KODAK CONVERT (Kodak Easyshare M753)

Member Name: ~*pink-pilgrim*~

Product:	Kodak Easyshare M753
Date:	04/11/07 (927 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap and affordable quality camera

Disadvantages: Battery charging

INTRODUCTION
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Since the introduction of Digital picture frames over a year ago my dad has been desperate for one. He loves gadgets and technical things, so when he saw the digital frames he really wanted one. Therefore I have known since Easter what I would get him for Christmas. I didn't count on the many different offers and packages. Last month I ordered the Kodak frame from Amazon and was very happy until I picked up the Argos 'Christmas offer' catalogue.
The catalogue was offering a reduced produce Kodak C613 camera with the same frame. As my frame had not arrived I decided to cancel and go with Argos (less said about shopping experience the better). The reason for all of this I hear you ask…well there is a point and the point is that I have never liked Kodak, since the day I used my mate's camera. It was so difficult to use and seemed quite bulky. The frame on its own was £89.99 and with a camera was £99.98 so I couldn't really resist, I did talk myself into it and tried to order it. Unfortunately the C613 was discontinued, but to cut a long story short customer services allowed me to pay £10 extra for the next model up, so I was then stuck with a Kodak camera.

KODAK
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So you may have already gathered that I am not impressed by Kodak one bit, in fact I have always felt that they look a little cheap and tacky. In fact they appear a lot bigger than most other brands and do not appeal to me. They are often priced higher than their rivals. The company however are actually very reliable and highly respected by many consumers. In fact since its formation in 1881 by George Eastman many products have been created. The Kodak logo is often a sign of quality; in fact my dad would only ever purchase Kodak film or camera equipment.
I personally love Fujifilm and have owned 3 brilliant Fujifilm cameras in the past. So really I didn't need a new camera. After a conversation with my mum I realised that she would love to have her own camera so my mind was made up…Kodak M753 it was.

KODAK EASYSHARE M753
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My fear of Kodak ended as soon as I picked the camera up, I soon realised that I had been awfully wrong and within 3 days had forgotten my intentions of giving the camera to my mum and had decided to keep it.
The camera is black and as a 'silver freak' I was quite impressed. Until now I have favoured the silver finish on electrical appliances and this camera was a pleasant change. I believe the camera does come in other colours such as silver, rose, copper and purple. It is quite small compared to my previous opinion of Kodak. The camera which is advertised as 'ultra slim' is very compact and easy to fit in my pocket.

I also like the fact that it can be used with a Kodak printer, picture frame and memory card successfully. These extra appliances are very common and easy to find unlike the faddy models that seem to come and go.

FEATURES
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The camera has a very good resolution at 7 mega pixels and this quality is shown both on screen and when printed out. Even with a basic printer the quality looks good and this is testament to the quality of the camera.

It does have a number of modes such as sepia and black and white. I don't use these often unless I know that I will not need a colour copy, for example photos for a history project. There are a number of other modes to use in certain environments e.g. night, portrait, landscape and the sporty shot…you know the picture you try so hard to get but the focus keeps moving. I use the sporty shot most often as it's so helpful for moving objects e.g. pets and children. I am quite 'slow' with photos and find that sometime the time between pressing the button and the camera registering often means that I have missed what I was taking, but the shutter speed is very quick on this camera which again is very useful.
It has 5x digital zoom and 3x optical which basically means I can take a detailed 'close up' picture of a far away object. The quality of every picture is very crisp and clear. The flash is also very good in fact pictures taken at night at a distance appear very clear and are of a good quality. Sometimes pictures taken up close can appear very light and those far away can appear out of focus or non existent this camera however is very good at taking both types of photo (near and far).

The camera also has a video function for taking short videos. The playback on the 2.5" LCD screen is very good however on a larger screen e.g. computer/television the playback quality is not as good.

EASE OF USE
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As a CCO (clumsy camera owner) I go through many cameras and have learned that not all cameras can be switched on a used effortlessly, in fact most cameras require a quick read of a manual. The manual supplied with the camera is very useful and easy to read although I rarely had to refer to it for technical support. I can't really comment on how robust this camera is and as with all my cameras in the early months I prefer not to know. I have purchased an expensive camera case for this camera and although the case is 4 times the size of the camera I hope it will offer some protection.

The camera is in comparison to most very easy to use and very easy to get used to. In fact I feel quite guilty giving mum my old one whilst I use this one. I think this camera would be ideal for any first time digital camera owner (particularly children).
The camera comes with a Li-ion rechargeable battery and does last a reasonable amount of time (after 3 hours of charging), it can be charged via the included USB cable but it is obviously more helpful to buy a charging cable/dock so that you can plug in and go. Charging docks can be bought separately for only £30 from sites such as Pixmania. Obviously if you have a different version of Windows or have Macintosh the charger may be more/less effective. It is also a negative if you go away and cannot charge your camera without a USB connection (computer) unlike most cameras out there you cannot just insert batteries. Which again was my main gripe with Kodak - they don't always make it easy for the user!

PRICES
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This camera is currently available in Argos for only £79.99 and on Amazon for £78.76. The camera also retails for £78.02 at PC World. Compared to most 7MP cameras this is a very good price and it also has the Kodak logo which clearly shows its quality and reliability. The camera is £89.99 on the Kodak.com website but there is a larger selection of fascia colour on the website compared to the other stores. So if you are willing to pay £10 more for a pink camera then you can on the website. The postage and Packaging on the Kodak website is free.

SUMMARY
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This is a great little camera at a very good price. It ticks all the boxes…it is easy to use…it produces fabulous pictures and it is compact and does not weigh too much. I can safely say that I am a Kodak convert!

Summary: This camera changed my mind about Kodak completely!

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