Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera - Black
by Eastman Kodak Company
Our Price: $499.99
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Eastman Kodak CompanyAudio: English (Original Language)
Model: 8796062
Color: Black
Product features:
- 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
- Kodak Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery/KLIC 7004
- Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 [Old Version]
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (3.3 Feet/1.0 Meter)
- Kodak Wide Angle Lens
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera - Black
Customer Review: You want a real review?
Summary: 3 Stars
I have been using camcorders in a nonprofessional capacity for a couple decades. Currently my 2 camcorders are a Canon HF200 (please do not buy this because as of this date all sellers including Amazon are asking it's original retail price for a 2009 model when the 2010 model is half the price.)
What I will be doing is comparing the Kodak Zi8 which I bought on closeout elsewhere for $70 with the Canon HF200 which I bought for around $700 new a couple years ago.
You might think this a really unfair comparison, but I think it very fair and here is why:
1. The Canon is a year older than the Zi8 (or same year depending how you count these things)
2. They both shoot 1080p at 30 frames per second
3. They both claim to have image stabilization.
4. Many purchasers of 'pocket' camcorders do not wish to sacrifice performance, they simply want the ultra portability of the size factor. I think this is a point missed by all the manufacturers of pocket sized camcorders who routinely sacrifice performance in the interest of size/cost.
Let's start with audio:
- The internal mic is pretty good on both. By pretty good I do not mean it records pro quality audio on either. For that you need an external mic and this is one area the Zi8 sets itself apart from it's pocket sized competition. I suspect the makers of these small and relatively inexpensive devices think purchasers really do not care about audio quality. I think they are wrong. The sound quality of the Zi8 internal mic is quite good (don't worry about earlier reviews saying it was terrible, this was a firmware issue now corrected), but it simply won't produce crystal clear audio for any kind of video work when compared to an external lav mic for interviews or a shotgun mic for interviews or more distant sound sources while filtering out unwanted ambient noise (such as wind). In this area I actually have to give the Zi8 the nod over the much more expensive Canon HF200. In outdoor conditions the Canon seems to pick up every little blowing of the wind. The Zi8 seems to avoid this pretty well while still picking up voices 20' away. Not loud or with pro quality sound mind you, but intelligible. Bottom line:audio quality on both when indoors is equal, outdoors the Canon picks up hideous amounts of wind noise while the Zi8 seems to filter it out much better. With an external mic they are equal, but using the internal mic the Zi8 at the $70 I paid for it is better than the Canon at 10x the price.
Now, the video:
- Simply put the more expensive Canon beats the snot out of the Zi8 in this regard. If both camcorders are placed on a tripod and exposed to generously lighted situations they are probably comparable to most eyes. Where the Canon really shows it's superiority to the Zi8 and really all pocket sized camcorders is when panning or trying to capture anything even resembling fast motion (such as a child kicking his/her feet). The Zi8 will produce a noticeable blur in the motion while the Canon will not. Both are supposedly recording at 1080p/30fps, but there is a sharp distinction when it comes to panning or simply recording fast moving subjects.
- Image stabilization: These days IS is a buzz phrase, but what it actually accomplishes ranges from nothing to astonishing. For the Canon, it's close to astonishing and for the Zi8 it's close to nothing. Actually, I am being generous. For all intents and purposes the Zi8 has no image stabilization. At 1080p with IS on hand holding the camcorder while holding the breath produces a very noticeable shake in the captured video. I found that using a tripod placed on my deck still resulted in some jitters from people/dogs walking on the deck (though not too bad). With the Canon, none of these jitters were present. Simply put the IS on the Zi8 is a completely fabricated marketing joke. Useless for anything other than draining the battery faster. If you do not want to induce motion sickness on all who watch your videos you must use a tripod with the Zi8-PERIOD. I really am not kidding here. It's just not possible to hand hold this unit at 1080p and not get a shaky cam effect that is really nauseating to view for more than a couple minutes. This is true of all pocket cams and it takes either a tripod or 'real' image stabilization to deal with this effect. The Zi8 has no real IS, it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick. The lack of true IS means fast moving subjects as well as panning is affected by a blurring effect and all handheld scenarios record a nauseating jitter. The 720p/60fps is better than the 1080p/30fps in this regard, but not by a lot. Unless you will use the Zi8 set on a solid surface, please do yourself a favor and get a mini tripod for it. Search Amazon for ' Gorillapod ' to find what I consider to be the most superior 'mini' tripod on the market today.
- Low light: Roughly equal with a slight nod to the Canon. I was actually surprised at the video quality of the Zi8 in low light. By low light I mean indoor lighting at night. It is not great. There is no camera or camcorder at any price that is great under such conditions, there are only varying degrees of bad. Having said that the Zi8 shows oddly colored pixels where black should be before the Canon does, but not by much. For a pocket cam it is actually respectable (but again, nothing is great under such lighting).
Field of view: This is an area I consider critical, but rarely is it even mentioned in professional reviews. I wont go into the numbers, but the Zi8 has a pretty narrow field of view. What this means is that the camcorder needs to be pretty far away from the subject to fit everything into the frame. The Canon has a much more generous field of view and in fact the pocket cams for 2011 all seem to be offering 'super wide angle' lenses standard. This is probably the worst part about this cam because there is nothing that can compensate for it. A tripod can compensate for motion blur (to an extent) and jittery video, turning on more lights can compensate for low light scenarios, an external mic can compensate for the limits of the internal mic etc. Nothing can compensate for the lack of a wide angle lens though. For example if you wanted to record a crowd of kids around your dinner table during a B-Day party you would need to have the cam 15' or so away to fit everyone in. Not everyone's room sizes will be able to accommodate this. With a wide angle lens you could do the same thing from 6-7 feet away.
To sum up, the Zi8 doesn't really compare with a $500-$800 camcorder. If you need top notch results don't even consider the Zi8. Still, for the price, it's probably the best all around camcorder available and the better quality camcorders simply will not fit in your pocket. I wouldn't have bought the Zi8 if not for it's pocket size and it's now bargain basement price (I got it for $70 shipped). To get the most out of it you will need to spend another $50-$100 on accessory items. These items can be reused on any camcorder you purchase in the future. The items are an external mic for top notch audio and a mini tripod for stability. Really I would recommend an external shotgun mic and tripod at any price point, it's just that with the Zi8 and all pocket camcorders the tripod is pretty much mandatory to avoid motion sickness inducing video. The audio is fine as is if you are OK with 'normal' camcorder audio, otherwise you need an external mic.
You can get much, much better camcorders if you shop smart and buy last year's model on closeout. For these expect to pay around $300-400 for something that originally retailed for $500-800. It won't fit in your pocket though and that's the primary reason (other than it's now closeout price) to get the Zi8.
At it's price point the Zi8, introduced in 2009, is still at the top of the heap in early 2011. Even the successors from Kodak don't really improve on it's video quality at 2-3 times the price. This is a real gem as long as it remains available, but please do not expect it to compare favorably in terms of video quality/IS to a $500+ camcorder.
Put it on a solid surface, with good lighting and you will likely be impressed. Beyond this use, more expensive camcorders that unfortunately won't fit in your pocket will kick the snot out of this and all other pocket sized camcorders.
Description of Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera - Black
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera BlackCamcorders
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