Theocacao: Kodak Zi6 Review

Farhan — Aug 20, 08 6267

Thanks Scott. I was hoping for decent review of Zi6 and you delivered. I will be picking one up for my Soaring trip. It will be awesome (both the Zi6 and my trip).

Best,
Farhan

Bronson — Aug 20, 08 6268

I ordered my Zi6 today. According to the website, the Black model is shipping and in stock (as of the time I ordered that is). I'm going on a trip next Friday so I hope it arrives before then.

Ted — Aug 20, 08 6269

Bronson - where did you order it that said they were in stock? Amazon still lists Oct. 1 as the due date.

Scott Stevenson — Aug 20, 08 6270

@Ted: where did you order it that said they were in stock?

The Kodak site itself, on the product page.

Alan — Aug 21, 08 6271

Yes, but can it play mp3s?

Jessie — Aug 21, 08 6272

The "add to cart" feature on Kodak's site hasn't work for me for a week, and sadly it doesn't seem available elsewhere until October 1. How'd you get this sucker?

Dmitry — Aug 21, 08 6273

Jeez, if that's "great looking video" then I'm a ballerina. The stabilization (if any) is so bad, just looking at the video can give one an epileptic seizure. Highlights are blown, there's pretty horrible frame judder as well.

If you want great video get a Canon HF-100. $650, 1080p at 30FPS (or 1080i at 60), writes to a SDHC card. One 16GB card ($50) stores a bit over 2 hours of full HD video. There's image stabilization, and the output is just stunning.

Aaron — Aug 21, 08 6274

The quality if this thing is pretty stunning, however I am concerned primarily about the two critiques you mentioned:

- I noticed that this video, as well as the video Andy Ihnatko posted, were very jittery. I have not noticed this in the Flip videos I've seen so much. Perhaps the higher resolution makes it more noticeable?

- I would like to see some indoor videos to get an idea of the low-light performance. Colorful, sunshiney outdoor scenes can make any camera look good.

Torsten — Aug 21, 08 6275

The video of this tiny little camera looks really great! I wonder how it would look if one is filming at a sports event, where you follow a fast moving runner or so. Are there more pixel blocks than in the upper scene? But that's just the only major concern...

Sunnan — Aug 21, 08 6276

Whoah, that's jittery! And the macro stuff what kind of unfocused. How about indoors?

Scott Stevenson — Aug 21, 08 6277

@Dmitry: Jeez, if that's "great looking video" then I'm a ballerina

I might have not made this clear enough, but I meant "great looking for this price and form factor". I'm sure the Canon is great, but it's more than three times the price and a far more complex device. There's no way it will fit in my pocket, either. The value of the Zi6 is in the price and simplicity.

The stabilization (if any) is so bad, just looking at the video can give one an epileptic seizure. Highlights are blown, there's pretty horrible frame judder as well.

Some of the artifacts you're seeing are absolutely due to compression because I don't see them in the original. In any case, I have no doubt a trained eye can find faults in the source video, and I'm sure a higher-end device would do a better job. The Flip might be better in some respects, but I don't think I'd be willing to give up the 720p.

It's worth noting that the stabilization in some of the cases (particularly the third clip) was heavily affected by the high winds. If you look closely, you can see that the plants themselves are rattling about. Not saying that it's the only cause, just a contributing factor.

But my overall feeling is this: here's this low-cost device that exceeded my expectations in most areas and is fun and ease to use. If you want something higher end in a larger form factor, more features, and a higher price tag, then you have a lot of options.

Some may be happier with the Flip, but personally, I will happily trade stablization for resolution since there's at least an option to use a tripod.

@Torsten: The video of this tiny little camera looks really great! I wonder how it would look if one is filming at a sports event

Not sure, though there is a 60fps recording mode. Haven't tried it yet.

Are there more pixel blocks than in the upper scene?

Not sure what you mean by that.

fuzzymath — Aug 21, 08 6278

I'm looking for something to record iPhone demos. How well would it record an iPhone in the dark?

Jemaleddin — Aug 21, 08 6279

Saying that the Kodak costs the same amount as the Mino is a little disingenuous when you admit that you HAVE to buy an SD card to use it. The Mino has a built-in (I know, I know) 2GB flash chip, so it's at least, what, $8 cheaper? :-)

Ted — Aug 21, 08 6280

For those having issues with Kodak's site and the "add to cart" function... Try IE/Win. It kept bombing for me in Safari and IE, and on a whim I tried it in IE6/Win and it worked as expected. Someone needs to notify the Kodak webmaster that their cart software is broken for Ff and Safari users.

Al Degutis — Aug 21, 08 6281

It seems to do well in various lighting conditions. I wonder how it does with a strong backlight. The Flip Ultra (original, not the Mino) did exceptionally well as seen in the video here:
http://www.degutis.com/blog/flip-vs-panasonic-sdr-s10/.

The Zi6 is on my list and if I get it, it would be the third pocket sized video camera I bought this year.

Adam — Aug 21, 08 6282

I got mine two nights ago and have had only a bit of a chance to play with it. My first impressions:

Feels very cheap. My fujifilm consumer still camera has a nice metal body, feels solid. This feels like it could come apart.

The joystick adds to that feeling. It looks like I should be able to click to either side of it, but instead you tilt the joystick.

BUT! Taking video is way easy. I like that it saves as .mov (I haven't tried editing it in iMovie or Final Cut, but here's hoping it opens the files natively) A small nice thing is there is no 'red light' when it's recording, so besides the loud sound, people are unaware you're recording, which, perverted things aside, has it's advantages.

The quality seems okay, but you need ALOT of light. Like Noonish daylight lots of light. I feel like having this in a bar I'd need to carry a flashlight with me.

I'm curious to see how good of video it can get with proper lighting.

o - one other thing, no mic in, which is to be expected, but it seems to pick up sound okay if you speak at it.

Nathan — Aug 21, 08 6283

For what it's worth, you can find the aforementioned Canon HF100 here for $289:

http://shopdigitaldirect.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=7699

I realize that doesn't address the main concern about pocket portability, but it's only $100 extra.

Rich — Aug 21, 08 6285

Hello,

Kodak site QA guy here... I noticed the comments with regards to the site not working for www.kodak.com on particular browsers...

I tested it before and tested it again.. No problems on my end with IE6/IE6 & IE7, FF3 and Mac with Safari. Configurations are all standard clean installations with default settings. If you can provide further information please do so.

Buck — Aug 21, 08 6286

I thought that HF100 price was about $300 too low -- and guess what:

http://www.resellerratings.com/forum/merchant-discussion-shopping-advice/134824-can-i-trust-shopdigitaldirect-com.html

Shopdigitaldirect is a scam.

Roger — Aug 21, 08 6287

I would very much like to know if the movies can be edited in iMovie 08 out of the box.

I tried AVCHD based video cam from Canon and I had to buy 3rd party software to convert the AVCHD into Apple Intermediate format.
It takes a looong time to do the conversion -- totally kills the spontaneity of this kind of small flash based video cams.

Tonio Loewald — Aug 21, 08 6288

Looks like a nice camera but with some obvious flaws (as you mention)

Why not consider something like the Panasonic TZ-5, which is iPod-sized, takes very good still pictures, shoots HD video, and has optical image stabilization (sorely lacking from your sample videos)? It's only about $100 more.

Scott Stevenson — Aug 21, 08 6290

@Sunnan: And the macro stuff what kind of unfocused. How about indoors?

The macro is at a fixed disance. It's certainly not as helpful as variable distance but the Flip has no macro at all. I have some indoor stuff to post.

@fuzzymath: I'm looking for something to record iPhone demos. How well would it record an iPhone in the dark?

Just tried it. Far too blurry to be useful, at least in a dark room. As a side note, I think a lot of people are running their iPhones apps in the simulator then using ScreenFlow to record that.

@Al Degutis: I wonder how it does with a strong backlight

Based purely on the video you linked to and a quick test here, I'd guess the Flip does a better job with strong backlighting, but I have no way to verify that.

@Adam: Feels very cheap. My fujifilm consumer still camera has a nice metal body, feels solid. This feels like it could come apart.

For what it's worth, I don't get that impression at all. It is lightweight, though. Maybe that contributes.

@Roger: I would very much like to know if the movies can be edited in iMovie 08 out of the box.

The files are H.264 .mov format, so yes works natively in iMovie.

@Tonio Loewald: Why not consider something like the Panasonic TZ-5

I hadn't heard of it until you mentioned it. It's an interesting device, but far more complex as it's a full-featured digital camera. Of course, you get a lot of features with that complexity. I assume it would have better picture quality (maybe much better), but it appears to use QuickTime motion JPEG for capture? I assume these files would be substantially larger than the H.264 files that the Zi6 generates.

The Panasonic also only records up to 30fps and is not as easy to fit in a pocket because of the lens. But I'm sure some people would prefer it.

Scott Stevenson — Aug 21, 08 6291

I posted a 60fps sample video for anyone who's interested. Again, make sure you click "large" if you want to see the bigger size.

Torsten — Aug 22, 08 6298

Thanks for the answers and the 60fps sample video, which looks pretty awesome, too. I meant artefacts when i said "pixel blocks". But you said that is because of the compression of the movie. Hopefully, Kodak will release this camera here in Europe soon. Must have it.

Scott Stevenson — Aug 22, 08 6299

@ Torsten: But you said that is because of the compression of the movie

Just to be clear, I said some of the artifacts are due to compressing the file for upload, but not all of them.

Jared Earle — Aug 22, 08 6302

"Yes, but can it play mp3s?"

That's not the right question.

The right question is "Yes, but will it blend?"

Great review, Scott. You've certainly whipped up some desire with this one.

Willie Abrams — Aug 22, 08 6303

Can you post a short movie right out of the camera without any processing? I want to see if files will play on the PS3 (and other HD capable playback devices) directly.

Matt — Aug 22, 08 6304

The first decent "real user" review I've been able to read with source pics and video.

Great job! Keep up the cool reviews!

Cheers,
Doc R

Zach — Aug 23, 08 6306

Any comments on battery life?

Scott Stevenson — Aug 24, 08 6307

@Zach: Any comments on battery life?

Haven't used it quite enough yet to run out of batteries.

Davyo — Aug 25, 08 6310

Ok, I got the Zi6 from Kodak and after one day and night with it I put it back in the box and sent it back to Kodak for a refund, The lack of ANY image stabilization at all and the very very poor low light performance was beyond bad and I found the day light performance not that much better than my Flip Mino, Ultra or my Aiptek A-HD.
I posted 2 video reviews of the Zi6 on Youtube and also on Vimeo.
In one of my reviews I shot and posted the exact same comaparison footage from the Zi6, the Flip Mino and the Flip Ultra and the differenc in image quality is night and day, and not in favor of the Zi6.
When watching ALL the other post of test footage from the Zi6 you might notice that its all footage shot outside in perfect lighting with the Zi6 not being moved hardly at all,,,, there is a reason for this,, its called really really bad motion blur.
To find my reviews and see the comparison footage I shot just do a search for "Davyo" on Youtube or Vimeo and see for yourself.
Cheers
Davyo

Scott Stevenson — Aug 26, 08 6314

@Davyo: When watching ALL the other post of test footage from the Zi6 you might notice that its all footage shot outside in perfect lighting

Absolutely. The camera is clearly designed for sunlight or strong indoor light. Based on a few samples I've seen, the Flip seems to do better in low light. If that's your most important consideration, then my guess is you want the Flip. I'm not as sure about image stabilization because I can't find any claims that the Flip actually has that as a feature.

Even the HD issue aside, the Flip can't expand beyond the built-in 2GB of storage or 60 minutes of recording. The Zi6 can expand up to 32GB of storage. If you're more likely to record lengthy presentations in a conference room, the format and storage space could be a lot more valuable than support for dim lighting.

I also think the Zi6 does a substantially better job with white balance and color saturation in daylight. Compare the same video in Zi6 to the Flip Ultra (posted by John Gruber). To my eye, the Zi6 is noticeably better. Again, this is in daylight but I'd rather optimize for the most likely cases.

In general, neither device is meant to be a complete replacement for a higher-end HD camcorder, which will almost universally provide better picture, features, and so on.

Bronson — Aug 26, 08 6315

I received my Kodak Zi6 yesterday and I love it!! I'm not in the market for a $300 camcorder or one with all of the bells & whistles. I just want something (like the Flip) that will shoot video. My problem with the Flip is the lack of expansion. I don't want to be limited to 1 hour. The Zi6 solves this.

I will be keeping my Zi6 as it meets my needs for now. If I ever want/need to shoot higher quality video, I know where to look and I won't be looking for a sub-$200 camera to do it.

Bronson — Aug 26, 08 6316

Since everyone is interested in the quality of the Zi6 in low light situations, I recording some video in what I would classify as VERY low light. It's shot in the HD60 mode. Take a look.

http://www.vimeo.com/1603829

bobxxx — Sep 04, 08 6325

Hmmm again a another cool device that sounds like it really only geared to the small fringe of apple fans which is really a bummer. Because h264 usually runs, downloads and looks like crap on pcs. One reason I like the flip it is in AVI and I dont have to use the god awful crapple oops apple quick slime opps time to view the excessive compress h264 video. Why kodak did choose h264 when 95% of the world uses the pc? Weird bummer of a choice. And the flip ultra ( video looks better to me and the buttons are easier to use) takes awsome night time video yet still produces excellent video in bright sunlight or dim light indoor video. Yes the resolution is lower but the over all image quality is better and the fact it can handle all kinds different of light enivorments well seems to still put the flips in the lead? I dont know the cheaper flip ultra still seems the better deal unless I seem more video that shows ZI 6 is as flexable as the flip.

James — Sep 04, 08 6326

I noticed that the low light problem with Zi6 too. However, when I changed it to SD 30 fps mode, the low light result is much better. In fact, it is better than flip, which is also SD 30 fps, under the same low light condition.

I guess you can capture video with HD 60fps outdoor and use SD 30fps in low light.

Scott Stevenson — Sep 04, 08 6328

@James: when I changed it to SD 30 fps mode, the low light result is much better. In fact, it is better than flip

I wasn't able to see this in a quick test. Do you happen to have some sample video up somewhere?

johnny — Sep 05, 08 6339

The battery indicator takes a hit when you record in HD or play back on an HDTV (freakin' gorgeous picture btw...) but it jumps back when you're done.

I'd really like an external AC adapter for HD playback but there's no port.

Is there such a thing as an AC adapter that comes in the form factor of two AA batteries? (Think of those sealed battery packs you see for wireless phones, but the pigtail would go to an external AC adapter...) You'd slip in the pack, plug it into the AC adapter, but the camera would think it's on battery power when in fact it's getting 2 x 1.4 volts via the adapter.

What's the white square at the bottom for? (Near the tripod mount.)

valeri — Sep 26, 08 6397

Just got mine from QVC and they may be getting it back . The Users Guide is lousy , the volume is not controlable and very low on playback and the 3X zoom does not work , everything is blurry . I tried calling Kodak , this is , of course , outsourced and got nowwhere because it is so new , they have very little instruction on it .

Warren — Oct 02, 08 6420

Wow, I am glad I found this review. so many 'pro' people complaining about low-lighting. This is a nice DIGITAL video cam! I love what I saw on this video - the bubbles in the water!!! And RIPPLES!

I AM buying this from RadioShack today, it will be my stand in for my Sony TRV525 Digital Video8 Hi8 (tape) handycam.

My ONLY quim with the Zi6 is "Can it have video deviced input to it and record that videos." Example: Can I connect my Xbox360 to it to record my video game footage directly to the unit?"

For a camera like this under $300, it is a true value for the money, storage, any AAA Battery technology, ease of use portability.

Good job Kodak, you're back on MY map!

Scott Stevenson — Oct 02, 08 6423

@Warren: Can it have video deviced input to it and record that videos

There's no video input. I think your best best is probably one of the conversion boxes that specialize in capturing video directly to the computer.

Ruth — Oct 09, 08 6479

It seems that when zooming in/out, clicking noise is heard from pushing the buttons and is"part" of the video. Do you find this to be true all the time?

Andrew — Oct 14, 08 6489

Cannot get it to work on PC !!! - videos are very jittery/jerky especially HD and HD60. I have tried the bundled software but the videos look rubbish. Sound is fine but video keeps stopping. What am i doing wrong ??. I have also tried Windows Media, Windows Media Classic, VLC Media Player, Quicktime etc but all videos (HD and HD60) look too jerky. Yet on the TV they look fine !!

Help !

Best Regards,
Andy

Andy — Oct 15, 08 6491

Hi all. Well apparently the problem i'm having with jerky video is to do with the H.264 codec ????. I cannot get any of the videos to play smoothly on the PC (WinXP), and i have tried VLC, Win Media Classic, Win Media 11, Cyberlink Power DVD, Divx Player etc etc. The ONLY player it seems to work good on is Nero Show, but my version is only a 30 day trial !!!!. This MUST be to do with the codec the zi6 uses, that codec must be used in Nero Show, but not in the other softwares i have tried.

Do i need to try and find the H.264 codec for my PC ?, where would i get that from ?. Hope it's free, after paying �130 for this camcorder i definitely don't want to have to pay anything more !!

Regards,
Andy

Scott Stevenson — Oct 15, 08 6492

@Andy: Do i need to try and find the H.264 codec for my PC ?, where would i get that from?

I haven't tried any of this on Windows. I've only grabbed files from the camera, played them back in QuickTime on Mac OS X, and put them into iMovie.

As far as I know, H.264 is the "native" compression format for QuickTime on both Mac and Windows, and is used for all iTunes Store video content. Assuming iTunes videos look good on your machine, these files should work, but I honestly don't know much about video on Windows.

Andrew — Oct 16, 08 6493

Many thanks Scott. I've tried everything!, i wonder if it might be worthwhile downloading an updated version of itunes ?. I have itunes on my PC and when i opened it the other night it said "There is a newer version, do you want to upgrade?", to which i clicked "No". i think i might try and get the newer version later and see if that works.

As i say, Nero is the only software which will play it flawlessly (although Media Player 11 does a fair job), although even that (Nero) didn't work smoothly earlier this morning, so i'm not sure what's going on. It's such a shame as the video quality is SUPERB if only i could archive the movies (and play them) on my PC in full bloom !

My PC is a Dual Core Intel Pentium, 1GB RAM, Win XP. So it should play these videos fine !

Andrew — Oct 17, 08 6495

Well folks you'll be pleased to know i got the HD videos working on XP, but only in Nero (they don't look good in Media Player 11). I got the H.264 codec from the Microsoft Website (free).

just one quite obvious question, i cannot seem to find where the "time remaining" is on the Zi6, to tell me how much recording time i have left on my SD card !!! - surely there must be a "time remaining" feature, every camcorder (whether SD, DV or Hi8 has a timer!) ????

Regards,
Andrew

David Russell — Oct 17, 08 6500

Kodak's online store suggests an SDHC card as an accessory for it. That suggests to me that it has an SDHC slot - especially since the page also says that the Zi6 has 'up to 32Gb of storage'. Of course 32Gb SDHC cards are ludicrously expensive, but there's no reason why you couldn't buy 4Gb ones. The card slot means that, unlike the Creative and Flip Video, the Zi6's storage has no maximum limit. The ability to swap out memory cards would be great for longer/more frequent filming away from a computer.

Scott Stevenson — Oct 18, 08 6501

@David Russell: Kodak's online store suggests an SDHC card as an accessory for it. That suggests to me that it has an SDHC slot

It does, yes. I believe I got a 16GB card for about $50.

Paul — Oct 20, 08 6504

I just bought the Zi6 and shot some video. I plugged the USB into my MacBook and it downloaded the files into iPhoto as .wav files. I can't find any way to move these into iMovie. (I deleted the files from the Zi6 - a mistake?) The thread above says that the files go into iMovie natively - so what's up? I need help with this, please.

p.s. I also have a Flip Ultra, which is a great little camcorder - but I'm going to China for three weeks and don't want to lug the laptop with me, so I figured the SD cards in the Zi6 would be perfect.

Paul — Oct 20, 08 6505

CORRECTION of last post - I meant to say that the files in iPhoto are .mov files (must have wav on the brain, or something). Sorry for the confusion.

Donna — Oct 23, 08 6510

Hi there,

I have recently purchased the Zi6 and 32GB SDHC card. The card icon appears on the screen with a red exclamation mark through it and record mode is disabled.
When reading a Kodak article more clearly it states that the camcorder is untested with cards over 8GB so beware!!

Scott Stevenson — Oct 23, 08 6511

@Donna: When reading a Kodak article more clearly it states that the camcorder is untested with cards over 8GB so beware!!

That doesn't sound right to me. In any case, I'm using a 16GB card. Is it possible the card you have is just defective and needs to be replaced?

Paul — Oct 26, 08 6513

Follow-up on the previous post re: .mov files. The day after I sent the post, with a clearer brain, I tried again. What I discovered: 1) for some reason, the MAcBook opens iPhoto when the Zi6 is plugged into it; 2) I mistook this for iMovie, and told it to download the files; 3) I finally got the .mov files to import into iMovie by changing a setting from "current" to "original" (file type, I think). And it works great! I've since downloaded directly from the Zi6 ti iMovie by closing iPhoto when it pops open, and using "import" from within iMovie.

So far, I'm very pleased with the Zi6 compared to the FlipUltra I have (I might keep the Flip if they ever ship the back ordered underwater case I also ordered). Zi6 quality is excellent, the SD card slot makes it a better camera for traveling without a laptop, the screen is larger, the still photo feature is good, and it has a macro setting (a wow feature for me - I like to photo bugs, flowers, etc.). The big drawback so far - the included software is PC only. Maybe not a problem due to having iMovie, but the Flip software (built in to the camera) has some nice easy features.

Dan — Nov 10, 08 6529

Great discussion. And I agree this is camera is a great low-budg solution esp if you're a mac person. However, and this is a slight tangent, I've noticed that when I export my 720p/60 clips into imovie, it has to downgrade the footage to edit it. Kind of defeats the purpose of the 720p/60 footage. Quicktime pro is a decent alternative and enables me to edit without any loss. Plus you can drop multiple clips into a single quicktime project. Still, it's not quite as flexible an interface as imovie. However, unless an imovie genius out there has some insight I'm missing, I'd reccomend QTP for editing.

Scott Stevenson — Nov 11, 08 6533

@Dan: I've noticed that when I export my 720p/60 clips into imovie, it has to downgrade the footage to edit it

Could you elaborate a bit? I'm not sure what you mean by downgrade.

Simon C — Dec 09, 08 6555

I love mine but do get annoyed with the judder once i've doenloaded the videos to my pc. Is this the same for everyone or are some faulty?

Davo — Dec 09, 08 6557

I love this camcorder. One thing I'm struggling with - how do I take a movie i created with ArcSoft Media Impression and burn it to a DVD disc so I can play it on a DVD player?
Thanks for all help in advance.

Scott Stevenson — Dec 09, 08 6558

@Davo: how do I take a movie i created with ArcSoft Media Impression and burn it to a DVD disc so I can play it on a DVD player?

I wish I could help, but I've only used iMovie with this camera so far.

Fred Hammer — Dec 09, 08 6559

I am a novice video user. I found the user guide to be lousy. They don't even address simple things in the product overview manual, which is all you get, and is all that is available from the website.

Is there a way to tell how much unused memory is available?

Margaret — Jan 11, 09 6590

Has anyone figured out how to turn off the sound that plays when it powers up/down? According to the one-page manual, you should be able to change sound settings by pressing both buttons, but that only allows me to change the time and date. Thanks!

chris — Jan 12, 09 6594

i looked everywhere for this and the only place i could find it was staple business depot but at the store not online. so good luck everyone

ChuckT — Jan 27, 09 6598

Got mine today. Very happy with it, but having the same codec annoyances on my PC that everyone else seems to have. Trying the K-Lite and CCCP codec packs to see if it helps at all - seems a bit better with the K-lite, and renaming files to .mp4 from .mov,but will have to play a bit.

You can turn the sound on and off by holding both buttons at once, then choose the middle option. Sound can be adjusted in playback using the joystick up/down.

SDHC card works fine, 4Gb, level 4.

Worth pointing out that there is a firmware update on the Kodak site if your machine is not 1.10.

Lindsay — Jan 30, 09 6599

Hi, I just got my Zi6 and I'm having trouble with playback in Quicktime. I've recorded in HD, but Quicktime makes it look like I've recorded a stop motion video. Did you have the same issue on your Mac?

I agree, Kodak's support and user manual are not helpful

Scott Stevenson — Jan 31, 09 6600

@Lindsay: I've recorded in HD, but Quicktime makes it look like I've recorded a stop motion video

That's definitely not normal, but without watching your whole process, it's hard to say what the cause is. I wish I could help, but nothing occurs to me.

Lindsay — Feb 02, 09 6603

My process is pretty simple: I shoot a bit of video, plug it into the USB port, the Zi6 automatically opens and uploads into iPhoto, and the iPhoto plays this (stop motion) video in Quicktime. Should I be trying to circumvent iPhoto?

Desiree — Feb 04, 09 6605

I got a ZI6 for christmas and had to send it back the same day I opened it because it would not record past 30 seconds even with an SD card in it and would freeze. I would have to take out the batteries to get it to reset. Now I have recieved a new one and it freezes on me and still will not record. I am getting really frustrated with it does anyone have any suggestions. Kodak has been completly unhelpful.

Melanie — Feb 21, 09 6613

Thanks for the review! I am going to be buying one of these today!

gfgayle — Mar 01, 09 6615

The Zi6 is readily available on HSN.com. They even have an exclusive color (red) ! I am REALLY enjoying mine!!

Katie — Mar 08, 09 6618

I recently purchased the ZI6 too & bought a 32 gb sdhc. Like Donna, my camera shows a red icon w/ an exclamation point on the memory card icon on the screen. When I contacted Kodak they told me the card needs to be re-formatted...
I'm not sure what the current format is...I just bought it brand new. & Kodak wasn't able to tell me what or how to do that...I'm on a MAC. Can anyone help???

Katie — Mar 09, 09 6619

Awais Naseer Keyani — Mar 25, 09 6668

I had been googling for last many minutes; even cnet, gizmodo and engadget didn't help me find something worthy about Zi6. You have come up with great thing that's the sample video! Thanx a lot!
I am subscribing to your RSS :)

Awais Naseer Keyani — Mar 25, 09 6670

Sean — Mar 25, 09 6671

@ChuckT The sound options are not available on firmware 1.0.1, I had to update my firmware to 1.1.0 to get the sound options.

Al — Mar 31, 09 6676

Does anyone has an issue with hard drive storage space. I noticed the comment above - 1mb per second of HD footage. Thats a lot of space on your computer! I assume that you have to download all footage onto the computer to store it (as opposed to mini dvd camcorders of course). Whats the largest SD card it can use?

Al — Apr 01, 09 6678

Forest Gump — Apr 25, 09 6722

The most important thing to remember when buying these devices is that they are new and small is not always better. I compared the quality of my point and shoot camera to the Zi6 and the camera won hands down. And, the camera takes great pics too. Also the camera had a great zoom. I agree with one of the readers who said, this thing does not perform well in low light and that is very true. You need ideal light conditions. And, if you even shake slightly, you are not going to enjoy you movie later. So, don't think you are going to be taking any action shots while you are moving. Your hand has to be perfectly still. HDD cams may be a little larger but if you really want to trust capturing your vactaion to a video device then use a HDD cam corder. For twice the price of a Zi6 you get a cam corder 100 times better. Maybe it is small and cool but you won't think so after you spend thousands on a vaction and film it with this.

Pete Clark — May 07, 09 6731

Come check out my new Zi6 fan site.. www.zi6fan.com

Dan — May 10, 09 6732

I just posted a question out at www.zi6fan.com. I was the first! I hope someone with the answer is listening over there.

Drew — Jun 05, 09 6804

I have the Kodak zi6. I bought it for the sole purpose of taking youtube vids and also for some minor travel recording when out and about etc.

One thing no one has been talking about it JUST HOW ZOOMED IN the camera is on your damn face even when zoomed all the way out at arms length. This is where you enter your big ugly face joke. =0)

The video seems to be good...better than most...but the zoom is making me crazy. not only that...but truth is...for youtube...no one watches HD vids. They just take too long to upload/download....watch etc. Most people just stick with the old....regular...and maybe HQ setting. My point is...all this HD doesn't really do a whole lot of good just yet for youtubers.

So for me....If the zoom wasn't already set naturally to MACRO I would record in 640x480 and be happy. It's great video for the price...and allows me to change the format....from regular to HD 30fps then hd 60 fps. (a setting you would never use on youtube)

anyway. I'm gonna return it...cause I'm just not happy with the zoom on my face.

The next problem is that there are so many models to choose from with the flip. I wanna be able to have the regular format (640x480)....which will drop into windows movie maker....and hopefully will let me film HD IF and when I want to.

Anyway suggestions?

Fred — Aug 03, 09 6844

My Zi6 has just started freezing on me during record. Any remedy for this? Firmware update? Or do i have to look for something else?

Now Im thinking the Flip Ultra instead but i hear there are some compatibility issues with the Mac

Michael — Oct 28, 09 6972

I have my Kodak Zi6 for some time and I'm very pleased with it. Ok, there is no stabilization, but if you are careful, you can make great videos with it. What bothers me is the incompatibility between Kodak Zi6 video format and popular video editing software.. Did you manage to find a good codec for the videos in order to upload them in. let's say, adobe elements?

cmd — Dec 25, 09 7016

just opened my son's brand new Kodak zi6 on Xmas morning. it records for 28 seconds and they stops recording. any help appreciated since Kodak customer service is closed for the holiday and can't even send them an email. user manuals of no help either. Please help!

Ken — Dec 29, 09 7065

I picked one up for less than 100 bucks new now. It is a bit jittery if you wave it about. Put it on a tripod. It gets a little grainy in low light. Turn the lights on. I think tis was pretty good review. At current time, its the perfect thing to get into the hi-def video realm for cheap. For what it is, its pretty cool. I didn't expect to spend 100 bucks and then go film a major motion picture with it. No one else should either. Guess what, you can get a Canon XL-H1S for $7500 and it has killer motion stability and an external mic. C'mon people.

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