Auto Mode (7.0)
When the Kodak V570 is turned on, the default Auto mode is the first to appear on the screen. Ironically, it is the most manual mode on the camera. It allows users to access the most complete shooting menu complete with white balance and ISO options and such. The auto mode certainly makes the Kodak EasyShare V570 a point-and-shoot model and is very easy to use. I tried it out with static and moving subjects and it seemed to work quite well. It did produce some blurry shots in low light, but I didn’t get out a tripod or anything for those shots. If I had, the pictures would likely look much better. Still, the Kodak EasyShare V570’s auto mode works well.
Movie Mode (7.5)
The movie mode is very easy to access as it has its own designated button atop the camera. The movie mode on the Kodak EasyShare V570 is almost identical to the ones on the V550 and V530. It can shoot video at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels, both at a 30 frame-per-second rate. Video clips can be recorded continuously to the capacity of the memory card or up to 80 minutes, whichever comes first. In the movie mode, users can control the auto focus between single and continuous options. Both options work well and follow subjects quite well. There is a digital image stabilization feature that can be turned on or off as well. This works better than I’d anticipated; it keeps movies from suffering from hand-shake. Like the other Kodak V models, the V570 can use its optical zoom while recording in movie mode. Users can shoot in the ultra wide angle or use the 3x optical zoom, but cannot combine the two. While recording, there is a big jump between the ultra wide view and the widest 39mm setting, where there is much less frame coverage. The zoom makes a little noise, but not as much as the zoom on some other slim models.
The Kodak EasyShare V570 records audio simultaneously, but the audio is only decent if the source of the sound is within 10 feet or so. Once recorded, users can pull still images from any frame and even split the video into two clips. This is nice if users are trying to get a recording of their new baby smiling and have to record for four minutes before getting the two-second smile. They can split the movie and delete the dead air. This is a new feature to the Kodak EasyShare V-series line. Other options in the movie mode include a length restriction option that lets users record continuously or for 5, 10, or 30 seconds. Motion prints can be made as well; the camera can make index prints with 4, 9, or 16 frames to a page. The MPEG-4 movie clips can play on a television via the included Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2 or they can be played on a computer with QuickTime (this is included on the Kodak EasyShare Software if users don’t already have it). The older V530’s movie mode had a green light that showed on the front of the camera to indicate recording. This light unfortunately showed up on close subjects. Kodak improved on that mistake by incorporating a softer orange light that does not reflect on subject’s faces. Overall, the movie mode takes great video and its playback options are very thorough.
Drive / Burst Mode (6.5)
The Kodak EasyShare V570 doesn’t have as fast of a burst mode as its V-series counterparts, but it still shoots at a respectable 2.3 frame-per-second rate. The Kodak V570 doesn’t have much endurance as it only takes four shots during each burst, but it is ready to go in a few short seconds to take its next burst of shots. To get the fast rate, users must activate the burst mode within the shooting menu. This EasyShare has a 10-second self-timer as well; it can be found as the first item in the shooting menu. The camera beeps and lights up the orange LED on the front to indicate when the shot will be taken.
Playback Mode (7.75)
The playback mode is one of Kodak’s best features; it is, after all, an EasyShare. The V570 displays photos and videos with the touch of the Review button. Images can be viewed individually, where they can be magnified up to 8x or they can be viewed in the multi-up mode. When in this mode, users can scroll slowly or quickly through the files. Because Kodak prides itself as the leader in sharing photos, it includes a slide show option that lets users loop the show, add transitions (Block, Vertical Blind, Center to L/R, Left to Right, Right to Left, Center to T/B, Top to Bottom, and Bottom to Top), and choose an interval of 1-60 seconds. There are a few editing options available in the playback mode: cropping is available for pictures and slicing is available for movie clips. Users can also protect and delete (this has its own designated on-camera button) pictures. Images can be sorted into on-camera albums (birthday, wedding, and holiday albums are on the camera, but more can be added with the Kodak EasyShare Software) or marked as Favorites. The specially marked photos and videos can be accessed easily with the Favorites button atop the V570. This mode allows users to quickly and easily access and play slide shows – or just scroll through those favorite pictures. The pictures saved in albums can be accessed by the ‘view by’ option, which lets users view by date or album. When the Share button is pushed, the following menu options appear: Print, Email, Favorite, Print All, or Cancel Prints. Playing back pictures is even easier on the eyes with the automatic picture rotation function that can be turned on and off within the setup menu. Overall, the playback mode is very thorough and lives up to the Kodak EasyShare name.
Custom Image Presets (8.25)
The Kodak EasyShare V570 has a long list of scene modes that is available with two pushes of the Auto/Scene mode button atop the camera. Portrait, Panorama Stitch, Sport, Landscape, Close-up, Night Portrait, Night Landscape, Snow, Beach, Text, Fireworks, Flower, Manner/Museum, Self-Portrait, Party, Children, Backlight, Panning Shot, Candlelight, Sunset, and Custom modes are available. All of the modes are the same as the ones on the V550 and V530 except the Panorama Stitch mode. This recent addition to the V-series can shoot from left to right or vice versa. It lets users take three shots and then automatically stitches them together within the camera into a 180-degree shot (most models that offer the panorama feature only stitch the pictures together with software, so this is a nice feature). To aid in lining the pictures up, the LCD displays a tiny portion of the last shot on either the right or left side of the screen. The other scene modes are quite self-explanatory, but the camera does provide little blurbs about them. For instance, the Text scene reads, “Use for photos of documents. Steady camera for best results. UW lens is disabled.” The explanations are great because they not only tell what the modes should be used for, but what the user should do and what the camera will do as well. The selection of scene modes is thorough; it covers the basics like Portrait and the somewhat obscure Panning Shot and Manner/Museum modes. The scene modes are easy to access and easy to use – just as they should be.
