Manual Control Options
Don’t expect much in the way of manual control from the Kodak EasyShare V570. It just isn’t designed for users who will want to tweak every possible image parameter. This camera is made for users who just want a good picture and don’t want to bother with the shutter speed and aperture to get it. Still, the V570 lets users manually select a few features like ISO, white balance, and AF mode.
Focus
Auto Focus (7.0)
The Kodak EasyShare V570 uses a through-the-lens system that can be activated continuously or with a single touch of the shutter release button. This is selectable in the shooting menu, as is the AF mode: multi-zone and center-zone options are available. This digital camera can focus as close as 2 inches in the macro mode, 2 feet in the standard wide mode, 2.6 feet in the ultra wide setting, and 32.8 feet in the landscape mode. The landscape and macro modes can be accessed by pushing the multi-selector downward. The auto focus system worked quite well in both the still and video modes; it quickly focused and stayed focused.
Manual Focus (0.0)
This option is not available on the Kodak EasyShare V570.
Metering (7.0)
The Kodak V570 uses an automatic through-the-lens system that has three selectable metering modes. Multi-pattern, Center-weight, and Center-spot are available within the recording menu. With backlit subjects, the Multi-pattern worked decently and the Center-weight hardly worked at all. The Center-spot mode produced the best results by far. This mode places a small circle in the center of the LCD screen so users know exactly what the camera is metering. This luxury isn’t available in the other modes.
Exposure (6.5)
The Kodak EasyShare V570 doesn’t have a high-end list of exposure modes. It has an automatic mode, 21 scene modes, and a movie mode that all record images. While manual exposure adjustments like shutter speed and aperture cannot be made, users can tweak the exposure compensation from +2 to -2 in 1/3 increments. The exposure compensation is perhaps the easiest feature to access. The exposure value appears at the bottom of the screen with arrows pointing right and left next to it. As users toggle the multi-selector to the right or left, the camera gives a live view of the exposure. To further aid photographers, the Kodak V570 displays live histograms when the multi-selector is pushed upward. These histograms can also be viewed in the playback mode.
White Balance (4.0)
The other V-series cameras have a short list of white balance presets and the EasyShare V570 follows right in line. The only available options are Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, and Open Shade. This tiny list not only fails to include a manual option, but also omits a flash preset as well. Its options are extremely basic. Its automatic white balance option seems to work very well in a variety of lighting situations, but it is still disappointing that more options aren’t available.
ISO (7.0)
The Kodak V570 has a slightly different ISO range than the other V-series digital cameras. While the others have a low ISO of 80, the V570 dips to 64. Its automatic ISO range goes from 64-160. The manual offerings are 64, 100, 200, and 400. These numbers are quite common for compact digital cameras. The Kodak EasyShare V570 does have a little bonus. It offers an ISO 800 setting, but only in the 1.8 megapixel picture size. Because it can only be used in the smallest image size, it is almost unusable, but is still notable. This little catch can be found on the other Kodak V-series cameras as well.
Shutter Speed (1.0)
The Kodak V570 has a shutter speed range from 8 seconds to the odd 1/1448th of a second. This is a decent range for a compact camera, although some models shoot as fast as 1/2000th of a second. Most of the V570’s range is automatic, but the longer exposures are manually selectable. This is perfect for ensuring great night shots – granted there is a tripod or other stable surface around. Within the recording menu, users can choose from the following shutter speeds: 0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 seconds. This selection probably sounds quite similar to the Kodak EasyShare V550 and V530; the options are the same.
Aperture (0.0)
With two lenses, the Kodak EasyShare V570 has quite a few maximum apertures. The ultra wide 23mm lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8. The 3x optical zoom lens has much more disappointing figures. Its maximum aperture is f/3.9 at its widest and f/4.4 at its most telephoto setting. The 3x optical zoom lens only has a two-step aperture so those two options are all users will get. Many compact cameras are now offering f/2.8, which is fantastic. However, few lose so much at the most telephoto setting. F/4.4 is quite a small opening for a 117mm focal length.
