Kodak PlaySport (Zx3) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera

The Kodak PlaySport HD is a weatherproof pocket video camera that is specially built for outdoor activities. You can bring it along with you for snapping picture or taking video whenever you visit the beach. Moreover, you will also be able to take video footage in a way that the normal video camera can't. The reason is very simple; it's light, small and yet it is weatherproof. With the waterproof feature that can stand up to 10 feet, you can now use it to record water activities such as snorkeling. There are very few other cameras in the market today that have a high definition quality of recording feature like what this camera has and combined with the fact that it is weatherproof.

There are opinions that a camera like this is not necessary, where many of them who have traditionally used regular video cameras are reluctant to believe that a gadget that is so small and compact like this Kodak Playsport HD can ever possibly be as effective as those bigger and more powerful camera. 

This weatherproof video camera has been tested by numerous high performance video camera magazines and the findings are pretty amazing. The Kodak PlaySport HD has been proven to stand up to the challenge of truly being weatherproof and has even outperformed many of its rival from the same range. After being subjected to a variety of weather conditions, it was revealed that this particular camera passed with flying colors.

• 1080p, 720p (30/60), VGA video modes, 5MP stills
• Waterproof to 10ft
• It is quite shock resistance, even if it is not mentioned
• 2″ LCD screen
• Electronic Image Stabilization
  
• It is sold for $150

Pros:

• 60fps mode is good for slow-mo in a pinch
• Waterproof, feels solid
• Video quality is quite s good

Cons:

• Huge amount of skew, especially visible in 1080p
• Switching between underwater and regular mode is not quite user friendly

Kodak PlaySport HD Pocket Video Camera

The Zx3 Playsport is the latest release and perhaps the best pocket camcorder in the a series of: the Zi6, Zx1 and Zi8. These previous releases all had quite similar form factors and performance, for example the Zi8 was built with 1080p while the Zx1 was specially designed to be weatherproof. To get the most out of it, the Kodak Playsport HD is built to include all the features and functionality of these previous releases. At a price of $150, this Zx3 is truly irresistible.

Although this camcorder is capable of taking picture at 1080p but that doesn't mean that you should use it most of the time. 1080p is a lot of pixels for a tiny sensor and small lens and that's why it is not recommended to shoot at that resolution. The sharpness could be unreliable at this resolution and its aggressive compression could wipe out any edges and fine detail whenever there's a movement. Using the camcorder at 720p and at 60fps is recommended, it won't reduce your image quality much.

Like most camera, this one also has a fixed focus, which means that you won't be able to focus on things that are positioned in less than 3 feet away. This is a drawback but that isn't real deal breaker as at this range of price, you can't complain about that.

Kodak does not claim that this camera is rugged or shockproof but from the outside it quite looks sturdy and tough. The sealing looks great which mean no mud could get anywhere sensitive. Well, this one is built for sports, so that proves it. Normal fall won't hurt much of this piece, it can truly stand against that.

Now for the device's layout and form factor: nothing much to complain about, it's pretty comfortable to use and reasonably intuitive. Nothing much to configure and it could be mount easily. It comes with a software that you lets you to manage the videos on the gadget itself, but again you can always choose to drag them off to use in something better, I mean do it on your pc or Mac.

One last thing, this camera video is definitely designed for right-handed operation. The buttons aren't specifically laid out for the lefties' thumbs to reach. Kodak could have make it manageable for both types of person but I suppose they know what they are doing.

Overall, although there are quite a few faults found on this thing but do keep in mind that these could also be found on most camera and camcorders of the same price range or even higher. This one costs only $128 on Amazon and so nothing much to complain about. Moreover, with less than $130 for an underwater-sealed, pocket going, 1080p (max) shooting camera, you can't expect more. It's compact and definitely a must for a sports event.