Kodak's EasyShare V610 10x ultra-zoom reviewed
The EasyShare V610 is Kodak's ultra-zoom followup to their world's first, dual-lens digital cam, the V570. Unfortunately, just like its wide-angle bro, the V610 is getting a mixed reaction from reviewers. DCRP got their hands on the V610 and were certainly pleased by the slim design, MPEG-4 movie recordings, new Perfect Touch feature to brighten and generally improve shots at the touch of a button, decent performance, and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless transfer capabilities. However, the cam had "more than its share of annoyances" with "so-so" picture quality including above-average noise, a "miserable" 135 shot capable battery, and a poorly designed four-way navigation control around back. But this cam's all about that fat, 10x zoom right? Well, those two lenses result in a slow, non-continuous zoom with a 16-millimeter "jump" in focal length when switching between lenses -- this was especially "jarring" when zooming in movie mode. And the lack of image stabilization in this expensive cam makes it "awfully hard" to produce a sharp photo on a camera billed as an ultra-zoom model. Bottom line: forget the V610 and pick up the 10x Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 for $100 less.
[Via Digital Photography Blog]
