Review of the Kodak EasyShare V550 Digital Camera

Kodak EasyShare V550 is a stylish, compact, and easy to use digital camera with a large 2.5 inches LCD panel, 5.36 Megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, built-in flash, and video capability. The camera is available in two colors, Silver Essence and Midnight Black. Both versions have very impressive, solid look and feel. The camera comes with a rechargeable battery & charger, image dock, audio/video cables, Kodak EasyShare software, a tripod mount, neckstrap, and a protective carrying bag.

On the back of the camera you will see the 2.5 inches LCD screen that looks huge on such a small camera, control buttons, an optical zooming viewfinder, and zoom control. On top you will find the On/Off button, the shutter release button, and four mode buttons: Auto, Portrait, SCN (Scene), and Movie. The camera is pre-set on Auto, letting you simply point and shoot without having to worry about all the settings. The flash mode button is also located on top. While the manual is provided, you probably will not need it. The menu is easy to read and the buttons & modes are self-explanatory.

Kodak EasyShare V550 can store photos and videos on SD card or multimedia memory cards. It also has built-in memory, 32 MB. Pictures can be uploaded to a computer, PC or Mac, or printed out directly from the camera. The USB connection port is located on the side.

When the camera is turned on, the lens cover will open and the retractable lens will come out. The lens will retract automatically and the cover will close when the camera is powered off. The camera takes less than a second to focus. Pictures can be taken in single-frame mode or in burst-mode. The picture quality this camera provides is excellent, clear, crisp, with bright, well-defined colors. There are several color saturation settings available, so you can make them brighter or softer.

If purchased from Kodak's website, the camera costs $349.95. Kodak offers free shipping for it.