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*April 25, 2006 – *Just months after the release of the world’s first dual lens digital camera, Kodak announced its next dual lens star. The Kodak EasyShare V610 has the same look of the Kodak V570 with its two Schneider-Kreuznach lenses and trim 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9-inch black body. While the V570 distinguished itself with its ultra-wide lens capability, the new V610 uses its Retina dual lens technology to enhance the telephoto end of the spectrum; the new model also incorporates Bluetooth technology to share images. The 6-megapixel Kodak EasyShare V610 has 10x optical zoom and claims to be the world’s smallest camera with that zoom rating. It will retail for $449 when it hits the market within the next few weeks.
The new V-series digital camera incorporates Bluetooth technology so that users can wirelessly send pictures to enabled mobile phones, PDAs, computers, and photo printing kiosks. It can do this within 30 ft of the Bluetooth device. In addition to Kodak’s ever-present Share button, the new V610 will have a Kodak Perfect Touch button that automatically fixes poor background lighting and dulled colors. Between the innovative wireless inclusion and the ease of use features, the EasyShare V610 is placed to woo consumers in the point-and-shoot market.
"Kodak innovation continues to make it easier for people to take and share better, sharper pictures," said John Blake, general manager of Kodak’s digital capture and imaging devices in the company’s consumer digital imaging group, in today’s press release. "We’re creating cameras for the digital age, breaking traditional constraints by using multiple light paths, lenses and sensors; by incorporating wireless technologies; and by taking advantage of advanced digital processing algorithms."
The 5.6-ounce Kodak EasyShare V610 will be most distinguishable by its dual lenses, but the camera also has a 2.8-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels of resolution. With 22 scene modes including an in-camera Panoramic Stitch mode, the V610 doesn’t boast tons of manual control. Still, there is a 64-800 manual ISO range and plenty of in-camera editing options; cropping, rotating, and red-eye reduction are just a few.
The 10x zoom is operable in the movie mode, which shoots at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240-pixel resolution. Digital image stabilization is also available in the movie mode. There are 28 megabytes of internal memory, but they are designed for use as the built-in Favorites album. With this, users can store up to 100 VGA-sized photos for spontaneous slide shows with the family and friends.
The claim to be the world’s smallest 10x digital camera may very well be true. Nikon has a 6-megapixel digital camera that measures 4.4 x 2.7 x 1.4 inches. The Nikon Coolpix S4 has a 10x optical zoom available from a folding lens barrel. It originally retailed for $399, but the price was lowered to $349. More recently, the Panasonic Lumix was released with its 5 megapixels and 10x optical zoom lens. It measures 1.5 inches thick and retails for $349. The Kodak EasyShare V610 is priced higher than these two models, but is much thinner and easily portable.