Kodak v570

Well, the time has come and gone on our very first digital camera. Geez, it took us about 5 years to actually get one, but now it has said good-bye. After Showieb's trip to Guatemala, our Pentax Optio 555 is now sitting on a lonely white cloud with wings. How cute.

Anyways, Has and I were at BestBuy yesterday admiring all the new televisions. I even got a chance to watch the Mission Impossible scene in "Shrek 2". Hilarious! We swung by the camera section to browse. And there it was...

...the Kodak v570 Dual Lens! I had seen nothing like it! First of all, it had not ONE, but TWO lenses. Why two lenses, I have no idea why, but I'm sure it has something to do with the zoom. Secondly, it was black. And finally, it was small and skinny! Like a man in the lingerie department, I usually look, but never touch. This time, however, I was pressing every button and snapping pictures left and right. The neat feature is that it's a 5x zoom without you actually having to zoom in before snapping the picture. After you take your pic, you can zoom in or out 5x!

"I want it!" I whined to Has as I clung onto his arm. I half-heartedly walked out of the store empty handed.

"You can do some research on the internet first, " Has said as he tried to calm me down. Damn him. Why does always have to be the voice of reason? He was right, though. I pretty much fell for the looks and dazzles of the Kodak v570. I was hesitant to read reviews about the camera because I was afraid that it would leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

After researching the Kodak v570, I found that it's overall a good camera. One review mentioned that for a 5MP camera, it took excellent 4MP pictures. Hmmm... Highlights include: easy of use, quality of pics, and an option for the user to select they type of focus or flash depending on the scenery. For example, if you are taking pictures on the beach or in the snow, you select your scenery and the camera will auto-adjust depending on the amount of light in the background. Neat, huh? No more guessing...you just select your scenery type. Cons include: short battery life and weak flash.

Has anyone out there seen or own this camera? What are your impressions? Was it truly love at first sight or a complete waste of money? What cameras out there are better? Any suggestions?

6/7/06: After MUCH research into other cameras, I actually decided to get our Pentax repaired. I didn't realize the value of our camera in terms of monetary value and quality of pictures until after I had compared it to the other cameras. The price of repair would be not completely "total" the Pentax!