Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Raspberry) - Zi8 Raspberry

Completely Let Down

8/4/2010

Let me start out by saying that I was truly excited for this item. I had done a lot of research of different models trying to get the most bang for my buck. It basically came down to a tossup between this zi8 and the Flip UltraHD. I decided to go with this model because of the removable storage. Let me start out with the good comments.

Pros: This pocket cam is extremely easy to use. I'm pretty sure anyone can turn this on and figure out how to use it. The feature set of the camera is relatively small so you aren't overwhelmed with options. It boots up quickly and you're recording in no time. I like having removable storage so if I'm out on a long trip or something, I can take multiple cards and batteries and be able to record a lot. It is relatively small and although it is a little thick, I could still fit it in my pocket, or more comfortably, a purse. It does have a convenient usb connection that flips out on the side so you can plug it in. As far as the pros, that is about it.

Cons: I bought this flip camera not only for the convenience and portability, but also to be able to record good quality video. Like the title says, I was completely let down by the quality of video this thing shot. I was so excited when I got this and opened it and started charging the battery. I almost couldn't wait until that was done to start using it, but when I shot the first few seconds of 1080p video and played it on my PC, it was like someone deflated me. I was so let down by the quality. Not only was the 1080p video grainy, but even slow movements with the camera caused choppy video and the colors were over saturated. I'm by no means a camera expert or a quality snob, but this was just not what I was expecting. I then spent the rest of the afternoon playing with settings, shooting in low light, outside in daylight, shooting at 720p and 720p 60fps and everything was disappointing. Maybe I was expecting too much from a $150 camera, but when I read something that says 1080p, I expect to see video in 1080p like I'm used to watching. Honestly, I couldn't even tell that much of a difference between the 1080p and the wvga videos. I'll be sending this camera back and just investing in a full blown video camera that does 1080p.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a camera that shoots decent 1080p or even 720p video, don't get this one. If you're looking for a compact video camera that is easy to use, quick, and shoots mediocre video, then this might work for you.

The Best Camcorder you can get for personal or business use without spending a fortune!

8/3/2010

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3CATJG31PHYJF Let me start off this review by saying that I absolutely love this camera!

I thought that the video we posted here would be a good choice because of the different lighting variations. We also didn't use the lavalier microphone so you can hear what the normal mic pics up and filmed this all by hand without the use of a tripod.

We're an international adventure travel company, and we needed something that we could bring on our trips.

Our Wish List:

- A camera that was small and light weight for travel.
- A camera that had an external mic plug-in.
- Something relatively inexpensive.
- With fantastic picture quality
- A long battery life
- Records in a file that is easy to edit

After some exhaustive research we found that the Zi8 was our best option and we "almost" got everything on our "Wish List."

Small/ Compact
Pro: The camera is very small and light weight. It's about the size of my cell phone and perfect for throwing in our bags while trekking some jungle trails.
Cons: None

External Mic Plug-in
Pro: This camera has it! We use the Audio Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone and it works perfectly!
Cons: I'm glad the camera has an external mic plug-in because the regular camera mic is not all that fantastic. It works and sounds OK, but it's just not spectacular. Beyond probably 4 feet from the camera, the sound becomes muffled.

Inexpensive
Pro: Roughly $150!!! We're pretty active on our trips with hiking, rafting, kayaking, etc.. so the potential for damage is there. We wanted to get a camera that if damaged we wouldn't spend a whole lot of time crying over it.

Picture Quality
Pro: This camera shoots in HD. We shoot all of our videos in 720p and the picture quality has met our expectations.
Cons: The camera does get kind of temperamental in low light situations, but this really hasn't been much of a problem.

Battery Life
Pro: At least it has one.
Cons: It doesn't last very long. While shooting in 720p with image stabilization turned off we get roughly an 1 hr. 30 min - 2 hr.'s of film. I wish it was longer

Editing
Pro: It does have editing software that is built into the camera and it is very basic. Probably good enough for family videos.
Cons: This camera records only in .mov files. If your looking to do some real editing, and you have a PC, Good luck to you. We searched for a good program to edit these videos on our PC's with no luck. It's possible, but just not very easy. We ended up just buying some Mac's and editing is a breeze! Imovie loves .mov files.

Here are a couple of other little things we learned about the camera.

Image Stabilization
- the camera comes with image stabilization. We have ran many tests and have found no difference with having it on or off. If your recording while walking with this in your hands, while watching the video on playback make sure you have a barf bag available. You're in for a bumpy ride.

We ended up purchasing some extra equipment which has proved to be very valuable.

The Audio Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone has proven to be a valuable asset while conducting interviews or when in a noisy jungle and we want our voices to actually be heard.

The AZDEN CAM-3 On-Camcorder Mini Audio Mixer has been valuable when wanting to hook up multiple microphones at one time.

The Tekkeon TekCharge MP1800 has been useful in extending the battery life. Instead of around 2 hours of film time, we can now get about 5 hours on one charge.

The XShot Camera Extender - Black (XS2379) is a great hand held tool which allows you to record yourself without having to set up the full tri-pod. The XShot also seems to steady the camera a bit while walking and filming yourself.

A Tripod. You're going to need one. This camera will screw onto any standard tripod stand.

If you want to see some more videos that were filmed using this camera just go to FalkAdventures.com and look in the blog section.

Overall, we think this is a great camera. It's done everything that we've needed it to do and I would recommend it for anyone who's looking for an inexpensive camera that shoots great quality video as long as you can either keep your arm really steady or use a tri-pod.

Kodak Zi8-best small video recorder in the world

8/3/2010

The Zi8 is great! If you want a simple easy to use video recorder that is small and easy to carry around this is the best around. Download to computer is siomple as well. Get rid of your Cannon hand helds...this is the best.

Kodak Zi8 Pocket vedio camera

8/3/2010

I like the size of the camera, I don't like the camera/vedio is that it does not have a built in flash. When you take picture indoor it will be dark. The video is ok but I am not that happy of how the video comes out when it is downloaded to the computer to watch. It is more of a still picture then a movie style.

sent it back

8/1/2010

The video quality was terrible when loaded on to a cd. The sound was inaudible. Plus I had to buy a memory card as the memory it comes with is worthless. I returned it.