I AM deliberately clueless when it comes to anything with the word “digital.” Hand me the latest technological gadget—be it a cell phone, PDA, iPod, USB thingamagig or camera—that most people lust after and save up for, and I would probably view it as some kind of toy that is only so good to look at, something to display in a glass box.

My Nokia 1011 cell phone, still in top shape, will celebrate its third birthday and I never felt envious of people wielding the N95 series. A PDA sounds like that talent-search contest on TV, and I once mistook a leather-covered slick USB flash memory drive—a Christmas gift—for a lighter and gave it to a chain-smoking beer mate. I won an iPod Shuffle in a raffle and let my wife use it as I am content with my old Walkman that I also use for interviews. 

Then came the Kodak EasyShare M753, the latest of the series. From the sound of it, the zoom digital camera could mean, well, easy to use. My problem is the code “M753”. If it’s a series, could it mean there’s an A1? Or M1? Or M700? If that’s the case, then in terms of Kodak technology, I’m probably 752 cameras behind under the letter M.

The last camera I used was a secondhand single-lens reflex (SLR) Canon AE-1—and that was some eons ago. It goes back to the Film Age. It was a time when a photographer must know which film and lens to use for a particular subject, how long the exposure, all those shutter-speed, lens-opening, ASA stuff. I know there are still enthusiasts who believe in and stick to using film, given the limited resolution that most affordable digital cameras can come up with. Or so they say. And the classic advice: “Before you go digital, learn how to take pictures using film.”

So when the Kodak M753 was handed to me for review, I had the urge to encase it in a safebox. The sleek, shiny silver gadget evokes of a delicate paper weight, or something like a Pocketbell pager in a glass box inside some digital museum.

But the digital mystery behind the silver thing must be uncovered.

I asked the first digital person near me. My fellow night owl in the office, Mr. Webmaster, was just as helpful. He pressed the on/off button and there was this bird-chirping sound. In less than a minute, I was taking pictures of, ugh, the Webmaster, proofreader, copy boy, the editors who stayed late. All I needed was a few minutes to learn the basics of M753.

That was about more than a month ago. Obviously, the holidays were fully documented by this little wonderful gadget.

The Kodak M 753 has an auto mode used for general picture-taking. I never imagined that the point-and-shoot thing could be so easy. Though M753 has a digital-image stabilization setup, the auto mode can also capture wiggling heads, quirky toddlers, passing vehicles and anything that moves within the LCD frame.

Capturing a dragon fly on a red rose used to be tedious to my eyes and could really test my patience but M753 has a very convenient closeup mode. It is advised to turn off the flash and use available light. With it, I can capture not only butterflies and flowers but even water drops from a drizzle, suspended in midair. Moist on a fresh red apple has never looked so vivid.

Inside a dimly lit bar, I can capture the band playing or anyone I want to under the High ISO mode. Even people doing the most unthinkable alcohol-inspired activities in a dark comfort room, I can clearly capture for a lifetime. Just kidding.

There’s also the SCN or Scene feature, which enables the neophyte to take panoramic shots. I can capture about four dozens of people lining up in one pile, or a countryside landscape by taking three separate shots and stitch them together for the panoramic picture that needs no Photoshop-ing.

Besides colored photos, I can set the M753 to take pictures in black-and-white or sepia, which was very expensive to do back in the days when I was into manual SLRs. Nothing beats the magic and beauty of having well-planned black-and-white photos.

But what delighted me most is the video feature. Capturing my alcohol-fueled officemates videoke-ing during the Christmas party was the most fun thing I ever did at work. I am very much honored to have captured on video a valiant officemate in a gangster outfit singing the Frank Sinatra version of Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” at around 2 in the morning.

I captured about three editors, two administrative officers and the chief of photographers we call “Hepe”—each with a three-minute song—belting out anything from Sinatra’s classics to something like Regine Velasquez’s “Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang,” and still I had more space to spare. I quickly realized that I could start shooting my first 15-minute short film or long-playing music video with the M753. My tentatively titled “The BusinessMirror Christmas Party Videoke Scandal” is a work in progress.

Seriously now, the M753 has a sizable internal memory that comes in handy if the memory card is all filled up. For viewing, I just press the review button and I can change from a single-picture view to multiple thumbnail view. Easy for me to choose what I would like to delete from what to save for my personal blog and probably YouTube.

Rest assured, the pictures will be well edited because M753 has built-in editing features via Kodak Perfect Touch technology. I can even capture a photo from a video.

Picture size can range from 1.2 megapixels to 7.0 megapixels. I can view the pictures and videos by albums or according to dates. It is very easy to save all the photos to the computer but before connecting any cables, there’s an accompanying software to be installed that is included in the package. Charging the battery (KLIC-7001) can be done via USB port or with a Kodak 5V AC adapter (sold separately).

Before this article begins to sound like a salesman’s brochure, let’s just say the real thing is worth saving up for ($129.95 via www.kodak.com). Give up the beer-flavored weekends. I have the urge to keep the M753 but I know this is all just for a review. But I’m glad I have all the pictures and videos that will be priceless when the right time comes. Or probably priced, not prized, by the subjects I’ve taken, now famous on YouTube.

With the Kodak M753, I’ve got them under my skin.

Ol’ blue eyes would have been prouder

I AM deliberately clueless when it comes to anything with the word “digital.” Hand me the latest technological gadget—be it a cell phone, PDA, iPod, USB thingamagig or camera—that most people lust after and save up for, and I would probably view it as some kind of toy that is only so good to look at, something to display in a glass box.

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