Kodak EasyShare V570 Digital Camera

The V570 isn't just another camera in Kodak's widely-popular EasyShare line of digitals; it's one of the best high-end ultra-sleek cameras around. It's also the world's first dual-lens digital camera, thus the large amount of publicity it's been getting. I purchased it from the U.K. for #200, slightly cheaper than the U.S. price tag, knowing I'd get a corporate for-business-use reimbursement. In any case, I wasn't expecting a lot from the EasyShare series, knowing that Kodak mainly markets it to casual photographers. But I'd heard good things about the V570 specifically, so I decided to give it a run. I took 1,000+ photographs with it around the cities of London and Manchester in various conditions. Most of them were outside shots with plenty of sunlight, but I did several indoor shots and group pictures. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the V570 and would highly recommend it to beginning and experienced photographers alike. It's no replacement for a $900 digital SLR, but it's a heck of a lot closer to it than many other $300+ cameras. It's an all-around good deal, although certainly not the perfect camera for someone on a tight budget.

The first thing I noticed about this Kodak was it's terrific ergonomics; it looks, feels, and handles like a gem. It's a little less than 1" thick, so it fits virtually anywhere. I carried it around in a Kodak camera case sometimes, but usually found it easier to just slip it inside of a pocket. I love the way it's built as well. It looks hip, stylish, almost spooky with the two lens above and below each other. The placement of the buttons and viewfinder on the back of the V570, where you'll spend most of your time, is extraordinarily well-designed. The buttons are limited to essential functions, bigger in size than most buttons on ultra-compact cameras, and far away from the viewfinder. On the left side, it's got buttons for deleting, viewing, and sharing pictures, as well as the for viewing the menu. One the right, the zoom-in and zoom-out buttons along with the controller for navigating the menu. On the top shelf, it's got the usual shutter release, power, and mode buttons. I especially like the nifty "favorites" button for modes; it's a time and hassle saver.On a side note, I enjoyed the 2.5" high-resolution LCD screen quite a bit. It offers a lot of on-screen information, more than any other camera I've had. In all, it's doesn't overwhelm its own back side with buttons, and features and slim, sleek design that makes it easy to carry and handle. Your fingers won't be disappointed.

I take lots of pictures on-the-go, so having a long-lasting battery is a must. That's one of the reasons I've tried to stay away from rechargeable Li-Ion batteries, which historically hold less of a charge than, say, AA rechargeable batteries. Likewise, the biggest problem with the V570 is its battery, which takes only around 150 pictures on each full charge. That's pathetic, considering I get around 350-430 pictures a charge from AA battery-powered cameras. But running out of space on the memory card before running out of charge isn't going to be problem on the V570. It's truly pathetic when it comes to charge capacity, especially if you're considering it for a long vacation. I'd suggest purchasing an extra battery to make up for this; that'll provide you with around 320 pictures a go. I took mainly daylight pictures, so perhaps the charge capacity is a bit larger than practical for with-flash usage, although it's hard to believe that a modern digital camera would take less than 150 pictures per charge. I should mention that the camera comes with a Kodak photo dock that does two important tings: (1) it charges your battery, which usually takes around 2.5 to 3 hours, and (2) it acts as a digital picture frame, albeit a 2.5" one at that. I've found it fun to connect the camera to a TV through the dock and play the pictures, but it wasn't much help for the type of work I was doing. I suppose large families will enjoy seeing the pictures on the big screen at the same time though.

The picture quality is the V570's strongest feature. Every picture I took was crisp, clear, bright, and colorful. The 5MP quality is enough for high-quality large prints. I was particularly impressed with how lifelike the colors looked, especially since it's a camera geared towards beginner's. I have seen some Sony cameras in same price range which don't have the quality this Kodak does. It's helpful that the camera has a 3X zoom, which is more than enough for most people. Of course, since it shoots at 5MP quality, it's also possible to zoom-in on-screen without visibly reducing the picture quality (no pun intended). By the way, I did find that the flash can be a little fit weak when shooting in extreme low-light areas; I get much better pictures with other cameras in those conditions. But I'm guessing you're not going to take photographs in darkness if you're considering this Kodak. One thing I hate in cameras is blurriness. Thankfully, this one didn't blue a single still picture I took, even those of moving people. Wonderful. Overall, the fantastic picture quality makes up for the short battery life.

The dual-lens capability is aaa-mazing! If you're still unsure what that is, I'll try to explain it before I delve into what I think of it. Essentially, the V570 boasts two lenses, each with a 5MP sensor: a fixed focal length 23mm wide angle, and a 39 to 117mm optical zoom. Depending on the type of photograph you're taking, it's better to use either the optical zoom lens or the wide angle lens. If you're a regular, casual photographer, an optical zoom lens is perfect. But for those who want to make scenic shots or (in my case) large group shots, the wide-angle lens offers the ability to fit more people in the shot. It's a wonderful innovation from Canon, now photographers can choose which lens to use depending on the type of shot instead of being limited to the pros and cons of one specific type of lens. In fact, the V570's panoramic mode allows users to stitch three separate shots together into a 180-degree picture. I shot some great shots of London this way!

That's quite a camera. I gather that it'll last a long time, even with occasional rough use. The body of the V570, like all the newer V-series EasyShare cameras, is composed of a lightweight but durable metal alloy. It worked even after I dropped it a few times, but I wouldn't kick it down the stairs. In terms of technological durability, I think it's going to last longer than the average digital camera. It's got the dual-lens capability, which my friends in the digital photography industry say is going to be all the rage in the future. You're in goods hands with the V570 in terms of durability.

The camera does come with some software, but I use Photoshop for professional work, so I didn't install it. You don't need it to transfer photos to your computer, since images are stored on an SD card.

I've covered everything that I found impressive with this camera. I'm still using it for all kinds of photography, and I enjoy it a lot. It's really meant for casual photographers who want semi-professional photograph quality. Highly recommended.