The V530 is a divergence from the larger, plastic models Kodak has been so fond of in the past. Its sleek metallic design creates the impression of a great camera, and this time Kodak are definitely on the right track.

One of the biggest questions surrounding Kodak models is often the image writing time. Much of the Kodak range seems to suffer an acute lag problem. When we first got our hands on this particular model we prayed this might be the camera that broke that trend, and we can happily say that is the case. The v530 is lightning quick, with as little as one second between shots. Power up and power down times as well as shutter lag were both also exceptional. This is one of the fastest cameras in this category.

The major flaw of the V530 is the position of the directional pad. Placed on the right-hand side of the screen on virtually every camera model, this positioning gives easy thumb access for quick scrolling. With this model, Kodak has chosen to go for something a little different and placed it on the left. As a result, the pad is extremely difficult to operate while holding the camera in a comfortable position. You have to basically stop shooting and change your grip to operate it properly. In addition to this, some of the buttons were quite stiff and difficult to operate, making it strenuous to navigate the menu.

Image quality is the one area in which Kodak seems to consistently shine, and in general the V530 lived up to this expectation. It provided good, crisp and detailed images, although perhaps not quite as good as the images of some other 5 megapixel Kodaks. The colour looked pale in some instances, but the blurring in detailed areas was minimal.

The camera has a pile of predefined shooting modes and basic white balance, exposure and colour controls. There is a burst mode, but it only extends to taking five shots and isn't particularly useful.

It recorded quite good video--640 x 480 at 30fps--and the video recording can run until your memory fills up.