Kodak Playsport Waterproof HD Pocket Video Camera
Posted by Notcot on Apr 11, 2010 in Photography |
Product Description
Kodak Playsport ZX3 Camcorder Black
- Kodak Playsport ZX3 Camcorder Black
3 CommentsReply |
|
The PlaySport is Kodak’s ‘upgrade’ to the very successful Zi8 model.Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera – Black
There are some differences between the two units, so decide carefully what you will be making videos of before making your purchase.
The PlaySport is missing the macro function on the lense that can be found on the Zi8, basically, this allowed you to focus clearly on close up objects. Also missing is the 3.5mm stereo mic input. This was very usful if you were micing up an instrument and recording interviews. It also meant that you could stand as far away from the camera as your microphone cable would allow.
However, the PlaySport has some improvements and features that trump the Zi8.
In my opinion the video quality is better, capturing video in low light situations is improved, the brightness of the lcd screen is adjustable, it works underwater, its smaller and fits better in your hand than the Zi8.
The Playsports lense is wider than the Zi8’s, meaning you can fit more in the frame.
To sum things up. If you are looking to do video blogging, music recordings, interviews and anything a bit more professional, then buy the Kodak Zi8. If you’re looking for something a little more rugged, a camera you’d not think twice about letting the kids use, a video camera to take on holiday or just something to carry around with you to whip out when you spot something worth recording, then the PlaySport should be your weapon of choice.
Rating: 5 / 5
Only got the camera yesterday [06/01/2010] and the camera itself proved to be a funky, easily navigable machine. It does what it says on the tin, apart from the software. I was wary of buying the Zi8 as there were some software issues on that. Curiously Arcsoft [the software for both Zi8 & P’sport] has on its forum page the question, ‘How do I edit on the Zi8?’ By buying the P’sport, this was the problem I hoped to avoid. As yet 6 days on the reply section to this question remains suspiciously vacant. So unless a solution presents itself in the next day or so, I shall have to pack the thing up and send it back to dear old Amazon.
At last the edit function has come to be by chance messing about. It doesn’t materialise until you drag the clip into the edit movie strip and then click on the red strip above the clip. It’s as simple as that and for an amateur like me that took some finding. A little bit of info pointing that out would have saved me half a day of messing. So my rating goes up by one star, but for such a great piece of kit that’s going to attract rank amateurs by its claims of simplicity, the lack of a simple step by step leaflet [their help page is no help in this respect] lose the five star rating.
Rating: 4 / 5
This is a great pocket camera although editing/rendering the Apple .MOV files is not easy. The ARCSOFT software supplied does not work properly on Windows 7 and there seems to be little or no support from Arcsoft. If this is an example of Arcsofts software then I should steer well clear of it. Its a shame that such a good piece of kit is let down by the software. Kodak should have used a capture format other than Apple Quick Time and a software supplier other than Arcsoft. The camera is worthy of 5 stars but gets 3 because the supplied software is not worthy of any.
Rating: 3 / 5