Kodak Zi6 HD Pocket Video Camera

Become an instant celebrity or paparazzo! This sleek pocketable design is built for easy video – there is no lens cap, no dials to turn, or settings to set. Just turn it on and hit record to capture the action, adventure, and all the juicy details in stunning HD! Make your cinematic debut on any HDTV. Or just pop the USB in the nearest PC and you’re ready to share the fun on YouTube. Edit, add music, and personalize your flick and easily share with your adoring fans. There’s no such thing as ”you should’ve been there” with the Zi6.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Works great in Iraq
I bought my Zi6 at Target back in June just before deploying to Iraq. Think I paid $149.00 and had to add a memory card. Mine works great, I have some great footage of patrols, Iraqi Kids getting toys, the land scape moving down the road, and a few shots going thru Mosul at night. I filmed most of it looking thru the glass of an armored vehicle. It also takes fairly good still pictures. Easy to carry and holds-up good, I have dropped my several times and it is still going strong. I do recommend buying 2 extra rechargeable batteries and swapping them out. I have 2GB card in mine and can get a few pictures and about 45 minutes of video.

5 Stars Easy
I love this. Perfect for recording on vacations or out & about & uploading to various websites. We got a great deal on Amazon with free shipping only only $130 when the new zi8 was released a couple months ago. Obviously the zoom isn’t much & it’s not the best in dark settings, but overall, you can’t beat it for the money! It’s so small & lightweight & the batteries last for a really long time. Ours came with rechargeables & a charger… but the best thing is it takes regular AA in case you’re out somewhere & run out of batteries… you don’t have to spend a fortune in a pinch. We took ours to Disney & that trip alone was worth it! No lugging around a bigger or more expensive model, worrying about it etc. Shop for a good deal & you’ll feel even better about this purchase~!

1 Star Total piece of junk
I got this camera a few months ago for a trip. Since then, it has proved itself totally and utterly worthless. I’ve had it for about 4 months now, and it won’t even tape. I have kept it in tip-top shape, but it refuses to film for over a minute in any mode. I’ve tried everything, replacing the SD card and batteries, but this terrible camera is simply a piece of junk. Caveat emptor sums it up pretty nicely.

5 Stars It is what it is.
I got this locally from a BBox that must not have been paying attention. I like many others, read the reviews here and studied all the different opinions. Then I realized that I could not (like others) expect $1000 performance from something that cost me less than $100. The video was choppy when I was uploading to my laptop on the cruise and I had my doubts. With a 20 year computer resume, I suspected the laptop and was proven correct when I watched the clips once I got home. I have also noticed a difference in players (software) trying to play on my desktop. This is not the camera’s fault. The shaky video is also not the camera’s problem. I realize that if the video is so jittery as to be unwatchable, it is on me. If you go into the situation with a little common sense and realize the limitations, this is a steal for out of my pocket and catching an 8th grade basketball game in a matter of seconds. On the other hand if you aspire to make feature films, feel free to spend the money. Amazon has many high quality products available to serve you faithfully. Me, fits the bill perfectly.

2 Stars The camcorder SHOWDOWN: I’ve done the product comparisons for you
If I’m going to spend more than a hundred bucks on an item or somewhere around there, I do extensive research first to know I got the best bang-for-the-buck and, consequently, dodge any potential future buyer’s remorse.

I’ve realized that the time I spend doing my product comparisons is often time that others don’t have so I may as well share what I can.

I’ll start by saying that you’ll see my “Verified Amazon Purchase” on the Flip HD Ultra Camcorder review because, obviously, that’s the one I wound up buying and I’ll share with you why. But what I like in a camcorder may not suit your own needs so I’ll break it down and let you decide what’s best for you via what I found out:

Here are the pocket camcorders I compared:

Flip UltraHD (will be referred to as “F”)

Flip Mino HD 2nd generation(Will be referred to as “M”)

Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB 2nd generation (Will be referred to as “CL”)

Kodak Zi6 Pocket HD (Will be referred to as “K”)

Why HD cameras only? Brighter colors and better images, wider images

HD SHOOTING TIME:

F: 120 minutes.

M: 120 minutes

CL:120 minutes

K: 25 minutes with batteries they included, 120 minutes if you buy an SD card

MEMORY:

F: 8 GB

M:8 GB

CL: 8 GB

K: internally only 30 MB recording space but it has 32 GB expandable SD/SDHC card slot. Because it comes with such small recording space you really need to buy an SD or SDHC card to maximize its potential, but the potential is really good and this will increase your ability to shoot longer.

RESOLUTION:

All 720p which is excellent, just one step below the top 1080p format.

SOUND:

F:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds

M:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds.

CL:Poor sound quality; had issues with sound and picture not being in sync.

K:Poor sound quality

ZOOM:

F: 2x

M:2x

CL:2x

K: poor quality zoom on the one I tried but I still think it’s 2x. It has a great macro focus for very close-up objects if, for example, you see a bumble bee and want to shoot it on a leaf a few inches away! Kinda cool.

SIZE AND WEIGHT:

F: 6.2 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches ; 11.2 ounces

M: 2 x 0.7 x 3.9 inches ; 1 pound

CL: 3.3 x 7.9 x 6.3 inches ; 11.2 ounces

K: 4x 5x 2.5″ 2.4 lbs

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

F: USB cable pops out of the back so you don’t need to keep up with a separate cable. Comes with Flip Video rechargeable AA battery pack (recharges when connected to USB); also supported by standard AA batteries. Note: Some sets come with the HDMi mini included and others come with the rechargeable battery pack on Amazon. Looks like one or the other but of course if you need both you can buy the other.

M: USB cable pops out of the back on this one as well. Has child safe button to prevent accidental deletion of videos. Internal lithium ion battery recharges through built-in USB arm

CL: USB cable in camera. Included in box are HDMI cable, USB extension cable, silicon skin & rechargeable battery.

K: Included in box are HD and AV cables and wrist strap and rechargeable batteries and battery charger. Has built in USB arm.

SPEED:

F: 30 frames per second.

M: 30 frames per second

CL: 30 frames per second

K: choice of 30 frames per second or 60 frames per second.

VIEWING SCREEN: All 2″ except the Kodak was the largest at 2.4″

IMPORTANT NOTES:

F: Best low-light performance for the mini cameras (though not perfect at all) and least amount of blurring and dropped frames in my opinion. You can get an underwater case for this one! Though that may sound crazy for a Texan, we use the camera non-stop on vacations and even when we aren’t IN the water, we are around the water…on boats, in the sand with sea mist, etc. Then we can dive in and record the fish. Comes preloaded with flipshare software…just plug in to computer and it pops up.

M: Colors don’t appear as good on the Mino as the other cameras. Thinnest camera. Make sure you get the one that only comes in the color aluminum or brushed metal. If it comes in any other colors it is the 1st generation MinoHD and they improved upon that one in the newer models. Great audio. Better shooting in low light than most mini cameras. Camera comes preloaded with FlipShare software. Can get still images through flipshare software.

CL: Decent filming in low light. Software is preloaded in camcorder.

K: The only camera in my list without image stabilization which results in very shaky filming. The others have built-in image stabilization to help correct it. What appears to be metal in picture is actually a chrome colored plastic. That said, this had the largest viewing screen of all of them. 2.4″ Very poor in low light and seemed to have far more shaking and blurring due to lack of image stabilization. It also takes still pictures but they are really really poor quality…same as a lesser-quality cell phone pictures but good in a pinch if you want a still shot and have no cell or camera I s’pose. Heaviest for a pocket camera but that’s not good if you want to tote it in your purse daily or during travels. Software is not preloaded in camcorder but a cd comes with it.

And, finally, the reviews of the Flip from experts swayed me quite a bit:

Fast Company: “Flip Ultra HD is Pure Digital’s “Best Pocket Camcorder Yet.” 6-09

USA Today: “New Flip Ultra Video Cameras Might Flip Your Switch” 4-09

Business Week: How do you Invigorate a Recession? Look to i-phone, Flip, Kindle, and Zip Car For Answers

There were lootttts more I came across when researching the Flip Ultra HD but those are some of my favorites.

CONCLUSION: Clearest picture and sound was important to me, expert reviews that pointed to the Flip UltraHD as well and I liked the built in software and the case I can get to shoot underwater. It is the number one selling camcorder as well. So that was my personal decision-making process. However, keep in mind that if you need reading glasses none of that will matter if the 2″ screen is too small for your viewing the shots easily for playback in which case you may wish to get the Kodak if that’s important to you..

Also: No matter which one you get, you will probably want a mini tripod if you ever want to be in the shot yourself do don’t forget those.

Also note: It’s confusing because when these manufacturers make changes in the camcorders, they do not change the names on the new versions, nor do they change the names if it’s an HD version or a non-HD version so be sure you look for the “HD” after the brand name and look for “2nd generation” or “newer version” on the Mino and Vado if you like one of those better so you don’t get the older models.

Hope my obsessive comparing and contrasting for my own purchasing assistance helped you as well even if what you wanted in a camera was different from me.

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