KODAK Zi6 HD POCKET VIDEO CAMERA – NICE CASUAL UNIT
The video camera in question is a highly portable device that fits easily in a pocket and hence can be carried wherever desired with ease and videos can be shot of moments that would otherwise go without being captured. It is suitable for those who would like to take everyday casual videos and do not have professional like high quality videos as their priority. There is a competition faced by the Zi6 by Kodak from Flip video cameras but the brand carries more weight in this case and Kodak products have always been known for their quality.
Since the camera can take videos of High Definition, they are extremely pleasing with respect to sharpness and clarity. The overall quality of the video and the audio is far better than expected from a pocket video camera and looks very good even when played on a large LCD television. Moreover, the camera is small and lightweight and hence does not pose any problem when it comes to portability. The video quality is good both, indoors and outdoors with sufficient light. It can capture videos anywhere between the tiny macro shots to the landscape ones with vibrant colors. There is an option to shoot videos in the desired format from VGA, HD and HD 60 which is an added advantage and lets the user take low quality ones when the memory available would not be enough to take high quality video. The device thus, is flexible and advantageous.
The video camera can also take still photos though it was not designed for that purpose and can be considered as an added advantage. The best part of the device is that it can take AA batteries and is convenient at places where recharging cannot be done like outdoor parties and adventure areas. The videos are not stored in the internal memory of the unit but on an SD card and is therefore good for the user as the amount of memory in the camera is customizable. It is a dependable unit for casual recording due to its portable nature and the price is what makes the product even more attractive.
The zooming capability of the unit is not as expected and also makes a disturbing noise when used which is recorded along with the other audio of the clip. The instruction manual of the device is not pleasing as it does not include most of the necessary information. The default mode of video is HD and cannot be changed to HD 60 which is disappointing. The media impression software that comes with the camera has some serious flaws and is not user friendly at all. It also tends to freeze up the computer occasionally and is recommended to use third party software for the same purpose. The battery life of the camera is very short and carrying extra AA batteries always helps in locations where recharging the battery I going to be difficult.
The Zi6 is finally a portable video camera that is affordable and has a few quirks with respect to the functionality. It is therefore recommended for taking casual day to day videos.
