Why spend so much on shipping. You can stick the whole thing in a USPS priority envelope or box for $4.90.

what vertical line? I dun have one.

There's a relatively easy firmware upgrade that will fix your problem:

http://www.kodak.com/global/mul/service/downloads/DownloadFile.jhtml?locsvcsEntryPath=15504&product=EKN036561&operatingSystem=windows_xp&lang=en&type=firmware&downloadId=dln00234_file1&variant=false&pq-path=14091

Here is a perfect example of a sourpuss customer who obviously doesnt know that honey works better than vinegar. My experience with customer service that has been panned and this is one hundred percent is that kindness and patience can bring you huge rewards if there is an issue. The vertical lines actually sound like out of frame light sources that streak a picture. Sorry for your experience but I think it perhaps was your attitude. I have the zi6 and love it. I got it for 80 bucks refurbished on woot. I own about 10 video cameras from a sony pvw 3 high def to the zi6. and this little guy is great for quick shoots and blends fairly well in documentary work/.

All of the problems you had were fixed with the latest firmware (1.06). Sucks that the Kodak tech didn't know that, and didn't have a clue that the firmware was forthcoming (at the time of your problem) - it was released in November. Anyway, I have the Zi8 with 1.06 and it's fantastic. I can't imagine any of the current Flip cameras coming close to its quality, and many online reviews agree. Even so, good luck with whatever you ended up with.

Yes I and my friends have had the same problem with our Kodak cameras that didn't work and needed repair and we worked for Kodak! I will never buy another Kodak product again. They are made in China and their repair centers are terrible.

I have had similar (but worse) experience with Precision service with another brenad of camera. Long delay and no repair accomplishekd.

He said he did the firmware upgrade and it didn't solve his problems. You people suggesting he does a firmware upgrade should maybe re-read his post.

After seeing so many people having rated this up as the most helpful negative review, I thought I would post an update.

I wanted to clarify that, despite the tone in my review, I actually was very polite on the phone...to a point. The first time, I chalked it up to a single defective unit. I sent it in for repair, not questioning the shipping costs and then I waited. And waited. And waited some more.

When the camera finally got back from repair, it was scratched up, and the same problems persisted. I upgraded to the then current firmware (1.05) and still nothing. I called again, and for the first hour on the phone, was fairly cordial, given the circumstance. I didnt expect this camera to be the best ever, but I wanted it to work the way it advertised, and it didnt. The only time I got aggravated on the phone was when they told me they wouldnt replace or refund me for the camera. Initially, I wanted a replacement. But the fact is, they wanted me to send it in for repair again. Now, all you people saying I'm a sourpuss, or should've been patient: if I waited a month already, using the camera for about 20 minutes total after spending about $200 for it, for it to be repaired, why would I send it back to the SAME repair facility and likely wait another month for a working camera? I don't find my escalation to the higher levels of customer service representatives to be representative of a bad attitude or lack of patience. One month is what I would consider the high end of the patience spectrum, anything else, and you should use a little stronger wording.

Anyway, it got taken care of. I got the refund, which did lack the shipping, but as someone explained, I overpaid on the shipping to the repair facility, so that's my fault to a degree. I had initially intended to buy the minoHD 2nd gen, but literally the DAY that I got the refund cleared to my bank account, Kodak released firmware 1.06. I waited a couple of days, using the forums on Amazon as well as other sites to determine whether or not the firmware fixed the problems I had been having. After reading some glowing reports on 1.06's magical properties to fix all Zi8 related issues, I took the plunge again, but this time I bought directly from Amazon (I believe you can check my buying history to an extent, and see that I purchased from Amazon in late October/early November). When I got the camera, it had firmware 1.05 on it, so the first thing I did was upgrade to 1.06. Literally, the first thing. Didnt even take off the protective film or anything.

After charging it to capacity, and putting in a clean formatted SD card (San-Disk 16GB class 6), I ran some tests.

To a degree, my vertical line issue was solved, but other problems arose. For one, I started getting a jelly effect in all modes. Basically the bottom of the screen appeared wobbly in about 75% of my videos. No variance in lighting conditions or changing of settings would correct this. Additionally, the mic problem was still there, and was noticeable in every video. The zoom was smooth now, but I experienced the well-documented issue of having the brightness of the frame go down considerably when zooming. When playing on my 46" LCD (Samsung), the vertical lines were still there, albeit fainter than before.

These problems aside, 1.06 did seem to correct some things, while also presenting other problems. That said, I may have still kept it, hoping for another firmware update, had it not been for the fact that my wife bought the 2nd gen Mino for my birthday a week later. When I received that camera, I tested it, side my side, with the Zi8, firmware 1.06 installed. Those videos are on my Youtube channel (Alfeetoe) for your perusal. In my opinion, the mino outperforms the Zi8 in almost every category, most notably in the sound and low light performance capabilities. After running the tests for a week, I decided to keep the minoHD and returned the Zi8 to Amazon for a refund, no questions asked. The camera may be a dud, to me at least, but I was also commenting on Kodak's policies and customer service when I posted my review. I would still recommend avoiding them at all costs, and going directly through Amazon or some other retailer. That is, if you chose the Zi8. Again, and this is my personal assessment, the minoHD is just a better camera for the relative pricepoint. It's up to you, really, but I had nothing but problems and disappointment from this camera

So as to maintain full disclosure when it comes to any biases I may have, I did want to say that, two months ago, I sold the minoHD to buy a Canon Vixia HF20 from B

(continued from my last post...didnt realize it cut off until after it posted) So as to maintain full disclosure when it comes to any biases I may have, I did want to say that, two months ago, I sold the minoHD to buy a Canon Vixia HF20 from B&H Photo. While I did like the portability and ease of use of the mino, it's demand was still high and I was able to get a fairly close sell-back price on ebay. I had found that, personally, I wanted more from my video cameras (optical zoom, higher capacity, REAL image stabilization, more options/features, and a higher quality lens). For this reason, I traded the convenience of the mino for the flexibility and capability of the much more expensive Vixia. Even if I had loved the Zi8, I would have done the same, and again this was just personal preference. For what it's worth, I love the Vixia, and it really, truly represents an entirely different realm of quality. Higher priced, sure, but much more versatile.

In summary, if I had advice for you, I say save up and buy an actual HD camera. If that isnt possible, I'd say still wait, and get the new camera Flip is surely putting out this spring. While Kodak is coming out with the Playsport (ZX3) soon, it still doesnt look like it works as well as the Flips yet. If you want to see test footage of the Zi8, as well as the new Playsport, check out my Youtube channel (mentioned above) or a user named chrisc74. He has EXTENSIVE test footage of both Kodak cams, and seems very satisfied. I, however, will never go back to a Kodak again.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the delay in update. I had no idea this would become a favored review here.