Kodak EasyShare V570

Value (7.0)
The Kodak EasyShare V570 is priced to sell at a retail price of $399 when it hits the market later in January. This is pricier than most 5 megapixel digital cameras, but consumers must remember that they’re paying for the world’s first dual lens camera. The scientists who developed Kodak’s Retina technology still need to be paid and Kodak is paying for two lenses on each camera, so the price for the dual lens system will be a bit higher than more traditional models. The $399 tag is not completely overpriced for a slim and stylish digital camera in the trendy market. For a 5 megapixel model that has 5x optical zoom and a very wide angle as well, the Kodak EasyShare V570 is reasonable. Still, if consumers are on a budget and don’t need the cool lens system, they may want to consider the V570’s elder V-series siblings that offer similar modes, resolution, and functionality at a cheaper price.

Comparisons
Kodak EasyShare V550 – This digital camera has a lot in common with the V570. It has 5 megapixels and a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels. The V550 was the flagship of the Kodak V-series until the V570 came along. The V550 has a slightly thicker 0.9-inch body, but it isn’t as horizontal as it only measures 3.7 inches long. The V550 has only one zoom lens, of course. Its 3x optical zoom lens certainly doesn’t have the wide angle that the V570 can capture. Still, the body is sleek and stylish – and even comes in two colors (Midnight Black or Silver Essence). Its burst mode is much faster at 3 frames-per-second. The Kodak V550 has an optical viewfinder, but it is almost useless next to the smooth LCD monitor. Both cameras share similar exposure modes, but the V550 does not have the Panorama Stitch mode. Many of the control options are the same. The white balance options are the same and the flash modes are the same. The biggest difference is that the Kodak V550’s lowest ISO is 80 instead of the Kodak V570’s 64 – but that’s not such a big difference. Both cameras come with the Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2. The V550 retailed for $399 when introduced in April 2005 but was reduced to $349 in November. For fifty bucks less, users can get many of the same modes and features but will have to sacrifice the non-extending dual lens system with the ultra wide angle.

Casio Exilim EX-Z57 – This digital camera has taller, more traditional measurements of 3.5 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches. The Z57 has 5 megapixels, but can’t match the V570’s zoom. The Casio model only has a 3x optical zoom lens that protrudes from the camera body. The body has a larger 2.7-inch LCD screen, but its resolution doesn’t even come close with only 115,200 pixels. Both the Z57 and the Kodak V570 have plenty of scene modes (the Casio has 23 and the Kodak has 21) and both cameras have a Favorites mode that plays slide shows easily. Both models also have features that allow photos to be viewed according to the date they were taken. The Casio Z57 doesn’t benefit from the Kodak’s Color Science Chip. Unfortunately, this model has poor color reproduction and lots of noise in the images. The Z57 takes 3.66 seconds to start up and the Kodak takes much less time than that. Without a burst mode, this Exilim takes more than two seconds between each shot. Its movie mode isn’t up to par either. Its top resolution is 320 x 240 pixels and it shoots at a slow 15 frame-per-second rate. The Casio Z57 retails for $349.

Fujifilm FinePix Z1 – Also in the slim digital camera market is the Fujifilm FinePix Z1, a 5 megapixel model that is slightly taller but overall a lot smaller than the Kodak V570. With its 3.5 x 2.2 x 0.7-inch measurements, the FinePix has a non-extending 3x optical zoom lens in a sturdy metal body. This camera has the same 2.5-inch sized screen, but the view isn’t nearly as good with its 115,000 pixels. This model is aimed for point-and-shooters, but it doesn’t have nearly the number of scene modes as the Kodak V570. The Fujifilm Z1 only has five scene modes, an automatic mode, and a movie mode. The scene modes include a Natural Light mode that utilizes the camera’s ISO 800 setting and disables the flash. The V570 has an ISO 800 setting, but it is only available in the smallest image size. The movie mode shoots at the same resolutions and frame rates, but the Z1 cannot zoom while recording. The Z1’s pictures aren’t very good because colors look terrible and noisy unless the ISO is manually adjusted. The Fujifilm FinePix Z1 can be found for a cheap $250 online.

Nikon Coolpix S1 – This digital camera doesn’t have the zoom offered by the Kodak, but includes a non-extending 3x zoom lens in a slim camera body nonetheless. The 3.5 x 2.3 x 0.8-inch body is not as long, but just as thick and slightly taller. The S1 has a large 2.5-inch LCD screen with 110,000 pixels – much less than the Kodak V570. The Nikon has a much more traditional layout with the screen on the left side and the controls on the right side of the screen. Both the Kodak and Nikon are designed with the point-and-shooter in mind. The Nikon Coolpix S1 has 16 scene modes, an automatic mode, and a movie mode. Its movie mode isn’t nearly as good as the Kodak’s. It records 640 x 480 clips, but only at 15 frames per second. The Kodak may have its impressive dual lens technology, but the Nikon has its own technology suite including face-priority auto focus, in-camera red-eye fix, and D-Lighting compensation. The Kodak V570 has 32 MB of internal memory, but the Nikon S1 has only 12 MB of internal memory. The Nikon camera comes with a CoolStation camera dock that works just like Kodak’s Photo Frame Dock 2. The Nikon Coolpix S1 retails for $329, but once again users will have to forego the dual lens technology that grants 5x of zoom power.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5 – The Kodak looks short and fat next to the 3.7 x 2.4 x 0.8-inch Sony T5. This digital camera has a non-extending lens with a very sturdy cover, but the single lens only has 3x of zoom power. This model has an automatic mode, 10 scene modes, and a movie mode. The movie mode records at 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 pixels, but its frame rate depends largely on the memory card used. If it is a MemoryStick, the movie mode can record 16 frames per second. If it is a more expensive MemoryStick Pro, users can shoot a full 30 frames per second. The Sony T5 has some common ground with the Kodak V570. It has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels. Both cameras have 32 MB of internal memory and nice long-lasting batteries. The Sony T5 has a burst mode that takes a shot every 0.7 seconds, so the Kodak V570’s 2.3 fps looks rather nice. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5 retails for $349.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters – This segment of consumers won’t care too much about having a camera that is the world’s first with a dual lens system. However, they will benefit from having 5x optical zoom on this compact model. There aren’t many manual controls and the controls that are included are easy to use, so point-and-shooters should be able to enjoy the Kodak V570.

Budget Consumers – At $399, the V570 is a bit pricey for a 5 megapixel digital camera these days. Still, this is a dual lens digital camera – the first in the world – and consumers will have to pay for the newly developed technology. Budget consumers may be more inclined to look at the slightly older Kodak V550 and V530 cameras that have experienced price reductions in the past few months.

Gadget Freaks – These consumers will be thrilled at the prospect of owning a camera that uses two lenses to take one picture. The innovative Kodak Retina technology is quite interesting and will enthrall gadget freaks.

Manual Control Freaks – The Kodak EasyShare V570 has some manual control, but not enough to please the freaks. There is a short list of white balance presets but no manual white balance mode. There are five manual ISO options, but the ISO 800 setting can only be used in the tiny 1.8 megapixel image size. The V570 just wasn’t designed for the manual control freak in mind.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists – Having two lenses that equate to 5x optical zoom is probably still not enough to attract the professionals or even serious hobbyists. These consumers will want more manual control in a more traditional camera body. The Kodak EasyShare V570 just doesn’t have what it takes for these people.