If you need to do occasional video – a product review or introduction, video presentation, instructional video etc – don’t be concerned with investing into expensive 1080p video camera. You can do excellent video for under $100. Hard to believe? Read on…
When I recently had do a little video project, cost of a full HD camcorder concerned me somewhat – after all I’m not in video business, I only need it occasionally, and investing into a good Sony or Canon HD camcorder wasn’t in my plans.
When my pal tipped my about this little Kodak Zi8 1080p camcorder, I didn’t take it seriously. What such a toy camera could possibly do? No zoom, no large lens… And it’s CHEAP as if it belongs to toys store – other even entry level 1080p camcorders cost hundreds!
So I went to look for feedback from other users
So I bought it for just under $100, caught Kodak Zi8 sale – for this price why not? – and took it to test drive. It appears that this little puppy is capable of producing excellent 1080p or 720p video under the right conditions. No, it by no means as versatile as the “real” HD camcorders, it’s not a tourist camera – would you expect that for the price? But…
Where Kodak Zi8 shines?
Two words: tripod and microphone. No other pocket camcorders of this price level feature both, not even the ever popular Flip camcorder. Kodak Zi8 does. And it’s best to be used with both – as long as Zi8 is on a tripod the video quality is excellent. And external microphone is essential to capture good quality sound.
Videos for web are usually monologues, where the camera doesn’t have to move a lot to follow the subject. Kodak doesn’t like to be moved during shooting – video blurs noticeably until camera is steady again, and this is my only little complaint about this pocket HD camera. But if the subject is mostly static, and the camera is on a tripod this is not an issue at all. Absence of optical zoom bothered me only until I bought the camcorder – for purposes outlined above zoom is rarely used, and I never missed it.
So, for any video project where the host will mostly stand and talk – blogging, instructional video, presentations, etc this camera does great job, and unless the video quality requirements are very high this is all you need.
On the fun side, it’s a great party camera. While shooting kids is a bit hard due to the fact they always move, if you take a right position where camera doesn’t have to move all the time it does the job right. Video quality indoors with insufficient lighting conditions is more than decent for the purpose. And thanks to its low price – if it gets damaged from splashed beer it’s not much of investment to regret about.
Kodak Zi8 1080p camera is very light and small, so there’s no question what camera to take outdoors. It might be a good idea to get an extra battery though.
Kodak Zi8 vs. Flip video cameras?
Flip pocket camera is extremely popular gadget. However Flip is more point and shoot fun pocket camera, whereas Kodak Zi8 is more practical choice when you need a good video, as an opposite to just want some video.
Kodak video camera has some highly useful options Flip doesn’t offer, and you can see more in Kodak Zi8 specs
- Microphone jack – PRICELESS if you do video you want others to actually see
- Digital Image Stabilizer – unseen at this price
- Four video quality / resolution levels – let you shoot straight for YouTube ot blu-ray without conversion
- Option to shoot video at a standard frame rate of 30 frames per second or at 60 frames per second
- You own memory card. While it might seem as disadvantage (you’ve got to buy one), it allows you to have as much storage with you as you need
- 4x zoom
- Connects to 1080p HDTV using built-in USB cable
Kodak wins hands down as a pocket camera for pro-sumers, bloggers, or as a pocket video camera for business. Flip, on the other hand, is an excellent option as a party camera.
As with any modern tech, my advise is to see other users 1080p camcorder reviews and opinions – nothing compares with real world feedback.
Kodak Zi8 is available in black, raspberry and aqua colors:
|
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Black)
|
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Raspberry)
|
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Aqua)
|
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera - Black
|
|
 List Price: $179.00 Sale Price: $399.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days 
|
Product Description
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera Black
Details
- Record High Definition video (1080p at 30 fps with 16:9 aspect ratio)
- Easily upload recorded footage to YouTube with built-in USB and software
- Expandable SD/SDHC card slot up to 32 GB; Rechargeable battery and charger included
- Vibrant 2.5-inch viewfinder; Watch footage on HDTV with included cables
- Edit and share videos with included software
Manufactured by Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak Zi8 night performance is excellent, with very good video quality for the camera prices so low.
Kodak Zi8 battery life could be better, the stock battery is only enough for about 50 minutes of intensive use. Just get yourself an extra battery if you’re planning long video sessions.
Kodak zi8 firmware update: to my best knowledge the latest version is 1.06, and it’s located on Kodak Zi8 support page
Check out the new portable HD camcorder Kodak PlayTouch
Kodak Zi8 Tripod
Zi8 has a standard tripod socket, so any of compact tripods will do just perfect
Read
customer reviews...
Read
customer reviews...
Kodak Zi8 YouTube
Kodak Zi8 comes with the software TMI (Total Media impressions), very simple and at the same time powerful tool. Besides others features it allows direct upload to YouTube and Facebook. Note that TMI doesn’t come on the disk, it’s on the internal flash memory – plug in USB cable and you’ll see the drive.
You Asked:
- offerte pre kodak zi8 pocket hd video
