"Picky Details" for the Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Kodak EasyShare V550:
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(secs) |
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| Power On -> First shot |
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LCD turns on and lens extends forward.
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| Shutdown |
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First time is time to retract lens, second time is
worst-case buffer-clearing time.
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| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured.
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| Record to play |
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First time is that required to display a large/fine
file immediately after capture, second time is that needed to display
a large/fine file that has already been processed and stored on the
memory card.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. |
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Shutter lag, continuous autofocus |
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Twice as slow as normal wide-angle.
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| Shutter lag, prefocus |
0.086
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. |
| Cycle Time, max/min resolution |
1.94 / 1.60 |
First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" mode (640x480) images. Times are averages. In both modes, shoots five frames this fast, then slows to about 6.7 seconds per shot. Buffer clears in 7 seconds. |
| Cycle Time, Flash exposures | ~5 | Flash at maximum power output. Camera allows a shot to be taken before the flash has recharged, with the expected underexposed results. |
| Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution | 0.31 / 0.32 (3.19 / 3.15 fps) |
First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" size images. Times are averages. Shoots three frames this fast in large/fine mode, 5 frames in TV mode. Buffer clears in about 28 seconds in either mode, and it's ready for another burst. |
Power
The Kodak EasyShare V550 uses a custom rechargeable 3.7V, 720 mAH LiIon battery for power.
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(@5 volts on the external power terminal) |
(3.7V LiIon cell) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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| Capture Mode, no LCD |
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| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
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| Memory Write (transient) |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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Storage Capacity
The Kodak EasyShare V550 stores its photos on SD / MMC memory cards or in approximately 28.5 MB of internal memory, and no card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored in the internal memory at each size/quality setting.
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Resolution/Quality 28.5 MB Memory Card |
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| 2567
x 1932 |
Images (Avg size) |
17 1.6 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
9:1 | |
| 2304
x 1728 |
Images (Avg size) |
21 1.3 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
9:1 | |
| 2048
x 1536 |
Images (Avg size) |
26 1.1 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
9:1 | |
| 1552 x 1164 | Images (Avg size) |
43 659 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
8:1 | |
Download Speed
The Kodak EasyShare V550 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading files to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 539 KBytes/second. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second.)
V550 Test Images
V550 Specifications
V550 "Picky Details"
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