Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Raspberry) - Zi8 Raspberry

An Amazing Camera for What It is Worth

8/12/2010

I wanted to get a camera for home movies, filming places around town, and going to events. I am very happy with this camera. I have had this for about 6 months now and here are my pros and cons about it.

Pros:
- It has great picture quality. For the size and price of this i am very pleased with who the picture looks. Inside shots can look grainy on my computer but they look good when i burn it on to a dvd and watch on my tv.
- It is very portable. I am to the point now where i throw this in my pocket with me every time just in case something exciting or interesting happens. I love the ability to be able to take this things anywhere. I have taken this with me to concerts to film the show and various other things like waiting in line, filming drunk people, and getting video of what the place looks like like. With this camera people usually can't tell i am filming them. It looks like i am holding a cellphone.
- I like the ability to add things to this camera. I can buy extra batteries and extra SD cards which means there is no limit to how long i film. I have a 16 gb card and two batteries. I will go through two batteries and start running out of memory after filming for 40 minutes or so. Which isn't bad considering in most cases i don't have the camera on and film something for 40 minutes. I usually film a minute or two of something then turn it off and then repeat that till i run out of space. But again, if i am worried about that i can buy another 16gb card and another battery or two. I also like that there is an external audio jack or microphones.
- The audio is great on it. On my computer i can everything really well but sometimes not so much on my tv. The concerts i have recorded have sounded and looked fantastic
- USB. I like that the usb is built in and it doesnt take long to get the files on computer. It can charge through the USB as well. When i went camping for three days and had not outlets, i brought my laptop and used it to charge the battery and take the files off of my camera, which i loved.

Cons:
- Shaky video. Walking or moving around a lot with this makes the picture very shaky. I did notice that some of the shakiness went away when put the videos on dvd and watch it on tv. I try not to film while i am walking because it looks horrible. When i pan the camera around i do it extra slow to make sure it looks good. I highly recommend a tripod for this camera. People moving in front of the camera looks fine, the problem is when the camera itself is moved.
- Add ons. While it can be great, like i mentioned above, it also sucks that i needed to buy so much extra. I got a mini tripod, regular tripod, extra battery, 16gb SDHC card, camera bag, light for night shots. It maybe a 150 dollar camera, but if someone doesnt have these extra features already and feels like they need them then it can get pricey
- Software. The movies are in .mov format which sucks for windows. Like others have said it means that you can't make quick dvd's using Windows DVD Maker. I have a different video editing software which crashes when i use .mov files. So, i got something to convert .mov files to .avi files. That works fine but it is time consuming. I have to wait for the videos to convert to the right format, then edit them and then wait for the movies to be formatted to be burned.

Overall, i would still recommend this to people. I love the picture quality and the fact that i am at least able to add on different things which you can't do with a FLIP. The camera is good for someone who is looking to shoot home movies and for someone who is looking for something portable. I have loved using this around the house, out camping, and going to concerts.

It Has It's Uses

8/11/2010

The picture and sound are good and this rig definitely has it's uses. I would recommend buying a color rather than black. It is easy to lose. Another color would show up better. It's shape, lightness and small size make it difficult to hold steady but that is the nature of the animal. The tripod socket is a plus.

Best purchase I ever made

8/10/2010

We had purchased a camcorder which we hardly used many years ago. Now we won't go anywhere without our Zi8. We love that we can view it on the television, its ease of use, its lightweight and the fact that it replaces both our camera and camcorder. We made this purchase to take videos of my mother-in-law (now 95) and have accumulated many memories which we'll be able to enjoy in the future. She loves viewing herself on the television. You will not regret this purchase and will be amazed at how much use you get from it. There is obviously a major difference from viewing a photo as opposed to a video. My only suggestion is that you purchase the memory card with your purchase because the Zi8 does not have enough memory to enable you to use it right away.

Kodak Zi8 pocket video camera

8/9/2010

IN ALL, I PURCHASED 6-- ALL WERE GIVEN AS GIFTS,
I HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANYTHING BUT POSITIVE COMMENT.

Flip What?

8/7/2010

If your deciding between the Flip camera and Kodak you can stop doing research now. I have both, and Kodak wins hands down. Built in mic input jack, 1080p possibility, FREE HDMI mini cable (Flip doesnt come with mini HDMI) and an external battery charger and separate SD card. The only expense out of the box is a decent SD card BUT once you get one their very portable and many vehicles will have the capability to play directly from SD soon as well, so its easy to take your videos on the go. Kodak ZI8 is a win win!