BrnDmp

Kodak Zi8

For one of my projects (bikes-r-us.nl) I’ll be producing instructional videos on bike repair. That’s all nice but I didn’t have camera. Browsing the net for viable options I really liked the Flip. I Especially like the idea of producing a cheap good enough product, like Intel and Asus did with the Atom processor and EeePC netbook. Wired magazine wrote a really nice article about that in issue 17.09: The Good Enough Revolution: When Cheap and Simple Is Just Fine.

Reading review and comparison sites I found out that Kodak also jumped the band wagon with it’s ZiX series. Comparing the Flip and the Kodak most sites agreed that the Kodak Zi8 was the gadget to have. I bought one for 155 Euro (including shipping) and the mailman delivered it to me in one week.

It’s exactly what I wanted: a camera producing good quality video (HD 1080p though you can also opt for 720p to save space) and easy to operate. I like gadgets for which you don’t need a manual. The whole thing is just self explaining. Hit the camera button and you’re in camera mode. Hit the red button and it starts recording. Hit the red button again and it stops recording. Nice. Plain and simple for a video amateur like myself.

The thing I maybe liked even more is the extra stuff you get with it:

I’m quite happy with my purchase. Now I just have to get expert at video editing.

Verdict

Maradonna as a player: easy to use, lightweight, connectivity, video quality

Maradonna as a trainer: butt ugly sticker (though it peels of easily), no SD card included