Kodak EasyShare V570 5MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom

Details

Availability:: No longer available through SilverGelatin.net

List Price:: $299.99

Average Customer Rating:: 4.0 out of 5

Manufacturer:: Kodak

Features

5.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints
2.5-inch LCD display; wide-angle (23mm equivalent) to 5x optical zoom through two-lens construction
VGA movie capture at 30 frames per second
Panorama stitch mode, video print options, and on-camera picture-enhancing features
KODAK Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Digital Camera Battery KLIC-7001; stores images on SD memory cards (includes 32 MB internal memory)

Description

We have to tell you, wide-angle capabilities in a point-and-shoot digital camera are a revelation. Does this camera have that and more? Sure does. Dual lenses, so that it goes from a wide 23mm equivalent to a 117mm equivalent (6x zoom) without a protruding lens? Check. A large, beautiful LCD? Sure thing. An in-camera panoramic stitch that makes the most of both those features? Oh, yes.

The V570's wide-angle lens creates interesting effects.
(See larger image.)

The V570 is also incredibly compact. We carried it in a front pant pocket while traipsing around London, in a jacket pocket on the ski slopes, and in a cargo-pant pocket on mountain climbs. The V570 is very portable, and it's so inconspicuous in its small size that we felt secure with it in a front pant pocket while strap-hanging on Mexico City public transportation.

And then there are the pictures. We love that the wide-angle setting allows us to fit so much into the picture. It also creates some interesting stretching effects in close-ups, as with the photo of cakes at left. In addition, color reproduction is stunning: blue skies are faithfully rendered, bright colors remain bright even in low-light settings or flash photos, and contrast and tonal range are almost always as perfect as we could hope.

Panoramic mode is easy to use
and works beautifully.
(Click images for larger views.)

The in-camera panoramic stitch mode is also extremely easy, and it produces exquisite results. The only down side to this feature is that it severely limits your other photographic options--the two or three images that make up the panoramas are taken at 3.2-megapixel resolution, and the flash won't fire while you're in panoramic mode. However, we found the resolution to be sufficient in the end, and reserving panoramic use for well-lit scenarios did not prove such a hardship. (Make sure to check out other customers' photos, taken in a range of lighting situations, via the link above.)

Some of our favorite photos taken with the V570.
(Click images for larger views.) Click for larger image.

Finally, the camera's video function performs admirably. A friend used his V570 to film a football team taking the field, and both image and sound were top notch. And the large, bright 2.5-inch LCD does its duty well as a photo and video viewer. Separate buttons allow you to zoom in on sections of a photo and navigate within one picture or all the pictures on your card. (Photos can also be viewed in a multi-up mode, which displays nine at a time, or in a slideshow that can be shown on the screen or on your television.)

This is not to say that the camera doesn't have a few imperfections. It must be docked for charging the battery or downloading images. In photos, bright lights are occasionally surrounded by a purple fringe. The power and scene mode buttons are on the small side, and there's no way to prevent the camera from displaying just-taken images for five seconds after the shot (though you can take another photo immediately by pressing the shutter-release button twice).

These are small gripes about an otherwise stellar camera, though. We've found the V570 to be the best combination of unique features, impressive styling, and overall user-friendliness of any cameras currently available, and we cannot recommend it enough.--Sarah Sternau

Pros

Wide-angle lens produces beautiful photos
Color reproduction is amazing
In-camera panoramic stitch works wonderfully

Cons

5-second post-capture review can't be turned off
Occasional purple fringe
Limited settings options in panoramic mode

Spotlight customer reviews

Great little camera

[ Posted: 2008-11-30 ]

Rating: 100%

Read the other reviews to get a sense of this camera's features. I agree with all the positive comments and don't understand the battery issue. I have mine set to turn off after about 20 seconds of unuse. No problem, because there is no wait when you turn it back on. I have had mine for two years now and wanted a little light weight camera for vacation pictures. I was completely suprised by the ease of use and the quality of the pictures. I pretty much use the automatic function and occasionally the closeup setting. Just got back from a trip to Costa Rica and many in our group have posed our pictures on Snapfish. I keep getting emails asking me what kind of camera I used as my pic's stand up side by side with others taken with much more expensive digital camera setups. Oh, by the way the in camera post processing feature is the best. Too bad they have discontinued this model.

Love This Camera

[ Posted: 2008-07-22 ]

Rating: 100%

All I can say is I realy enjoyed this camera. It does everything and it is simple to use, easy to store, and the picture comes out great.

Reviews skewed?

[ Posted: 2008-06-05 ]

Rating: 40%

This is my first review of anything, but I'm quite frustrated and had to write it since I just tried to take some pictures with it. I've had the camera for a year and half.

First off the positives. The wide angle capability is very nice. Taking group shots close up is amazing. The video mode is pretty nice also. Being able to zoom while taping is very nice.

Now the negatives. For some reason, when you don't take a picture in wide angle, the camera has a tough time focusing if there is not a lot of light. The pictures come out crap if you don't have good lighting, and the flash doesn't do much to help. It's hard to take good pictures with this camera if you aren't in wide angle. Note, I do have the digital zoom off. For some reason, when in wide angle even with low light, the camera is not bad taking pictures. I've taken some amazing video with this, but when playing back on the computer, you cannot fast forward or skip certain sections, the software will make you start all over from the start. The EasyShare software is very sluggish when you load up and also downloading lots of pictures and especially video. Sometimes you think it locks up, but it just takes a long time if you have more than a few pictures. I have used it on two pretty decent computers, so pretty sure it's not on my end.

I love the wide angle abilities, but this camera and software is just not good. There are more wide angle pocket sized cameras available now. Just for reference, I have the original Canon Elph SD100 and a Sony DSC-H1. I'm moving on from this camera. I'm a little surprised how well this camera has been rated so far. I know most people aren't shopping for this camera since this one's a little older now.

Awesome Camera

[ Posted: 2008-03-25 ]

Rating: 80%

It isnt the greatest camera around, but it works pretty well. I really like the panoramic mode.

Best Camera Ever

[ Posted: 2008-01-24 ]

Rating: 100%

Great camera, particularly for those of us in real estate who need wide angle. Cannot say nicer things about this, best I've ever had.