A Review: Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera

When Kodak announced the release of its Zi8 pocket video camera, the features alone created excitement in the pocket cam community. For so long, a Flip cam was eponymous with pocket camcorders. Kodak set out to change the minds of consumers by offering a superior product.

Kodak was kind enough to send me a Zi8 to tinker with. While I prefer black or silver — simple colors — my review unit was an impressive aqua blue. Regardless of anyone’s color preferences, the Zi8 isn’t ugly. But at first glance, it isn’t as striking as its Flip competitor. But it’s certainly an improvement over the Zi6. The Zi8′s big personality is what sets it apart.

It’s easy to differentiate the Zi8 from its competition based on its features alone: it films in 1080p at 30 frames per second (fps) and at 720p at 60 fps, electronic image stabilization eliminates fidgety filming, it shoots 5.0 megapixel stills, and it provides support for both Facebook and YouTube. There are a handful of other important features including help with low-light filming, face tracking, and compatibility with both Mac & PC operating systems.

Included on the list of “may or may not annoy you” is the Zi8′s built-in rechargable battery, which “may or may not” depending upon the frequency with which you use the cam. And the small red light signaling the camera’s recording status is a tad annoying, but nothing a little electrical tape can’t fix…and something that can be turned off on the Flip UltraHD. Add to the cost of the cam your choice of memory — the Zi8 has an expandable SD/SDHC card slot that can hold up to 32 GB. Personally I’m a huge fan of the built-in battery and the expandable memory option.

The Macro setting on the Kodak Zi8 is one of the features that sets it apart from the competition.

The Macro setting on the Zi8 is very impressive for a camera of this size. The stills above were taken at the same distance and using low light.

The external microphone jack is also a refreshing feature, which means a notable improvement in sound quality for your videos with the use of a shotgun microphone or wireless lapel microphone. The video below was filmed with my review unit for wine review site, 1337wine, using a tripod and an external mic.

You’ll also notice that the camera is constantly adjusting its lighting levels…probably a result of the whiteboard in the background. So, not the typical result of filming with the Zi8.

My only real gripe is with regard to shooting distance. There seems to be a fine line between just right and too far. For example, while filming a performance by my son’s class from the 2nd row, I realized that I could have afforded to move back another 2 or 3 rows. I was constantly panning back and forth to include the entire stage. But move too far, and the already average sound would have decreased in quality without the use of an external mic.

The digital zoom is only an advantage if you set the zoom prior to filming, otherwise you get a pulsing zoom-in action. And while the video above was filmed using the 1080p setting (with a tripod), I would argue that the ideal setting for handheld filming is definitely at 720p @ 60 fps.

There is no doubt that Kodak has succeeded in raising the bar with this pocket HD cam. And at $179, the Kodak Zi8 is certainly the ‘bang for the buck’ choice.

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