them to be transferred to the appropriate album when images are downloaded to the computer.
• Crop: makes it possible save a new image a portion of an image that has been magnified on the monitor, without affecting the original image.
• Slide Show: presents one image after the other automatically. The interval between images can be preset to be between 3 and 60 seconds in 1 second increments, and the slide show can be preset to loop back to the beginning at the end or not.

• Multi-up: presents the saved images as thumbnails, 9 per screen. The same function can be called up by pressing the down arrow of the 4-direction controller while the camera is in Playback.

• Copy: serves to copy one or all images from the internal memory to a memory card, or vice versa.
• Protect: allows tagging images as "protected" so they cannot be accidentally deleted. Nevertheless, protected images can be erased when the memory is formatted.
• Image Storage: decides which images are going to be used for review, those stored in the internal memory or those stored on the memory card.
• Setup Menu: provides access to the Setup menu (see the Interface and Software section of the review for more information about the Setup menu).

As noted in the Ergonomics section of the review, the share button — located on the left side of the monitor — automatically starts the Playback mode, and displays a menu that offers options as to how an image will be used:

• Print: serves to select photos the will be printed, as well as the number of copies to make of each. The V550 is PictBridge compatible and can therefore be connected directly via USB to a similarly compatible printer.
• Email: serves to tag images that will be sent to any of 32 email that can be recorded in the camera using the EasyShare software which is included with the camera.
• Favorite: allows selecting images as Favorites so that when the camera is connected to the computer, they will be automatically transferred and a small copy of the image uploaded back to the camera to minimize the memory space required to store them.

• Print All: selects all images for printing, and allows selecting the number of copies to be printed of each.
• Cancel Print: cancels all printing orders.

The Kodak V550 is equipped with a 32 MB internal memory, and with a memory slot compatible with both SD (Secure Digital) or MMC (MultiMedia) memory cards; and in North America the camera is not normally retailed with a memory card.

The chart below provides an estimate of how many photos can be stored in the camera's internal memory, and as a guide the number of photos that can be stored using an optional 1 GB SD memory card:

The V550 has three external connections. On the lower right side, behind a grey plastic cover that is tethered to the camera, is a dual function connection for USB (2.0 High-speed), or A/V (Audio Video) out which can be set to either NTSC or PAL in the Setup menu.

The second connection is on the lower left side of the camera, and serves to connect the AC-DC adapter which is included with the camera, and which serves to recharge the Lithium-ion battery in approximately 3 hours.

The third connection is underneath the camera and it serves to connect the V550 to the elegant EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2 docking station using a special transparent cradle that is part of the kit. Similarly, at least with the Kodak V550 tested here, an adapter is also provided for the EasyShare printer which can be purchased as an option.

The EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2 also provides connections for the AC adapter and the USB/AV connections. And, while the camera is in the dock, images in memory — either in the internal memory or on a memory card — can be viewed as a slide show while the camera is powered by the AC adapter.