Kodak EasyShare V610

The second release in Kodak’s dual lens camera series after the V570 is the much awaited V610 — the camera that offers more than a mere increase in the megapixel count. This one goes all the way of taking full advantage of its second lens to add 10x optical zoom functionality in its ultra compact body. If that seems great this one is feature-packed with Bluetooth for wireless communication with other devices like printers, mobile phones, PCs and other cameras, tremendous amount of scene modes that will suit just about any photographic opportunity, and a lot more. But does it really live up to these killer specs when it comes to actual performance? Let’s find out.

Build
Kodak has stuck to the design aesthetics that they applied on the V570. Only this time, it’s a little bigger (111 x 55.5 x 23.2 mm) and heavier (160g). Sure it’s going to look cool when you pop it out of your pocket and expose the dual lens, but practically speaking, I didn’t find the earlier build comfortable, and I don’t find this one much better. But that's not the biggest problem with the camera design — it's the buttons.

But before I get to griping about the button layout I'd like to say that the V610 has an impressive 2.8” LCD screen that supports 280,000 pixels, and works pretty well under most lighting conditions. The image quality was consistently clear unless direct sunlight fell on the screen, which is a common issue with compact digital cameras.

With that said, everything else about the design seemed uncomfortable to me. The buttons on the top section were sunk in, there were buttons for commonly used functions lined up indistinguishably on the left of the screen and a navigational D-Pad along with the wide and tele zoom switch on the right. The thing I like about having a camera is the ease of use and the option for single-handed operation. The V610 design is clearly not meant for that. That and the buttons are generally a bit too tight and uncomfortable to press.

When it comes to build quality, the V670 was clearly designed to look groundbreakingly stylish. Too bad functionality was thrown out the window to achieve that.