I wanted an easy to carry, fairly inexpensive 1080p HD capable camcorder to replace my aging
Flip Ultra Video Camera - White, 4 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation)
which has served me well, but only shoots in 720p and doesn't have an external microphone jack.
This one caught my eye after I read reviews of the
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera - Black
mentioned it as a lesser camera, but still possessing the microphone jack capabilities - which is rare with these types of camcorders.
Why use an external mic? Well, if the audio you are getting via the camera is affected by external noise or generally isn't as sharp as you want it to be, it's great to have options. I purchased a
Olympus ME-52W Noise Canceling Microphone
which while cheap, really does the trick for YouTube videos and similar when paired with the PlayTouch.
The PlayTouch is similar to the Flip in styling, but has a touch screen for navigation and room for up to a 32GB SD card. You'll need a card. The internal memory stored only 25 seconds of video shot at 1080p. I suggest this card:
SanDisk Extreme 32 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 45MB/s SDSDX-032G-AFFP
for capturing clear HD video and having about 4 hours of room to do it on the card.
This camcorder is easy to use and comes with two software packages that ideally would allow you to upload to YouTube and Facebook from the camera. My system rejected this operation and
Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus 2013 - 3 Devices
said 'no go' to installing it due to a bug.
If you run into that problem, it's OK, as you can simply remove your SDHC card and upload the videos to your computer for editing and uploading. Yes, it defeats some of the cool features of this rig, but as it's all about the quality of the video for me - it's not a problem as that is still good.
What's not good is the low lighting shots (video and stills) with this camcorder. You need to have good lighting or be outdoors to get good quality video from this product.
Looking for a tripod? I use a
Flip Video Tripod
with this camera and it works great.
I liked that the camcorder came with all kinds of cords, including the one that allows you to plug in the USB connector into a female connection. It's only a tether of about 8", but that's handy for desktop PCs and rarely included with cameras like this one. Assuming you'd not be taking the SDHC card out instead and uploading directly from the camcorder.
I am a little concerned about the USB flip out connection on the PlayTouch. It's kind of flimsy, and wiggles a bit versus a nice snap out with a quick slide of a lever on the Flip Cam. I don't think I'll use it, as I feel like even being careful - it may break easily.
The 3" screen is clear and bright. Navigation is easy and intuitive. One button for play on the back, and a red light on the front of the camcorder tells you it's recording.
You can change shooting mode like: sepia, b/w, 70's, and others, and edit on the camera. That's really nice, as it saves time editing off the camera. Ideally, if I could upload directly to Facebook and YouTube, this would be very sweet indeed!
An HDMI port on the camera is also a great addition. Even better, Kodak includes an HDMI cable with the PlayTouch!
The rechargeable battery charges in about 2 hours and lasts about the same when shooting 1080p video.
Be sure to go to the Kodak site and click 'Support' to get the latest firmware update for your camera. You'll need to have your SDHC card before you do, as that's part of how you upgrade. You'll also need to check 'About' in your camera settings to find your camcorder's current firmware version prior to selecting the proper upgrade. It's relatively simple to upgrade it, and instructions on the Kodak site are clear and easy to follow.
Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase. I like that it has the mic jack and produces great 1080p video, as well as being easy to use and highly portable. Having a memory card slot is a bonus too, and other than the USB connector and so-so internal mic, it's a great buy at its current price point. The
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera - Black
was my first choice, but the price difference was the deciding factor and I don't regret my decision after playing with this one.
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Customer reviews
Kodak PlayTouch Video CameraThe Kodak PlayTouch produces beautiful videos and still pictures. I set the video resolution to 1080p (the highest resolution) to get the best results, while the still pictures record at 5 megapixels (3072 X 1728) and the resulting pictures each takes about 1 megabyte of storage space.This is a small and convenient video camera that also has still picture taking ability, not the other way around. You should compare this with a Flip Ultra HD kind of video camera, not with a digital camera that also has video capability, or with a camcorder. The emphasis here is simplicity, small size, and video.This Kodak model is also known as model Zi10, although it was not mentioned as such on Amazon's product page. As the PlayTouch Video Camera, all controls on the back of the camera are touch-sensitive, similar to the Apple iPod Touch. There is only one small physical button (Record/Ok) and it is located just below the 3-inch diagonal LCD screen.Videos and still images can be viewed on the camera LCD and on external TV's and flat panel displays equiped with HDMI connection and also older RCA type connection. Both types of cables are included.The Zi10 can be charged using a computer's USB port (connect via the camera's USB arm) or using household AC (connect via the camera's Micro-B USB receptacle). It must be emphasized that while the USB arm can be connected to a computer for both charging and data transfer, the Micro-B USB port can only be connected to a computer for charging only. The AC adapter is very small, much like the Apple USB charger, and thus unobtrusive. When the camera is being charged, the light ring around the Record/Ok button will blink. A complete charge takes about two hours. After charging is complete, the blinking light will cease.The Zi10 uses Kodak KLIC-7004 3.6V 1000 mAh battery, which is also compatible with Pentax DL-168 and Fuji NP-50 batteries. The battery lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes, so you will want to buy extra batteries. You may also want to buy an external charger. These (battery and charger) are available new on Ebay often below $5 each including shipping. The compatible batteries will most likely not last as long per charge as the original, but the difference is small and they are much less expensive.There is a switch on top of the camera that allows you to set the camera lens to take normal pictures (left) or close-up pictures (right). Perhaps some reviewer did not notice this "feature" and subsequently produced out-of-focus and blurry pictures and videos.The camera will turn on and be ready to take picture or video almost instantly after you press the power button on the upper right hand corner. In Ready mode, the picture viewing area is just 2 inches diagonal (7/8 inch high by 1 and 3/4 inch wide). Other areas of the LCD consist of indicators and touch-sensitive buttons. Indicators are the battery power level and the number of pictures remain that can be taken. Buttons include Setup, Still Picture/Video Switch, Play, Special Effects, Zoom In and Zoom Out. In Play mode, picture and video will take up the entire 3-inch screen, but must be rotated to a horizontal orientation for viewing.In terms of video resolution, you can select from WVGA, HD 720p, HD 720p 60fps, and HD 1080p. The HD 720p 60fps setting is for shooting fast action scenes, while HD 1080p has the best resolution and takes up the most storage space. At this setting, a 4 Gb card will last about 30 minutes. For still picture, the camera takes 5 megapixel images; a 4 Gb card will accomodate 2,184 shots. The camera features image stabilization and face detection.Display text can be set to any one of 15 languages. There are five special effects that can be applied to still picture and video: normal, high saturation, 70's film, black & white, and sepia.Problems:1. If you put in a SD memory card that has all its storage space used up, the camera will display a message: Memory card is full. Strangely, under this circumstance, you will NOT be able to format the card in camera, as you cannot use the camera at all. You need to format the card or delete some pictures in another camera or computer. I am guessing that maybe Kodak does this to prevent accidental erasure of precious videos and pictures.2. The built-in USB arm is convenient to use to download pictures and videos to a computer, but its construction seems pretty flimsy that I don't feel comfortable to have the whole camera's weight hang on the arm. Instead, I use an USB extension cable so that the camera can be placed on a flat surface while it's connected to a computer. Unlike the Flip video camera's built-in memory, because the PlayTouch stores pictures on removable SD memory cards, sometimes it's easier to just take out the SD card and load it onto a computer than using the USB arm. At least, you have a choice to use either method.Actual use experience:Because this is primarily a video camera and secondarily a digital still picture camera, when you turn on the camera, it will always be in video mode. If you want to take still pictures, you must press the capture mode (still picture/video camera) button on the lower left of the LCD screen. Because the camera does not have a built-in flash, pictures and videos taken are limited to available-light lighting condition only. Although there is some shutter-lag when taking still picture, I like the fact that I can take a video of a scene than extract a single video frame to produce a picture, right on the camera. Full-HD means the resolution is 1920 X 1080, which yields 2,073,600 pixels or 2 MP. This is considerably lower resolution compared to what this camera in still picture mode can produce - 5 Megapixels. Still, if you shoot a video then extract a critical frame, it is better than missing the perfect shot all together.Like any electronic gadget, this camera is a delicate piece of equipment. Although the camera comes with a velvet pouch, it offers little protection against bumps and shocks. Instead, I use a Lowepro Rezo 30 zippered pouch ($12 on Amazon) to securely store this camera. This bag has a front pocket that can store extra batteries and memory cards. If you want to save some money, then I would recommend AmazonBasics Universal Camera Case for Digital Cameras HF, which is less than $5 and it also has a pocket for extra things. It is slightly less snug (meaning bigger inside and outside) than the Lowepro.I have not encountered any freeze-up conditions described by some reviewers. My Camera Firmware Version is 1.160012.
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