We've been messing around with
Kodak's latest pocket camcorder, the Zi8, and find the shooter to be an interesting hybrid. With a flip-out USB plug, HDMI out and an easily accessible SD card slot, this is clearly a "premium" mix of features for the class, but the $180 pricetag keeps the device firmly grounded in Walmart-friendly reality. Other odd perks like a line-in jack and 1080p have us scratching our heads -- but in a good way. Overall, we'd feel pretty comfortable saying the footage is about the best you can obtain at this pricepoint. Colors are great, the image stabilization isn't a gimmick (
sorry, Flip), and if you squint hard enough you can almost believe the 1080p is 1080p. Still, the camera is hampered by its cheap approach to processing and compressing the footage it's taking in -- despite its limitations, we'd say the iPhone 3GS is besting most cheap pocket camcorders on this front, motion just looks much more fluid. But don't take our word for it, check out a couple of video samples after the break.
posted August 4th 2009 4:08PM
Zi8 sounds like a BMW to me.
Hows it compare to that $99 Best buy one that does 720p. I'm totally thinking of picking one of those up!
so engadget beleives the iPhone 3GS takes better video than this? How do you figure?
Check out video produced by the 3GS - it's surprisingly good - largely because of low expectations from a 3MP camera. Engadget isn't saying the iPhone has a better camera, more that the iPhone camera is better matched with software and image processing. The Kodak camera has the potential for much better output but makes compromises in the processing/storage. No point having a great lens and sensor if you're using a sucky compression algorithm. It's the combination of elements that matters most. There is also the issue of convenience of having it with you. That's the biggest advantage of any cell phone camera - ubiquity.
Wow, yeah, a good way to appreciate 1080p video is by watching it at sub 480p highly compressed streaming via youtube... yeah.. right.
Uhhh, ..... there is a HD button on the YouTube player, which brings it to nice 720p.
@zdravko: You don't know what 70p/1080p means then. I've never seen a "720p" size that small. You have to actually go to the actual youtube page to watch the 720p in full size. Oh, still doesn't matter, since the point was supposed to "appreciate" 1080p.
Wow are you serious the iPhone 3GS is better than this?
To me it's going to come down between this Kodak Zi8 and the new iPod Touch that should get the camera feature. Both are due out in September and I would love to see the comparison between the two. I just want something small and handy to record short, iMovie editable clips.
Hi
Are you saying the I pod touch is coming out with a camera? I didnt hear that.I know I pod Nano is out with The 5th Gen and it has a video camcorder. Its that what your refering to? That is my hope That the I pod touch will some day come out with a 3 meg camera and a Camcorder like I phone has.
When I watch the first video (1080) on Youtube and press the HD button it only goes to the size of the 720 video, if I maximise it to full screen will it then be playing in 1080 or is it still the 720 footage?
youtube only supports 720p.
From what I see, youtube "HD" videos are just 480p videos, not even 720p. 720p videos would fill my whole screen without maximizing it but it doesn't even come close.
Cheers for clearing that up fellas. That's pretty lame, why on earth did Engadget choose that to showcase 1080 and 720 content when there are other sites that actually support those resolutions.
Exactly my point. It's funny when everybody is bragging about "HD" video, let alone bragging about 1080p, yet the video we're seeing is a tiny resized youtube video.
Engadget knows that each time they put the word "iphone" in an article it gets more hits and by bigging up apple whenever they can, they can increase their fanboy status.
What was the point in shooting video at 60fps, only to slow it down so that it then becomes jerky. I am willing to bet if they shot 30fps motion video and showed it at 30fps it would look much better and they wouldn't be able to say it's better than the iPhone. Also by only using Youtube at 720p they aren't showing it's full quality and can then try persuade us that it ain't as good as their beloved device.
Stop listening to morons with iPhones stuck too far up their ass.
Your right.
They have it there because it's besting most cheap butt-plugs on this front.
The Flip Ultra HD (Not the flip ultra or the flip HD) has no limitations and alone should be the reason to remove the iphone from your butts.
the big feature for me with this device is the removable memory slot. There are no others in its class with this feature.
Wow this is really good. I am getting one!
What speed was the computer you used to process the two clips above? Do we really need a 2.8 Ghz processor?
Nice to see the first video there end with a Wayne's World EXTREME CLOSE-UP, lol
I'm pretty sure the editor appears to have forgotten which product is being reviewed and that this line shouldn't mention the iPhone at all! "despite its limitations, we'd say the iPhone 3GS is besting most cheap pocket camcorders" It should say Kodak Zi8 instead of iPhone 3GS.
Oops, I thought that, too, and voted +1. But the author just changes context suddenly. I'd have written it as
"Still, the camera is hampered by its cheap approach to processing and compressing the footage it's taking in. We'd say the iPhone 3GS--despite its limitations--is besting most cheap pocket camcorders on this front, including [this one/the Kodak Zi8]; motion just looks more fluid on the iPhone."
Unless he really meant to say Kodak Zi8. Then I'd have said
"Still, the camera is hampered by its cheap approach to processing and compressing the footage it's taking in. Yet, despite its limitations, we'd say the Kodak Zi8 bests most cheap pocket camcorders on this front; motion just looks much more fluid."
Damn ambiguous English language.
looks great for any video I'd make
Wow, what a shame, Kodak.... an imaging company is beaten by the best computer company in the planet, Apple. If I were you guys I'll wait when the iPod Touch with the built in camera is released or get an iPhone 3Gs instead.
There's one pretty important spec for a device like this that hardly ever gets mentioned - boot time. How long does this take to go from power off to recording video?
Those kind of camcorders take about 4 secs I'd say, from my experience with cheaper 720p models.
Engadget, get off Apple's nuts for two seconds and put your iPhone away. Besides, I have seen footage from an iPhone and its mediocre at best, and this doesn't cost you a fortune every month on top of the device cost. Lets not compare oranges to Apple products, k? Thanks.
They compare (with the 3Gs) how fluid it is, not image quality.
Although perhaps not comparing to apple might be a fresh change, but since they all have iphones, and have experience with it, that comparison would spring to mind, seems logical in that sense. The flaw being that they naively think everybody, or the majority at least, of readers also have iphones, well guess what? They do not, seriously, not bashing apple, they don't, polls amongst techcrowds and salesfigures show it.
That video looks great for the price point!!! I was thinking about getting a flip for my wife, looking straight at you now, Kodak.
Sounded like I could hear that high pitched wining of the lcd light over the built in condenser.
BTW the Sennheiser G2 series is the best wireless system I have ever used (use one for my bass rig). Crystal clear.
Don't know what people are grumbling about... the video quality was great. The sound quality... with a lavaliere was very nice. The native mic wasn't too bad as long as you speak up. The 2nd video was not the greatest to view on YouTube. I'm guessing because of the slowed down fps rate but it would play for three seconds... load... play for three seconds... load... (very annoying).
$180 is a nice price point and if I were better at making movies (I don't even do that on my G1 although I could with cupcake on it... although the video wouldn't look nearly this sharp) I would go for it.
Video is OK but not better than aiptek and similar brand models, and outdoor is easy, try it indoor and the wheat is separated from the chaff, as us city boys say.
If Engadget wants to editorialize on this, they should just be remarking that there isn't a big difference between the iPhone and a handheld camcorder. In other words - if you have an iPhone, this probably isn't worth your while. If you are looking for something better, you are probably out of this price point and into things like a VIXIA. For the rest of us without an iPhone or other all-in-one device, this might be just perfect for family memories, you tube uploads, etc.
I know this is definitely on the radar, but I thought the on-board mic made me a little leery.
I own an iphone 3gs and a ZX1 (Previously owned, sold it the day the Zi8 was announced) And in all honesty the iphone video doesn't even come close in terms of quality to the zx1, sure the video looks less shaky, but it terms of sheer quality, iphone is decent at best.
The video looks great. I'm inpressed.
The comparison with the iPohne makes me laugh. The video and photo quality of the phone were laughable. Give me a break.
They did specify the 3Gs, doesn't that have better results than the old iphone? I mean it has new hardware that is faster and stuff.
Yup, look on youtube for iPhone 3GS video. Its what you would expect from a phone, and no, it is mediocre and not near this quality. The 60FPS footage slowed down to 30FPS (slow motion) does look choppy on this device (at least their rendering of it), but watch 30FPS footage slowed down to 15FPS slow mo and you'll know choppy (upload a video from an iPhone @ 50% speed slow motion and we'll all enjoy the slide show).
And whats with the "we're shooting at 1080P, I hope you can appreciate that", when youtube only allows for 720P and they embedded a video that is much smaller than 720P (click the link and go to "HD" and see the proper size). Cmon engadget!
What I'm curious about is how is the 720p60, because 720p is plenty big and 60fps makes a difference with progressive recording, and while we are at it, if you select 720p30 then seeing the thing can do 720p60 and 1080p30 it should have so much legroom at 720p30 that it would be pretty smooth, and then compare the results to the 3Gs in terms of fluidnes once more.
Something seems wrong with their second video. The frames seem especially choppy even for 30 fps.
It takes more processing power to record at 60fps which allows for dropped frames. This should be more than capable at shooting 720p at 30fps as it's designed to shoot 1080p at 30fps. 60fps is just a novelty feature that won't really get used much. This is engadget trying to make out that iPhone 3GS is better at video.
"Engadget knows that each time they put the word "iphone" in an article it gets more hits ...
What was the point in shooting video at 60fps, only to slow it down so that it then becomes jerky. I am willing to bet if they shot 30fps motion video and showed it at 30fps it would look much better and they wouldn't be able to say it's better than the iPhone. Also by only using Youtube at 720p they aren't showing it's full quality and can then try persuade us that it ain't as good as their beloved device."
^^ Thats how you dissect an engadget post people.
Looks good in low-light too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3ln2EcGHPg&hd=1
Does anyone know if it still has the 2GB file size limitation though? As in each continuous movie can only be 2GB long, even if you have a 16GB card?
haha, nice sample video. But I agree it does a decent job in low light.
Is it a LINE IN or a MIC IN.. or both? I thought the specs just said Mic In.. unless it can convert the gain internally..?
Can we get some videos in low-light areas?...I have the Zi6 video is good and all..but its pretty crappy in low-light situations...but the audio is much better in the Zi6 than the Zi8
Here is a short, concise review at gizmodo.com
Note how the iPhone isn't mentioned a single time, and that they concentrate more on explaining quality features and typical use.
Link: http://gizmodo.com/5328408/kodak-zi8-1080p-pocket-camcorder-review-your-move-flip