Product Review: Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera

Not everyone likes this product. Here is what some reviewers at Amazon said:

"After having read many reviews about the Kodak zi8, I decided to give it a go. I knew about the issues with vertical lines etc before firmware 1.06 and I thought Kodak had fixed this.

Well, I was wrong; I received the camera with firmaware 1.06, tested it with the result:
vertical lines all over the place especially in low light situations. I contacted Kodak and they
said they wouldn't know about this problem, which is not true. There are many videos on youtube
reporting the same problem even after 1.06.

My conclusion is that Kodak didn't fix anything and the internal sensor of this camera is not big enough and simply of very low quality. I decided to save my money and will wait for something better..."

and

"The picture quailty was good but the sound did not synic with the movie,also the movie very chopy, thus not happy so sent it back for refund! ,remmber folks cheap is cheap!"

This is what Which? said:

"

The Kodak Zi8 is a decent pocket camcorder which offers full HD recording and still photo capture. However, it shoots poor video in dim light and has an average battery life, so doesn't make our Best Buy list.
You can record in full 1080p HD resolution with the Zi8, with a frame rate of 30 frames per second (fps). You can also choose to record smoother footage at 60fps, though with a reduced resolution of 720p. The video quality is decent, though we've seen better from other pocket camcorders and the Zi8 can't match the footage you can get with a full-sized HD camcorder. Because of its recording format, the Zi8's videos will look at their best when watched on a computer screen. Though the Zi8 has an HDMI connection and HDMI cable packaged with it so that you can connect it to an HD TV, its videos display much more juddering motions. The Zi8 takes its best videos in bright daylight conditions and does a nice job of picking up colours and detail. However, the performance flags in artificial light with colour accuracy much reduced. The video quality in low light is reasonable for a pocket camcorder, though significantly worse than what you can achieve with a full-sized HD camcorder. The sound quality is unimpressive - the small internal microphone captures dull audio and it's very difficult to distinguish finer sound details. The Zi8 has a still photo mode as well as a video mode so lets you take quick snaps. However, there's a noticeable delay after pressing the shutter button before a shot is actually taken. There's no built-in memory to record to, but the Zi8 also allows you to connect an SD or SDHC memory card. There's a USB plug tucked inside the Zi8 allowing you to connect it directly to a computer. Though this is useful, the body of the camcorder can make it awkward to connect - an additional USB extension cable helps and you get one packaged with the Zi8. The buttons are nicely laid-out and easy to use - the central record button sits between the playback and stop buttons and there's little else to complicate the design. The Zi8 is ready to shoot just four seconds after switching on. However, its battery life isn't the best amongst the camcorders we've tested - it'll last 77 minutes on a full charge. It takes nearly two hours to charge the Zi8 via the mains, and two and a half hours by USB charging. The packaged software that comes with the Zi8 is easy to use and it allows you to make minor edits to videos as well as upload them directly to sites such as YouTube or Facebook.
Pros: Good videos in daylight, good software, still photo mode
Cons: Poor video in dim light, average battery life"