Kodak EasyShare M753 review

The M753 is the most affordable model in Kodak's style-conscious range of cameras, but despite a choice of six fun colours it still manages to look fairly dull.

It arrived with a bright yellow sticker on the front, which left adhesive when we removed it.

This is the most affordable camera we've ever seen with a Li-ion battery, which gave decent battery life in our test and will save on the cost of rechargeable AA cells and a charger. The controls are well laid out, with a mode dial, dedicated flash button and exposure compensation on the left and right navigation buttons. We don't like the way the flash setting defaults to Auto when you switch the camera on, though. The menu could be more efficient, too, with key settings such as ISO speed too far down the list. It's a shame that the up and down navigation buttons don't have additional roles - dedicated buttons for the self-timer and ISO speed would have been welcome.

Of all the cameras on test this month, the M753 was the worst performer. The auto-focus took at least a second and often longer to lock on to its subject, and performance took a nosedive after five successive shots. Continuous mode was at two frames per second but lasted for only four shots. Image quality tests revealed dependable colours and reasonable detail in favourable lighting, but almost all our test shots looked scruffy when viewed up close - the result of a combination of image noise and heavy JPEG compression.

It may seem harsh to be so critical of such an inexpensive camera, but it's worth spending just a little more on Fujifilm's superior FinePix F20.

Author: Ben Pitt