Nonetheless, you can still get some pretty smart, six megapixel cameras with many good qualities for a full hundred quid or so less – this is still very much a luxury gadget. However you do still get your money’s worth, with the unique 10x zoom, the dual-lenses and the very modern Bluetooth transfers, which is why this camera wins our seal of approval.

A 10x zoom lens in a stylish pocket camera, together with great ease-of use, a brilliant LCD screen, wireless support and a wealth of playback and sharing options is a combination that is hard to ignore. The V610 may be just a simple point and shoot camera in terms of creativity, with no control over aperture or shutter speeds, but you will find that the focal range is simply too liberating to ignore.

The Kodak V610 is a delight to use. The 40x digital zoom will take you places you haven’t been before with surprisingly little dropoff in quality.

Kodak’s innovative twin-lens, that first appeared on the V560, was a headline grabber. Now with the V610 theres still no sign of a copy from competitors. However, the image quality sometimes leaves a little to be desired, especially when compared to the (admittedly larger) super zooms out there which offer up-close imaging.

Overall, this is a mixed bag. Fitting Bluetooth and a 10x zoom (albeit a jumpy one) in such a tiny and chic frame is incredibly impressive. The LCD, however, is a joke. Your choice…

The V610 is a truly unique camera and it will offer many users a level of convenience, capability, and pocketability that is available almost no where else, but this micro-cams pitifully weak battery and Kodak’s failure to include image stabilization land the V610 solidly in the “could have been” category.

This one is a toughie. The EasyShare V610 has a number of features that make it attractive: looks, thinness, a 10x optical zoom, built-in Bluetooth and Perfect Touch technology. I really have problems with the LCD screen and the hiccough as the camera “hands off” from one zoom lens to the other. And the camera is pretty slow saving images to the card; overall image quality was average, nothing to write home about with more noise that you should expect from a 2006 digicam. Bottom line: if it were my money, I wouldn’t buy it.

As one of the only pocketable cameras with a 10X zoom lens, the Kodak EasyShare V610 is on the cutting edge of design; we just wish the image quality were better.

Focusing is inconsistent and battery life is short. But the V610’s 10x zoom, ease of use and sleek design are enough to compensate for the shortcomings.

What makes this camera shine – its 10x zoom, ease of use and sleek design – may be enough to compensate for its shortcomings.

If you want a huge zoom range in a compact body then this is the camera for you but if you’re going to demand absolute image quality or require image stabilisation then you may have to settle for something a little larger.

Some things to ponder about when considering the V610 include its worst-in-class battery life, no manual controls, a little button clutter and having to live with very limited shooting information. Autofocus could be improved in many ways too. The Kodak V610 just doesn’t cut it to be recommended by me. The Panasonic Lumix TZ1 is better than the Kodak in many ways and has a single 10X lens which is faster and has optical image stabilization.

To me this camera has problems, it is not cheap, but it does try to innovate, certainly the dual lens is a good idea, however the notch at a point near the middle of the zoom is a problem, perhaps with a lot of use it could become a feature. However the poor flash to me makes it a unit only suitable for outside use or in very well lit locations. The lack of a viewfinder is another difficulty for anyone used to using one.

With a long-range 10X optical zoom, Kodak’s EasyShare V610 can bring the farthest subjects into full, detailed view. Unfortunately, this dual-lens camera also has a propensity for blurred photos at its highest zoom levels, plus disappointingly short battery life. What makes this camera shine—its zoom, Bluetooth capabilities, and large LCD screen—may be enough to compensate for its shortcomings.

Not considering the zoom, this digital camera turns out a poor performance with higher than average corner softness, vignetting, poor indoor white-balance, a weak flash and very poor battery-life. Since there are lots of ultra-compact cameras who perform better than this one and are much cheaper, there are not any real reasons to justify buying the V610.