Kodak EasyShare V705 - Easy Camera Review

 The 7.1-megapixel Kodak EasyShare V705, a new addition to the series of dual lens digital cameras, debuted in August 2006 as the world’s smallest ultra-wide angle digital camera with its 0.8-inch thinness and 23mm wide lens. With 22 scene modes and limited manual control, this digital camera is meant to give point-and-shooters a little more width – and zoom. The Kodak V705 retails for $349, but it currently sells for about $275 online.

The most well-known feature on the camera is the lens system. Kodak tags this as its Retina technology that pairs two lenses which combine to create a 5x zoom. The top lens is the ultra-wide 23mm lens and is not a zoom lens. The bottom lens is a standard 3x optical zoom lens with focal lengths of 39-117mm. Kodak claims that the 23-117mm range translates to a 5x zoom, but this can be misleading.

There is a gap between the 23mm lens and the 39mm lens – and it shows. When you zoom through the range, there is a big jump. This jump is most perceptible in the movie mode, and there is also a noticeable electronic noise when zooming out. The end of the zoom range isn’t as far for what a 5x zoom should be, so it’s a little disappointing.

The Kodak V705’s 2.5-inch LCD screen delivers better results with its 230,000 pixels. The smooth resolution and wide viewing angle make for a good viewing platform, and that is good because there is no optical viewfinder.

The thin flash unit is located in the top right corner of the front – right where the left fingers wrap around the camera. The flash isn’t very powerful to begin with, but it will be even less effective when your fingers are blocking it.

After extensive testing on the Kodak EasyShare V705, we determined that its resolution isn’t very effective in capturing detail. Colors aren’t very accurate either but at least pictures are focused and clear in good lighting. When photographing in low light, pictures look garbled and the camera sometimes has trouble focusing.

The V705 has a distinct rectangular shape with its 4 x 2 x 0.8-inch measurements and comes in three colors: Silver Essence, Midnight Black, and Absolute Pink. The trendy camera also has an interesting email feature that stores up to 30 email addresses and automatically sends selected photos when connected to a computer.

Earlier EasyShare cameras had a different twist on this feature and would only allow the email addresses to be changed when the camera was hooked up to the included Kodak EasyShare Software. The new V705 allows you to edit emails directly on the camera. Images can be printed directly from the camera too since it includes compatibility to PictBridge and ImageLink systems.

In the end, the Kodak EasyShare V705 is a very good-looking camera that appeals to non-traditional consumers with its dual lens look. Unfortunately, it doesn’t perform as well as it looks, and its $349 price tag is much too large.

Kodak EasyShare V705 - THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 370.10

Likes

- Sleek, small body - Wide 23mm lens - Quick startup - Very portable - Ease of use - Good auto focus in good lighting

Dislikes

- Inaccurate colors - 150-shot battery life - Tiny, poorly positioned flash - Sharp edge on joystick cuts thumbs raw - Pictures look awful in low light - Jump from lens to lens

Kodak EasyShare V570 Rating: 288.95	Kodak EasyShare V610 Rating: 336.30	Canon PowerShot SD700 IS Rating: 311.35	Casio Exilim EX-V7 Rating: N/A	Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Rating: N/A
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
- Cheaper $299 retail price - Somewhat better pictures in low light	- 10x optical zoom - Bluetooth technology - 2.8-inch LCD screen - Resolution is more effective at capturing details - Better low light performance	- 4x lens zooms farther than Kodak’s 5x - Optical image stabilization - Manual white balance - 2.1 fps burst mode goes and goes - Good low light and optimal light pictures - Accurate colors - Online for under $300 now	-7x optical zoom lens - LCD automatically adjusts brightness - Flash intensity adjustment - Lens cover - Manual white balance - 33 scene modes - Manual and priority exposure modes - More color filters - Rechargeable 240-shot battery - Image stabilization	- 10x Leica zoom lens - Optical image stabilization more effective - Better flash positioning - Flip animation mode - 250-shot lithium-ion battery
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
- 5x optical zoom range - 23mm and 39-117mm lenses - Retina dual lens technology - Same metering, white balance, focus options - 22 scene modes - 2.5-inch LCD screen with 230k	- Retina dual lens technology - 230k LCD resolution - Same shooting options - Perfect Touch automatic fix - 22 scene modes - 32 MB internal memory - Favorites mode	- 640 x 480-pixel, 30 fps movies - 2.5-inch LCD screen - SD memory card compatible	- 7.2 megapixels - 2.5-inch LCD with 230k - Same poor flash location - Similar flash power - Movie editing - SD card compatible	- 2.5-inch LCD screen - Similar level of control - Similar movie mode
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
- 5.1 megapixels - 64-400 ISO options - 10-second self-timer delay only - No Perfect Touch technology - Less accurate colors - Noisier pictures - Longer startup time - Slower burst mode	- 6.1 megapixels - $399 retail price - Manual ISO up to 800 - 1.6 fps burst mode - Increased 0.3-sec shutter lag - Larger 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9-inch body - Horribly inaccurate colors - Noise control isn’t very good	- 6.2 megapixels - Over an inch thick - 4x lens isn’t as wide - 11 scene modes - Shorter 80-800 ISO range - 173k LCD resolution	- $399 retail price - Widest end of lens is only 38mm - Slightly thicker body at 1 inch - Top ISO 800 - Fastest shutter speed is 1/800th of a second - Included software isn’t very useful - 11.6 MB internal memory	- 5 megapixels - Thicker 0.9-inch body - 207k on LCD - $349 retail price - ISO 80-800 not as sensitive - MMC cards don’t support movie mode - 13.4 MB internal memory