The Kodak Easyshare V705 is a modest upgrade of the innovative Kodak V570, which was the first camera to feature not one but two lenses when it was released last year. The official name is Kodak Retina Dual Lens Technology, and it allows Kodak to offer both an ultra wide-angle lens of 23mm and a more standard zoom lens of 39mm-117mm in the same camera. The Kodak V705 actually has two 1/2.5 inch, 7 megapixel sensors inside it, one for each lens. All of this advanced technology is housed in a very stylish and expensive looking black metal body that is just 20.4mm thick. Kodak have improved on the older Easyshare V570 by increasing the megapixel count from 5 to 7 and extending the ISO range from 50-1000 (available for all image sizes). As well as offering 22 scene modes for every possible shooting situation, the Kodak V705 also has an advanced video mode. You can zoom when shooting up to 640×480 video at 30fps with sound, turn on the digital stabilizer to reduce the effects of camera-shake, and even split the video in-camera after you have shot it. So have the relatively modest upgrades made the Kodak Easyshare V705 a worthy successor to the V570? Find out now by reading our latest in-depth review.

Aside from the colors, the V705′s body is almost identical to the V570′s, complete with the automatic sliding lens cover emblazoned with Ultrawide and 5X. The 5X part is actually a bit of marketing hype, since it includes the gap between the 23mm lens and the start of the 3X zoom at 39mm. Kodak employs digital zoom to fill the gap, but remember, it’ll rob you of a bit of resolution, though not all that much, since it’s only about 1.7X worth of digital zoom. Since there are two separate lenses, there is some parallax error when switching between the two, much like when you close one of your eyes, then switch back and forth between your left and right eyes. It is most noticeable when doing close-up and macro photography.

The big 2.5 inch high-resolution color LCD gains up in low light situations and features a wide viewing angle. With KODAK’s PERFECT TOUCH Technology you can make your pictures as vivid as the moment you took them, print better, brighter pictures, and clear up dark shadows to reveal more smiles.Thanks to Anti-blur technology you can reduce the blur caused by camera shake, subject movement, or low- light conditions. The V705 automatically adjusts its settings to let you choose from 22 scene and 5 color modes letting you take the best shot with the least effort.

The V705 is part of the KODAK EASYSHARE System, so sharing your pictures is amazingly simple. Just press “Share” and your photo will be ready to print or e-mail later. With the KODAK EASYSHARE Software (included) you can organize files and folders, print greeting cards, and create Photo Projects.

This presents a bit of a problem, since the lenses on the majority of zoom compacts have a minimum focal length equal to around 38mm, which really isn’t that wide at all, so in order to get everyone into the frame you either have to step backwards and trip comically into the goldfish pond or spend ten minutes persuading aunt Ethel and cousin Bob to squeeze in a bit more at the ends. To the rescue comes Kodak, ever the champion of social photography, with the latest in its unique line of dual-lens cameras. The EasyShare V705 has one zoom lens that covers the usual 39-117mm territory occupied by most 3x zoom digital compacts, and another fixed lens that is equivalent to 23mm, by far the widest angle lens on any compact digital camera, and more than enough for even the most extended family get-together.