Kodak EasyShare V570 digital camera

Posted by T3 Online on Mon 29 Oct 2007

The first dual-lens snapper steps, blinking, into the light.

Wide-angle and close-up - can you really have great versions of both without splashing out on a camera body and multiple screw-on lenses? With this new snapper, Kodak wants to prove you can.

This is the world's first dual-lens digital camera and it looks stunning. With its two dark eyes - one for wide-angle shots, another a standard 3x zoom - set into a minimalist slick of chromed steel on a sea of black metal, this is masculine, hi-tech design at its finest.

To switch between lenses, zoom in and out using the discreet thumb rocker. When the zoom bottoms out at 39mm equivalent, the display flips to the wide-angle lens almost instantly. It's fixed focus, so don't try any close-ups, but it takes stunning landscapes and party shots.

For day-to-day photography, there's the 3x zoom and the usual features such as scene modes, exposure compensation and various metering and focusing options. A push-to-select joystick takes care of most navigation, along with a column of smart metal buttons on the back. There's also a decent 2.5-inch display that produces grainy images in the dark, but sharp, colourful ones when you're viewing pictures taken earlier.

The Kodak's images have fine colours and crisp exposure, but neither lens pulls a great deal of extra detail. Noise is kept down and the flash is reliable, although it struggles to illuminate the far corners of the frame in the wide-angle setting.

This camera isn't for everyone. The wide-angle lens offers new possibilities, but how often will the average person take advantage of them? You could also quibble about its overall performance at this price, but you can't argue with its looks or innovation. This is destined to be a cult classic, not a best seller.