Kodak Zi6 HD camcorder now available for pre-order!
After spending the past couple of decades surrounded by gadgets, it usually takes a lot to get me excited about an upcoming product. My inbox gets bombarded with product announcements and updates to existing products 100's of times a week. But there is currently one product "coming soon" that is very high on my "must have" list, and it's from a pretty unlikely source.HD video capable? Check. Built in USB connector? Check. Runs off AA batteries? Check. Can be expanded with cheap SD cards? Check. Weighs just 3.8 ounces? Check. Costs less than $180? CHECK!
The Kodak Zi6 is a handheld digital camcorder, much like the highly successful "Flip Camcorder" that made its way to retail stores in the past year. The ZI6 is different though; it can record HD video files. No longer will you have to settle for grainy and stuttering movie clips of your kids first dive into the pool, you'll be able to film their antics in 720p HD at 60 frames per second.
HD video recording is in its infancy, a "real" HD camcorder still costs around $1000, but Kodak have managed to shave as much off the price of the Zi6 as possible, and it will be retailing for just $179.95. Of course, at this price point, you don't get a nice optical zoom, and the image quality will be the lowest HD resolution (720p), and not 1080i or 1080p like a high-end camcorder can produce.
The camera should be available within the next month, but Kodak have made it easier to get your hands on it, as soon as it is available thanks to their new pre-order page.
A quick recap of the specifications; the Zi6 can record in wide screen 720p HD at 60 frames per second, it has a 2.4" LCD screen, an integrated pop-out USB jack, direct-to-Youtube uploads and it can be expanded using SD and SDHC memory cards up to 32GB. The Zi6 has just 128MB of internal memory, so an additional SD card is a must if you plan to record HD video.
The Kodak Zi6 ships with AA rechargeable batteries and recharger, AV and HD video cables (component), a wrist strap, a pouch and a special version of Arcsoft Media Impression, for editing HD video. Hopefully I'll be able to post a full review as soon as I can get my hands on one.
Filed under: Gadling Gear Review
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Aug 6th 2008 @ 6:41PM
Secret Asian Man said...
I don't know why you're so excited about this. Companies love to boast unbelievable specs at unbelievable prices. But odds are, what you get is an unbelievably colossal waste of cash.
Recording a 720p at 60 FPS is pointless if the lens and sensor are terrible giving you grainy pictures and piss-poor color accuracy. And what about the compression codec it's using? You really think a cheap sub $200 recorder can write full uncompressed HD footage fast enough? No, it has to compress it.
For $200 you can get a decent pocket camera with video recording capability. You'll get two units in one.
I'm sure the Kodak recorder can take pictures but odds are, like all video recorders, it's < 1 megapixel sensor won't deliver anything half as good as a camera half it's price, let alone a decent $200 camera.
If you want a good camcorder that's not a waste of cash, right now you gotta cough up bat least another $100-$150. It won't be HD but you'll be able to recognize what you're recording in less than ideal lighting conditions as well as zoom in optically at up to 40x.
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Aug 6th 2008 @ 6:49PM
Scott Carmichael said...
@Secret Asian Man; Thanks for the comments,
The Kodak specifications mention a 1.6MP CMOS sensor recording in H.264.
I'm not sure why you thought it would record in uncompressed HD, nothing on the consumer market does anything in uncompressed HD, everything from the AppleTV to all portable media players use some form of compression on video (HD or non-HD). Even in the broadcast world, almost all the content they deal with is compressed, with the possible exception of pre-edited stuff.
I agree that the quality is still unknown, as the only review out there is of a pre-production model, but this isn't some third rate photo company we are talking about, it's Kodak, who have a pretty good name to protect.
And yes; a regular digital camera will indeed get decent video, but there is a large market for small and affordable video devices (just look as the success Flip have seen), and I'm sure that the Kodak will be well received, IF they can pull off decent video quality.
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Aug 6th 2008 @ 7:29PM
Secret Asian Man said...
I'm just a tech snob.
I have no qualm with the Flip, though you'll never catch me using one. I'm just irritated by this obsession with gimmicky specs. A 12+ MP point & shoot camera... a $200 HD recorder... digital channels, HyperThreading technology... These all look and sound great at first blush. But in practice, they are a huge disappointment.
I do hope you can test it out and prove me wrong.
Aug 6th 2008 @ 9:33PM
KenC said...
@secret, well you mention P&S cameras that can do 720p, and guess what? Kodak is one of the two P&S camera mfrs with a whole slew of digicams that can shoot 720p. So, at least they have a minimum of experience with H.264, which is probably the best for compressed 720p. The Kodak P&S cameras that shoot 720p, are not bad at all, so I'm optimistic that a dedicated Flip-type device will be even better.
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Aug 7th 2008 @ 4:16AM
davyo said...
Im kinda of a "small video camera" junkie, and it all started with the first Flip, currently I have the Flip, the Flip Ultra and the Flip Mino, also have 2 Aiptek's A-HD 720p and a SD Aiptek,,, ohh and also a RCA Small Wonder EZ200 (the RCA sucks in terms of video quality) compared to all the others.
The Flip Ultra and the Aiptek A-HD 720p are the best of the bunch as far as video quality and I think produce some very nice video for what they are.
Most of the hands on reviews I have read on the Kodak Zi6 all say the video is way better than the Flip's, so I am very much looking forward to getting my already pre-ordered Zi6.
I hope its as good of camera as I think it is going to be.
Just my 2 cents.
Cheers
Davyo
Reply
Aug 9th 2008 @ 3:28AM
jakmal said...
From inside sources, I have been assured you that the quality on the Zi6 will be at least equal to (if not greater than) the Aiptek A-HD model.. Apparently they both use the same compression engine inside.
Aug 9th 2008 @ 7:53AM
Davyo said...
Cool, thanks for the info "jakmal"
Cheers
Davyo
Aug 21st 2008 @ 5:11AM
Aaron said...
Anyone have any info on a DC power supply? I just received my Zi6 (good build quality by the way) and realized there was no DC in.
The battery compartment has a rubber plug, that when removed seems to indicate that a cord could come out of the compartment...so I'm sure they intend to supply one *eventually*; but I cannot find any info to date.
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