EasyShare M853 is a good option for the beginner or budget-conscious

I've been holding out on entering the digital camera world, but I was getting ready to take a trip to some small villages in Guatemala and needed something that could fit into my pocket. My big Cannon EOS Rebel film camera does not exactly fit the bill.

I did not want to spend a lot of money since advanced features would be lost on me, and I did not want to be out a lot of money if I were to lose the camera or be robbed while traveling back roads. I set a budget of $150 and did some very quick price comparisons. I quickly determined that for the money, the Kodak Easy Share M853 had the most and best features. I found it for $129.

The camera has 8.2 megapixels and 3x optical zoom. This camera is not for people with large fingers or who are clumsy. There is a dial on top that lets you change between AUTO, close-up, image stabilization, ISO, movie, and SCENE modes and it is extremely small and hard to turn. I have small fingers and found it hard to use. The ON/OFF button is also very small and has to be hit just right or it will not turn on. The on-screen menu was pretty easy to navigate; however when scrolling through all of the "Scene" setting options, the camera will go back to default if you linger too long before making a selection. Also, I could not figure out how to go, say, from "candle light" setting to "beach light" without leaving Scene mode (by turning the dial to AUTO) and re-entering Scene mode and scrolling through the options all over again. There are flash options for red-eye reduction, no flash, always flash, and as-needed flash. I left the camera in AUTO mode for most of the time and left the flash to go off at the camera's discretion.

I used the digital image stabilization function several times while I was traveling by bus and trying to get some shots of distant volcanoes. I had problems holding a steady hand, so about half of the shots came out well and the other half were still blurry. I also used some low-light settings in the dark, and was satisfied with the results.

There was a bit too much of shutter delay, especially when I was taking pictures while on the bus. My image was sometimes behind us by the time the camera clicked.

I was not satisfied with the 3X Optical zoom. It was slow to respond and did not provide enough zoom (in or out) for my needs. Also, I had a lot of trouble with blurred images when I had it zoomed out towards the maximum. It was like I needed a tripod to hold the camera steady. I found myself wanting to zoom "out" more than in, and all I could do was physically back-up. My film camera lenses just have more of a range.

Another issue was that it does not have a view finder. I guess I would have to spend more money to get a camera with this option, but coming from film, I really missed it. The main problem that I have is that in bright sun, I can not see my screen and I ended up guessing as to if I had the camera positioned correctly to capture my shot like I wanted it.

One plus, however, was that I did not spend my whole week changing AA batteries like everyone else in my group. The M853 contains a Lithium Ion (KLIC-7001) battery that charges via USB port on my computer. (There is also an optional 5 Volt a/c adaptor available.) The charge lasted for my entire 9 day trip and even at the end, there was not a "low battery" indicator. However, I was very diligent about turning the camera off after use, and I am sure that this helped to preserve the battery life.

I purchased a 2G SD memory card. It estimated that I had 1736 shots available. I only took around 150 pictures, so there is still plenty of space available for future needs.

The true test was when I had prints made from the camera. Again, this was a new experience for me, but I enjoyed going to a kiosk, inserting my memory card and scrolling through the shots. The resulting prints were bright and true to color, but I noticed that most of them seem to fade to out of focus around the edges. Also, in reviewing my prints again, there seems to be a blurry area "north of center" of many of the prints. It's noticeable only if you really study the prints. I had some red-eye issues on interior shots, so next time I will try the red-eye reduction feature and see if things come out better.

So to conclude, the Kodak Easyshare M853 is a fine little camera for a beginner. I like that it does not burn through AA's, but I found the small dial hard to use, and was not totally happy with the quality of the prints.