Kodak EasyShare V570 Digital Camera
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- Digital Zoom: 4x
- Camera Type: Compact
- Weight: 0.28 lb.
- LCD Screen Size: 2.5 in.
- Resolution: 5.4 Megapixel
- Optical Zoom: 5x
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Excellent Camera for Architecture
Pros
wide angle and zoom lenses, style conscious, great video
Cons
slow between photos, charging stand
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Overall this camera is feature packed for the beginner to mid-level experienced user and the dual lens makes it worthy of any everyday camera for even the avid photographer.
Overall this camera is feature packed for the beginner to mid level experienced user. With the ability to capture both wide angle and zoom shots it can also be an everyday camera for the avid photographer. It has excellent capabilities for capturing architecture. The wide angle lens allows the user to capture full views that would otherwise be cropped. It would perform even better if it had the built in capability to compensate for the distortion that sometimes appears at the edges in wide angle shots.
Features
This camera has two lenses...in one case. I take many pictures of buildings and this camera allows users to capture the wide angle shots that are need when you are close to an object, but it also has a fairly good range of zoom within its second lens. This would not be the camera for those requiring super zoom capabilities. This camera seamlessly switches between the use of the two lenses without notice. When a photo is taken it is given a colored hand depending on the quality of the shot. A red represents poor quality, a yellow mediocre and green indicates it is of a high quality and could be printed large size. These are quite handy indicators when taking many photos. It allows you to easily erase a bad photo and try to rectify it with a new shot. The video at 640x480 is quite good and up to almost 30 minutes will fit on a 1gig memory card. It includes standard features for flash control (on, off, automatic), but it also includes a double flash feature to aid in dark conditions. Overall this camera does not perform exceptionally well in dim light. Pictures tend to become quite grainy, though this can be minimized by adjusting the shutter speed (auto, ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, 800 ), white balance (auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent or open shade) and long time exposure (none, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0 & 8.0 seconds) settings. Additionally there are settings for a self-timer, picture size (up to 5.0 MP), color mode (Natural color, low color, black & white [ it can be quite fun to shoot black and white video in the right light], sepia and high color), sharpness (high, normal or low), exposure metering (multi-pattern, center-weight and center-spot), autofocus control, focus zone (multi-zone [quite useful when capturing two entities some distance apart] or center).
Case
This digital camera is wrapped in a sturdy metal casing, about the size of a deck of cards. Overall, it has curb appeal and appears well designed. If you look closely you will a total of nine small screws spread about that hold it all together. A few lessons could be taken from the design of the ipod in minimizing the visible connections. The front has one stainless lens cover that retracts when the camera is turned on. Also, there is a small flash and a metal clip from which the hand strap hangs from. The one side has no features, while on the other is the location for the memory card and a port for a power cable. The slot for the memory card is covered by a metal flap that is on some sort of sturdy rubber hinge. I have read of these covers occasionally failing, though I have had no issues and I used it quite regularly. On the bottom of the camera is found the chamber for the battery. Additionally there is a threaded slot for attaching to the top of a tripod. Near the center of the bottom is the location where the camera mounts to the stand for charging. The top of the camera has five buttons that blend seamlessly into the design (almost too much so at times, as I occasionally touch the wrong button by mistake). They control the power, taking a photo/video, photo mode, video mode or favorites display. One nice feature is that in lieu of using the power button you can touch either the photo or video button and the camera will start right up in that mode. Finally, on the display side of the camera (facing user) there is a 1.5" x 2" LCD screen centered in the panel. To the left are five buttons (flash, delete, menu, review and share). To the right are two multifunctional buttons (zoom and a toggle button for maneuvering through menus).
Stand / Charger
The unit that I purchased came in a box with a viewing stand / wall charger. In concept it seems like a pretty cool idea. By placing the camera on this stand, the large LCD screen can then display your pictures while stowed. While the camera is stowed it it is automatically charged (as long a the stand is plugged into the wall) and using the attached firewire photos and videos can be transferred to your computer. In practice this methodology is cumbersome. When traveling you will not want to carry the stand because of the space and room it takes up, so you may want to consider purchasing the stand alone power cable which can be a bit hard to find. Additionally the process of downloading the photos from the camera while it is stowed on the stand, to your computer is slow. I now take out the 1Gig storage card and load it directly into my laptop. This process is much quicker and then you can choose which software application you would like to use to upload the photos to your machine.
Speed
The camera takes a few seconds to turn on and prepare itself to either take a photo or shoot video. During this turn on process it makes it plays a short tune which seems a bit of a waste of time. However sound can be turned off in the menu settings. Once the camera is on and operational it will take photos quite quickly (the time it takes from pushing the button to the shot actually being taken). This is not the camera to use to take photos in rapid succession. It will take about 5 seconds between photos. After you snap a shot the screen will turn black for a second or so, then the just snapped photo will appear for your review. After a total of about 5 seconds it will disappear and you can take your next shut. This camera does come equipped with a burst feature, however, that allows the camera to take four or five photos in rapid succession. This option is available from the menu.
Durability
While the case is sturdy I'm not convinced everything inside is quite at the same level. I am quite careful with the device, but it now appears after about a year of use that the zoom lens has stopped working. Fortunately, having two lenses to begin with, I still have the use of the wide angle lens, though it is quite disappointing considering the capital outlay. From other reviews this does not appear to be a common problem.
To view a set of sample photos from around the world, please visit http://picasaweb.google.com/wissinger.john/KodakV570SamplePhotos. Additionally, more photos taken with this camera are posted on an ongoing basis at www.travelnwork.blogspot.com
Features
This camera has two lenses...in one case. I take many pictures of buildings and this camera allows users to capture the wide angle shots that are need when you are close to an object, but it also has a fairly good range of zoom within its second lens. This would not be the camera for those requiring super zoom capabilities. This camera seamlessly switches between the use of the two lenses without notice. When a photo is taken it is given a colored hand depending on the quality of the shot. A red represents poor quality, a yellow mediocre and green indicates it is of a high quality and could be printed large size. These are quite handy indicators when taking many photos. It allows you to easily erase a bad photo and try to rectify it with a new shot. The video at 640x480 is quite good and up to almost 30 minutes will fit on a 1gig memory card. It includes standard features for flash control (on, off, automatic), but it also includes a double flash feature to aid in dark conditions. Overall this camera does not perform exceptionally well in dim light. Pictures tend to become quite grainy, though this can be minimized by adjusting the shutter speed (auto, ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, 800 ), white balance (auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent or open shade) and long time exposure (none, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0 & 8.0 seconds) settings. Additionally there are settings for a self-timer, picture size (up to 5.0 MP), color mode (Natural color, low color, black & white [ it can be quite fun to shoot black and white video in the right light], sepia and high color), sharpness (high, normal or low), exposure metering (multi-pattern, center-weight and center-spot), autofocus control, focus zone (multi-zone [quite useful when capturing two entities some distance apart] or center).
Case
This digital camera is wrapped in a sturdy metal casing, about the size of a deck of cards. Overall, it has curb appeal and appears well designed. If you look closely you will a total of nine small screws spread about that hold it all together. A few lessons could be taken from the design of the ipod in minimizing the visible connections. The front has one stainless lens cover that retracts when the camera is turned on. Also, there is a small flash and a metal clip from which the hand strap hangs from. The one side has no features, while on the other is the location for the memory card and a port for a power cable. The slot for the memory card is covered by a metal flap that is on some sort of sturdy rubber hinge. I have read of these covers occasionally failing, though I have had no issues and I used it quite regularly. On the bottom of the camera is found the chamber for the battery. Additionally there is a threaded slot for attaching to the top of a tripod. Near the center of the bottom is the location where the camera mounts to the stand for charging. The top of the camera has five buttons that blend seamlessly into the design (almost too much so at times, as I occasionally touch the wrong button by mistake). They control the power, taking a photo/video, photo mode, video mode or favorites display. One nice feature is that in lieu of using the power button you can touch either the photo or video button and the camera will start right up in that mode. Finally, on the display side of the camera (facing user) there is a 1.5" x 2" LCD screen centered in the panel. To the left are five buttons (flash, delete, menu, review and share). To the right are two multifunctional buttons (zoom and a toggle button for maneuvering through menus).
Stand / Charger
The unit that I purchased came in a box with a viewing stand / wall charger. In concept it seems like a pretty cool idea. By placing the camera on this stand, the large LCD screen can then display your pictures while stowed. While the camera is stowed it it is automatically charged (as long a the stand is plugged into the wall) and using the attached firewire photos and videos can be transferred to your computer. In practice this methodology is cumbersome. When traveling you will not want to carry the stand because of the space and room it takes up, so you may want to consider purchasing the stand alone power cable which can be a bit hard to find. Additionally the process of downloading the photos from the camera while it is stowed on the stand, to your computer is slow. I now take out the 1Gig storage card and load it directly into my laptop. This process is much quicker and then you can choose which software application you would like to use to upload the photos to your machine.
Speed
The camera takes a few seconds to turn on and prepare itself to either take a photo or shoot video. During this turn on process it makes it plays a short tune which seems a bit of a waste of time. However sound can be turned off in the menu settings. Once the camera is on and operational it will take photos quite quickly (the time it takes from pushing the button to the shot actually being taken). This is not the camera to use to take photos in rapid succession. It will take about 5 seconds between photos. After you snap a shot the screen will turn black for a second or so, then the just snapped photo will appear for your review. After a total of about 5 seconds it will disappear and you can take your next shut. This camera does come equipped with a burst feature, however, that allows the camera to take four or five photos in rapid succession. This option is available from the menu.
Durability
While the case is sturdy I'm not convinced everything inside is quite at the same level. I am quite careful with the device, but it now appears after about a year of use that the zoom lens has stopped working. Fortunately, having two lenses to begin with, I still have the use of the wide angle lens, though it is quite disappointing considering the capital outlay. From other reviews this does not appear to be a common problem.
To view a set of sample photos from around the world, please visit http://picasaweb.google.com/wissinger.john/KodakV570SamplePhotos. Additionally, more photos taken with this camera are posted on an ongoing basis at www.travelnwork.blogspot.com
