Saturday, June 11, 2011

HeadHardHat's Review of the Kodak PlaySport (Zx3) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera

When I shoot video for my GeoSnippits Geocaching Videos or anythng else for that matter. I have always wanted a backup video camera that was small enough to put in my pocket yet shot good content. Sure there is a whole slue of them out there but I am a geocacher and I needed a few more abilities. For example, since I am always either out in the woods, walking trails or skirting through urban areas, I needed an outdoor camera. Something rugged like a GPSr unit. That could take a dropping or six. Something that could take high humidity or heaven forbid a landing in a puddle and did not cost an arm, leg and some toes. Guess what I found.


Let me introduce you to one of my latest toys and I am very pleased with it. Check out my Kodak PlaySport (Zx3) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera. It is build like a brick ship house and can be emerged and filming in up to ten feet of water! No kidding.  It has capabilities of shooting 720p, 720p(60) and up to 1080p. The cool thing about 720p(60) is that it shoots at 60 frames per second instead of the normal 30. This means if you are taking shots with a lot of movement like sporting events you get much clearer footage. You can see what I mean by the little two minute video of my GeoPooch Emily catching frisbee seen below.  It has a 5 megapixal camera which takes nice clear pictures. Much better than you would get off of a standard smart phone and you can switch to any mode with a simple flip of the switch.

Lets watch some video. Here is my GeoPooch Emily catching a frisbee in the back yard. This rendering does not do the actual original footage justice but you can see the clarity and usefulness of being able to shoot at 720p(60).


HeadHardHat's Likes and Dislikes:

Likes: Rugged, Waterproof and the size is a bit smaller than a smart phone, turns on for use in 2 seconds.

Dislikes: 1080p - Can't see any real difference in quality with 1080p, in fact the frame of the shot is smaller than when in 720p.

Likes: Super easy to use, you will need a 16gig to 32gig SD card though when you purchase the camera. Sound quality is very good.

Dislikes: When filming in the car it did jump around a bit more than I expected. Not sure how good it would be if you are filming and riding on something like a bike.

Likes: Good focus overall, you seem to have a lot more overall field focus except at shorter than 18 inches. Steady cam works well, has face recognition. Zoom is better than nothing. Price of just over $100.00USD makes this a great on the spot usage video camera.

Overall I highly recommend this video camera for your everyday, "wish I had the video camera" situations. If you are a geocacher this is a must have for all the reasons stated above. With the price of around $100.00 this is something you may consider having a couple of so you never miss a video opportunity.

By all means check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

-HHH

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
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3 comments:

  1. P.J.June 14, 2011 at 5:41 PM

    For the price, it seems like something that a geocacher would really be able to afford and use to make some cool videos. I usually just use my camera (but I need to learn to edit my videos better), but something like this could be of interest to me down the line for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JupsieJune 25, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    I hate my new Kodak PlaySport. I used it once snorkling and the latches wouldn't slide open and closed any more.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 24, 2012 at 9:43 AM

    did you ever get it figure out. I cannot open my latches either.

    ReplyDelete