Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Raspberry) - Zi8 Raspberry

Kodak zi8

8/23/2010

I got this flip-style camera because my other one did not have an external microphone port. I love this one, though I have to sit down and figure out all the ways to use it. I got a Sony mike, as I felt I had to shout at my other camera in order to be heard and with this camera, I can speak in my natural voice. I like the picture quality and the fact that it's HD. I have only done 4-5 videos with this camera and shall do many more, so perhaps my review will be updated. Much prefer it to my other flip-style camera. Plus, the monitor to view the videos is much larger and easier to see.

WOW, what a great little camera

8/23/2010

WOW, what a great little camera. I have to be honest, I had my doubts about this camera when I bought it. I couldn't imagine such a small camera being able to deliver the kind of video I was looking for. I was wrong. This camera puts out amazing video. The HD video has to be seen to believe. I was shopping for a camera for months. I couldn't find a camera with the features that this camera has for under $500. You will be amazed at the sound and the image stabilization. I highly recomend this camera.

My only complaints are that I wish the viewing angle was a little bit wider and I wish there was a way to put a wind screen on the built in mic. It would also be nice to pick what kind of video output this device gives but even high priced cameras don't provide this option. It would just be nice to be able to switch from .MOV to .AVI. These are very minor issues that would in no way stop me from buying this camera again.

Not Bad but Not Perfect

8/20/2010

The performance of the Kodak Zi8 is just OK. A couple of gripes. First, the sound recording is very sensitive. If you zoom in/out or touch any buttons while recording, you hear click noises during playback. I also do not think that it records sound all that well. Some of the still pictures I have taken are grainy (could be my lack of understanding the more advanced settings). As for the good, I love the portability of it. The video is pretty good but not as good as I expected. Admittedly, I don't really have a good point of reference as to what to expect from similar products. I would recommend trying out several competing models if you can get your hands on them before buying from Amazon since you cannot return it once opened. Or, just buy from Walmart and use their return policy if needed.

Great HD results with key features that set it appart from crowd

8/19/2010

The balance of features in this camera is very nice, better than the low cost HD pocket cam alternatives to date. I'm using these cameras in research, which requires a few key features:

+External mic input - essential for getting understandable voices in many environments. I use the Olympus ME52 voice mic and a mono-stereo adapter and it works very well, slighly emphasizing the spoken word and de-emphasizing background noise. A good cheap mic that also works well is the jWIN stereo computer mic.
+Range of video resolutions including 1080p, 720p, and, importantly, a wide SD mode (WVGA). I shoot mostly WVGA as this balances quality of the video with manageable file sizes. Much of our research and video work is fast cycle, so the speed and ease with which we can manipulate and edit the long WVGA video files is a big plus. Editing MOV files is also easier than some of the other encoding alternatives chosen by other camera manufacturers, for example, AVCHD with high bit rates.
+Wide angle lens option - essential for many indoor shots. Using the Kodak Zi8 0.45x Wide Angle With Macro (Modification Style) Magnetic Lens + Cronies Micro-Fiber Cleaning Cloth which fits perfectly and does the job at .45x magnification.
+Records to SD cards vs. internal memory - essential for managing multiple days of research back to back. To enhance speed of download and just to ensure smoothest possible recording, I'm using the SanDisk 16gb Extreme 30MB/s Edition SDHC High Performance Card.
+Removable battery - again, needed for shooting long research hours over multiple days. Nice that this battery is also the Fuji NP50, making for broader availability and more charger options. I'm getting 100+ minutes of recording on a full charge and fresh battery.
+VERY easy to use! Menus, controls, ports, all easy to find, intuitive to figure out and use. Essential when introducing new folks to the camera under the pressure of field research.

What I wish for in the next version:

-USB/webcam live video out - would make capturing live video directly to computer much easier.
-Model with Optical image stabilization - Electronic helps, but there is really no comparison to OIS.
-Model with Optical zoom, say 27 (wide) to 100 mm (35 mm equivalent).
-Separate start/stop button from the zoom controller/joystick. Too easy to accidentally start or stop a recording when you don't mean to.
-Option to disable the red tally light - distracting
-Model with Bluetooth audio in/AV out - take in a BlueTooth mic like the Sony ECM-AW3 for even better audio, monitor live audio via bluetooth headphones or headsets, and stream AV to a computer.
-Small clip on external battery to extend run time (without making any ports or the tripod connector unusable).
-Less finicky about which SD cards work for extended recording.
-Headphone jack to monitor audio if the BT bandwidth is taken up with input.

I'd pony up another 50% increase in the price for these improvements!

Additional key accessories besides those above:
+Kodak 1047398 Pocket Video Case - very compact, but fits camera, extra batteries, the external mic and the wide angle lens.
+Kodak Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery/KLIC 7004 10x Kodak Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery/KLIC 7004 or Fuji NP50 and a good, compact travel charger.
+TrekTech TrekPod mono/tri pod - most versatile pod there is, and carrying it with your camera mounted stabilizes shots to a remarkable degree, sort of like a poor person's steadycam

But all in all, a great product for the price, with critically important (to me) features that set it apart. Nicely done! Now lets see the Zi8 *Pro* added to the product line with all the above :-)

Great Pocket Camera...a must have if you have little kids

8/19/2010

It properly happen to every parent...you wish you can capture different moment your kid has. Yes, you will never forgot the first time they walk...etc. But, with this little camera, I can carry it with me all the time and capture many things that I will normally missed. Yes, Indoor/low night quality is not that good, but I don't need the picture to be perfect to enjoy footage of my kids.

When my first child was born, I already have a Sony Hi8 camcorder sitting around, so I use it to capture his birth and a few special trips. But, the Sony Hi8 camcorder was too big to carry around with me all the time. I got the Zi6 over one years ago, it was wonderful, I am able to capture many moment about my kids. I heard that the indoor/low light get a lot better with Zi8, so I got it last week. It was great. The picture quality improved (a lot) for indoor and outdoor over Zi6.

These are what I love the most...
- small and proable, I have it on me everyday...
- take good quality video for the camera of it size
- removeable SDHC card

These are what I have issue/concern

- I love Zi6 that use AA batteries to power. I use rechargeable AA and I can prechage ton's of them before trips. Also rechargeable AA is relative low cost and record time are very good as well. I can record 2 hour of 720p 60fps in 1 set of 2700mA AA batteries. The AA charger and batteries can be use for other electrics as well. But Zi8 use Li-ion, I end up need to spend an extra $40 for extra KLIC-7004 batteries and charger.

- I have a little concern about the heat, I continues recorded for about 1 hours, the camera was on a tri-pod. When recording was finish and I try to remove the camera from the tripod, I feel the camera was quite warm/hot. Normally I only do shot clips, so this should not be an issue for me. But this is something to keep an eye on.