Kodak EasyShare C1530

Kodak EasyShare C1530

The Kodak EasyShare C1530 is a bargain-priced 14-megapixel camera ($79.95 direct) with a nice 3-inch LCD. Its EasyShare button makes it, well, easy to email photos and share them on social networks when the camera is plugged into your PC. The camera is not without its faults—its 3x zoom is just ok, images are noisy at almost every ISO setting, performance is rather sluggish, and the AA batteries that power the camera don't keep it shooting for long. While it's hard to argue with the camera's $80 price, you can do better if you spend a little bit more—the Samsung ES80 ($99.99, 3 stars), for one, offers a longer zoom range and better low-light performance. Design and FeaturesAvailable in black, red, or white, the C1530 is a little on the bulky side, measuring 2.5 by 3.8 by 1.2 inches and weighing in at 6.3 ounces. The Nikon Coolpix L24 ($119.95, 2 stars), another budget camera with a large LCD, is almost identical in size and weight. The Kodak's lens covers a 32-96mm (35mm equivalent) field of view, a 3x range that is par for the course on a camera in this price range. Our Editors' Choice for budget cameras, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 ($129.99, 4 stars), delivers a 5x zoom range that covers a 28-112mm range.