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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Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
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Geocaching and Photography

When it comes to the activity of geocaching there are so many side aspects that people can enjoy. In other words there is more to this amazing obsession than just finding Tupperware in the woods, for example photography.

Geocachers love to take photos. Either of themselves at the geocache site, points of interest around the geocache, etc. You would be amazed at all the fun, weird and exciting things you run into. Being in the age of digital everything it is so easy to capture our adventures. Remember the good Ole days when we had 24 shots of film and that was it? There was no "delete" and redo. You took your shots and hoped for the best. Those rolls of film were expensive too. Now with SD cards you can take literally thousands of photos and not even break a sweat. Remember when we had to turn in our film and wait over a week to get them developed? How things have changed.

The casual geocacher usually has a phone with a camera built in. This is extremely convenient to have with you at all times. Many of the smart phones have high end mega-pixel cameras that can rival standard digital cameras. I have found I personally use my phone camera much more now just because it is right there with me. Even beyond that the video camera on a smart phone gives you that option as well.

Digital cameras still have their place but I would hazard a guess that you will see them change in ways to make  them more competitive with the smart phones. I still use my digital camera because it can easily be placed on a tripod or on one of those cool bendable tripods so you can put your camera on a tree branch or hiking pole.  Let's face it, you can only extend your arm so far for a shot and being able to put a camera on a platform with a timer does give you more options. They are still very handy and can fit in a pocket or pouch while geocaching. A definite plus to have with you.

SLR cameras rock but you really need to be a photographer who wants to put some investment into the hobby. The rewards though are quite simply breathtaking. The main difference is the interchangeable lens. There is just something more crisp and clear with a glass lens as opposed to one you would have with a digital camera or smart phone. You also have complete control of what goes into a picture, light, speed, focus. It does really make all the difference in the world and it usually takes experience to make a photo pop. The nice thing again is you are able to save your shots digitally and can take loads of them. If there is one thing about taking photos no matter what camera you use is to take A LOT of photos. It costs you nothing and the difference between photo number one and number two can be huge. Take tons of shots! As you go through your photos you will see what worked and what didn't, that is how you become a more effective photographer.

So there you go. Geocaching and photography go together like peanut butter and jelly. If you haven't tried taking pix while you are looking for that micro or ammo box, give it a try. You will be amazed how many places you experience or things you will see and when you say to yourself, "Wish I brought the camera". It will be right there in your pocket. Have Fun.

-HHH


GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
http://www.geosnippits.com

GeoSnippits Video: Tutorial About Digital Cameras and SD Cards

Here is the latest and greatest GeoSnippits tutorial video out on You Tube. Host HeadHardHat shows you an alternative way of getting your digital photographs out of your camera and onto your computer.

The GeoSnippits series is an ever growing collection of videos designed to help Geocachers and people who are interested in GPS and digital devices learn more through example. You can see the latest video by clicking below or you can enter headhardhat or geosnippits in You Tube's search field.

Buying A Camera For A Twelve Year Old Girl

My daughter Geoness by far is the better half of our Geocaching team. When we are out on the trail we have a serious competition for who finds the cache first. You see, that gives the winner instant bragging rights and the honor of signing the logbook first. She's currently twelve and has no problem telling people that she is a “pre-teen”. I still am not sure if that is to show the importance of her age or is a subliminal warning of her possible moods and just to deal with it. Ahhh, teenagers.

One of her joys while caching is to photograph our outdoor adventures. Sometimes it is to document an event we attended and others to take good photos for my blogs. Over time I have noticed that photography has really become a hobby for her and she has asked for a camera of her own when Christmas comes around. Personally, I couldn’t think of a better way of encouraging her new love for the lens.

With that being said, I sat down and considered what would the best camera be for her. There were several key factors I would like to share so let’s start with the basics.

Budget - My budget is the first consideration. I would love to say that I could drop $500 into a child’s hands and say “here go for it”, ummm, not happening. I would say something closer to $100 for a good camera would be more my speed and if I can get it on sale, all the better. Let’s face it with the economy the way it is I can use all the help I can get.

Next, Usability – No gizmo of any kind is worth the amount of wasted time it takes for the user to figure out how use it. In other words if you are getting frustrated just trying to turn the dang thing on you may have purchased something that will most likely be going back to the store or collecting dust in a corner somewhere. It’s for a twelve year old girl that wouldn’t know an F-Stop if it came up and said “hi”. So Point and Shoot is the way to go which means everything is as automatic as possible. Now the worse she is going to have to worry about is getting the camera strap caught in the shot.

Finally, Durability – When you Geocache you are outside. As in outdoors where there are ponds, lakes, streams, mud and rain. My daughter tries her best to not bang around the equipment but I have caught her many times unknowingly swinging the camera by the strap. Electronics and sudden jolts do not go well together and come to think of it, neither does moisture. So whatever I decide on has to be resistant to wetness and some attempt at surviving a drop or six.

As for the rest of the considerations like extra features of the camera itself; they are pretty much secondary. With a lower end camera the best you are going to get is a modest megapixel strength which is the overall clarity of the picture itself, a fair flash and a standard battery. Drop in a 2 gig memory card and the battery is going to run out before you run out of memory. The average would be about 160 photos which should be more than enough for a day’s worth of geocaching.

I can also see a big benefit for getting a digital camera is there is no film. So Geoness can make all the not-so-good shots she wants. It doesn’t cost anything like the old 35mm days when you bought 24 exposures per roll and you get what you get. Now all you do is hook up the USB cable to the computer, download them and you’re done. It’s that easy.

So even though I have not figured out exactly which camera I am going to get, I think this will be the best game plan to my final conclusion. After considering my budget, camera usability, durability and I am sure the color will have something to do with it. It should be a pretty quick decision and she will be out in the woods taking photos for our next computer background or blog article in no time.