Review of the Kodak EasyShare 5300

www.kodak.co.uk The Kodak EasyShare 5300 is the first example of Kodak’s new inkjet technology we’ve tested. Kodak has backed pigment inks and a strategy to supply low-cost consumables. Competitors say this has meant Kodak has had to increase the initial purchase cost of the hardware, but the 5300 is only marginally dearer than others in this category. Resembling an HP design from a few years back, the EasyShare 5300 is large and incorporates an HP-style front paper load system. It’s solidly built but, unfortunately, not particularly quiet in operation. Print quality on glossy paper is basically very good, with nicely saturated colours and good colour accuracy. However, gloss-finish bronzing is evident, as is inconsistent shine despite the inclusion of a gloss optimiser. Plain paper printing quality all round is excellent, especially for copying. Photo print speed is not great – 154 seconds for an A4 photo and 50 seconds for a 6x4in. Scanner performance is good, with accurate colours, but greys did suffer a slight green cast. Kodak has made an impressive entry into the consumer inkjet market with its EasyShare 5300 model, which is a good all-round performer. Plain paper printing and copying are especially impressive and its low running costs are a boon. What Digital Camera Score 89%