Product Details

Kodak 1442102 Reviews

microphone is the problem
by M. T. LAM from LA,USA, 2010-03-21

I did not see anyone say anything about that. But the default "microphone gain" - microphone sensitivity will caused a very high pitch noise in the background. I have to turn that down before I start recording because that setting won't get saved. Otherwise, everything work great. Easy to use and video quality are good.

Nice !!!
by C.R. from Ft. Worth , TX, 2010-03-20

I don't understand how people can review components and features of a product that's not even part of the product to begin with and rate the product low. I also don't understand when a review uses another product for comparison; compare apples to apples, not grapes to watermelons. If you read the specs before buying you would know that the Playsport does not come with a built in flash, external charger, macro, optical zoom, etc. Although they would be nice to have, it's just not relevant to this recorder, and would change the pricing for this product. For $150, the Playsport has its spot.

I felt it was necessary to review the Playsport based solely on its included components and features. With that said I purchased the Playsport because its pocket sized, lightweight, and portable to catch those once-in-a-lifetime moments I would have otherwise missed with my old camcorder, since I don't like carrying a brick around with me everywhere I go.

Review based on 720p/60fps...

Great video quality. However loses some of that quality in low light situation. Turning on any light source(s) would definitley help.
Audio is clear and does pick up distant noises, but best up closer.
The digital zoom operates smoothly, with little to no jumpiness when zooming in or out.
LCD glare filter changes the contrast settings of the screen to help with sun glare.
EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) helps but I imagine would not take much to go past the design limits. I think the Playsports design actually helps contribute to EIS because how nice a fit it is in your hand which helps keep the recorder steady.
Size and durability. Feels very sturdy. The rubberized coating should make it easier to grip when it gets wet. Plus no annoying finger marks.
Plug and play. Easily connects to a TV using the supplied HDMI or component cables.
Battery charges via USB or 120V adaptor.
Have not tried the underwater feature or any still shots yet, but am excited to try it out at the pool come summer. Hopefully it doesn't disapoint.

The Playsport read/writes at 9mb/s. Kodak recommends using a Class 4 SDHC card up to 32gb. I bought a Lexar Platinum II SDHC Card, Class 4, 16gb, 60x 9mb/s, works like a charm. At 1080p or 720p/60fps records about 3 hours, and at 720p/30fps records over 4 hours. Using more than a Class 4 card would be a waste of money since the Playsport can only perform up to 9mb/s, not to mention the problems I read about people using higher class cards (Kodak ZI8 model) and the device shutting off or freezing. May not affect the Playsport but it is the guts from the ZI8.

Hope this helps.

Great video quality- with a fatal flaw
by Brendan Byrne from Chicago, IL USA

Chicago, IL United States, 2010-03-20

I was, and still am, blown away by the quality recording I am getting off of this compact and rugged little camera. the 1080 setting can be a little blurry and choppy, but it is still better than most other compact camcorders I have used. The 720/60 frames setting is wonderful. I was astounded at the smoothness of the video, as well as the quality. Here's the trouble though, and hopefully not indicative of a larger issue.

I am a firefighter and responded to a pin-in accident yesterday with my camera strapped to my chest. I hit record while on the truck enroute and when we arrived I saw the scene was one of the worst I have ever witnessed. We worked for about 35 minutes extricating the sole passenger, and when all was said and done, I returned to the truck and removed my camera. The record light was still on, the screen still showing a live preview, but the recorded time number had stopped at about 37 minutes. All the controls were unresponsive. Not even the power button worked. After about 5 minutes, I had no choice but to remove the battery to shut the camera off. I turned it back on, and was shown an exclamation point where the video I had just shot was. The video would not play. I removed the 8gb SD card and plugged it directly into my computer, and the file size of the last video shot was only 67MB, not nearly high enough for 37 minutes of 720p @ 60frames per second. I am still unable to get even that fragment to play.

Color me heart-broken.

As I said, I hope this is not a sign of a larger, or more common, problem. But until I hear otherwise, I wouldn't use this camera when you really, really want to make sure you end up with a copy of the video (wedding, birthday, mat mitzvah, divorce, whatever).

Awesome little camera...
by Jason Smith from Rhode Island, USA, 2010-03-18

I just got my Playsport in today and so far it has exceeded my expectations. I took a few short videos and played them on my TV. The picture quality is very good, even on my 36" TV.

I was able to quickly figure out all the basic controls and within 5 minutes was able to easily navigate through all of the settings.

Pros:
Video quality - even does 1080P
Takes pretty good stills - 5PM
Size
Waterproof
Ease of use
Price is much cheaper than the Flip MinoHD

Cons:
No optical zoom, but that's to be expected in a camera at this price point

So Far So Great
by JS from Las Vegas, 2010-03-17

I've only had the Playsport for a day but I can say so far it is great. Took about two hours to charge with the wall outlet adapter. I took some test clips of my kids and they came out very nice using 720 at 30fps. The low light video did come out a bit grainy but that is to be expected in a camera at this price level. I haven't taken any outside footage yet but I would assume it would look great. The software is very easy to use and I had a minute to play with that. I also viewed the video directly on my TV using the included HDMI cable and it looked great. Fot the price this camera is hard to beat.

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