Kodak Playsport review – A Well-Brought-Up Camcorder
Thumbs Up:
The Kodak Playsport has a really great photo sharing software; the camcorder offers really great video quality (for its class) and is waterproof up to 10 feet. Playsport also comes with HDMI cable.
Thumbs Down:
The Kodak Playsport doesn’t come with an incorporated USB connector, the camcorder doesn’t have a memory card, and most importantly the camcorder has really poor battery life (especially when used at high resolutions). One another bad thing here is that the sharing software of the camera is only compatible with Windows only.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
Specifications: Price (MSRP): $149.95 – $149.99 Manufacturer: Kodak Part Number: 1520287 Product Type: Camcorder – 1080p Weight: 128g Display Type: LCD display TFT active matrix, 2 in – Color LCD size: 2 inch Software: ArcSoft MediaImpression and Drivers & Utilities Resolution: 5 megapixels Effective Sensor Resolution: Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Apple Mac OS X 10.4 or later Supported Flash Memory: SD Memory Card Still Image Format: JPEG White Balance: Automatic Media Type: Flash card Connector Type: USB, Composite audio/video output and HDMI output Additional Features: Crushproof, Water resistant, YouTube capture mode and USB 2.0 compatibility Cables Included: A/V cable and HDMI cable Peripheral Devices: USB ports and CD-ROM drive Included Accessories: Wrist strap Supported Battery: Li-ion rechargeable battery (Included) Battery: Kodak KLIC 7004
Razzle Dazzle:
The Kodak Playsport on an average is the size of a normal smartphone, but despite its small size the camcorder is a tad bigger and heavier than its closest rivals that we’ve seen in market, although the marginal difference can be easily overlooked. And despite the comparative heaviness and bulkiness the camcorder can easily be carried in small handbags and small pants pockets; the camera won’t even weigh you down with its weight. Primarily the body of the camcorder has been built by plastic and has a “rugged” look, but despite its rugged appearance there is no claim that the camcorder is shockproof. The ridged edges and weakly textured back side of the camcorder provides a decent grip on the camera, and even in the wet conditions. Also, keep it in mind that the camcorder only is waterproof and not freeze proof, so exposing it to temperatures below, 32 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time can do the damage to it.
Inside Dope:
The Kodak Playsport or the Kodak Zx3 is the completion of Kodak’s Zx1. Now, while the Zx1 was a weather resistant camcorder, the all new Kodak Playsport aka Zx3 is proclaimed to be a waterproof camera up to 10 feet or can withstand water less than 9.8 feet’s. The camcorder also has plethora of other betterments or updates that makes it a decent camera, both in water and on land.
But if you consider the price of the camcorder there actually isn’t anything serious to complain about, but still if you are looking for a wide range of features in your first camera then its better you keep your hunt on. But if you are fine with limited set of features and are looking for a reasonably priced HD pocket video camcorder capable of withstanding external environmental blows like water or sometimes windy environments, then the Kodak Playsport definitely is a great choice to go with. The overall design of the camcorder is a bit “rugged”, which is reminiscent of its water proof and shockproof nature, although there is no information available on it being shockproof. As a matter of fact the only claim that the company made about the shockproof nature is that the camera is dust resistant (IEC standard 60529 IPX6). The camcorder even is not freeze proof, so if it’s being exposed to temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for a long period of time, there definitely will be a drop in performance for the camcorder. Just like most of the other mini-camcorders we’ve seen the camcorder lens on the frontage of the camera here also is unprotected, so make sure you keep it safe and clean. The controls on the camcorder are comparatively easy, even for the out of the box users. Positioned on the right of the camcorder is the power button, while most of the other buttons are positioned straight under the LCD. There is a four way directional pad used for controlling altering recording modes (left and right) and the 4x digital zoom (up and down). The same can be used for fast forwarding and navigating, rewinding and for controlling volume in playback. The middle buttons of the directional pad is for start/ stop recordings, taking a photo and for stop/ pause/play videos in playback. The performance delivered by Kodak Playsport definitely was not equal to the performance delivered by the full-fledged HD camcorders, but then if you are comparing the two you are doing injustice to Playsport. The reason behind this being the fact that it’s hard for pocket camcorders to match the performance of camcorders which are priced hundreds dollars more than them. That said, the 1080p video quality of Kodak Playsport was decent with sharp and bright colors. The camcorder even delivered respectable low light performance. The photo quality of the camcorder is fine, mentioned that you don’t expect anything exceptional from the camcorder. This means as long as you are taking a quick snapshot its fine.
Nitty Gritty:
The Kodak Playsport on a whole is a well-brought-up camcorder whether you consider it waterproof or not. The camera captures solid HD video and the camera is capable of handling hard HD video.
