While shooting video on YouTube can prove a very difficult task; it is always important to have a camera that can shoot precise video when needed. It is this reason that I decided to buy the Kodak ZI6 camcorder.
For the purposes of this review; I'm going to refer to this Kodak ZI6 as a camera even though there is certain ambiguity over the real genre of this device
In coming to choose a perfect camera to shoot youtube videos; I was tied down to two devices ; the Kodak ZI6 and the Flip Ultra. I had read many reviews on each ; they both served the same purpose ; ideally, a camera that could shoot easy video and this could be uploaded to youtube in an instant. It was the Full HD capability that lead me to purchasing the Kodak zi6.
Kodak zi6 unboxing
The camera comes with a handy pouch for storage; a set of AA rechargeable batteries and conviently ; a charger with the 3 pin plug. All the necessary manuals and CD software is included.
The camera is fully compatible with iMovie 09 and the files can easily be extracted in the software for editing. What works out very handy is there is no coversion software required for the viewing of video clips on quicktime for Mac for instant viewing. One of the things that really struck out to me, was how fast the data was transferred from the camera to my computer. This is usually a long process but when using the Kodak ZI6 the video was copied almost instantly.
The main feature of the camera is the flip USB connector that allows you to plug it directly into your computer with the need for a card reader or seperate cable. The downside to this is when plugging into USB ports hidden in the back of the desktop computer; the camera is sometimes forced to hang directly from the USB and this is putting strain on the USB connector. Over time this could prove a worry so it is advisable to buy a USB extender cable. It would have been a good idea for Kodak to perhaps, include this as part of the package.
The large 3.5" screen on the camera allows you to preview the content very easily and even if you are not near a computer; you can still view the clips with full sound playback. While this may not be the best way to judge the quality of the video, it is certainly a good feature for shooting those all important clips and viewing them at an instant.
The video is shot in 3 different modes: VGA, HD 30fps and 60fps. It is a good idea to only shoot at the highest rate if you have a large sized memory card. Kodak allows you to use the new high capacity SD memory cards up to 16GB. So far I've been using a 4gb SD card and I have not run out of memory.
The background noise is not picked up too much on the cameras microphone but at the same time there is no issue with hearing precise commentry made by the video photographer or the the subject whom he/she is shooting.
If you are not in posession of a computer then don't fear; this camera can be connected to a HD television using the RGB component cables for full high definition picture quality. They even supply cables to connect to a DVD recorder for keeping those home movies backed up.
Overall this is an excellent quick point-and-shoot video camera and does exactly what it is meant to do. It shoots video for instant viewing and instant upload to YouTube. The only bad point I have found with the camera is the battery life. I found that while using this; I would only get about 1-2 days usage. I would have liked if Kodak included Lithium batteries instead of the Metal Hydroxide ones that won't have the same lifetime.
9/10
[Caption]
For the purposes of this review; I'm going to refer to this Kodak ZI6 as a camera even though there is certain ambiguity over the real genre of this device
In coming to choose a perfect camera to shoot youtube videos; I was tied down to two devices ; the Kodak ZI6 and the Flip Ultra. I had read many reviews on each ; they both served the same purpose ; ideally, a camera that could shoot easy video and this could be uploaded to youtube in an instant. It was the Full HD capability that lead me to purchasing the Kodak zi6.
Kodak zi6 unboxing
The camera comes with a handy pouch for storage; a set of AA rechargeable batteries and conviently ; a charger with the 3 pin plug. All the necessary manuals and CD software is included.
The camera is fully compatible with iMovie 09 and the files can easily be extracted in the software for editing. What works out very handy is there is no coversion software required for the viewing of video clips on quicktime for Mac for instant viewing. One of the things that really struck out to me, was how fast the data was transferred from the camera to my computer. This is usually a long process but when using the Kodak ZI6 the video was copied almost instantly.
The main feature of the camera is the flip USB connector that allows you to plug it directly into your computer with the need for a card reader or seperate cable. The downside to this is when plugging into USB ports hidden in the back of the desktop computer; the camera is sometimes forced to hang directly from the USB and this is putting strain on the USB connector. Over time this could prove a worry so it is advisable to buy a USB extender cable. It would have been a good idea for Kodak to perhaps, include this as part of the package.
The large 3.5" screen on the camera allows you to preview the content very easily and even if you are not near a computer; you can still view the clips with full sound playback. While this may not be the best way to judge the quality of the video, it is certainly a good feature for shooting those all important clips and viewing them at an instant.
The video is shot in 3 different modes: VGA, HD 30fps and 60fps. It is a good idea to only shoot at the highest rate if you have a large sized memory card. Kodak allows you to use the new high capacity SD memory cards up to 16GB. So far I've been using a 4gb SD card and I have not run out of memory.
The background noise is not picked up too much on the cameras microphone but at the same time there is no issue with hearing precise commentry made by the video photographer or the the subject whom he/she is shooting.
If you are not in posession of a computer then don't fear; this camera can be connected to a HD television using the RGB component cables for full high definition picture quality. They even supply cables to connect to a DVD recorder for keeping those home movies backed up.
Overall this is an excellent quick point-and-shoot video camera and does exactly what it is meant to do. It shoots video for instant viewing and instant upload to YouTube. The only bad point I have found with the camera is the battery life. I found that while using this; I would only get about 1-2 days usage. I would have liked if Kodak included Lithium batteries instead of the Metal Hydroxide ones that won't have the same lifetime.
9/10
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