Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Aqua) by Eastman Kodak Company
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Our Price: $189.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Aqua)
Digital camera Review: I'm disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
After reading previous reviews, I really expected more.
Unless you're on a tripod and shooting a well lit scene, the video quality will suffer significantly. Video under ideal conditions is passable, but once you're outside that narrow set of ideal conditions, you'll wish you'd bought a better camera. The only saving grace is that it's $179. If your only criterion is cost, here's your camcorder. If you care about quality, keep shopping.
Digital camera Review: Just good enough - bad software
Summary: 3 Stars
First impression: The camera seems just good enough for easy use. What I really dislike is the software for editing film. I have some experience producing film from my good old Canon DVI and Pinnacle Studio software. It works. ArcSoft does not. I recomend that you should have a pretty fast processor and lots of RAM to make film in a smooth way from your Ai8 with the following software. It is really to bad. A pretty fast portable (XP) did not run at all. My stationary PC moved veeeery slowly. Besides I found the software little intuitive, so sitting there waiting for something to happen was a real down-trip for me. Sorry. I cannot recomend this camera with the added software. H :-(Digital camera Review: Kodak Zi8
Summary: 5 Stars
Ideal handheld photo and movie camera. Easy to use and uploads are a snap. Price and performance match.Digital camera Review: Kodak Zi8
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a compact video camera with picture taking ability. I love the memory expandability by use of SD/SDHC cards. This camera requires ample lighting for best performance so it works pretty good outside on sunny days. The problem comes when there is not enough light - the video will be very dark and the pictures are very grainy. You also need to have a very steady hand when snapping pictures otherwise they are blurry. Hopefully the next version features a video light, flash and maybe "night vision" that will resolve these issues. For this price it is a convenient little gadget for carrying around and not missing "life's little moments" but by no means will this replace your high-end camcorder and camera.Digital camera Review: Kodak Zi8
Summary: 4 Stars
It is my first camcorder, and I can't compare it to other ones. So my review might be not as objective as you'd like. My excuses.
Pro:
- Video quality in good lightning is awesome! It won't beat pro camcorders for sure, but for its price quality is just stunning! 1080p/30 gives you lots of details for steady views, while 720/60 provides stability on the go.
- Camera is compact and perfectly fits my pockets. I can take it wherever I want, without the need of case.
- It is very easy to control: just power it on and press "red" button! That's it! All camera settings are at the distance of 2-3 clicks.
- Camera supports external microphones through standard 3.5mm jack. I haven't tried this feature yet (I just don't have external microphone), but from "YouTube" videos which I saw, nice external microphone definitely improves the quality of recorded sound. So I consider this feature as a plus.
Contra:
- Low-light shots aren't perfect: video becomes noisy and details are lost.
- Camera comes without memory card, and internal memory size is ridiculously small - just 15 megs. So if you plan to buy Zi8 consider to reserve some additional 20-30 bucks for SD card.
- Zi8 construction does not provide any protection to the lenses, and there's always a risk to put some dust and scratches on it.
- Camera has nice macro (~15cm) and landscape mode (~2+ meters away). But if you'll try to film something in between 15cm and 2m away from Zi8, then camera just won't focus on it. Yep, clear self-vids are impossible, unless you're not as tall as a Navi. :)
Not sure:
- Someone says that battery life isn't enough, but it's OK for me, I can barely imagine the situation where 1+ hour of continuous filming won't be enough.
Overall:
If you're planning to use camera in nice lightning conditions, and you're not the fan of self-vids, and you already have SD card or some extra money for it, then go and buy Zi8! You won't regret!