Kodak M580 Review

The Kodak EasyShare M580 digital camera is based around the combination of a 14 megapixel CCD image sensor, and a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon branded 8x optical zoom lens with 35mm-equivalent focal lengths ranging from 28 to 224mm. Unfortunately, Kodak's spec sheets don't list the aperture range for the lens. We do however know that the Kodak M580 includes image stabilization - but Kodak don't state the mechanism used (or indeed, whether it refers to true hardware stabilization).

The Kodak EasyShare M580 doesn't include an optical viewfinder of any kind, instead selecting a 3.0" LCD display. The EasyShare M580 can store images on either SD or SDHC cards, and also includes 64MB of built-in memory. Power comes courtesy of a Kodak KLIC-7006 lithium-ion battery, and unusually the M580 can also be charged with a standard USB charger.

Kodak's EasyShare M580 includes the company's face detection technology, capable of detecting up to five faces in a scene. In addition, the face recognition function can be programmed to automatically recognize the faces of twenty specific individuals, who can then be automatically tagged when their face is detected in an image, allowing quick location of their photos in-camera or in software that can read the tags. Other features of the camera include 30 frames-per-second 720p (1,280 x 720 pixel) QuickTime MotionJPEG high-definition video capture, ISO sensitivity to 1,600 max., and three-image in-camera panorama stitching.

Available from April 2010, the Kodak EasyShare M580 is priced at around $200, and can be purchased in five body colors - silver, light blue, brown, purple and pink.