Review by Andy Leuterio
Kodak's diminutive LS753 is the latest "style camera" in their EasyShare lineup. The LS-series is targeted at
high-end consumers that place a premium on form factor and high-quality components, although not necessarily
packing heavyweight performance features. As such, the LS753 packs a Schneider-Kreuznach lens, 32MB of memory,
5-megapixel resolution, and continuous video with audio-capture capability. All of this is packed in an attractive,
charcoal-gray aluminum body that feels substantial to hold yet is no larger than your average cellphone. Its slightly
less powerful sister is the LS743, with 4-MP resolution and 16MB of memory.
As with every other EasyShare camera, operation is instantly intuitive. One may never need to consult the
owner's manual with this camera. A jog dial on the top selects the main camera modes such as Auto, Portrait, Close
Up, Scan, and Video. A light press on the shutter button focuses on the subject, and a deeper press takes the shot. In
combination with the Schneider lens, the Kodak Color
Science image processing chip of the camera takes impressive, high-quality photos in most conditions even at the
low-resolution "Good" setting. The Schneider lens is in the details. Especially in Close Up mode, one can make out the
texture of flowers, dirt on a car's fender, dimples on a lady's face, and other little items. It can optically zoom up to
2.8x, and digital zoom adds another 3.6x.
As befits its role as a high-end camera for the average user, the 2:3 picture-taking ratio is optimized for the most
commonly ordered print size: 4 x 6 inches. On the "Best" setting, which fully uses those 5-megapixels, photos can be
printed as large as 20 x 30 inches. "Auto" is good enough for most shots, and I suspect most users will use it as a default
mode rather than go to the specialized modes if they're in a hurry. The clarity in Auto is good enough to capture greeneries
and cloud textures. Exposure and focal priorities can also be adjusted by accessing the menu. If you want to adjust aperture
and priority settings for those "advanced amateur" photos and don't want to let the LS' brain do the thinking for you with the
sub modes like Backlight or Fireworks, then you need a DX-series camera like the DX6340 or DX6490.
This camera isn't meant for truly serious photography, though. It's more of a high-performance "social" camera. Light enough
to be worn around the neck, it's the type of device you bring to parties, gatherings, and outings with a style that impresses
everyone and shooting modes for almost all conceivable activities. The picture quality will further impress later on when you
email the photos or print them out.
For a device that's so small it doesn't look like a "serious" camera, the LS753 produces photos that bring justice to the subjects.
A cutesy addition is the ability to add sound effects to the button commands ranging from space age to humorous. A dedicated
Share button lets you tag photos for emailing or printing once you download to the EasyShare program in the computer. Direct
photo printing can also be done if you have the Printer Dock 6000.
You'll need to get an SD or MMC card, though. Keep shooting at the "Best" setting and you'll exhaust the internal memory soon
enough. This is one of those cameras that make you want to keep shooting because it's so easy to use, and so memory will be
at a premium. It retails for P34,995 as of this writing with a free 128MB memory card as a promo, although that may end by the
time this issue hits the newsstands.
GRINS
? stylish form factor
? sharp Schneider lens
? above-average picture quality
? idiot-proof operation
? numerous shooting modes
GRIMACES
? limited manual adjustment settings
THE LOWDOWN
Stylish, quality photography for casual, non-advanced consumers.
