The Kodak EasyShare V705 comes with Kodak EasyShare Software, which comes on a CD-ROM in the box but can also be downloaded online for free. The software is functional on both Windows and Mac platforms, although the following comments are based on a Windows version. The camera comes with version 6.0, which is chock full of features like photo greeting card templates, creative projects, and the standard editing fare. When the software is initially installed, a window appears and asks whether users want to upload their entire image library automatically or do it manually (yikes, you don’t want to do this). Once loaded, images can be viewed by folders or albums. Thumbnails appear, and their size can be adjusted by a sliding scale near the top of the browser window.

 

Images can be selected and edited using the button at the top of the window. It opens another window and offers these options for still images: crop, rotate left, rotate right, red eye, enhance, scene balance, color balance, scene effects, fun effects, and help. These aren’t anything elaborate; indeed, the color balance option consists only of a dropper-like tool that selects a gray area and changes the color accordingly.

 

Still image editing is standard, but Kodak goes above and beyond by offering video editing in its software. Users can trim the movie, add music, rotate it, and splice it. Kodak’s EasyShare Software offers on-screen buttons to print at home, print online, and email. It also has links to the EasyShare center and a button dedicated to creative projects. These will help users create projects and spend money with Kodak.

 

Overall, the Kodak EasyShare Software is easy to use and still fairly thorough for point-and-shooters. Users who want to tweak the individual red, green, and blue channels will have to fork out the cash for another photo editing program, but this will work just fine for users who simply want to organize and email their pictures – with the occasional crop or photo card. An advantage to this software is that updates on the Kodak web site are free, so it’s bound only to get better. The disadvantage is that the software commandeers the computer and does all kinds of annoying things (makes itself the default photo program on the computer, opens when the computer starts up, checks for updates way too often, etc.) if users don’t custom install it themselves.

 

The Kodak EasyShare V705 comes with several included cables. Many cameras don’t include a power adaptor, but this camera does. It plugs into the right side, where there is an open jack. This is a bit worrisome, as imaginative children could shove gum or silly putty into the jack very easily. The other jack on the camera is located on the bottom of the camera; it’s a USB jack that is put there to connect with Kodak’s wide array of docks and viewing devices and printers. From this port, included AV-out and USB cables can connect, although both will need the included adaptor. The adaptor is a tiny piece of plastic with two ports on it; it’s about the size of a gummy bear. Young children, whether imaginative or not, could put this in their mouths and choke. If you don’t have children, you should worry about losing it regardless. The AV cable can be optimized to NTSC or PAL standards.

 

From the playback or favorites modes, users can push the Share button to print directly to PictBridge or ImageLink printers. Users can select all prints or scroll through easily and choose which pictures and how many of them to print up to 99. The camera can be connected to a Kodak printer with the port on its bottom, or to other compatible printers with the adaptor and USB cable.

 

The Kodak EasyShare V705 comes with a KLIC-7001 lithium-ion battery that recharges within the camera body using the included power adaptor. Users can purchase an optional camera dock to be able to charge the battery in 3.5 hours while viewing slide shows. When playing around and testing the camera, the battery life seemed just fine. But that was perhaps due to the habitual nightly parking of the camera on the power adaptor. Frankly, the specs for this battery are surprisingly disappointing: it only gets 150 shots per charge.

 

On the right side of the camera is a door that covers the SD/MMC card slot. The camera doesn’t come with a memory card because it has 32 MB of memory built in already. This isn’t very much though, especially for users who shoot full resolution images or like to shoot video. Image and video files can be transferred from the card to the internal memory and vice versa through the playback mode. In the recording menu, users can choose whether to record to the internal memory or not .

 

Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2 – The V705 comes with a plastic insert to fit into this photo frame dock. The camera parks atop the dock via its USB jack on the bottom. The battery recharges in the camera body when  docked, and users can view slide shows with transitions and loops up to 12 hours straight. Users can also rig up the dock to connect to televisions, computers, or printers to simplify transfer or more easily hide the mess of wires that comes with this camera. The optional dock can be bought on the Kodak web site for $39.

 

Kodak priced the EasyShare V705 at $349, which isn’t outrageously overpriced but certainly rides the line. The camera’s specs certainly justify the price. The dual lens system lets users enjoy a wide 23mm focal length and a total zoom of 5x, something that just can’t be found on many ultra-compact digital cameras. The dual lens system requires two image sensors, each with 7.1 megapixels. A 2.5-inch high-resolution LCD screen and 32 MB of internal memory round out the specs. $349 sounds fair enough until you consider the awful color reproduction, inability to snap even halfway decent pictures in low light, the furry look of most pictures, and the overall poor image quality.

 

Kodak EasyShare V570 – This digital camera was the first to introduce Kodak’s dual lens system. It is the same 5x optical zoom range and combo of a 23mm lens and a 39-117mm lens. The V570 has the same scene modes, metering, white balance, and focus options as the V705. The older camera has less resolution though at 5.1 megapixels. It also has less ISO sensitivity options, as its range is shortened to 64-400 in full resolution. The Kodak V570 has only a 10-second self-timer, whereas the newer V705 has more delay options including a double self-timer. The older camera does not have the Kodak Perfect Touch technology that automatically fixes pictures in the playback mode on the V705. The two cameras are identical in their dimensions, and their boxy bodies have the same setup in terms of buttons and controls. They both even have 2.5-inch LCD screens with 230,000 pixels on them. The V570 weighs a tenth of an ounce more, but costs less at $299.

 

Kodak EasyShare V610 – The second in the V-series lineup to be introduced is the V610. Kodak calls this the “world’s smallest 10x zoom camera” and uses the same dual lens technology to achieve that long zoom range. This camera has 6.1 megapixels, but costs more at $399 because of its embedded Bluetooth wireless capability. It also has a larger 2.8-inch LCD screen, but the same 230,000-pixel resolution. Once again, the same shooting modes and options are available on both cameras – including the Kodak Perfect Touch function in the playback mode. There is one difference: the V610 lets users manually set the ISO up to 800, but the newer V705 extends that to 1000. The EasyShare V610 has a slower burst mode at 1.6 fps and more shutter lag at 0.3 seconds. Both cameras have 32 MB of internal memory and a Favorites mode to store pictures for easy access later. The Bluetooth-enabled Kodak EasyShare V610 has a larger body that measures 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches and weighs 5.6 oz.

 

Canon PowerShot SD700 IS – This 6.2-megapixel digital camera is trendy and compact with its 3.56 x 2.22 x 1.04-inch measurements. It isn’t as thin as the Kodak V705, but it isn’t as long either. The Canon has a 4x optical zoom lens, which sounds like less than Kodak, but it actually zooms farther. Canon’s lens is equivalent to 35mm-140mm, so while it isn’t nearly as wide as the Kodak’s, it reaches much farther than the V705’s max telephoto setting of 117mm. The Canon PowerShot SD700 IS has an optical image stabilization system that works much better than Kodak’s digital version, and records video at the same 640 x 480-pixel, 30 fps rate as the V705. The SD700 has an auto mode, program mode, and 11 scene modes. It has a few manual controls like white balance and an ISO range of 80-800. The burst mode is quite impressive. It is slightly faster at 2.1 fps, and it can shoot for much longer – our test got 32 shots in a row. The Canon SD700 takes fabulous pictures whether in bright or low light, and keeps colors accurate too. The camera has a 2.5-inch LCD screen, but its resolution is sub-par at 173,000 pixels. Originally, this PowerShot was released for $499 earlier in 2006. It can be found for less than $300 online now.

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 – Panasonic released the TZ1 earlier in 2006 as one of the first compact digital cameras to have a true long zoom on it. The 5-megapixel TZ1 boasts a 10x Leica zoom lens that extends from the 0.9-inch thick camera body. The lens is functional in the movie mode, and even comes with a more effective optical image stabilization system. This Lumix also has a 2.5-inch LCD screen, but it has less resolution than the Kodak with 207,000 pixels. The Panasonic TZ1 has about the same level of manual control as the V705, and comes with a huge list of scene modes too. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 offers many of the same features, but comes with even more zoom and an optical stabilization system rather than a digital one. It retails for $349.

 

Point-and-Shooters – The V705 is wonderfully convenient; with its boxy measurements, it can slip right into a pocket and can go anywhere. The camera is easy to use, and it has all the right specs a point-and-shooter would appreciate. But even point-and-shooters won’t appreciate the awful pictures this camera takes.

 

Budget Consumers – This EasyShare retails for $349, but cameras that take better pictures can be found for less. The V705’s price tag isn’t outrageous, but it is more than what it should be for a camera that doesn’t take beautifully sharp shots.

 

Gadget Freaks – These consumers will be wowed by the dual lens system and would love to show this off at a party, but the resulting pictures will be a big downer.

 

Manual Control Freaks – If manual control is what you’re looking for, this isn’t the camera for you. With only a list of scene and automatic modes, and a few controls with limited options, these consumers will have to look elsewhere.

 

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists – This camera is definitely a cheaper option than a Hasselblad, but pros and serious hobbyists would rather pay the extra 15 grand and carry around a suitcase of camera equipment than pack a tiny camera with poor image quality.

 

Likes

-    Sleek, Small body -    Wide 23mm lens -    Quick startup -    Very portable -    Easy to use

Dislikes

-    Horribly inaccurate colors -    Tiny, poorly positioned flash makes for lots of red eyes -    Sharp edge on joystick cuts thumbs raw -    Pictures look awful in low light -    Abrupt jump from lens to lens

 

 

With its fabulous looks, clean lines, and ultra-convenient thin and flat housing, I really wanted the 7.1-megapixel Kodak EasyShare V705 to perform well. It has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with great resolution and a wide viewing angle. It’s very easy to use and in theory makes the perfect camera for a point-and-shooter. The V705 has 22 scene modes and limited manual control. Better yet, it has an interesting dual lens system. Kodak claims that it adds up to a 5x optical zoom, but that’s a stretch. The camera really has two separate lenses – one is a very wide 23mm lens and the other is a 3x, 39-117mm lens. There is a big jump between 23mm and 39mm, and it is noticeable and abrupt in the live view (or recorded in movies). When all is said and done, the farthest the lens system can reach is 117mm, which isn’t as far as some other manufacturers’ 3x lenses. The Kodak EasyShare V705 would be a good camera for someone who only shoots outdoors in sunny conditions; the limited aperture range requires lots of light. For anything else, though, the Kodak V705 will be a disappointment. Many pictures taken indoor and in imperfect light looked blurry, had horribly unrealistic colors, and were subjected to the awful built-in flash. So while the Kodak V705 has plenty of good looks on the outside, its pictures weren’t nearly as beautiful.