Kodak Zx1 Camcorder Review

by Kaitlyn Chantry
Published on Jun 5, 2009 9:40 AM

 
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 Sony MHS-PM1 Comparison
Flip UltraHD Comparison Kodak Zi6 Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Introduction
The Kodak Zx1 ($149.95 MSRP) represents another addition to the growing market of ultra-compact budget camcorders that record HD video. While the current market is dominated by Pure Digital's Flip line of camcorders, products like the Kodak Zx1 and Sony Webbie HD camcorders offer their own unique designs, settings, and features—all in an attempt to produce a simple video recording experience.

The Kodak Zx1 is an attempt at rugged versatility with its water-resistant design, still photography capability, and multiple frame rate recording all packed into a pocket-sized body. The camcorder also offers a practical design: instead of including a gimmicky pop-out USB arm, the Zx1 offers well-protected ports that include an HDMI output, USB, AV-out, and an SD/SDHC card slot. Of course, with its ambiguous buttons and confusing interface, the Zx1 also has some major design flaws. Still, if you're in the market for an ultra-compact, and you want to check out something besides a Flip, the Kodak Zx1 is a worthy option.

The Kodak Zx1 is currently available in blue, pink, yellow, black, or red varieties. Kodak also makes the Zi6, which has nearly identical video performance to the Zx1, but offers a slightly different design.
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Section The Good The Bad
Product Tour Pleasant aesthetic includes some nice curves and five color options Small, fixed lens offers little versatility
Color & Noise Performance Nothing of note Terrible color accuracy thanks to a poor auto white balance
Motion & Sharpness Performance Excellent, smooth motion Sharpness isn't quite as good as the competition
Low Light Performance Better sensitivity and color accuracy than other ultra-compacts Nothing of note
Compression & Media Convenient MOV files and the ability to record in standard definition Editing software isn't as user-friendly as Flip software
Manual Controls Automatic exposure and focus work well Auto white balance is terrible indoors; 2x digital zoom is finicky; there aren't any manual controls
Still Features It takes stills, which is more than we can say for the Flip series The stills are terribly
Handling & Use Easy to use, very comfortable to hold; ships with AA batteries and a charging station Frustratingly ambiguous buttons; impossibly hidden menu
Playback & Connectivity Can view clips in fullscreen or as thumbnails; excellent rubber port covers; ships with an HDMI cable Playback controls are confusing—we never figured out the "slow-motion playback"
Audio & Other Features NTSC (American) and PAL (European) video output Pitiful monaural microphone



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