Kodak Zi6 HD Pocket Video Camera by Kodak
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Digital camera reviews of Kodak Zi6 HD Pocket Video Camera
Digital camera Review: For the price you can't beat it.
Summary: 4 Stars
Picked this up at a local Best Buy for a mere $109.99. I was surprised to see them in stock as their website says online only. The competition to this is the Flip series of usb camcorders. The basic Flip Ultra goes for about $150 (on sale) but only films at vga (640x480) quality. For less than $150 at most outlets, the Kodak Zi6 gives you 16:9 HD quality (720p) video at 30 or 60 frames per second. Additionally, the memory is EXPANDABLE with SDHC cards up to 32GB (more on this later).
While the Flip gives you way more built in memory (2GB) that can hold 60 minutes of video, the Flip is not expandable. So you better take a laptop or something with you on vacation to off-load the videos.
The Kodak Zi6 can hold several hours of HD quality video on an 8GB SDHC card (not included). The cards are cheap to buy, I picked up a class 6 (highest speed) SDHC card for $16 on Amazon. So you can take this on vacation with an extra card and record 6 hours of HD video without ever connecting to a PC to offload.
The Zi6 also has a much bigger and clearer LCD screen (2.4" vs 1.5" on the Flip)
Con: The battery life of the included AA rechargeable batteries is horrible however. I have tested regular AA batteries in it and gotten much better life span out of them (2 hours vs less than 1) I may purchase a second Duracell brand AA charger and batteries to see how those last with it.
Pro: This sucker INCLUDES HD cables to hook up to your HD TV! (regular cables are also included if you want to watch on any old TV) That is a huge value and more than makes up for the lack of internal memory for me. HD cables are $$$!
On a side note, the build quality of these seem less than bulletproof. The first one I got had a crackling microphone. The second one I got it seems the gain on the mic was really hot (hissy). I don't see a way to adjust it, but at this price I am not going to quibble about a hot mic.
The video themselves were very nice, especially in natural light. My biggest surprise was the quality of the indoor video. I was expecting the worst after reading the reviews, but you know what? It actually does a pretty darn good job indoors! Yeah, if you try shooting without turning on some lights, the frame-rate drops a little to compensate. But turn on some lights and it's just fine.
Slow motion using the high speed HD (60 fps) setting is unbelievable.
The lens is zoomed a little tighter by default than other cameras of this ilk. The advantage being it gets your subject closer showing more detail. The disadvantage being it is prone to a little more shake because of it. I don't find it a huge deal. Just keep your elbow bent and move slowly when shooting.
IMPORTANT NOTE!!! I recommend not using any SDHC card larger than 8GB in this camera. Description says it will use any up to 32GB. Kodak's own site say the card accepts cards up to 32GB but cards over 8GB are untested and users may experience issues. It seems some users are having no problems with 16GB cards, but some are. (read through the reviews)I would keep the cards 8GB or under and you'll be fine.
Just food for thought, I compared the Flip Ultra series in this review which only records a resolution of 640x480. An HD (720p 30 FPS) version of the Flip is also available for well over $200. It still is limited by non-expandable memory (60 minutes internal),includes only a standard definition TV cable, and doesn't provide the option for stills or recording at lower resolutions if desired.
Not Knocking the Flip cams so much as I am touting the value of the Zi6. Hopefully it holds up!
Digital camera Review: Fun
Summary: 5 Stars
I record my RC plane flying with this camera attached to my hat. Great fun and nice video.Digital camera Review: Get it from Beach Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great camera. I ordered it from Beach Camera, as amazon was sold out. I ordered yesterday with standard shipping, and an hour later it shipped. I am INCREDIBLY happy with the seller. It took them only a day to get it on my doorstep!
The quality of the video is what you pay for. It's great quality, but it doesn't have image stabilization, so you need a stable hand. For an example of the quality search youtube for kodak ki6 field test. If you want a good camcorder for an amatuer this is a great one.
Overall this is a great product sold by a great company.
Digital camera Review: Good job for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
We bought this camcorder after our brand-new, much-pricier Panasonic's sound quit working right after the second use. (Our saga with Panasonic and their unresponsive customer service is detailed in one of my other reviews.) This camcorder is extremely easy to use, and it makes good, clear, consistent videos for the price. The image and sound quality are very good. My husband loves to study every feature and trick of an electronic gadget, but the zi6 was simple enough that I could take it out of the box and shoot some nice, clear video with sound, zooming, and a few other basic videographic elements, all without reading the manual. I love that I can just pick it up and start shooting when my daughter's doing something cute or funny -- it's that easy. The large-ish LCD display made it very easy to see exactly what I was shooting. If you need really steady shots, a tripod would be in order -- the image can shake if I don't pan carefully and my hand wobbles. The still photography is not high-quality; the results are similar to photos from a basic cell phone camera, but I didn't buy it as a still camera, and for great still photos, I use a digital camera created for the purpose. The zi6 is not a fancy, high-end, "serious" camcorder, but if you're looking for a camcorder that shoots great, basic video on the fly with little to no learning curve involved, this is a wonderful choice for the money.Digital camera Review: Good product
Summary: 4 Stars
Our organization used this camera to take about 15 minutes worth of footage daily make a bumper video for 5 weeks. This is a pretty solid product, and am pleased with the quality of video that it turned out.
Battery life was okay, could have been better.
The center button is a bit weak, and as the summer went on, it got less responsive.
The camera did take my abuse quite well. It did get dropped a couple times on hard floors.
I'm not a fan of .MOV format, but Windows 7 and Movie Maker Live supports H.264 just fine.