Kodak Easyshare V550 and V530 fuse digital camera and camcorder

, 2005 It’s no secret that the functionality of the digital camera and the camcorder are converging, so Kodak’s new Easyshare V550 and V530 zoom digital cameras should be no surprise – but they are, because they break new ground in blending video and still photography. For the first time, videos can be automatically turned into stop-action still pictures with the necessary 5-megapixel resolution for a sizeable photographic print while the still camera can also capture 80 minutes of TV-quality video with sound. Bringing image stabilisation with it to avoid on-screen shaking with built-in image stabilization technology, the new cameras (which look for all the world like a Canon IXUS), have a 3X optical zoom lens and a 2.5-inch, very high-resolution LCD screen (230,000 pixels) LCD screen, viewable from nearly any angle.

Actually, the cameras differ in the size of their LCD screens with the V550 is 2.5 inches reduced on the V530 to a two-inch display. The V550 is on sale now globally and sells in the US for US$399, coming with 32MB of internal memory while the V530, which will be available in July for US$349, includes 16MB.

In addition, EASYSHARE Software version 5.0 — available as a free download from kodak.com — makes combining, rotating, and adding music to video clips a breeze. “With women choosing Kodak over any other brand of digital camera, we are designing new products that particularly appeal not only to women’s sense of style, but also a desire to simplify their lives,” said Mary-Irene Marek, worldwide marketing manager at Kodak. “The new EASYSHARE V-Series cameras make it incredibly simple to take and share videos and pictures, while being chic, fashionable and small enough to slip into the newest designer handbag.”

Further information on KODAK EASYSHARE products is available at www.kodak.com