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Kodak EasyShare V570

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Performance


A 720mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable battery powers the Kodak EasyShare V570.
With the exception of shutter lag, which was minimal at 0.6 second under high-contrast lighting and 0.7 second under low-contrast conditions with a boost from the red LED focus-assist lamp, most of the Kodak EasyShare V570's performance figures were right in the middle of the pack. Time to first shot was 3.45 seconds, and thereafter, we were able to snap off pictures every 2.11 seconds (2.48 seconds with flash). Burst mode clocked in at a hair less than two shots per second for a total of four images per burst at both full resolution and the 1.8-megapixel setting. Unlike some other Kodak cameras we've tested recently, this one has an LCD screen that doesn't black out between sequential shots.

The LCD itself is the kind of display you pray for on a camera that has no optical viewfinder: Big, at 2.5 inches; sharp, with 230,000 pixels; and bright enough to use in direct sunlight outdoors. The LCD image gains up nicely under dim illumination, too, making it easier to tolerate some ghosting when the camera or subject moves.

As you might expect from such a small camera with a 720mAh Lithium-ion battery, the electronic flash is on the anemic side. Fortunately, Kodak has optimized coverage for the 23mm ultrawide lens, as many users will be using this wide-view optic indoors, where the flash provides even lighting out to 3m at ISO 200. A lot of the available flash illumination is lost with narrower views; the speedlight is good only to 1.89m at the 39mm setting and 2.19m at the telephoto end, both at ISO 200.

Image Quality
Because its unique lens setup's versatility is the hallmark of the Kodak EasyShare V570, we'd hoped for better image quality. The 3x zoom lens offered about the same image quality you'd expect from a run-of-the-mill 5-megapixel camera, while the fixed-focal-length lens performed about the same, except with that impressive ultrawide view. Both lenses suffered from purple fringing and a touch of blooming. While the 23mm lens's optional barrel-distortion correction did a good job, its faux zoom function provided too much of a quality penalty to be used seriously; we quickly switched digital zoom off completely.

A limited dynamic range, manifested by highlights that were easily blown and shadows that were often too dark, was accompanied by abundant JPEG artifacts. Our images also showed noise that became easily noticeable at ISO 400 and more objectionable at the ISO 800 setting that can be used when the camera is set to 1.8-megapixel resolution.

However, we liked the colors this camera produced. Blues and reds were fully saturated and brilliant, and flesh tones had only a slight reddish cast. The camera's red-eye-prevention preflash eliminated most--but not all--of the red glow in human pupils.

 
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