Kodak EasyShare V610

Model Design / Appearance (8.5)
Considering that it packs 10x optical zoom power, the Kodak EasyShare V610 looks good. Real good. The surfaces of the camera remain fairly flat, with beveled edges and a slight slope toward the LCD monitor on the back of the camera. An interesting circular-grooved texture surrounds the lens barrel and radiates outward onto the black camera body, which is highlighted with chrome and a few fancy buttons and lights. The front plate is constructed of metal, as is a sturdy lens cover that snaps open and closed as fast as a guillotine, while the back plate is composed of a tough plastic material that perhaps makes the camera a little less hefty.

All the buttons on the Kodak V610 are perfectly lined up and equally sized, making it look very fashionable and organized. The three mode buttons atop the camera have blue LEDs that light up when in use and dance when the battery is charging. Two practical buttons on the back also contribute some style to the overall design: the Share button has a ruby-colored center and the selection button of the multi-selector has a blue jewel-like center. Overall, the Kodak EasyShare V610 is extremely attractive with its compact form, organized layout, interesting lights and buttons, and sleek lines.

Size / Portability (7.5)
The V610 has a very rectangular shape but is still extremely portable. It measures 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches, 0.4 inches longer and 0.1-inch thicker than the Kodak V570. Still, the V610 is 0.2 inches shorter, making it a prime candidate for stashing in a pocket. Its dimensions are similar to those of a cell phone, and it is just as portable: flat surfaces and sturdy lens cover make it easy – and safe - to slide into small spaces. The rectangular Kodak EasyShare V610 will weigh a pocket down at 5.6 oz without the battery. It is heavier than one would think when looking at it, but carrying it around won’t cause wrist damage .Considering that the V610 has a 10x optical zoom system inside, its compact size is quite impressive and definitely appealing.

Handling Ability (5.5)
There is always some give and take between fashion and function. On this model, fashion won. The V610 is quite trendy with its sleek lines and compact form, which increase its portability. Flat surfaces help as well, but don’t make handling comfortable. Still, some subtle features help in this regard. The edge of the wrist strap eyelet, on the front of the camera, acts as a right finger grip. The right thumb can rest either on the curved zoom toggle or on a series of bumps set within a slope that curves, in a convenient bowl shape, up to the LCD screen. Supporting the bottom of the camera or holding the top will keep the left hand busy, as will a number of buttons running down the left side. There aren’t any great handling features on this side, which is unfortunate, as lazy left fingers can easily wander in front of the built-in flash on the front. No camera this size is incredibly comfortable, and the V610 is no exception; it won’t cramp hands, though, and thus outdoes a number of its peers.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (4.75)
All of the camera’s control buttons are neatly organized into rows and columns that neat freaks will appreciate. Across the top of the camera are three circular mode buttons with blue LEDs in the middle. To their right are the Power and Flash mode buttons, which are the same shape and size but don’t have lights. The oval-shaped shutter release button protrudes slightly to their right. On the top, the only button that seems out of place is the Flash button, which is more traditionally found on the back of the camera.

The back of the V610 leaves tradition behind by placing the LCD in the center and surrounding it with buttons. A neat column of five square buttons sits left of the monitor. These buttons are small and close together, so pressing one could really activate two. On the right side of the LCD, at the top and bottom respectively, are the zoom toggle and the multi-selector. The toggle is large and curved enough, but only pushing at its very outer edges will trigger its zoom functions; the stiff multi-selector will require some serious thumb dancing and will almost certainly ruin that French manicure. Two buttons on the back of the camera are highlighted by jewel-like centers: the red Share button and the blue selection button. These add a little pizzazz to the otherwise black and silver camera back.

A lack of space hinders most of the buttons on the Kodak V610. Most are small and too close together and the multi-selector makes cruising through menus quite difficult.

Menu (8.0)
Menu surfing on the Kodak EasyShare V610 will require strong fingers and a lot of patience. Users must push the Menu button, which is the third button down in the column on the back left side. Once in the system, they can only scroll up and down with the terribly stiff multi-selector. The menu system isn’t as good-looking as the buttons; there are no folders to group similar features or cram options onto a single screen. The following recording menu is from the Auto mode and includes the most options.

The scene modes eliminate some of the choices like White balance, ISO, Sharpness, Exposure Metering, Focus Zone, and Long Time Exposure. While the recording menu overlays the live view, no live views appear when scrolling through choices. For instance, when users scroll from the Black & White to the Sepia option, nothing in the background changes. This is unfortunate, as many compact models offer this simple feature to help beginners pick correct settings.

The menu in the movie mode varies a bit from the still image modes. It is as follows:

Self-Timer	Off, 10 Seconds, 2 Seconds
Video Size	640 x 480, 640 x 480 (Long), 320 x 240
Set Album (Video)	Exit, Birthday, Holiday, Wedding, Clear All
AF Control (Video)	Continuous AF, Single AF
Video Length	Continuous, 5 Seconds
Image Stabilizer	On, Off
Image Storage	Auto, Internal Memory
Setup Menu	(portal to setup menu)

The setup menu can be accessed from all recording menus, but is found at the very bottom of the list. Because there are no organizational features in the menu system, users must remember to scroll up and access the setup menu from the "bottom" of the list or they must scroll and scroll and scroll downward to get there. The following is the setup menu:

Return	(Returns to recording or playback mode)
Camera Sounds	Exit, Theme, Power On, Focus Lock, Shutter, Self-Timer, Error (options for all are None, Default, Secret Agent, Jazz Lounge)
Sound Volume	Off, High, Medium, Low
Digital Zoom	On, Off
LCD Brightness	Power Save, High Power
LCD Dimmer	Off, 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds
Auto Power Off	1 Minute, 3 Minutes, 5 Minutes, 10 Minutes
Bluetooth	Exit, Set Passcode (enter four-digit password), Security (On, Off), Camera Name (enter with on-screen keyboard), Transfer Size (Ask Every Time, QVGA – Fast Transfer, XGA – 4 x 6 Print Quality, Full Resolution)
Date & Time	Set Month, Day, Year, Hour, Minute
Video Out	NTSC, PAL
Photo Frame	Exit, Interval (3-60 seconds), Loop (On, Off), Transition (Off, Block, Horizontal Blind, Center to L/R, Left to Right, Right to Left, Center to T/B, Top to Bottom, Bottom to Top), Source (Auto, Internal Memory, Favorites), Run Time (0.5-12 hours)
Auto Picture Rotation	On, Off
Orientation Sensor	On, Off, On Transfer
Red-Eye Preflash	On, Off
Date Stamp	Off, YYYYMMDD, MMDDYYYY, DDMMYYYY
Video Date Display	YYYYMMDD, MMDDYYYY, DDMMYYYY, YYYYMMDDHH:MM
Blur Warning	On, Off
Language	English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Russian, Czech, Turkish, Dutch, Arabic
Format	Memory Card, Cancel, Internal Memory
About	Kodak EasyShare V610, Firmware Version 1.0200

The setup menu is also displayed as an overlay, but, of course, doesn’t show any live views. It is an incredibly long list, so it is frustrating to try to find, for example, the Bluetooth or Video Out options. The playback menu leaves options equally buried.

View By	All, Date, Album
Album	Exit, Birthday, Holiday, Wedding, Clear All
Perfect Touch Technology	Save As New, Replace Original, Cancel
Crop	OK, Cancel
Slide Show	Begin Show, Exit, Interval (3-60 seconds), Loop (On, Off), Transition (Off, Block, Horizontal Blind, Center to L/R, Left to Right, Right to Left, Center to T/B, Top to Bottom, Bottom to Top)
Multi-Up	(displays 9 images on the screen at a time)
Copy	Picture, Exit, All
Protect	(protects current image)
Image Storage	Auto, Internal Memory
Setup Menu	(portal to setup menu)

This menu also overlays the view without completely blocking it, which is nice. Like all the menus in the Kodak V610, however, it’s lengthy and annoying to scroll through with the stiff multi-selector.

Ease of Use (8.0)
Avoiding the menu system will make the V610 a little easier to use. The digital camera certainly isn’t hard to figure out otherwise. Users need only to select the mode and push the shutter release button; the V610 does the rest. This Kodak, like many EasyShare models is very easy to use because of its automatic settings and intuitive layout.