Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 21-25 of 407
 Great little camera! April 14, 2010
Leanne (San Diego, CA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
We've had this camera for just about a month, but I wanted to wait to review it so we could use it more during that time period and provide a more thorough review of it. Overall, we love it!
I'm a bit of a technophobe, and I've found this so easy to use. It's small, light, convenient, and takes surprisingly high-quality videos and photos. Because of it's small size, it's easy to slip into a pocket or purse and take with you.
I've never had a small video camera like this, so I can only compare it to our past Canon digital cameras (which also record video), and compared to those cameras, this one is superlative. The video images we've taken with it have all come out very clear, even when we were shooting footage of sports activities. As some other reviewers mentioned, when shooting in the 1080p mode, you have to be careful to have a steady hand, but overall the film quality is great.
Pros:
* simple and easy to use right out of the box, even if you're a technophobe like me
* small and light (about the size of a cell phone, but it weighs much less than my Droid)
* waterproof and able to be used under water
* easy to upload videos directly to websites like Facebook and YouTube
* several different video formats
Con:
* the only con I can think of is that it the memory card that it comes with is not very large; we ended up purchasing a larger memory card from Amazon for about $36 so that this could hold more videos and images
Tuscany in the Spring May 29, 2010
Robert Dolan (Thousand Oaks, CA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As a photographer who goes back to the Speed-Graphic 4x5 format [with plenty of other cameras in between from the 50's to the present] it was an act of faith to believe that this tiny device could actually handle my photographic needs for "our big trip" to Tuscany.
The PlaySport came through like a champ!
At this point in my life, my knees are not what they once were.
So I mounted the PlaySport on a Manfrotto 776YB monopod and had a walking stick and camera stabilizer in a very compact package.
I really enjoyed it when 20-somethings would see my 'rig' and call it 'cool'.
Comments like these were common -- especially on days with 'scattered showers'.
The Amazon page for the PlaySport also shows a 'Fat Gecko' mini-camera mount.
I bought that.
I used it to record the 'white road' route to our 'podere' in Chianti.
[Try to find *that* road on a printed map!]
The day after we came home, I received a [previously ordered] remote control for the PlaySport.
The lack of the remote wasn't really a factor in Chianti.
However having the remote at home, in combination with the Gecko mount, gives me a great opportunity to document our Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu beaches.
As for the 4-stars on picture quality:
I was blown away by the quality of the 'stills' when the light was right.
For 'landscapes' the PlaySport is hard to beat.
If I have any 'ding' for this product, it is its performance in low light -- both with resolution and with focus.
I used a three-battery system for the trip.
The prior day's battery was in the charger as we went out for the day.
I carried a fully charged back-up battery in addition to a freshly charged battery in the camera.
Each night, I would rotate the batteries.
You will go through battery life faster than memory -- at least that's true with a 16-gig card.
After the trip, I know I could have captured everything on an 8-gig card.
But who knew? I was happy enough to transfer the daily photos and videos to PC storage and have the camera memory card work as a back-up. Also, I had only the batteries to rotate, not memory cards as well.
So, I'm a happy camper.
Our trip garnered only 296 images and videos.
But that was enough for us to document the 'big trip'.
For our best photos, there is no need to process them through PhotoShop. Their quality does not need enhancement.
Oh, and the sound quality is, indeed, very good.
-- HTH
Awesome Little Cam! April 9, 2010
SamIam (Arlington, WA United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I just got this Kodak Playsport after waiting for 2 months and so far it beats what I was expecting (very unusual). I bought the Zi8 for my wife a few months ago and this camera has the same video quality but there are some features I like better. For one thing, it's easier for my big hands to grip with it's rubberized body. Also, the buttons are spread out more than the Zi8 and are easier for me to see and operate. The only difference other than that is the Playsport doesn't have a jack for an external microphone for obvious reasons. I bought a sony external mic for the Zi8 to do some interviews and it works extremely well.
The video from both is surprisingly good, however shooting 1080p requires a slow, steady hand or ideally a tripod. Otherwise the video comes out noticeably jerky, even with the EIS on. 760p 60fps video is great and it's what this little thing does best. The Playsport comes with an HDMI cable which is a nice addition. It connects right up to our plasma screen and plays direct. Really good for previewing clips. I haven't tried the waterproof ability yet but I bought it to take snorkeling in the Caribbean in a few weeks and will update this review with video when I get back.
All in all, I'd say you can't go wrong with this camera, especially for the price. There are lots of camcorders that take better video with more options in lower light, but the Playsport (and the Zi8) do what they're designed to do. And they're the cam you'll have with you to get that shot.
for the price, an astounding product April 25, 2010
L. Green (Dexter, MI USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Very good video quality even on gray days. It won't replace high-end video equipment, but high-end video equipment won't fit in my PFD pocket. It's as waterproof and rugged as claimed, as demonstrated by surviving some interesting trips through rapids. The image stabilization makes a big difference when shooting from a floating kayak. The price/performance ratio is almost unbelievable.
POWERFUL DEVICE April 26, 2010
Anthony J. Lascola (Everywhere, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Kodak PlaySport lives up to its name. It is tough and rugged and allows me to confidently take a video camera into dirty fast paced environments. I'm not sure if this can replace a point of view camera, but its stationary shots are superb.
Showing reviews 21-25 of 407
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