First of all some people will automatically put it down simply because it is kodak. I happen to be very satisfied with my two kodak cameras though I prefer nikon for a traditional camera. I have the kodak 6440 and the kodak p850. For any camera I personally like to have an extra battery but that doesn't mean you will need to use it every time, it depends on how much the camera is used, turned on without being used etc. If the camera comes with a dock then the dock is a charger. If it is a dock that is also a printer you can use it for travel but might prefer a smaller charger for traveling. The kodak v530 takes video at 640x480 at 30 fps for up to 80 min (based on the memory card). That is a high quality video for a digital camera though digital cameras aren't as good as camcorders for videos. Also mpeg format isn't the best for compression but for a novice you probably won't no the difference. At 5 megapixel I'm guessing a 1 gig card probably holds 20 minutes of video at most. You probably do not have the ability to zoom during a video which may or may not be an issue to you. If you are looking for an easy camera to use without a lot of room to learn manual parts of a camera (point and shoot) then the v530 may be ideal for you. Just remember not every camera is ideal for every person. I would probably be happy with it but I wanted more zoom since my 6440 had 4x.
