I have been looking at inexpensive camcorders or video cameras for quite some time now. My brothers new baby boy is about to turn one and he needs a decent video camera to capture all of those moments that wont come again. For example, the first walk outside without a stroller or the first hike up a mountain… ok it may be a bit early to conquer a mountain, but a walk outside sounds reasonable.
The problem is up until recently, there has been no real quality camcorders available on the market for under $500 dollars or so. Digital still cameras can be picked up for $100 and will take great 10MP pictures that look stunning and amazing. Digital video cameras are a different story, at least they were, until now.
Introducing the Kodak Zi8 Small HD 1080p Pocket Video Camera
I literally just read every review on the web showcasing the Kodak Zi8 and have found nothing but positive comments and experiences. Here is a short list of what I think makes the Kodak Zi8 stand out against the other under $200 camcorders on the market.
- True HD 1080p, a lot of cameras are still limited to the acceptable, but not great, 720p resolution.
- Small pocket hand-held design, while still maintaining a great feature set.
- Excellent image stabilization (and it actually works!) This eliminates the majority of blur seen in other similar cameras.
- This one really surprised me, a external microphone input. Everyone knows built in microphones are very sub-par, so if you really want to get serious and capture every detail of the moment, you have the option and power to do so.
- Uses SD or SDHC cards for storage. Cheap, convenient, and simple.
- Last, but not least, the video quality is great. I won’t lie and say it’s as good as a $1500 camcorder, but with a price tag of only $180, the quality is far better then similarly priced video cameras.
Recently Cali Lewis, of geekbrief.tv, reviewed the Kodak Zi8 and paired it against two competitor cameras that are in a completely different league. To my surprise though, the Kodak Zi8 was not blasted out of the water and didn’t look like a simple kids toy in comparison. This is a must watch video if you want to see how this camcorder performs in low light as well as under professional studio lights.
What do ya think? Worth $180? I have looked at all of the other cameras in the same price range and can say without a doubt this one takes the cake. The biggest downfall to inexpensive video cameras is the fact that they don’t perform well under low-light conditions. Yeah, I wouldn’t say the Kodak Zi8 is fantastic in low-light conditions, but no camera under $1000 truly is, so unless were willing to shell out the big cash, it’s just something we will have to work around.
Great camera, great features, great price. I’m sold.
Read more about the Kodak Zi8 at Kodak.com
Do you have a Kodak Zi8? How has your experience been in terms of features and quality?
It’s not an Xi8, it’s a Zi8.
WOW thanks Chad, I don’t know how I missed that or even where I got Xi8 from now. That explains why the local ads in my area were all calling it the Zi8.
Corrections made :)