Customer Reviews

Kodak Easyshare LS753 5 MP Digital Camera with 2.8xOptical Zoom

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off, I'd like to qualify myself by saying that I know quite a bit more than the average person about digital cameras. It's really hard to believe someone who says a camera is "great" or "the best" when they really have no experience with other cameras.

The LS753 is extremely easy to learn how to operate, has a VERY nice compact metal body, and is a great value at 5 megapixels for it's price tag. Picture quality is pretty good, and colors are well saturated. Redeye is surprisingly good for a compact camera, and there are plenty of scene modes. Controls include: Exposure compensation, ISO, white balance(no custom), and long shutter for night scenery without using the flash (remember to use a tripod or steady surface!). The editing software that comes with it is pretty useful if you have non, and replacement batteries are cheap. The movie mode is also slightly about average.

Downsides: my biggest complaint is that pretty much everything resets when you turn the camera off, so by the time you set up your camera, the moment might be gone - very frustrating! the date and time even reset when you leave the battery out too long! there are no fast shutter or aperture controls, and no AF assist lamp so you can't take focused shots in "dim" light without the flash. Not so great if you take lots of macro shots since all you'll see is flash glare. Also, by saying "dim" lighting, I mean indoors, daytime, during the summer without DIRECT or very bright sunlight. There's also a bit of purple fringing.

Overall, a great camera if you just need it for point and shoot use. Very nice colors and great resolution for the price. In my opinion, one of the best things about this camera is the non existent redeye, since compact cameras are usually used for taking pictures of people, not scenery. Other compacts have awful redeye. Not recommended for creative shooting though. The Canon ELPH S410 is about the same price but is 1 meg lower, has no scene modes or an action mode, but focuses better in low light and has better picture quality. Sony W1 costs more and has limited control over shutter and aperture settings, and has an excellent movie mode. Canon Powershot A75, A85, and A95 cameras have much more manual controls (which means you can take better pictures in different situations) and are much cheaper (except for the A95) but are bigger, though not too big.

When I first saw this camera, I thought to myself, "Kodak has finally gotten it right." Ever since they started making digital cameras, Kodak has had, in my opinon, some of the best picture quality available. The metering has always been dead-on and the pictures, although somewhat over-saturated, have always featured deep, sharp colors and extraordinary clarity. The only thing that prevented me from buying a Kodak digital camera was the fact that their bodies were cheaply made out of lightweight plastic. Then they moved into the Easy Share line of cameras geared to the entry-level market and things went from bad to worse with the camera styles getting progressively larger and the bodies getting progressively cheaper.

But with the release of the LS753 (and its 4 MP younger brother the LS743), Kodak finally smartened up and made an ultra-compact, sleek, attractive, sturdy camera geared to the mid-level user. And the camera is every bit as nice as it looks on the internet. The LS753 is a slick little device. Weighing in at just under 6 oz. (without battery) and measuring just larger than a deck of cards, this camera is small enough and light enough to easily fit in your pocket or comfortably fit on your belt. The body is made of high impact plastic and features a metallic front that gives the camera a sturdy feel without making it too heavy or bulky. It's finished in a metallic silver with just a hint of blue tones which, in my opinion, makes for a very attractive color. Ergonomically, everything is exactly where it should be and the camera feels very comfortable in your hand. One of the nicest features is the inclusion of a button on top of the camera to quickly change flash settings. Also, the camera features a small dial on top, right in front of the shutter button, which allows you to change camera modes. The default setting is always automatic so you never have to worry about accidently setting the dial somewhere you don't want it and then having it in the wrong position when the camera starts up. All in all, this is a perfect design. But, unfortunately, the positive features end there.

As I said, I was fully expecting that this camera would have taken beautiful pictures, based on my past experience with Kodak. I mean, with today's technology, picture quality should only be getting better, right? Wrong. Here's why:

1. The pictures, although clear and crisp in bright light, are far too dark when taken with the flash. But the problem is not consistent and it has everything to do with the automatic ISO and speed settings that the camera uses. At equal distances, some of the flash pictures will be far too dark and some will be acceptable. It seems that the shutter is very fast, but maybe too fast for the size of the lens and the power of the flash. It seems to me, for the majority of the automatic flash pictures, that the camera is not letting enough light in. In fairness, you do have manual control over some of these settings (exposure and ISO) and I'm sure, with some tweaking, you can get closer to the right mix. But, for this size camera, why should we be concerned with such things? This is a point-and-shoot, and you expect to be able to do just that.

2. The flash is far too small for the camera and, more often than not, you will find that it will light up only the very closest objects. This gives the unpleasant effect of having only half of your pictures illuminated. Coupled with the problem above, the bottom line is that flash pictures are not at all acceptable for this price camera. When compared to my Canon S40, which is a similar compact camera, there just is no comparison. The Kodak is just not acceptable for indoor use.

3. The camera features a 1.8" LCD display which is crisp, sharp, and easy to see even in bright places. However, it has one major flaw which is that the pictures appear much more dull and dark on the LCD screen then they do when viewed on a computer. (Even the ones that actually are dull and dark as described above are FAR worse when viewed on the LCD screen). This can actually be a difficult adjustment in the beginning because, when previewing pictures on the screen, you may be inclined to discard pictures that you think are too dark, only to find out that they would have been acceptable (or close to it) when viewed on a computer.

4. The low battery indicator is not at all obvious, with just a very small flashing white icon in the far bottom corner of the LCD screen. Maybe I'm not paying enough attention, but I almost never see it. And it seems to comes on just before the battery actually dies. The end result is that the battery dies and the camera shuts down as a surprise. And not a pleasant one.

5. The autofocus is terrible, particularly in lower light conditions. You will find that you have to discard about 10% of your pictures because of blur, even with the most steady of hands. This is beacuse the camera was made to point and shoot very quickly without having to wait for the camera to autofocus. And, 90% of the time, it does fine. But for the other 10%, it is very frustrating. I would rather have the camera autofocus for a second or two and beep when it is in focus so that I know the picture is ready to be taken. Not having to wait is a nice feature, but you have no idea what the end result will be. I have also had problems with the camera focusing on the wrong subject. For example, just today I took a family portrait using the auto-timer and the picture was blurry. Obviously it had nothing to do with movement because neither us, nor the camera were in motion. It just has to do with, again, bad internal automatic settings.

Is it all bad? Well, not really. As I said, the design is great. And if it had better guts, the camera would be perfect. One thing I love is the comapct battery charger that plugs right into the wall. I wish more camera/camcorder manufacturers would catch on to the fact that we consumers like to remove the battery and put it into a separate wall charger without having to lug around wires, an AC transformer, etc. Kodak has gotten this part right. I also recommend the separate custom made leather case that they sell. This fits the camera snugly and offers a lot of protection in a very compact package. One last positive note is the battery life. I had one fully charged battery last through approximately 150 flash pictures and it had plenty of life to spare. This is a very positive feature for this size camera.

In fairness, I have not tested this camera with the docking station or with any of the EasyShare software which is supposed to be a major selling point of this Kodak line. I am just not that type of user. I prefer to remove the SD card and load my pictures to my computer using a card reader where I can manipulate them. But, even if these EasyShare features are flawless, it would not make up for the lousy flash pictures and the all too often blur. Nothing, not even ergonomic design, can make up for bad pictures. And, unfortunately, that's just what this camera takes.

What if you only use it outdoors? Well, then this camera would be a winner. But, I'll go out on a limb and say that the majority of the point-and-shoot market will not be limiting themselves to outdoor shots. That said, Kodak really missed the mark on this one. Which is really dissapointing to me because they passed up a golden opportunity to make the perfect digital camera.

Back to the drawing board...

This is my sixth digital camera in as many years.

I've been playing with this camera for several days now and I'm must amazed at the quality of the photos. Color is dead on. Seems to take great pictures both indoors and out.

Some of the other reviews complain about burry pictures and dark pics indoors. Not seeing any of that with my photos. Then again I've been choosing the appropriate modes when takingn pictures. Love the rotary dial.

As for the camera forgetting it's settings when you turn it off, I actually prefer it. It forces you to set the camera to the proper mode when you pull it out. Which you can do very quickly once you've learned the various icons/modes and how to use the rotary dial.

I've always been an Olympus camera fan up until now. Kodak blows away my Camadiea D-510.

I can't wait to go on a trip this spring and take more photos.

All of the kodak easyshare cameras are different in one way or the other. This one is a sleek, portable camera and takes incredibly high resolution pics with its 5.0 mp and its easy to use functions. I had no idea a digital camera could create such colorful realistic looking pics after owning a sony "fits in your biggest suitcase and converts to a floppy bigger than your computer camera". My sister owns a sony cybershot which she brought over for thanksgiving to show us, it printed out pics with a decent quality but no where near this beautiful color pictures that just overwhelm me every time i look at them. The printer that you can purchase for this in my oppinoun isnt a good idea, even though it prints out on a glossy and incredibly good quality than a camera which has to be developed, colorful and the size of a actual photo you develop at your nearby wallgreens. Yet it cost 25 bucks for a 40 picture print catrige becuase it doesnt run on a inkjet it usues its special product in which your would averagly have to pay for 25 bucks every month which is 65 cents a print! when you can just go buy some glossy paper put in your home printer and print out almost practicly near good quality as the pic, i wont lie if you wanna blow 150 for the printer and then 25 bucks for 40 pics either your a sucker or you are incredibly picky about quality, if so buy the thing its a cute looking accesorie that fits near your computer to make you look orginized and proffesional. If i had to choose between this or the cybershot which is a big competitor i would go with this no question.

Bought this camera today and am really pleased with it so far. The pictures are great. If you're looking for perfect video, though, you should probably look somewhere else. The videos are good, but not fabulous. The software that comes with this camera is so easy and helpful. It really makes emailing the pictures and movies so simple. I don't usually make comments on products, but I wanted to give everyone considering buying this one a heads up that you can find this same camera for $199 at Circuit City (and around $250 with the docking unit at Sam's). Good luck finding the camera that's right for you!

When I purchased this camera I had no idea what I was looking for or how to even go about researching. This camera turned out to be excellent. It takes movies, and great clear pictures. It has a lot of featurs including black and white, sepia, strobe, etc. There are so many features! Also the size is really great, not too big and not so small that I'll loose it. I also bought the printing dock which charges your camera and hooks into your computer. I can print 4x6 pictures or smaller and it is amazing quality. If anyone out there is looking for a great digital camera with a lot of features that is easy to use, definetly go with this one.

This is my fifth digital camera and assuming it does not break, I will have this one for a long time. It is by far the best of any that I have had in the past.
The pictures are great. I do not know why one of the reviews was not pleased with the picture quality. Maybe they did not focus it first (by pressing the button half way down)?
The quality of the movie mode was also better than any of the others that I had before. It's not exactly as clear as you would get with a camcorder, but it is much less choppy than others that I have seen. The audio is also clear.
The best feature for me was the ability to control the flash and mode without scrolling through five menus. There is one button for flash mode, one for picture mode (portrait, close up, moving, auto, etc.) and there is a menu to change other settings that would not be changed as often.
Another important feature was the price. Mine was refurbished and was only $169. I don't think that there is a better camera out there in this price range.

First let me tell you that I am more than just a point and shoot kind of guy. (with cameras that is) This camera is one of the best I have ever owned. I brought 2 cameras with me to Iraq, the first was a Sony that took such garbage pictures that I threw it away in disgust. The second was the LS 753. 18 months in the Middle East with this camera in my ammo pouch and it still took the best pictures. It weatherd sandstorms, temps over 125 degrees, high humidity, and lots of bumpy and nasty terrain and it kept right on going. I have now been out of Iraq for over a year and the camera, although scratched up a bit still works. My only regret is that Koadk did not continue this line of cameras.

SSG Pete Ludlum
OIF III

I love this camera. It takes great pictures. Bought a 1GB sd card to expand the memory and it is more than enough card for pics & short videos. I love the battery and its own charger. It fits in my camera case so I am never w/o it. Battery life is good. Had another Kodak camera for my first digital that was lost and said I wouldn't buy Kodak again but have been very happy with both cameras.

I've used the LS753 for about two years, and have been very happy with its performance. The absolute best aspect of the camera is its size: it fits very well into a pocket, meaning you can have it immediately on hand whenever the situation is right for taking a photo. It also fits well into the hand. While there are a number of adjustments and mode settings, the average user will quickly realize that the default settings are best for the majority of your photos.

The camera has enough resolution that you can easily pull closeups out of your original photo, using PhotoShop or any of the photo editing packages. I tend to take a somewhat oversized image with the camera, and then use PhotoShop to edit out the extra material. The resulting image virtually always has enough resolution left to create a sharp print, even if I blow it up to 5x7. Without cropping, or with only minor cropping, the camera's image creates a pleasing 8x10 print, excellent for giving as a present.

The camera's base unit is another example of great product engineering. I have the standard base, without the printer (instead using an external Canon printer). The camera sits firmly on the base, on top of my computer table. The base is more or less permanently connected to my PC using a USB cable. Whenever I want to move photos from the camera to my PC, I just push a button on the base, and the images are quickly moved to my PC. I never lose track of where my camera is-when not in my pocket, it sits neat and ready (and automatically recharging its battery) on top of the base unit, next to my PC. I've never had the camera run out of power, by the way, even when on vacation for more than a week. No need to change batteries and such.

About the only weakness I've noticed is that the flash isn't powerful enough to create a good photo when you're more than a few yards away from the subject. For those photos, I tell the camera to shut off the flash, and holding the camera as steady as I can, take a flashless photo. Usually works out to be an acceptable image.

The camera has also survived without damage any number of falls, and uses in light rain conditions. In short, it's quite sturdy.

Perhaps someday I'll replace the camera as the technology continues to evolve, but that day isn't anywhere in the near future. It does what I want, and does it well.