Kodak Easyshare V610 Review

The Kodak Easyshare V610 is a 6 megapixel digital camera with a difference - it has two lenses rather than the usual one. The V610 is the second Kodak camera to feature the company’s Dual Lens Technology. This time it offers a 38-114mm lens and a 130-380mm lens for a total 10X optical zoom range. In addition the Kodak V610 has a 2.8 inch LCD screen, Bluetooth support, 180-degree panorama mode, advanced video with built-in image stabilization and 23 different scene modes, all in a body that is just 2.3cms thick. Read my review to find out if the Kodak V610 is the ultimate compact camera.

Website: Kodak Easyshare V610 Review

Published: Thursday, May 18, 2006

Reader Comments

1. Mark, thank you for an excellent and thorough review, and especially
   for the section comparing the V610 to the Panasonic TZ1. If the TZ1
   were a bit smaller, it would be the hands down winner, with its higher
   image quality, continuous plus faster zoom, and IS. The fact that the
   V610's auto ISO mode selects high ISOs at its telephoto end, makes
   its lack of image stabilization even more restrictive. It seems the TZ1
   is the more versatile of the two cameras, as long as you do not need
   the V610's pocketability or Bluetooth connectivity.
   
   Since my wife will be carrying her camera in her pocketbook, I doubt
   that she really needs an "ultra"-compact like the V610. However, we
   did just buy two new Macs with Bluetooth, not to mention that her HP
   Photosmart 475 printer also has Bluetooth, so I would hate to see all
   that connectivity go to waste. I also really like the V610's abundance
   of in-camera image processing features, for my wife's direct printing,
   but then again, her HP 475 has those same features built in.
   
   This review, in combination with your TZ1 review, certainly illuminates
   the advantages and disadvantages of these two cameras, but it is still
   too close to call as to which would be a better choice for my wife.
   
   Good thing I have a few more weeks to procrastinate.

   GARY POGODA at 05:21pm on Wednesday, May 10, 2006

2. Maybe the V610 has moved out of the "Ultra-Compact" list, as I mentioned earlier, it looked thicker than the V570, yup! bigger in all ways!
   I do like the new backside layout tho, the V570 is a bit too retro for bright sun!

   nick in japan at 09:33pm on Wednesday, May 10, 2006

3. Interesting, I would have thought they would be the same dimensions. Still,
   the V610 is "ultra-compact" enough. I would consider anything that is small
   enough and thin enough to easily fit in your pocket as ultra-compact.

   GARY POGODA at 11:15am on Thursday, May 11, 2006

4. Gary, take a look at the bottom of this page for some comparison shots of the V570 and V610:
   
   http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_kodak_easyshare_v610_5.php

   Mark Goldstein at 11:20am on Thursday, May 11, 2006

5. Thanks, I must have skipped that section.
   
   My personal feeling is, the bigger they can make a camera, and still have it
   fit easily in your pocket, the better since there's always a tradeoff between
   compact size and ease of handling.
   
   BTW, I just got my new 17" MacBook Pro, 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo. Now the
   PhotographyBLOG pages load lightning fast.

   GARY POGODA at 11:44am on Thursday, May 11, 2006

6. Great comparison shots Mark!
   "Hands on" is the trued and tried test for pocketability, You are correct, we need to compromise sometimes.
   I still am concerned about the lack of the wide shot capability for this camera, alot of folks will end up wishing that they had it. I am anxious about Kodak's next best thing!

   nick in japan at 11:57am on Thursday, May 11, 2006

7. Damn i like this one! 6 megapixel is standard nowadays, but still )

   Rodjer at 09:01pm on Tuesday, May 16, 2006

8. 4 1/2 Stars is probably pretty close, when ALL the features are added up, I am one to put a higher value on the absolute necessity of a 28mm view, I would have given it 4 Stars due to that factor.
   If Kodak can work one in on the next model, I will purchase it, to supplement my V570, not this one.

   nick in japan at 09:37pm on Tuesday, May 16, 2006

9. Hi Mark,
   Very nice review. I've been meaning to get a new digital camera for a while, and you're making my choice very easy. Appreciate the time you've spent with this review.

   Mark at 12:04am on Wednesday, May 17, 2006

10. Translate this " This is not a bridge for advertising, not very polite of you to do so"

    nick in japan at 09:43am on Friday, May 19, 2006

11. OOPS, Mark, you beat me to it!!!

    nick in japan at 09:44am on Friday, May 19, 2006

12. Just to prove that Nick is not mad, I deleted some comment spam before #10...

    Mark Goldstein at 09:51am on Friday, May 19, 2006

13. You enjoy this site almost as much as I do, Mark! Just my protective side.
    Semper Fi!

    nick in japan at 10:03am on Friday, May 19, 2006

14. I love the camera. One comment/complaint though. The cables/accessories in the box included a power cable for charging the camera's batteries, a USB (A-B) cable for tranferring pictures/video to a PC/MAC, and a USB (B) to RCA (A/V) for displaying/tranferring pictures/video on/to an external monitor/source. It also included the kodak easyshare software and a soft carrying case.
    
    What it did not contain (and the most disappointing item) was the USB to camera port converter that plugs into the obvious Kodak proprietary port that allows you to hook up the cable that were supplied, as listed above. Very Cruel!...
    
    I contacted the retail store (Best Buy) and they told me it was an optional accessory that I would have to purchase seperately ($7.99 online @ kodak). They did not carry that particular item.
    
    Kodak: What was the point of enclosing all the cables if you could hook them up to the camera out of the box? Not satified with this point.
    
    Otherwise, I love the camera!

    Steve at 04:25am on Monday, June 05, 2006

15. For me, the fact that it is the ONLY camera with "Bluetooth" cancels out
    the cable dissatisfaction, especially since I just got two new computers
    with Bluetooth and a new printer with Bluetooth, and I plan to get a cell
    phone with Bluetooth very soon.

    GARY POGODA at 04:41am on Monday, June 05, 2006

16. I just purchased the camera from Best Buy yesterday after this review got me off the fence of whether to buy this camera or not. I did look at the Panasonic, but it is just to big and has a smaller LCD. Anyway it did in fact come with the adapter which Steve was missing. It also states on the box that it should be included. It is rather small and you might have missed it. After using the camera for a day now. I have to say it is great and I only paid 385.00 plus tax for it.

    Carlos at 06:02pm on Tuesday, June 06, 2006

17. Thanks Carlos, that's good to know. BTW, did your V610 come with a
    Bluetooth USB PC adapter, allowing you to download your pictures to
    any USB computer via the camera's built-in Bluetooth capability? And
    if so, have you tried downloading with Bluetooth?

    GARY POGODA at 07:47pm on Tuesday, June 06, 2006

18. Hi guys, I agree that a wide angle is a necessesity, do you know of any with a 28mm lens in the £150 - £180 price range.

    Gary Walker at 05:20pm on Friday, June 09, 2006

19. Gary, it did not come with the bluetooth PC adapter. So, I have not used this feature, but I can't wait to try it. I have read several other reviews and they state the process is easy and seamless. The camera seems to allow you to send the image in various sizes (resolutions) depending on what it is being sent to ex. PC, phone, printer.

    Carlos at 11:36pm on Friday, June 09, 2006

20. Carlos, if you know somebody with a Wi-Fi PC, I would be interested
    to know how the Bluetooth transfer speed compares with USB 2.0 in
    practice (as compared to theory which rates USB at over 100x faster)
    for a typical transfer of say 25 photos at full resolution.

    GARY POGODA at 03:04pm on Sunday, June 11, 2006

21. Gary (Walker), if you don't mind a lot of image noise, you may want
    to look into the Ricoh Caplio R3 and R30 models, which have 28 mm
    7.1x and 5.7x zooms, respectively.

    GARY POGODA at 03:17pm on Sunday, June 11, 2006

22. i want buy Kodak Easyshare V610
    now i have KODAK DX6490...good, but i need better;)

    2chemp at 02:56pm on Sunday, July 09, 2006

23. I think I'll wait for a 3 lense model with good macro/wideangle and image stabiliser. Please kodak.

    Carl at 01:56pm on Tuesday, August 01, 2006

24. My V610 is a fantastic camera!
    Lack of image stabilization is no problem!
    If I set up the 'scene' 'tool icon' with these settings--- ISO=800;SPOT METERING;&FLASH;OFF I can zoom A SNAPSHOT at 9-10 magnification, without the use of a tripod, and take an excellent hand-held zoom shot!
    Normally,at 1-3X I just use auto setting----but when I zoom in at 10X, I simply push 'scenes' button---"tool icon"(set as above described) and take the shot...to go back to auto, simply turn camera off/on.
    You can set the 'scenes' -- "tool" icon anyway you wish- in just a few seconds, and it holds the last setting until you change it--Even holds the setting thru off/on cycling of the V810. Once you find your unique 'settings' for your shot-purposes,transfer them to the 'scenes' 'tool' and show off your G-R-E-A-T LITTLE JEAN-POCKET-SIZE CAMERA !!!!!

    JIM MARKOW at 03:56pm on Thursday, November 23, 2006