Internet Reviews

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: Kodak

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Reviewer: Bryan F. Singer| Date:2009-07-14

I purchased the refurbished version for $99, it works amazingly well. The quality of the videos, especially in macro mode, are beyond my expectations. I did have to upgrade the firmware to get better light exposure indoors, but it works fine now. Here are my complaints....

1) 60fps is great - but not when you can't edit or share it. The editing software that comes with the camera is very basic and crashes constantly. MediaImpression only allows you to cut clips, rotate videos, add music, along with a few other simple things. To do more advanced editing (for color and lighting fixes) I've downloaded trials of Corel VideoStudio, Adobe Premier Elements, and Sony Vegas. All three downgraded the video from 60fps to 30fps. I also lost sound with the Sony product. My solution was to buy QuickTime Pro for $30, and it works beautifully. I can now edit lighting, sound, contrast, etc. Another problem - I've noticed that some video sites (ex. Smugmug) downgrade uploaded video from 60fps to 30fps. WHY!?!?!?! Although 60fps is cool to watch on your computer, it's harder to edit and share

2) The digital zoom is not great and does not work smoothly. On top of that, the "clicking sound" made when you physically move the joystick to zoom in or out is recorded as audio by the camera. I suppose you could edit this out.

3) This is just annoying...the camera always starts up in 30fps "HD" mode. You cannot change the default so that it starts in 60fps "HD60" mode.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: DJ Exquiz| Date:2009-07-14

I've ordered a ton of products from Amazon and I've only recently gotten into posting any reviews (except for years ago when I first started buying off of Amazon). Let me say that this I believe is the most underrated mini-cam in its price range and I will explain why in further detail.

The first point to consider when looking at any "video camera" in this price range is value vs. cost, and in terms of cost the Kodak Zi6 is still one of the lowest priced minicams, when you consider the fact that you DO NEED AN SD CARD, if you don't already own one (which most people with digital cameras do) then you have to add on an additional $20-$30, but this still puts you into the $160-$170 price range with the Kodak as currently priced on Amazon.

The second point to consider when looking at this camera is the fact that it has an SD card slot to begin with, compared to the Flip (which has gotten undue praise ahhemmm....cough) or the Flip HD which has a static memory of 4 GB (and to be fair Flip does have the newer Ultra which has a card slot I believe as well), the Kodak can accept up to 32GB in its SD card slot, the only caveat which is probably the case with most cheaper cameras is that I don't know if it will work with 32 GB SD HC (High Capacity) cards and that may be the problem that some other reviewers ran into with bigger cards, anyone with more info let me know.... I currently have an 8 GB SDHC card by Transcend which was purchased from another site (a popular computer parts seller, and I've had absolutely no problems recording video, the longest I've recorded straight so far has been about 10 minutes, but I've recorded about 60 or 70 smaller clips.

The third point I want to address is the criticisms of this camera and the comparisons of it to the Flips and the Creative Vado, I have a friend who owns the 30 minute Flip Video Camcorder: 30-Minutes (White) and in terms of size the Zi6 is not any bigger than that cam, the Zi6 is slightly bigger than the Flip Mino (not Ultra) HD, but like I said the Flip MinoHD Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black) no removable storage, only built in memory which to me is a negative, 8 GB (120 minutes) sounds like alot I know, but you may be surprised how one or two recitals or basketball games that you haven't gotten around to downloading can eat that up....

The second negative which is the biggest criticism is the complaint about lack of image stabilization, well not to sound like a ____ but up until a few years ago only the real expensive semi-pro cameras had ANY IMAGE STABILIZATION and if you started with one of the old VHS CAMCORDERS forget about it, like other reviewers have said keep your arm bent at a near 90 deg angle, don't do alot of jerky movement (or walking) or use the included tripod mount and you can get some great footage w this cam. I do understand how this is a valid concern for some people an older co-worker of mine loved the footage of the Zi6 but said she wouldn't buy it because there was no image stabilization, but we should not that the FLip Ultra or Mino series don't have image stabilization either.

The Creative Vado I'm not sure about and haven't mentioned much, but I personally wouldn't trust any products from Creative too much (except their Creative Labs GigaWorks T20 Series II 2.0 Multimedia Speaker System with BasXPort TechnologyPC speakers which kick ___), I've personally had nothing but music production grief from their Soundblaster soundcards, and I won't forgive the fact that they destroyed (when they bought out ) EMU a once great music gear company, but they do make very good PC speakers, but I digress.....

A few more positives, CNET or Gearheadz (you can youtube it) did a side by side comparison of the Zi6 and the Flip Mino HD, and the two reviewers gave the Zi6 the best ratings in terms of color contrast and realism, if you are a MAC USER (which I'm not and still have no problems with video format) you will LOVE this camera's file format for the fact that its MAC NATIVE QUICKTIME MOV format, so it converts right into IMovie or Final Cut Express/Pro, one of my friends/co-workers is a new Mac convert and he swears up and down how much easier for him this camera is to use and edit video with on a MAC.

This point I want to leave with a * that if you DON'T have a NEWER PC or MAC,YOU SHOULD NOT BE TRYING TO EDIT AND ENCODE HD VIDEO IN THE FIRST PLACE.....

I started doing serious video editing when I bought my Canon HV10 3.1MP High-Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom with a custom built Pentium D 3.0 GHZ desktop and 3 Gigs of ram + 256 video, and the Canon video would edit fine with both Sony Vegas Studio and Pinnacle Studio 11 + 12.

I still love and use the Canon (its a great cam W IMAGE Stabilization) but I bought the Kodak to take with me places the slightly larger Canon would be inconvenient, with the Pentium D PC the Kodak HD would edit ok (only in Pinnacle Studio ),but the rendering (mixing down and converting) was slow.
The Zi6 video in HD 60 Frames mode was very choppy and hard to edit or render without serious PC hiccups and maybe program freezing, and note this is a PC that I've also played games on and edited other video with no problems.

Recently I just completed a new PC build with an Intel Core 2 Quad 2.83 GHz 4 (3.25 in Windows XP) Gigs of ram, 768 gigs video,and I've been able to edit both the Zi6 HD 30 and HD 60 video like a charm in Pinnacle, the render time has increased dramtically too. I plan to have some video to add to this review soon, and also some reviews posted on my site.

I think that the Zi6 is a great mini HD cam for the price and the video in good lighting (daylight) is comparable to the Canon HV 10, yes badly lit video is bad but that's the case for all "camcorders" under about $1500 to $2000 bucks, even the HV 10Canon HV10 3.1MP High-Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom which I think take great video as well suffers badly in poor lighting.

In conclusion if you have a newer PC or Mac, a good video editing program, and the patience to actually learn how take good video (it is an art, I believe), you can get great mileage out of this cam, if you even just want a cam to take video of the kids its absolutely great for that, and even better is that you don't have to edit you can hook it directly up to you Flatscreen or standard TV.

*A note about the Arcsoft video Impression program, the program included on the CD has more video editing features than the program saved and installed into the Kodak Zi6, why not include the full program on the Zi6 instead of the CD, maybe to save space, but even the Arcsoft program isn't bad again CONSIDERING YOUR PC CAN HANDLE it....A final note is unless you are planning extreme outdoor use I would stay away from Kodak Zx1 compared to the Zi6, they are basically the same camera but the Zx1 suffers from poor Mono audio, while the Zi6 records great audio and sounds like HD stereo (depending on what's captured, outdoors is a little noisy like most handhelds)...Hope this is helpful.......

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Movie Maker| Date:2009-07-08

A quick one here:

I have several of the small video cameras- the Flip MinoHD, Vado, Flip Ultra..

There is a lot to like with the Zi6- nice LARGE screen, good build,sensational outdoor results , the battery set than can be recharged, SD card slot (**see urgent and important note below, particularly if this is a gift**).

As with ANY of the smaller cam's, image quality can suffer inside unless the room is well lit. If you are inside,and want vibrant color, you will need to add light to get the best result, unless the room is flooded with sunlight.

Without extra light, indoor shots can vary - at times acceptable, at times not. Night shots or dim rooms will not produce an acceptable result.

This product comes with all the cables you might need to connect to your TV-- very WELCOME!

Software is good, if basic. Even a novice can edit a video with reasonable ease. Though many never bother with editing, I assure you the end result is well worth the effort! Try it!

Outside, the Zi6 shines, with vivid true to life colors, just as the Flip models enjoy. I did note that sometimes the blue's ( like the sky) were ultra vivid, though not un natural.

As far as ease of use, it is quite simple (if you read the directions) but is not quite as simple as a Flip. I found the soft keys on this one to be hard to work with at first.

This product is optimized for YouTube- you cant miss that feature as there are notes on the box, and stickers on the camera. Unedited footage could be downloaded within 5 minutes or less.

All in all an excellent value.

Now to compare to the Flip products - both the Flip Mino HD and the brand new Flip Ultra and Flip Ultra HD are more expensive,and are market leaders in this sector.

Out of the box, the Flip's are easier to use - no question. I like their software better too - particularly for email.

On my HD TV's (Samsung 23 inch and 32 inch) the 720P HD looked great from either brand- with the Kodak offering a particularly vivid blue.

Right now, the Zi6 cost's quite a bit less then some of Flip's offerings,and depending upon intended use, this might make sense.

One important note: It is VITAL to get a SDHC class 6 card!

You or whoever you might gift this to will not be able to use the unit without it. Kodak should have included a card, even a 2GB ( I would go for a 4GB or 8GB easily available at Amazon or a local retailer).

I give the edge to the Flip units, but I very much like this unit as well- just please, please get the SDHC card, and enjoy using it!

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Gary J. Russell| Date:2009-07-07

I purchased a refurbished Zi 6 and returned it when recording switched off between 4 and 28 seconds. I returned the camera for replacement. The replacement has an identical recording fault. The result is that it is really only useful as a camera.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: M. Wilson| Date:2009-07-05

After 3 weeks I'm still loving this camera. It slips into purse or pocket and I can get replacement batteries anywhere if needed. I upload to facebook which seems to take a long time but I may try the "easy upload" to YouTube and then transfer. Still learning. As a "senior" I enjoy the convenience and it took great videos of the fireworks last night!

Review from Review from Amazon