Model Design / Appearance (8.5)
The dual lens look of the Kodak EasyShare V705 is very similar to the other V-series dual lens cameras. The lenses are stacked atop each other, and both lenses are encircled by a larger decorative silver circle. This looks a little odd to consumers who are more interested in the traditional single lens format, but Kodak pulls it off and even makes it look stylish. The camera body is boxy with sharp edges and chrome highlights throughout; it looks sleek and is just the type of camera you want to whip out of your pocket when snapping a few pictures at the club or charity event. The Kodak EasyShare V705 comes in three colors: Silver Essence, Midnight Black, and Absolute Pink. The silver color can be found in stores, but the black and pink cameras can only be found online. Overall, the slim and sleek design of the Kodak EasyShare V705 makes it very tempting for point-and-shooters everywhere.
Size / Portability (7.75)
This digital camera was made to be portable. Its size is perhaps its best asset. Kodak thinks so, as it advertises that the V705 is “the world’s smallest ultra-wide angle digital camera.” The camera measures 4 x 2 x 0.8 inches, and that makes for a very rectangular look. Still, it slips very nicely into a pocket as it is about the size of a cell phone. These dimensions are quite impressive for a camera that carries 5x optical zoom power. The V705 is very portable. It weighs only 4.4 oz without the card and battery, and it comes with a wrist strap and suede-like carrying case in the package. The strap attaches to the right side of the camera and tethers it to a wrist. The leather case is still small and thin enough to go in a pocket, but its soft material gives the camera a little extra protection from whatever else lurks in your pockets.
Handling Ability (5.5)
The flat and sleek design is great for transporting in a pocket, but it isn’t great for handling. The Kodak EasyShare V705 doesn’t have hand grips or even subtle aids for fingers. Handling just wasn’t considered in the design of this camera. Sure, users of this model aren’t likely to stage four-hour photo shoots (if they did though, their hands would surely cramp after a half-hour), but other manufacturers have found ways of including subtle handling in slim camera design.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.0)
Kodak’s V705 looks similar to the other V-series cameras in terms of its controls and buttons. The top of the camera has a line of five buttons, and the three on the left look too similar. Each is small, circular, and has a small LED in the center. The power button directly right is also small and circular. At least the shutter release button is nicely positioned and easy to distinguish. The back of the camera looks different than most setups. The LCD screen is centered and surrounded by controls on both sides. A column of five identical rectangular buttons graces the left side, each button is labeled with lettering that blends into the camera body and is very hard to see. Only the zoom control and navigational joystick are located to the right of the LCD. The zoom control is shaped like a circle with “W” on the bottom to zoom out and “T” on the top to use the full 5x power. The circle looks creased in the center to differentiate the two halves, but the control is so set into the camera body that it hardly moves even when pushed. It is hard to tell just by feel whether the lens is zooming. The joystick below is very small and would be difficult to maneuver for people with large fingers; its edge is also very sharp and will leave a red mark after navigating through menus. Overall, the buttons and controls were designed to be compact and flush with the camera body and look organized at the same time. They certainly weren’t designed to be comfortable or even practical.
Menu (8.0)
The Kodak EasyShare V705 has a designated Menu button in the center of the column of five buttons on the left side of the LCD monitor. The menu system appears to be the same as on previous V-series models. The recording menu appears with white text on a dark but transparent background with the live view peeking out from behind. The following options are from this menu.
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Self-Timer
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Off, 2 Seconds, 10 Seconds, 2 Shot
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Burst
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On, Off
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Picture Size
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7.1MP, 6.3MP (3:2), 5.0MP, 3.1MP, 1.1MP
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White Balance
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Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Open Shade
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ISO Speed
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Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000
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Color Mode
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Natural Color, Low Color, Black & White, Sepia, High Color
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Sharpness
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High, Normal, Low
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Exposure Metering
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Multi-Pattern, Center-Weight, Center-Spot
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AF Control (Still)
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Continuous AF, Single AF
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Focus Zone
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Multi-Zone, Center-Zone
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Long Time Exposure
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None, 0.5 Sec, 0.6 Sec, 0.8 Sec, 1 Sec, 1.3 Sec, 1.6 Sec, 2.0 Sec, 2.5 Sec, 3.2 Sec, 4.0 Sec, 5.0 Sec, 6.0 Sec, 8.0 Sec
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Maintain Settings
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Flash, White Balance, ISO Speed, Color Mode, Sharpness, Exposure Metering, Focus Zone
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Set Album (Still)
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Birthday, Holiday, Wedding, Clear All, Add Album, Delete Album
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Image Storage
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Auto, Internal Memory
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Setup Menu
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(portal to setup menu)
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Many of the menu options come with live previews, and that will help when users are trying to decide between options like white balance’s tungsten and fluorescent. The recording menu isn’t organized into tabs or anything; it is simply a single list with four options fitting on the screen at a time. Navigation is done with the joystick which is quite uncomfortable with its sharp edges. The setup menu, accessible at the end of other menus, has these choices.
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Return
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(returns to previous menu)
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Camera Sounds
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Theme, Power On, Focus Lock, Shutter, Self-Timer, Error (all with choices of None, Default, Secret Agent, and Jazz Lounge)
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Sound Volume
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Off, High, Medium, Low
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Digital Zoom
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On, Off
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LCD Brightness
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Power Save, High Power
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LCD Dimmer
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30 Sec, 20 Sec, 10 Sec, Off
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Auto Power Off
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10 Min, 5 Min, 3 Min, 1 Min
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Date & Time
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Month, Date, Year, Hour, Minute
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Video Out
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NTSC, PAL
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Photo Frame
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Interval (3-60 sec), 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)
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Distortion Compensation
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On, Off
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Orientation Sensor
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On, Off, On Transfer
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Red Eye Preflash
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On, Off
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Date Stamp
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Off, YYYYMMDD, MMDDYYYY, DDMMYYYY
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Video Date Display
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YYYYMMDD, MMDDYYYY, DDMMYYYY, YYYYMMDDHH:MM, MMDDYYYYHH:MM, DDMMYYYYHH:MM
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Blur Warning
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On, Off
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Language
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English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Russian, Czech, Turkish, Dutch
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Format
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Memory Card, Internal Memory
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About
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Kodak EasyShare V705, Firmware Version 1.0100
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In all of the menus, there is always a way to cancel out of currently viewed features and skip backwards a menu. This is a nice touch, as some cameras’ menus drop you out completely requiring you to re-enter over and over again if you want to change more than one setting. Overall, the Kodak V705’s menus are simple, easy to navigate, and easy to read.
Ease of Use (8.0)
The Kodak EasyShare V705 is not a difficult camera to use. Point-and-shooters will be happy to know that the camera has a quick startup time, always powers up in the auto mode, and has an accessible and distinguishable shutter button. The menus aren’t very long and intimidating and are simple to navigate. An “info” function is available from the top portion of the multi-selector. It explains all the different scene modes for beginners. The Kodak V705 is about as easy to use as a digital camera gets.
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