Kodak Zi8 HD Video Camera: Great for travel & video blogging
A few days ago I wrote a post called "Are camera phones the new point and shoot cameras" and I guess the same thing could be applied to video cameras as well. I have a big older 3CCD Sony VX2000 Mini-DV camera as well as a newer Canon VIXIA HF10 HD camera that I LOVE! However, unless I'm specifically doing an event recording I'll probably just capture something quick on my iPhone 3GS and share it. The Canon is small but it's not pocket small. So this time I really do have a need for something in between. While the Canon is great, I don't always have it with me. While I do always have my iPhone with me the video is not the best. First off it's only VGA (640×480) and not widescreen. Everything I do nowadays is widescreen or HD unless it's something personal and fun just to share with friends/family.
I was leaning towards the Flip camera until I ran it by my buddy Dave Helmly (guru of all things video) and he has both cameras and said hands down the Kodak was better. Since they're the same price, I didn't look any further and I bought the Kodak Zi8. I gotta say, I'm blown away by what this little thing does. First off it supports video at full 1080p HD! My HF10 only does 1080i. It has a built-in SDHC slot so I just stuck in one of my Transcend 16GB Class 6 SDHC cards and started shooting. My use for this camera will be mostly for video podcasting/blogging and a few interviews here and there. Speaking of interviews it has a stereo mic input. Another huge plus as I can plug in any mic I want. I'm starting with this one. The Zi8 is about the same footprint as my iPhone 3GS and maybe 1.5 times as thick.
I recorded my first video in 720p mode with it here. This is using the built-in Mic. (Don't forget to switch the YouTube playback to 720p to see the maximum quality):
The experience was great. I used a Gorillapod to hold and angle the Zi8 and once I was done recording, I plugged in the Zi8 to my Mac Pro via the built-in USB pop out cable and stared editing in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 right off the camera. Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 natively supports these tapeless formats and my buddy Dave did this video on editing from these USB cameras.
A couple of gotchas
Although the camera mounts right on the desktop via the USB plug, I will most likely just use a card reader going forward. Why? because once I was done editing and then started exporting the video using the Adobe Media encoder the Zi8 went to sleep and unmounted itself from the desktop. It appears that once it's fully charged and thinks it's "not in use" it shuts off. So from here on out I'll either edit off the card just like I do with the Canon or copy the video from the Zi8 via the cable. Another small thing is that you have to remember that there is NO ZOOM (optical or otherwise). CORRECTION: There is a 4x Digital Zoom. There is however a Macro mode switch right on the top of the unit. So while this camera is great for up close and personal stuff (what I plan on using it for) it would be very challenging to do event recording.
Sample Files
Here's a 5MP still shot I shot from the Kodak Zi8 right off the camera.
Here's a few seconds of 1080p HD footage I shot with the Zi8 in the native .MOV format right off the camera so you can see the quality and test compatibility with your editor.
The Bottom Line
The Zi8 is a GREAT buy at this price of $199 (on sale here at $179) yes I got the black one in case you were wondering 
). It also features a 5MP still camera and can do full HD if needed. The mic input is a huge plus and it even has HDMI out for connecting directly to an HDTV to watch the footage. My primary use will be HD on the web/youtube and that's mostly 720p which this camera does great at. So I'm happy. If I ever need 1080p it does that too.
Also since I'll always have it with me it means that I can do more video reviews on the road.
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