Kodak Zi8 Camcorder Review

by Jeremy Stamas
Published on Feb 5, 2010 2:30 PM

 
Intro
 Product Tour
Color & Noise Performance Motion & Sharpness Performance
Low Light Performance Compression & Media
Manual Controls Still Features
Handling & Use Playback & Connectivity
Audio & Other Features Kodak Zx1 Comparison
Flip UltraHD Comparison JVC GC-FM1 Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Introduction
The Kodak Zi8 The Kodak Zi8 ($199 MSRP) is an ultracompact camcorder with some impressive specs: Full 1920 x 1080 HD recording, a 5 megapixel still image capability, and a 3.5mm external microphone jack. Even with these strong specs, however, we found the camcorder to be more of a disappointment than anything else. 
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Section The Good The Bad
Product Tour Camcorder is available in three colors: black, aqua, or raspberry Lens has terrible focal range
Color & Noise Performance Noise results were decent Colors were not accurate in our bright light test (thanks to a bad auto white balance system).
Motion & Sharpness Performance Motion was smooth and artifacting was very low for a camcorder of its class. Sharpness was a disappointment considering the camcorder can record Full HD video.
Low Light Performance Overall low light performance was good; saturation level and color accuracy in low light was excellent. Low light sensitivity was significantly worse than last year's Kodak Zx1.
Compression & Media Three HD and one SD recording options The built-in editing software doesn't work on Macs.
Manual Controls Auto exposure works well. Auto white balance is not good under certain kinds of light; camcorder has no manual video controls to speak of.
Still Features Takes 5-megapixel still images (interpolated) No special still image controls, no size options for photos
Handling & Use Button design is better than previous Kodak camcorders; rugged, durable design Menu icons are difficult to decipher; camcorder cannot stand upright on its own
Playback & Connectivity Good set of connectivity options VCR controls during playback are confusing; certain ports aren't protected by covers
Audio & Other Features External microphone jack and manual audio level control Built-in microphone doesn't record stellar audio

 

Kodak Zi8 Comparisons
the Kodak Zx1 the Flip UltraHD the JVC GC-FM1
Kodak Zx1 Flip UltraHD JVC GC-FM1



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