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Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL
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User Reviews
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| Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL |
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Product Description |
| Kodak ZI8 Pocket Video Camera black Its small enough to fit in a pocket, but why would you ever want to put it there? Whether out on the town or just hanging with friends, the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera captures every experience in stunning 1080p HD video. Stay in focus while youre on the move with integrated image stabilization. Then kick back and watch all the action on your HDTV or share your scene on YouTube with the built-in USB. The Zi8 pocket video camera has all you need to define yourself in high definition. |
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Product 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 batteries and charger included
- Vibrant 2.5-inch viewfinder; Watch footage on HDTV with included cables
- Edit and share videos with included software
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Video Reviews |
 No video reviews found for this product.
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Customer Reviews |
 Great Value, awesome! But don't expect it to compete with $3000 camera |
| Review Date: October 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: R. Vernon, |
I rarely will type/review products but I've been a little frustrated reading the reviews of this product on Amazon and by users at other sites. Many users seem to think that this camera was designed to compete with expensive, professional cameras that cost thousands of dollars and produce full HD quality video. That's not what this is. Also, while my camera hasn't had the 'noise' issue from the Mic, i have seen a camera that had the issue and its BARELY noticeable. Its almost like a very quiet background noise from a Florescent light or something.
Kodak has designed, marketed, and built a camera to compete with FLiP and has clearly produced a FAR better product.
I'll keep it short and sweet and first explain who I am and what I am using this camera for. I use it for:
-Home Videos/Fun stuff with old buddies and friends
-For work when I need some quick video that's easy to upload online, or put in iMovie and edit
-For work when I need more complex videos that may require editing, or somewhat lengthy video but I want the ease of use/portability.
I have seen some of the problems stated with the internal Mic and I have had none of them (I do have the upgraded Firmware that is now standard 1.03, and Kodak says this completely eliminates the issue...again have never had the issue on my camera). A relative of mine was lucky enough to purchase this product when Kodak did an 'early' release a few months ago and occasionally his videos will have a bit of a higher pitched background noise, but it doesn't interfere with the sound from the video -- its just a light background noise that, honestly, i've heard on dozens of cameras. Don't forget, without an external Mic the camera only records mono so -- the sounds quality isn't going to be great anyway!
The video is great, image stability isn't as advanced as those available on more expensive cameras but it is better than anything i've seen in a FLiP or other Kodak model. It does work and you can see a difference, even if its not huge. Its SO easy to flip between video modes. The 1080p is awesome, but sometimes its nice to move back down to 720 and the 60fps to capture 'action' footage.
One negative -- which most people may see as a positive -- i do wish there were more settings, or at least the ability to play around with more features/edit modes. Its GREAT easy to use, its a point and shoot video camera -- but with the great lens and abilities, it seems like Kodak could have -- pretty easily -- had this camera competing with much higher end cameras. If all the hardware was put to great use this could compete with $500+ cameras. But I understand wanting to keep it simple.
I like having the SD card. Some people would prefer the internal memory, and yes by the time you buy a decent sized SD card the camera is more expensive than the FLiP, but, the FLiP has a very limited memory. This camera is limited only by the size of the card...Definitely a positive!
Finally, I know people that are both in the TV business and do a lot of Video blogging and they are drooling over this camera because of the external mic capabilities. One reason lots of 'pros' didn't like FLiP was because of the audio issues. Kodak has solved those, not to mention providing better quality video.
Again this isn't something to shoot with if your a young film-maker or a die-hard amateur cinematographer. But if you need something cheap to get some great quality video, or need something super easy to use that is really portable....Take the plunge. And if your considering FLiP -- don't bother... |
Actual footage in different lighting conditions
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| Review Date: December 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Richard C. Drew, Oak Lawn, IL USA |
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3DTAE8IALESIN Instead of shooting a review, I took some video, outdoors in the dark, in a dim room, and various lighting conditions. I erased the audio portion - it was just wind and ambient noise. The original video is great quality - hopefully Amazon does not compress it too much!
Christmas lights in front of the house, the tree inside the house, and some footage at the local gym (dark, medium and bright conditions!)
I also shot some close-up footage with the close-up setting on and off so you can see how it works.
All videos are recorded by the camera in .mov format. |
Significant improvement over zi6
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| Review Date: August 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Vivek Chaudhary, Portland, OR USA |
Since I already own a Kodak zi6, I will restrict my review to comparison between Kodak zi8 and zi6. Overall, I feel that zi8 is a significant improvement over the previous model. The video quality is definitely better than zi6 in all conditions, whether outside in bright sunlight or indoors in low light. The firmware is superior giving a more user friendly interface and buttons layout is much nicer. Unlike zi6 where setting menus was hidden, this time you get direct access to settings including controlling the screen brightness, altering mic sensitivity, turning image stabilization on/off and enabling/disabling face recognition.
I think this is a great video camcorder at a great price. Go for it!
------------- update: Sep 24 2009 --------------
Upgraded to the latest firmware 1.03, and this eliminated the background noise in my recordings completely! Wow. Thanks Kodak for listening to costumers and quickly fixing the mic bug.
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Overall, an excellent choice in this price range
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| Review Date: November 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Joseph S. Wood, Andover, MA United States |
As others have mentioned, you really need to add $20+ (for an SD card) to the price of this to compare it to Flip and other cameras with built-in memory (the Zi8 does have a small amount of onboard memory, but it's only enough to test the camera, not enough for any real use). That said, though, it's still a bargain.
First, and most importantly, the video (and audio) quality is exceptionally good for a camera in this price range. No, it won't compare with a $1000+ camera - but it compares very well with Flip and the like. My initial video was made by following my four year old around the house as she explained things to me. Bright sunlight to dark hallways to lit rooms, close to and far from the camera, still and active. We recorded (at 720p/60fps) for ten minutes, then connected the Zi8 via the included HDMI cable to the TV and watched. I was quite impressed. I wouldn't expect the Discovery Channel to use these to film the sequel to the Planet Earth series, but for recording kids, pets, outside events (I also recorded my dog running around the yard), etc., it does very well. Color fidelity is good, and the built-in audio had no perceived issues. Adding an external mic makes it even better (my daughters use one and attach a tripod so they can interview each other).
I'm a Mac user, so I can't speak to the ease of use of the included software, but I can say that the Zi8 connects easily to the Mac (the first time, I only saw the drive partition with the Windows software, but I ejected and plugged it back in, and from then on, I saw the image/video partition as well). The movies are all in H.264 format, so iMovie (or virtually any other video software) works well with them, and, as others have said, iMovie does jitter reduction well, so no need to waste camera batteries on image stabilization). Also, obviously, you can eject the SD card and use a card reader to import the movies and pictures on any OS.
Speaking of pictures... the picture quality is adequate, but very much in the cellphone camera quality range - I wouldn't use this to take wedding photos or to document UFO sightings, but it's fine for the things you'd use your cellphone camera to snap.
Ease of use is great, but I will admit that, at first, I took a lot of half-second videos because the camera begins taking video whenever you switch resolutions. Still, it's trivially easy to use.
I rate it five stars because, for the price (even including an SD card), I was very impressed with what came with it (cables, etc), with the quality of the recordings and of the camera, with the ease of use, with the external mic option, with the removable battery, and with the overall experience.
At under $200 with a memory card, it is currently the best of the pocket-cam options. |
A little Raspberry Wonder!
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| Review Date: September 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Larry Gwaltney, Florida |
This little gem arrived via UPS just last week, and I am extremely impressed with the combination of features, quality and performance. Three things to keep in mind - remember the price being paid, it's ease-of-use, what it can do, and you can fully appreciate this device for what it is. I work with output from the five-figure JVC HD cameras as part of my job, and you are not buying one of those. So it isn't appropriate to make comparisons between abilities and picture quality - and you also have to be very aware of lighting when using one of these.
Having said all that, I was still amazed at some quick clips I shot at a nearby lake. I played them thru the included HDMI to my 42" Samsung and was stunned at some of the resolution I saw. With careful placement of the camera and awareness of the lighting, it DOES approach broadcast-quality with the 1080p setting.
I put together a quick pastiche of clips from my road tour and posted it here at YouTube: Search under the term: "Lake Monroe Scenes." Also, check out another one I made called "Early Autumn" (under the name LGwalt).
Here you can see for yourself the strengths and weaknesses of this camera. When I can have full control of the lighting, the results approach spectacular. The shots taken thru the windshield while the car is in motion can show you some of the problems with lighting adjustment going from shade to bright light. This was edited in Corel Studio Pro. It was originally shot in 1080p, I converted it to 720p 30 fps in Oxelon for ease of editing in Studio Pro, and exported it to YouTube as a 720p 30 fps HDV file. |
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Popularity: 46%
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