Kodak Zi8 Users

BigBear
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Fri Apr 02, 2010 7:03 pm

I am curious about how those of you that use the Kodak Zi8 mini cam have liked it so far. Reading the many forums it seems that the camera is generally well liked but if you ever need Kodak service it is just plain dreadful. To the point of never buying another Kodak product. The Flip MiniHD seems to be even worse.

There are concerns with the EIS system eating batteries, the system freezing at the worst possible times, the light levels dropping when zooming, a "jello effect" when shooting in 1080p and on and on.... The 1.06 firmware update seems to have fixed some of the problems but not all.

Has anyone tried the new Sport version? It's $50 cheaper and other than not having a macro feature seems to do the same thing as the Zi8 except it's somewhat water-proof (this seems to be dabatable as well!).

So my fellow TG'ers what's the verdict? I trust you guys a lot more than a bunch of strangers! I know that any camcorder for under $200 isn't going to be perfect but if I take the plunge I'd at least like to get the best available at the time I buy it.

Thanks much! :cheer:


dekotaj
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Fri Apr 02, 2010 9:58 pm

Hey Bear,Dont spend your money on what I think about new tech stuff.But I for one think it is fantastic.I love mine.Greatest thing sence sliced bread.

Kevin


d_dog
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Sat Apr 03, 2010 12:36 am

I love my Zi8. I have not owned the FlipHD, but a lot of reviews I read prior to buying the Zi8 touted the Zi8 as the winner. Mine works perfectly so I can't speak to any customer support issues.
The macro lens switch, external mic jack, SD card support and superior video quality sold it for me. I typically never shoot in 1080p, I always use 720p, the picture is fantastic and plenty high enough resolution for anything I would ever want. And that it shoots at 60fps is a big plus, this is great for fast action and also great for slow motion shots in post production. I will admit the battery life is not very good at all. I'll probably be getting a second battery to keep in my case for traveling. I am not sure how this compares to the Flip. The audio quality is actually pretty good, but an external mic is better. Just as a side note/tip. In the settings there is a mic gain setting, you can increase the mic gain which helps a lot. However the unfortunate thing is that every time you turn off the camera, the mic gain setting reverts back to half, or default setting, very annoying and unnecessary in my opinion. I think I'll write them and complain about this.
Here is a video I made using the Zi8 recently, assembled and edited in iMovie.
There are some still images in here too. This YouTube version is only 480p, the original 720p looks even better. Since YouTube doesn't allow the upload of copyrighted music, I had to add one of my own recordings for background music, it's my cover of Every Rose Has It's Thorn by Poison, well part of it anyway.
For $180 I don't think you can go wrong at all with the Zi8.

BTW, the "blurry" edges is not a defect, it's an "artistic" filter, called Romantic, applied in iMovie, it looks better in full frame at hi-res.




Chasplaya
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Sat Apr 03, 2010 12:58 am

I have a Samsung and its possibly somewhere between the Kodak and the Flip, they arrived in NZ before either of the Kodak and Flip so got the jump on the market. They are now about $100NZ less than what i paid :( , I will need to read up on the specs as I aint no techie with cameras. The recent vids i've done were with it purely trial and error and once I learn a bit more about it I believe the quality will get better. But hey the alternative is spending mega bucks, circa way too much!!, hmmm wife just bought (rather I just bought for her) a new sewing machine... maybe some leverage there...

PS No external mic though bummer!


BigBear
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Sat Apr 03, 2010 2:01 am

Thanks guys, that's great feedback! :cheer:


BigBear
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Sat Apr 03, 2010 2:01 am

Thanks guys, that's great feedback! :cheer:


Chasplaya
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Sat Apr 03, 2010 2:40 am

BigBear wrote:
Thanks guys, that's great feedback! :cheer:
You got a sttttuttter Bbbear


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neverfoundthetime
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Sat Apr 03, 2010 4:31 am

my Zi8 belongs to Alessandra but she lets me use it when ever I want ;-). I love it. Perfect videos, easy to use and hook up to the computer. You do have to have the camera at distance of about 3- 4 mtrs to film yourself playing guitar as there is no zoom function but you get used to how you have to use it. Al was the one to recommend it to us all and he's our resident professional cameraman... what more can we say!


dennisg
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Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:04 am

I think I first heard about the camera in Consumer Reports, where it was very highly rated.

On the plus side: Fantastic video quality with a terrific light sensor -- I shot my last video (Sad Songs & Waltzes) with no room lights on, and it's still exposed perfectly. Easy to trash unwanted videos. Handy, take-anywhere size. Minimal learning curve. External mic jack. SD card storage. Tripod mount.

On the minus side: Doesn't zoom out far enough -- camera must be placed some distance from subject, meaning internal mic is about 8 feet away from subject (not an issue if you use external mic). Funky pop-out USB connector (awkward to connect to computer).

Conclusion: Not exactly an Apple product, but the next best thing.


suziko
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Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:25 am

I've had my Zi8 for about 4 months now and love it. I've stopped using my regular digital camera for taking still photos, and now use the Zi8 for that because the quality is so good and it's so easy to use.

Dennis already mentioned the things I like about it (besides the still-photo thing), but I want to say that I actually really like the USB connector. I like that I don't need to hunt around for the appropriate USB cable when I want to upload videos. You just plug the camera itself directly into the computer. I like that aspect a lot.


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