The Kodak EasyShare
V570 continues the design of other V-series cameras from
Kodak, offering a thin and sharply rectangular metallic body
with almost no protrusions.
However, the V570 stands
out from others in the series by having not one but two
lenses, neither of which extends past the front of the camera.
The V570 is one of two dual-lens camera recently released
by Kodak. The other, the V610, offers a 10X zoom, split
over 2 lenses one covering from 38 to 114 mm, while the covers
from 130 to 380 mm (equivalent), and has a 6-megapixel resolution.
On the other hand, the V570, a five-megapixel, offers what
is described as a 5X zoom range composed of one 23
mm equivalent lens, and a 3X zoom with a range of 39 to 117
mm, which, ignoring the 16 mm gap between 23 mm and 39 mm,
is a possible zoom range of 23 to 117 mm.
Although the V570 is extremely
compact, its top and back support no less than a total of
12 controls, 5 of which are on top.
The elongated 2-stage shutter release is first on
the right side, locking both the auto focus and the metered
exposure when pressed to its halfway point. To its left is
the On/Off button, mounted flush to the chrome band
that rings the camera, so as to avoid turning on the camera
accidentally.
To the left of the On/Off
button is the Auto/SCN mode button, which serves
to choose the still image shooting mode, and which can also
be used to turn on the camera, but not to turn it off.
By default the camera starts in Auto mode, indicated
by a camera icon on the monitor:
The Auto mode is a primarily
a point-and-shoot mode, but one that allows the user
to change some settings (see the Characteristics
section of the review for the options available in the
menu). However, any changes made to the camera's
default settings are automatically cancelled when the
V570 is turned off.
Pressing the button once
switches it to the Scene mode, which offers a choice
of 20 Scene modes, and one Custom mode.
The camera automatically returns to the scene mode last
used:
Portrait:
the camera tries to use the largest aperture possible
to have the subject in focus while the background
is slightly blurred. The zoom should be used to
make the effect more noticeable.
Panorama Stitch
(to the right or to the left): serves to capture
either 2 or 3 images, which are then stitched together
by the camera. Only the panoramic shot is saved,
not the individual photos. Exposure and white balance
are set at the first frame, and the flash is forced
off.
Sport: maximizes
the shutter speed to freeze action. Sensitivity
is automatically selected between 80 and 160 ISO.
Landscape: the
camera sets the focus to infinity.
Close-up: makes
the camera use a wide aperture to maintain a relatively
high shutter speed so as to avoid camera shake.
Focus and metering are set to Spot, and sensitivity
is automatic between 80 and 160 ISO.
Night Portrait:
uses the flash set to Red-eye reduction mode and
a long exposure so that the camera captures both
the foreground and the background. A tripod should
be used.
Night Landscape:
focus is set to infinity and the flash is forced
off. Exposures can be as long as 2 seconds, the
white balance is set to Daylight, and a tripod should
be used.
Snow: is designed
to compensate for the effect of bright, reflective
snow on the metering by adding +1 EV of exposure
compensation.
Beach: uses the
same settings as the Snow mode but also uses Daylight
white balance.
Text: uses Macro
focus, centre-weighted metering, multi-zone focus
and +1 EV of exposure compensation.
Fireworks: requires
the camera to be stabilized on a tripod as the exposure
time is 2 seconds. Focus is set to infinity.
Flower: uses
the Macro focus mode, Daylight white balance, and
centre-weighted metering.
Manner/Museum:
forces the flash to Off, and mutes all sounds produced
by the camera to avoid disturbing anyone. Multi-pattern
metering is used, as well as Multi-focus.
Self-Portrait:
uses the macro mode to allow the camera to focus
on the subject using the Multi-focus, and sets the
flash to Red-eye reduction.
Party: also uses
the flash set to Red-eye reduction, and adds Multi-pattern
metering and Multi-zone focus.
Children: prioritizes
the shutter speed to freeze the movements of playing
children. The flash is set to Auto, and the sensitivity
to Auto ISO, which allows the camera to adjust it
as necessary.
Backlight: forces
the flash On to provide fill-in light to a subject
that is backlit, while using Multi-metering and
Multi-focus.
Panning: is designed
to capture a fast moving subject while allowing
the background to blur so as to give a sense of
movement. Sensitivity is automatically set.
Candlelight:
forces the flash Off and allows the exposure to
be as long as 1/2 second. White balance is set to
Daylight and sensitivity can go as high as 200 ISO
if necessary.
Sunset: has a
minimum shutter speed of 1/60 second, sets the white
balance to Daylight and the camera automatically
adjusts sensitivity.
Custom: allows
all the selectable camera parameters to be modified
by the user and these settings are retained after
the camera has been turned off, but since the camera
automatically starts in the Auto shooting mode,
the Auto/SCN button must be pressed to get to the
Custom mode.
The next button on top of the camera is to capture Videos.
It can be used to turn on the camera, placing it immediately
in the Video capture mode.
The V570 is able to capture
video clips (MPEG-4) with sound at 30 frames per second
and with an image size of:
640 x 480 pixels (less compressed);
640 x 480 Long (more compressed);
or 320 x 240 pixels.
The recording time is limited to the available space
on the memory card, or can be preset to 5, 15 or 30
seconds. During the recording, the optical zoom remains
useable and white balance and exposure are adjusted
as required. Moreover, an electronic image stabilization
system, active by default, is available.
The last button on top of
the camera can also be used to start the V570, placing this
time in "Favorites" mode. The mode calls up photos
that have been previously marked as "Favorites"
either in the camera during review, or with the software —
Kodak EasyShare — supplied with the camera.
Once marked and on a computer, the selected images are processed
so as to be a smaller size, and then transferred back to the
camera and stored in the "Favorites" folder; thereby
making it easy to "share" the images with others.
More controls are located on
either side of the 2.5-inch, 230,000 pixel LCD monitor, starting
with the zoom/lens control on the top right side of the back.
By default the camera starts with the wide angle lens. Pressing
the zoom control up switches to the 3X zoom, jumping from
the 23 mm equivalent wide angle lens to the wide angle end
of the zoom lens, the equivalent of 39 mm, moving gradually
to the maximum telephoto of 117 mm.
With the V570 set to the
Review mode (playback), the control behaves
in the standard fashion, magnifying a part of image on screen
up to 8X when pressed on the T side, returning the
image to full screen with the W side.
The joystick is directly below the zoom control. It serves
to navigate menus, and move from one photo/video to another
when the camera is in the review mode, and also to confirm
selections by pressing it straight in, like a mouse button.
In addition, the joystick serves
to adjust exposure compensation when moved right or left while
framing a shot, providing a compensation range of ±
2 EV in 1/3 EV increments. Moreover, the up and down directions
for the joystick also control other camera settings.
Pushing the joystick
up while the camera is set to a capture mode changes the monitor's
information display.
By default the monitor superimposes information about the
shooting mode, the flash mode, the image resolution, the number
of remaining shots, and the memory storage (memory card or
internal memory) on the upper part of the screen; while on
the lower part, it indicates the exposure compensation.
With the V570 set to the Review
mode, the display first indicates the playback mode in the upper
left corner, then adds an icon to warn of possible blur (green
indicates that the image is sharp enough for a 4x6 inch print;
yellow that it will produce an acceptable 4x6 inch print;
red that it is not sharp enough for a 4x6 inch print; and white
that the sharpness is still being determined), and also indicates
the image number, and the memory type in use.
Pushing the joystick up once,
clears the image of any information. Pushing a second time
displays the default information once more, and adds a histogram.
A third push of the joystick replaces the superimposed information
and displays the file name, the directory in which it resides,
the date and time, and the image resolution.
Similarly, pushing the joystick down accesses first the Macro
mode, then the Landscape mode:
The Macro mode, only available
when the zoom lens is in use, allows the camera to focus on
a subject that is between 5 and 70 cm (2 to 27.6 inches) from
the front element of the lens at the equivalent of 39 mm,
and from 30 to 70 cm (11.8 to 27.6 inches) at the maximum
telephoto, which is equivalent to 117 mm.
The Landscape mode, on the other hand, simply sets the lens
to infinity focus, avoiding the need for the camera to find
a focus point.
In the Review or Playback mode, pushing the joystick down
displays 9 thumbnails per screen.
Five more buttons are stacked on the left side of the monitor.
Starting at the top, the button controls the Flash
mode selection: Auto, Forced On, Red-eye Reduction with pre-flashes,
and Forced Off.
The next button
down serves to delete unwanted images. Next is the
menu button that displays the menu that corresponds
to the current camera mode on the monitor. Below that is the
review button, which starts the Playback mode. The
share button is last, and when pressed automatically
starts the Playback mode while displaying the Share
menu superimposed on the last captured image. The Share
menu offers options for how images will be used (see the
Characteristics section of the review for an overview
of the Share menu's functions).
The ergonomic
design of the V570 makes it a camera that is quickly familiar,
and easy to operate. The joystick is sufficiently precise
and only its proximity to the zoom control can occasionally
lead to a mistake.
In use however, the V570 is not very fast, be it to operate,
focus, or store images, making it probably unsuitable for
fast or action shots. Likewise, the monitor can become very
difficult to see under direct sunlight.
Ergonomics
