Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 407
 Excellent Camera for Wet Sports April 23, 2010
Erik J. Hyypia (Seattle, WA USA)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
Overall: I have almost nothing but praise for this tiny camera. It's the size of a cell phone, shoots HD, has image stabilization, contains software for making movies and uploading them to YouTube and other social media site, is rugged, water proof, and best of all, shoots better video than the Flip cameras. The "almost" is minor, in that most users shooting for more than 20 minutes in the wild will want a second battery. It really is best-of-class in tiny video cams, and nothing else comes close to its environmental ruggedness. Buy it. Have a blast. Kodak did it right.
Hardware: I purchased the Black PlaySport ($150), the Kodak High-Speed 16 GB 60x Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card ($40), the Kodak 1706290 Resilient 1 Camera Case ($7), and a tiny flexi-leg tripod ($6). The camera comes with a wrist strap, USB charger, USB cable to connect to your computer or charger, and an HDMI cable for your HD TV. The enclosed user's guide is minimal in its explanation of the controls, and does not include shooting tips, but the camera is so simple to operate that you really don't need much more. All components worked flawlessly out of the box. The leash runs through a strong hole in the camera body, and you can use the wrist strap or even run a long leash to your belt for extended-arm shooting while paddling or skiing.
Charging: Initial charging and all my subsequent charges via USB took about 20 minutes. The USB cable has a standard plug on one end, and a micro-SUB on the other, which is great for me, because my Blackberry car charger also uses a micro-USB. When I shoot intermittently, turning the camera on and off a lot to save battery, I am getting 20-30 minutes of video at 720P at 60 frames per second. You can shoot while charging, which is great for the car or indoors where you have wall power. If you plan to do lots of outdoor shooting, get at least one spare battery. Charging and HDMI ports are on the right side of the camera behind a gasketed waterproof door. The battery and flash card are on the left side of the camera behind a separate gasketed door. Both doors seal very well if you keep the gaskets clean.
Controls: The center select button is used to start and stop shooting, take a still picture, or start and stop playback. Surrounding it is a black control ring that lets you choose from 720P, 720P-60FPS, 1080P or still shots. When shooting, the ring lets you zoom in and out, displaying the zoom level in a red bar-graph on the display. The ring also allows you to choose settings for underwater, sound, image stabilization, and other options. The top left thumb button selects shooting mode. The second button selects playback mode. The third button is the trash-can. The fourth button lets you set the camera's options. The controls make sense and are easy to use, even with light gloves on.
Start and Stop: When you start shooting video, the camera emits a quick chirp, and when you stop it emits a lower tone chirp, neither of which appear on the video itself. This audible feedback is wonderful when you are shooting blind, which I often do by stuffing the camera on a tiny tripod into my lifejacket pocket while kayaking. The camera takes about three seconds to power up when off, and it automatically turns off after about 4 minutes of no shooting to conserve battery life. I love that feature!
Shooting: The camera has an F2.8, 5.54mm lens, and software that tracks and focuses on faces (switchable). I frequently hold the camera in hand, arm extended, and shoot myself from the front, side, or even over-the-shoulder. The focal length is perfect for self-portrait shooting and narration. The zoom works nicely, though occasionally jumps slightly as it approaches full zoom. Image stabilization really helps when at full zoom - big kudos to Kodak for this feature. It also helps when shooting trail running with arm extended.
Video quality: The video quality is excellent, and to my eyes, far better than that of the various Flip cameras. When I shoot calm subjects, I use 702P at 30 frames per second, which gives great results with a minimum of memory use. When I shoot action with a lot of subject motion or camera motion, I switch to 60 frames per second, and the results are stunningly good. The camera responds reasonably quickly to light level changes, such as panning up and down between a bright sky and dark ground, but you may see about 1/3 of a second of under or over exposure s the camera responds.
Image stabilization: I shoot sea kayaking videos, which contain lots of water movement as well as camera movement, and the image stabilization works pretty well. If you start seeing "jumpiness", such as when you rapidly pan, turn off image stabilization and it will get smoother. If, on the other hand, you are not panning, but simply trying to hold your palsied, shaking hand steady, turn on image stabilization and the result is very good.
Uploading to your computer: The first time you plug the camera into your computer it detects that the ArcSoft software is not installed and ask you to install it. The software is located in the camera; there is no external CD to lose, which is brilliant. Once installed, the software is extremely easy to use to select and upload shots and clips from the camera to your computer.
Making movies: The software lets you easily make movies by dragging and dropping clips into a sequence. Clips can be edited so you only get the good stuff, and you can tweak the light and color levels. You can add transitions, music, voice-over and even text frames with a variety of fonts, font sizes and colors. This is not a full-featured editing studio, but rather one that is incredibly easy to use for things like YouTube, Facebook and burn-to-DVD videos. You can save the "project", which contains all the settings for your move in an editable format, so you can come back later and add that missing scene and delete uncle Ed's belch.
Uploading to social media: The same software allows you to upload to a whole variety of social media, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and burn your video to DVD. The upload process automatically formats the movie for best results on the particular social media you select. It then connects to your account and uploads the movie. I regularly upload 720P videos to YouTube. YouTube then automatically converts the upload to 360P, 480P and 720P, and lets viewers select the speed that works best on their computer/connection. You can see uploaded examples, each labeled with the shooting resolution and speed - search youtube for "erikhy". (Note that these videos are from someone who has never shot ANY video before getting this camera.)
I'm in love with this camera for travel and adventure shooting.
A Fine and Versatile Video Camcorder, Exceptionally Easy-to-Use April 7, 2010
Lawrence H. Bulk (New Jersey USA)
50 out of 55 found this review helpful
This Kodak PlaySport HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL (Model Zx3) video camcorder was offered to me through the Amazon Vine program and, even though I already had a Creative Labs Vado HD Pocket Video Camcorder 3rd Generation,120 Minutes (Black) - NEWEST MODEL, which I like very much (and received just last month, also through Amazon Vine), I decided to order this Kodak one so I could have a camcorder to use and my wife could have one as well.
Let me state up front that I REALLY like this little camcorder. It is small, lightweight, convenient to slip into a pocket, and it is quick and easy to use. I think its price is very good also, certainly for what you get. (Of course just about the same can be said for the Creative Vado.)
That said, and now that I have both of these camcorders, I have to say that it is hard for me to decide which of them I prefer. They both have small advantages and small disadvantages in their respective feature sets.
For example, the Creative Vado has a built-in (attached) flexible USB connection which makes transferring videos to a computer REALLY easy. If you wish to transfer videos via USB with the Kodak, you must use a separate USB cable (which, by the way, IS supplied with the Kodak unit, as are ALL necessary cables, such as video cables, etc.).
But, as the Kodak uses a separate SDHC card (such as this Kodak High-Speed 16 GB 60x Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card KSD16GHSBNA060), transferring video is a snap merely by removing the card from the camcorder and inserting it into the SD slot on your computer (or an external card reader if your computer is an older one which has no SD slot).
(Please note that I have NO experience with the video software included with either of these camcorders. My wife and I use the Ubuntu Linux operating system on our computers; thus the included software is inoperative. In any case, Linux makes transferring files so easy and intuitive, we would have no need of the software even if it did work on our computers.)
Unfortunately, the Kodak does NOT come with even a small SDHC card as standard equipment. If you want one (and you can't truly use the camcorder without one), you MUST buy it separately. This obviously adds to the cost.
However, a MAJOR advantage of using a card is that you can choose the size you want and you can buy and carry several should you decide to do so; if, for example, you are on a vacation and do not wish to frequently transfer the videos to your computer, it is not necessary to do so with the Kodak. You can keep the video on your card and, when it is filled, you merely insert a fresh card. (The disadvantage of using cards is, of course, the cost involved.) With the Creative, which uses a built-in memory and has no means of expansion, you MUST periodically transfer the video to your computer - but, with it, there are no additional costs involved. (Another advantage of having more than one card is, if a card somehow becomes corrupted or damaged, you merely replace it with another, spare, card.)
As far as picture quality goes (and, of course, that is THE most important thing!), both of these camcorders appear to be equal in the quality of the pictures they produce, that is to say, excellent. My wife and I have been surprised and pleased with the images produced from the Creative Vado (our first camcorder) and now with this new Kodak model. The images, as viewed on a computer screen, are really fine. I can't imagine anyone complaining about their overall quality. The auto-exposure works very well with both camcorders and the sound is about what you would expect (better if you are closer to the subject). (The Creative offers the option of using an external microphone, purchased separately, which would improve the sound quality.)
The Creative Vado has three picture settings, two of which produce wide-screen (16:9) movies, and the third one which produces "standard" (4:3) images. All of the Kodak's picture settings (there are four) produce wide-screen movies.
The Creative creates MP4 files and the Kodak creates MOV ones; in both cases I convert them to AVI files which I much prefer (AVI files are generally smaller - with no loss of quality that I can see). The Creative has a means of adjusting the picture brightness (sensitivity); the Kodak does not but the resulting videos, taken in varying degrees of brightness (indoors, outdoors) appear equal.
The Creative has one fixed LCD-brightness (viewing) setting; the Kodak has three (normal, bright, and black-and-white); the bright LCD setting makes outdoor viewing of your subject easier but does not affect the resultant video.
Both have a digital zoom (of minimal usefulness) and the Kodak offers image stabilization for stills (the Creative does not). (The Kodak can also be used under water.) Based on my admittedly limited use (thus far) of both, I should repeat that the video (and still) images are about equal in quality. (I did notice that, during one "shoot" of our granddaughter inside a local supermarket and using the Creative Vado, initially the image appeared WAY too red but, within about 10 seconds or so, it had "settled down" to look more naturally color-balanced; I have not yet had the opportunity to try a similar shoot using the Kodak.)
The Kodak offers 1080p images as its top quality; the Creative offers 720p. For home movies, in my opinion, the difference is minor (but I have not looked at the images on a large screen as yet; I have watched them only on my computer).
The Kodak at first appears to be lower-priced than the Creative but, as I indicated above, the initial price may be deceiving. The Creative has 4GB of built-in memory (and no means of expanding it) but the Kodak, with a minimal amount of built-in memory (29 seconds of video at the smallest file setting), MUST be used with an SDHC card. This can be any size you wish, up to a claimed 32 GB; the larger the card the more it can hold but, of course, the more it will cost. I bought the 16 GB Kodak card I mention above and it holds about 4 hours if shooting at 720p or 3 hours if shooting at 1080p. (The Creative holds about 2 hours at its 720p mid-setting, which is the one I use. Its maximum quality setting is 720p HD and, at that setting, it holds about 1 hour of video.)
I do not know how long the battery will last between charges on either of these camcorders but it seems to me (just empirically) that the Creative one will last longer. In any case, I bought (for both of them) spare batteries, spare chargers, and brand-specific camera cases. In addition I bought the necessary video cables for the Creative and a remote control for the Kodak. Some of my Kodak options are still in transit - the remote is on back order - and have not yet arrived. I have all of the Creative options I ordered. (By the way, both camcorders have removable and replaceable batteries - really a rarity, and a welcome one, these days.)
Both camcorders offer similar features and adjustments but those on the Kodak appear to be more straightforward to use than those on the Creative. The Kodak offers real buttons as opposed to the Creative's touch areas and the presence of those buttons makes operation easier, at least for me. (The Creative does have a menu button as well as a "delete" button on the side and an on/off button on the top; the Kodak has all the buttons on the rear [facing the operator] except for the on/off button which is on the side.)
The menu options on the Kodak are more intuitive and easier to access and change than are those on the Creative but the differences are not major.
I want to mention that the Creative Vado is black all around (the "controls" are indicated with silver-on-black markings - except, of course, for the white "record" button which is actually a real button!) but the Kodak, though black (or purple or blue, as you choose) on the side facing the person being photographed, is white on the side facing the user and, at least for me, this makes seeing and using the buttons somewhat easier, though this too is not major.
The Kodak comes with a wrist strap (the Creative does NOT - and it should!), a feature which I like very much, though the camcorder with the strap attached fits only rather clumsily into its Kodak 1047398 Pocket Video Case. The Creative fits perfectly and easily into its Creative Labs Vado VF0570APS Pocket Video Camera Mesh Pouch (Silver) and, in it, is smaller and thinner than the Kodak in ITS case. The Creative case has a belt loop and the Kodak case has a shoulder strap.
The Kodak is noticeably heavier and slightly larger than the Creative. Its instruction manual (actually there are two - one printed, which comes with the camcorder, and an "extended" user manual which you download from Kodak's web site) is excellent, much better organized, more comprehensive, and easier to use and understand than that of the Creative.
When you get down to brass tacks, with the Creative Vado, the only options you REALLY need are Creative Vado A/V Cable - Video / audio cable - composite video / audio - RCA (M) - mini-phone 3.5 mm 4-pole (M) - 4.6 ft if you want to play your videos through a standard television (an HDMI cable is optional yet even Creative itself does not appear to offer one specific to this unit - nor does Amazon!) and the case. With the Kodak, you should buy the case and, of course, you NEED an SDHC card. Overall, then, despite a lower "basic" price, the Kodak is probably somewhat more expensive overall (but it does come with all necessary cables including an HDMI one). If you are cash-strapped, you need buy NO options for the Creative but you WILL need an SDHC card for the Kodak. If you were to buy a 2-to-8 GB card, the Kodak would then be less expensive overall than the Creative; the 16GB (or 32 GB) card would make the Kodak the costlier of the two.
I'm still mulling over the "problem" of which to give to my wife and which to use myself. At this point, due to the ease of transferring files to a computer, I may let my wife try the Creative Vado to see if she likes its operational characteristics; she would need only to plug in the attached USB cord; there is nothing extra she need use (with the Kodak, you need to use either an external USB cord or you need to remove the SDHC card from the camcorder and insert it into the slot on your computer). But, then again, with its buttons, the Kodak is much more straightforward to use when actually taking video or pictures.
Decisions, decisions!
I have to say that I like them both and I highly recommend them both. If I were really "pushed" to make a choice between the two, I think I would (very) slightly favor this Kodak model partly because of its real ease-of-use (including much better instructions), its removable storage, and its option to increase the brightness of the LCD screen for better outdoor viewing in bright sunlight (however neither the Kodak nor the Creative is easy to view in very bright sunlight) but someone else might feel differently. (Due to its heft, it feels more substantial to me but that's a VERY subjective opinion.) I want to state definitely however that this Kodak PlaySport HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL (its "official" model name is Zx3) is a fine camcorder and I believe that everyone who buys one will be as pleased with it as I am.
Thank you for reading this. I hope it has been of some help to you.
==================================================================================================================================
Update: April 23, 2010
Last night I "finally" got around to projecting images taken with this camcorder onto my 110" diagonal (16:9) screen using my PT-AE4000U LCD XGA 16:9 1600 Lumens HDmi Svid 16.1LBS Hdtv. As expected (see the relevant update to my review of the Creative Labs Vado HD Pocket Video Camcorder 3rd Generation,120 Minutes (Black) - NEWEST MODEL for more details), the images produced by the Kodak (taken, by the way, at 720P, NOT its "best quality" setting 1080P) were spectacular. They had excellent and accurate colors and sharpness; the monophonic sound was fine. The next time I take video with this camcorder I'm going to try the 1080P setting though I can't imagine that it will look much better than what I saw last night!
You can't go wrong with this Kodak PlaySport HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL and, to tell the truth, the same statement applies to the Creative Vado HD. Though they are different in their attributes, their "strengths" (all major), and their "weaknesses" (all minor), I really like them both very much.
I thank you again for reading this.
==================================================================================================================================
Update: July 14, 2010
Having owned this Kodak PlaySport (Zx3) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL and the Creative Labs Vado HD Pocket Video Camcorder 3rd Generation,120 Minutes (Black) - NEWEST MODEL and using them side-by-side, overall I now prefer the Creative one. It is just as easy to use as the Kodak, its images, at 720p, appear to be as good as Kodak's 1080p images, at least on our 110" screen, and the Creative's battery lasts much, much longer. Even though the Kodak can hold, with a 16GB SD card, much more video than the Creative, its battery runs out before you can take even a fraction of what the card can hold. I have a spare battery and I strongly recommend that you buy one too. Even with two fully-charged batteries, the batteries both run out well before the card is filled.
Neither camcorder is perfect and I could be happy with either. I think most people would feel the same. But, having had and extensively using both, overall I prefer the Creative. (Of course if underwater or foul-weather video is of even slight importance to you, this Kodak is, of its type, the only game in town.)
As always, it's your call. Thank you for reading this and I hope it has been of some help to you.
Awesome video quality for such small inexpensive camera. March 15, 2010
JFLY (New York, NY)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
The video quality is very good. I connected the playsport directly to my HDTV and the quality was really good, it looked like it was shot with a $500 camera.
I haven't tried it underwater yet.
The editing software that comes with this is very good and very easy to use. It keeps all my movie clips nicely organized in folders. It's easy to trim, slow down, speed up video, add text, add songs, etc.
The only thing I miss is the macro feature but this device makes up for it with the video quality (better than Zi8) and being waterproof.
Awesome to say the least!!! March 11, 2010
E. Sherman (Spring Lake, MI)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Just opened the camera from the box. Easy to use buttons, just charge the battery and you are good. I put in an 8gb card and it will record 2.5 hrs of 720p quality video or 1.5 hrs of 1080p. Has increased saturation setting as well as B&W. Image quilt was excellent with the 5mp camera built in. Picture printed as well as a 12meg pixel camera on a 4x6 and even 5x7. Waterproof is the key reason I purchased this camera and it did not let me down. Buy yours now because I think these are going to sell fast and be sold out everywhere soon.
Bye Bye Canon Cam April 6, 2010
Mark Parker
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I just got back from the weekend at the river and this camera is the perfect combination of durability and quality. I charged it up everyday and placed it in my swimsuit pocket. The waterproofing feature is key because I didnt have to worry about the camera and used it as needed. I was blown away with the still shots that I took, and compared to my brothers Zi8, the video 720p/60 was the same or better.
If you are a very active person and you want a good camera for everyday life, this is perfect. I carry this in my backpack (in college) and sometimes you never know what crazy stuff your gonna come across. I own a SD770is(for the past 2 years) and I never use it because I was afraid of breaking it, getting it wet, etc. BEST $150 i have spent.
O, and one more thing, the waterproofing works great. Thank you Kodak
Showing reviews 6-10 of 407
|
