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Kodak Zx1 HD Pocket Video Camera (Black)
 
Kodak Zx1 HD Pocket Video Camera (Black)
Manufacturer: Kodak
Customer Rating:
 
Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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  • Record High Definition video (720p at 60 fps with 16:9 aspect ratio)
  • Rubberized doors protect all ports; resistant to rain, snow, sand, dirt and more
  • Easily upload recorded footage to YouTube with built-in USB and software
  • Vibrant 2.0-inch viewfinder; Watch footage on HDTV with included cables
  • Built-in video editing software; expandable SD/SDHC card slot that can hold up to 32 GB
Kodak Zx1 HD Pocket Video Camera (Black) A best buy
 
Review Date: May 20, 2009
Reviewer: Gordon H. Hughes,
For starters Amazon delivers on their promise of a 3-day delivery. This is a company you can count on.

The Zx1 is right on target. Right out of the box it does exactly what you would expect from a small pocket video camera - decent quality and simple operation. Even indoors the quality was acceptable - which is more than you can say about most cameras in this class.

This is clearly a second-generation pocket video camera - with improved controls and support for large capacity SD cards. The AA batteries are just what you need to make sure you will never run out. I was surprised to see that a charger was included.

My big concern about buying a Flash Drive HD camera was the issue of file format. This is a thorny issue with all HD video cameras. I could care lass about HD - I just wanted decent quality and the ability to edit video.

The plan is simple - archive the 'HD' content and keep it for future editing when software and hardware are readily available. And meanwhile
convert the files to AVI or another usable DVD formtat for immediate use.

The supplied ArcSoft program does primitive conversion of the 720p format to 640 DVD format - but in Quicktime - which Windows Media player version 9 still refuses to recognize in Windows XP ( I hate Vista)

There are many third party programs which do a better job of conversion - the one I use is AVS Video Converter 6. It took the raw MOV file from the SD card and converted it to AVI format with the 720 lines preserved and good sound quality. As with all such conversions it is slow but the quality is excellent. This is not a trivial conversion. Of course AVS will convert it to any of a dozen other formats - some with smaller file size - but none with higher quality.

Since this camera is so new, the Kodak web site has very limited documentation for the Zx1. They avoid entirely the issue of file formats and that is because it is a thorny issue. Along these lines I should mention that without loading any software, you can slip the SD card in your computer slot and you will get a MOV file. It comes up as a Quicktime file. My version of Quicktime played the movie O.K but there was no sound. I'm sure an update is available - but it may not be free.
Of course my Quicktime player did play the MOV file after it was converted by ArcSoft.

Hey for $150 - this is a great buy and it seems to be durable also.



Kodak Zx1 HD Pocket Video Camera (Black) The best I've seen in this category.
 
Review Date: June 14, 2009
Reviewer: R. Whitsitt, Stockton, Ca
Any reasonable person should be able to figure out that you will need a memory card since amazon tries to suggest one when you purchase. That's why these types of cameras are referred to as "flash drives" (another reviewer)
Pros: Does well in lower light than others. Good in normal room light. I found others just no good indoors.
Very small and portable. This was a critical requirement for me.Splash resistance.
Seems rugged but I didn't do a drop test. Sorry.

A bonus feature not advertised was how well this blocks out wind noise on very windy days yet allows all the normal talking to be recorded. Never seen that before!
Crystal clarity out doors. Just amazing, although most of these types of cameras do well outside.
Cons: On an inexpensive camera like this, is subject to shaking which makes it irritating to watch. But knowing this I use a tri-pod or just a steady hand (don't forget to hold steady!), and movies are really great!
You have to break the $400 barrier for anti-stablization features.
In low light, Images are still bright, unlike others, but a little softer looking, less than optiimal forcus, acceptable. . . remember, this is a $140 camera, so it's fine.
My battery charger seems to be defective. But I have these all over the house and it wasn't worth returning. Still, would have been good if it worked for road trips.
Still waiting for the remote to be offered! But at least it's coming?
Close up is a little blurry, unlike the Zi6, a trade off I guess. Oh well, beats the heck out of using my cell phone for you-tube!!!

Notice to Mac users! When I plugged in into the mac, i-photo boots up. When you try to download, it will hang up! It might download some pictures and short movies. But anything over a few minutes and no joy. Easy way around this one. !. Plug in camera 2. Kill or minimize i-photo. 3. You will see a folder called "NO NAME" on your desktop. Click on it and there are all your movies and pictures! 4. Just drag these to where ever file you want to store them. Or just view from that folder and close. 5. When your done, right click and and click "eject". If you want, you can clear the memory card from the camera or just keep filming more stuff if your card is bigger.
I am a very happy camper!
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