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July 16, 2008
[REVIEW—KODAK V1073 camera]
Price: $400
Typically Kodak
The low-down: This is a 10 megapixel compact camera with a 37–111mm zoom lens, branded as Schneider Kreuznach. The lens is optically stabilised and there is the obligatory face detection. Images can be captured in the appropriate resolution and format for high definition television. The only viewfinder is the 7.6cm LCD screen which becomes unreadable in bright sunlight. The ISO speed settings go up to 8000! (They have to be kidding.) The special feature of the camera is that almost all controls are through the LCD touch screen. The camera is handsome in an austere way and it feels solid enough in the hand.
Like: The picture quality is typically Kodak – bright, slightly over-saturated and over-sharpened. Postcard prints made straight from the camera on the new Kodak ESP5 printer are consistently excellent. And, much to our surprise, we found that pictures taken at ISO3200 are almost acceptable when allowances are made for the fact that it shouldn’t work at all. Noise reduction is generally, but not always, well handled at all speeds.
Dislike: There is a strange effect of noise reduction that shows up in areas of solid colour, such as blue skies. The effect appears as solid blocks of blue of a different tone. Very curious. And the LCD is totally useless as a viewfinder in sunlight. The protective layer over the touch screen makes viewing in bright light impossible.
Verdict: The test camera came without an instruction manual but we had no trouble finding our way around the various functions – the mark of an intuitive piece of equipment. We liked the zappy, Kodak-style images and were impressed with the print quality, even up to A4. Touch screens are not much to our liking, they seem more gimmicky than useful. And the zoom control is ridiculously small. But as the Box Brownie for the twenty-first century the Kodak V1073 fits the bill. And unlike the Box Brownie it will fit easily in anyone’s pocket.
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Posted by terry at July 16, 2008 11:26 PM
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