4
Oct
2010
Oct
2010
Kodak Zi8, FlipCam, iPhone, and Cybershot Horserace
I’ve had a couple of customers ask me what cost effective camera they should use to shoot their videos. Something that records with decent picture and audio quality that will fit into my budget. In this video I compare the Kodak Zi8, Flip Ultra, iPhone 4 and a Sony Cybershot on their picture quality, ease of use, built in microphone, external microphone support, editing software, storage and battery life.
fyi
The new flip ultra hd has a new flip port so does accept mics and all kinds of futurew accessories
the zi8 is now discounted because the Kodak playtouch just came out. It has a bigger screen a flip out usb and better in low light.
If if you have a few extra bucks I advise getting a new Flip Ultra hd 3rd gen or the playtouch, the ones in the video are actually out dated.
p
Hello Paul,
You are right, the new FlipCam does support a mic in however they are a proprietary connector so you’ll need to buy a special mic for it to work. No using a regular 1/8″ mic connector. Also there are a lot of boxes you can get to turn a professional XLR microphone to a 1/8″ connector, for example:
http://www.beachtek.com/dxa2t.html
You won’t be able to use that with the new Flip. Also the Playsport doesn’t really have anything worth the $100 difference. The playsport has a bigger LCD in the back and can take 5MP images. There is editing software built into the camera (who knows how good that is) and other than that it’s the same video quality in the end. If you’ve worked with one though it would be great to hear your thoughts on it.
thanks for this, i was thinking about a zi8. i appreciate the rundown…
Cool review.
You know I just discovered that the iPhone 4 will take audio input from the microphone on the included headset. I believe that is mono – and sorta useful as is as the cable is very small. I wonder, however, if a different external mic could be used (even wireless) to get the same effect as the Zi8.
Paul
http://paulescandon.com/blog
Hey Paul,
There are a few microphones you can purchase for the iPhone that should work although I haven’t had a chance to test them yet so I don’t know if they work well. You have the option of a regular room microphone or something more like a lavaliere. I just haven’t heard good things about the iPhone mics. You can see them on amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=microphone+iphone&tag=googhydr-20&index=electronics&hvadid=3403456637&ref=pd_sl_5cxt7upcv_b
I meant USELESS, not useful.
[...] Kodak Zi8, FlipCam, iPhone, and Cybershot Horserace – Fab video for those of you interested in purchasing equipment to make online video for your business (or pleasure): Chris Caroll from Visible Gains creates a 'horse race' of the best consumer mini video camera formats out there and the Kodak Zi8 comes out on top (yay for Kodak!) [...]
Chris,
Great horserace review. I’ve done lots of videos over at SkillCasting talking about the Kodak Zi8 advantages. If anyone is interested, here’s a video on 3 reasons why I recommend the Zi8: http://www.skillcasting.com/why-i-recommend-the-kodak-zi8/ and you touch on them.
I can’t state the importance of the mic-in jack enough.
I’ve done some testing of different mics for the iPhone 4 too though. You can see them at http://www.macscreencasting.com/blog and just this week demonstrated the kVConnection cable that allows external mics to interface with the iPhone 4. This has the potential to replace the Zi8 because it’s one less gadget to have to carry. The video quality on the iPhone 4 is definitely “good enough” and with an external mic, be it wireless, lav, or shotgun, now you can capture good enough audio.
Another technique is to record the audio on a separate device like an iPhone or digital voice recorder and then sync it with the video in post production. You can get great results but it definitely takes a bit more work.
BTW, I love your video player with social icons in it. It’s a great touch.
Great overview Chris.
I’m a zi8 user and fan. Has everything I need for business video shooting.
Here’s an example of a vid I shot on a zi8 with a lav mic using the WVGA mode (I’ve found to be more web-friendly than HD).
For your next review…could you tackle screen recording apps and their ease-of-use and video output? (ie. Camtasia, Screentoaster)
Thanks.
For my next trick, I include the link: http://bit.ly/ayYB8N