Kodak Zi8: “much to love, little to gripe about”

I reviewed the Kodak Zi8 for Wired and found it to be a solid little handicam. From my review:

Inside and out, the Zi8 is brimming with upgrades (1080p) and little touches (a legit microphone jack!) that set a new standard for this class of cheap cams. Significantly sexier, with a slimmer body than previous Kodak cams, the Zi8 comes with a re-tooled USB connector that’s easier to use and harder to unleash unintentionally… Even cooler, the connector is an agile rubber cord, which allows you to plug in the camera without removing drives from other ports on your computer…

We shot side-by-side with Kodak’s earlier iteration, the Zi6, in a variety of environments (indoors, the beach). In stark sunlight, natural low-light and indoors, the image quality of the Zi8 was consistently superior. Colors are richer and contrast is deep. The lens angle is also a tad wider. The sensor adjusts from dark to light much quicker and image stabilization is noticeably better.

1. [jackson]

   Man Stevie, the side by side cameras, only a few frames off? I love it! I think I must bite this wonderful style.

2. [Rob Beschizza]

   Do want! I have the zi6 and love it — but it needs an upgrade. 720p is fine, given that it’s just for the web. But the image quality improvements (not to mention that headphone jack) sell me on this new one.

3. [Joel Johnson]

   Wow. The microphone input jack is fantastic.

4. [Steven Leckart]

   All this for only $180, too!