Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera Review
Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera – An Overview
The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera is the replacement for the Kodak Zi8 in Kodak’s lineup of pocket camcorders. It is a new design from the ground up and sports a touch screen display to allow to view what you record and also to use it to change any necessary settings. To top it all off, the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 allows you to record your videos with the Full HD resolution of 1080p.
Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera – Memory and Recording Features
You can use high speed SDHC memory cards up to 32GB with the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera which in turn allows you to store up to 10 hours of HD video (at 720p). You want to make sure to use a high speed SDHC memory cards (Class 6 or higher) to avoid interruptions or recording errors when shooting a video.
The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera features built-in image stabilization. This handy pocket camcorder allows you to take spectacular videos with little or no shaking. The battery in this pocket camcorder is built-in but the battery can be switched and exchanged. The battery life on this pocket video camera is up to max. 2 hours. That should be more than sufficient even if you go on a vacation and shoot lots of videos.
The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 allows you to capture Full HD videos with 1080p. The built-in HDMI connector and the cable allow you to immediately plug the pocket camcorder into your HD TV and view the recordings in Full HD. The 1080p mode allows you to capture video with 30 frames per second (fps). This is enough for all non-action shots. For action and sports scenes with quick movements or for real slow motion captures you would want to use the 720p mode with 60 frames per second. With YouTube and other video sharing sites now moving to Full HD as their high quality resolution you will want to make sure to capture your best moments in Full HD. The most memory and battery efficient mode to capture high definition video on the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 is the 720p with 30 frames per second. The last mode that this pocket camcorder supports is WVGA which allows for the longest recording time on any memory card. The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera also lets you shoot 5 MP still pictures in addition to the different video modes.
The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera offers a 4x digital zoom which is sufficient for most occasions. The built-in microphone on the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 is sufficient but not great. If you need better sound then you will need to buy an external microphone. The good part is that the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera offers connectivity for an external microphone.
Another feature of the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 is the macro mode. With the macro mode you can shoot and focus on small objects. The focus range starts at around 6 inches so you can get the pocket video camera really close to the object you want to film and get great results!
Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera – Image Stabilization
The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera has image stabilization as one of its many features. Even when you’re moving or have shaky hands while you record, you’ll be able to shoot video without or only with minimal disturbance and shaking. This allows you to shoot video without image blur, shaking and disturbance. The image stabilization on the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera is sufficient and works well in most settings and environments. It won’t be able to compensate for really big jolts and shakes as neither does any other image stabilization.
Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera – Connectivity And Built-In Screen
The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera offers a built-in USB connector. You can plug it into your PC or Mac and upload your movies. The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 also has a connector to charge the battery and the charger cable is included in the box. Additionally you can use the mini HDMI connector to directly connect the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 with your HD TV to view the videos you recorded.
The built-in 3 inch LCD is not only used to review any video that you have shot but it is also a touchscreen display that is used to navigate the settings of this pocket camcorder. The use of the touchscreen is similar to many modern smart phones. You’ll be instantly able to use the camera due to these similarities in navigation. A really great feature is the anti-glare mode for the LCD screen. It artificially reduces the glare from your screen without having any impact on the video you shoot. With this feature you can view the video you took even in the brightest sunlight.
Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera – Capture Modes
The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera offers a few very interesting and fun capture modes. These capture modes allow you to record in black and white, with high saturation to bring out vivid colors and a 70′s film mode which contains muted colors, a little graininess and slightly green cast for captured video in a retro look. In addition to that you can certainly record your video in ‘normal’ mode without any modifications. However, there are times and places where you might want to have fun and play a little and use one of these capture modes to record a special video.
Customer Reviews of the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera
The Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera received a lot of customer reviews on Amazon. Most people that bought this pocket camcorder rate it positively. The overall rating is over three out of five stars. Find some comments below from people that purchased the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera on Amazon.com:
“This item is an EXCELLent camera/ video recorder. It has simplistic instructions that anyone can follow, a set of… (read more
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“I had the zi8 and its pretty much the same thing except for the touch screen feature and the ability to trim videos on the camera itself. I love it and… (read more
“The on screen editing is really cool, I like that you can also pull a picture out of the video. Overall, really great camera and… (read more
“In my view, this is the best pocket video camera available today. … (read more
“I just love this camera and all the features. It is so easy to operate… (read more
Click here to read more reviews on the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera
Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera – Conclusion
The outstanding features of the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera are the 1080p recording capability and the touch based navigation through the touchscreen display. This makes it one of the easiest to use pocket camcorders on the market. A slight negative for us is that the camera has a built-in non-standard battery. At least it can be replaced so you can get a second battery for longer trips in case you don’t want to bring the USB charge for this pocket video camera. If you want more color in your then buy the Zi10 in either red, silver or teal if black is not your color of choice!
Click here to find current pricing and specials on the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Video Camera
