Kodak Zx5 - the updated iron in the updated case
I will continue a series of reviews of pocket camcorders from Kodak. This time we will talk about the updated Kodak Playsport, namely Kodak Playsport Zx5. The review will be diluted with impressions of the old model Kodak Zi8.
Improvements in the new version of Playsport with respect to the previous ones:
- Autofocus
- Improved focal length of 37 mm against 40 and 42 mm in Zx3 and Zi8, respectively (at a resolution of 720p)
- A more sensitive matrix, albeit smaller
- Zx5 firmware menu is completely redesigned and different from Zx3 or Zi8
- In Zx5, after Zx3, the macro shot was returned
- Bitrate is higher than Zi8.
- The average price at the beginning of sales is 6,000 rubles instead of 7,000 rubles for Zi8.
The number of shooting modes has not changed, there are still 5 of them:
WVGA - 848 x 480, 30 frames / s (iPad compatible)
720p - 1280 x 720, 30 frames / s
720p - 1280 x 720, 60 frames / s
1080p - 1920 x 1080, 30 frames / s
photo - 5.3 MP
')
Appearance and equipment
Looks like a new technology miracle like this:
In comparison with Kodak Zi8:
By the way, the Zi8 comes with a waterproof leatherette strap, and the Zx5 comes with a cloth strap. T.ch. in terms of aesthetics, I changed the straps in places.
It can be seen that the camera has become smaller than its predecessor. The same can be said about charging (by the way, the current characteristics remained unchanged, 1A 5V):
And about the box:
The package bundle is no different from the configuration of previous models. It's all the same: HDMI and AV wires, charging, charging wire, strap, instructions and the video camera itself.
Video quality
In Zi8, there is a bug associated with a drop in bit rate during shooting, which made the video a bit blurry afterwards. Kodak marketers did not fix this annoying bug, but simply released the next model Kodak Playsport Zx3, where this misunderstanding was eliminated. Fortunately, this bug allowed you to shoot 10 hours of 720p video without interruption on a 16Gb flash drive. An example of a Zi8 video as an auto video recorder can be rated by video:
When shooting using a special nozzle , increasing the focal length.
In Zx5 on 16Gb fits about 4-5 hours of video. It is worth noting that when the place on the flash drive comes to an end, the recording time indicator turns red. On Zi8, it remained only to guess when the place would end. The image taken with the new camera looks clearer, but in some places even more grainy. When shooting foam, the bitrate of the waves is not enough, coding flaws begin to appear in the image.
The physical size of the matrix has become smaller. 1 / 3.2 – type 5 MP CMOS in Zx5 versus 1 / 2.5 – type 5 MP CMOS in Zi8 and Zx3 . This had no effect on sensitivity. Quite the contrary. The video shot at night has definitely become brighter. I attach a comparison of the night video of three cameras in 720p 60fps mode: Zi8, Zx3 and Zx5.
As you can see, the microphone sensitivity at standard settings is also higher.
For dynamic scenes, the camera is not suitable, because it still uses the CMOS matrix. As a result, the upper part of the picture will run away from the bottom.
Autofocus and digital image stabilization
The thing is definitely necessary, but there are also disadvantages. In Zi8, the macro mode was turned on by a toggle switch on the case, which during recording video created a wild grinding sound in the audio track. In the Zx5, there are two modes in the focus menu: macro and autofocus. When using the Zx5 as a DVR auto focus often switches to macro, which can be seen in the video:
Because of this, sometimes there is a lack of a third mode of focus settings: normal.
Digital image stabilization is always on by default and is now called DIS, not EIS. For me, this is a big minus, because When creating accelerated video, the picture starts to jump. When shooting with hands it is quite suitable for the average person.
The Zx5 removed the ability to select video recording modes with left-right buttons. Now, in order to switch from 720p to 1080p, you have to go into the menu and choose the format you want.
A photo
Photos are clearly not the hobby of Kodak digital camcorders. Sample photo taken by Zi8:
Zx5:
Underwater shooting
You will not become Jacques-Yves Cousteau, but you can show the fish taken with a shaking hand to your relatives. It is only necessary to remember that after chlorine or salt water, the chamber must be rinsed in fresh water and dried with open plugs. And do not lower the camera deeper than 3 meters. Sometimes after water, the sound from the microphone begins to squeak unpleasantly, as seen in the following video:
In the settings there is a special mode of underwater recording. Unfortunately, he did not please me. Instead of improving, this mode blurs the video heavily and creates the effect of a misted viewfinder. I used it only once and did not turn it on again.
Time and battery
The battery life stated by the manufacturer is two hours of shooting. To get real numbers just divide the time in half. In Zx5, the running time is twice as long as that of the Zi8. But at Zx5 it is fixed, but more capacious - 1250mAh versus 1000mAh in Zi8. In addition, the minimum brightness of the new product is much lower than that of the old model. In the car, I use the adapter from the cigarette lighter to 5V 1A with a USB connector to charge both cameras. If you use a current of 500mA, then in the process of long-term shooting, the camera may turn off.
The battery in the Zx5 non-removable, but it does not bother me at all. The only negative of the non-removable battery is the inability to completely de-energize the camera when water enters it.
Screen
The battery life has increased due to the screen size of 2 inches instead of 2.5 for Zi8. The camera has a light sensor, as well as a high contrast mode for better display in the sun.
findings
The new model is undoubtedly better than the previous ones. The manufacturer even took care of such trifles as a recording indicator. In Zi8, the indicator is very bright and lights up continuously, while in Zx5 it is dim and lights up once a second.
Another nice feature is that 4th grade memory cards now work on long videos. In Zi8, when creating a new part of the file (where they are divided by 2GB each), the camera hung. Zx5 divides files of 3.9GB each and saves them in MP4 format, not MOV.
Like the Zx3, the Zx5 has several color options for the case:
Pros:
- Autofocus
- The best sensitivity of the matrix
- Stable bitrate
- Ability to shoot under water
- Impact resistant (withstands a drop from one and a half meters on plywood)
- Compact
- Inexpensive (in Moscow you can find for 5000 rubles, and in ebay for $ 110)
- Longer battery life
- Special display mode for the sun
- Works great with Class 4 memory cards.
Minuses:
- The inability to turn off stabilization
- Sometimes autofocus gets off.
- No support for SDXC
- For a dynamic video, there is not enough bit rate and artifacts appear
- Non-removable battery
- All known cons of CMOS matrix
- Only one accelerated mode when watching a video (2x)
Improvements in the new version of Playsport with respect to the previous ones:
- Autofocus
- Improved focal length of 37 mm against 40 and 42 mm in Zx3 and Zi8, respectively (at a resolution of 720p)
- A more sensitive matrix, albeit smaller
- Zx5 firmware menu is completely redesigned and different from Zx3 or Zi8
- In Zx5, after Zx3, the macro shot was returned
- Bitrate is higher than Zi8.
- The average price at the beginning of sales is 6,000 rubles instead of 7,000 rubles for Zi8.
The number of shooting modes has not changed, there are still 5 of them:
WVGA - 848 x 480, 30 frames / s (iPad compatible)
720p - 1280 x 720, 30 frames / s
720p - 1280 x 720, 60 frames / s
1080p - 1920 x 1080, 30 frames / s
photo - 5.3 MP
')
Appearance and equipment
Looks like a new technology miracle like this:
In comparison with Kodak Zi8:
By the way, the Zi8 comes with a waterproof leatherette strap, and the Zx5 comes with a cloth strap. T.ch. in terms of aesthetics, I changed the straps in places.
It can be seen that the camera has become smaller than its predecessor. The same can be said about charging (by the way, the current characteristics remained unchanged, 1A 5V):
And about the box:
The package bundle is no different from the configuration of previous models. It's all the same: HDMI and AV wires, charging, charging wire, strap, instructions and the video camera itself.
Video quality
In Zi8, there is a bug associated with a drop in bit rate during shooting, which made the video a bit blurry afterwards. Kodak marketers did not fix this annoying bug, but simply released the next model Kodak Playsport Zx3, where this misunderstanding was eliminated. Fortunately, this bug allowed you to shoot 10 hours of 720p video without interruption on a 16Gb flash drive. An example of a Zi8 video as an auto video recorder can be rated by video:
When shooting using a special nozzle , increasing the focal length.
In Zx5 on 16Gb fits about 4-5 hours of video. It is worth noting that when the place on the flash drive comes to an end, the recording time indicator turns red. On Zi8, it remained only to guess when the place would end. The image taken with the new camera looks clearer, but in some places even more grainy. When shooting foam, the bitrate of the waves is not enough, coding flaws begin to appear in the image.
The physical size of the matrix has become smaller. 1 / 3.2 – type 5 MP CMOS in Zx5 versus 1 / 2.5 – type 5 MP CMOS in Zi8 and Zx3 . This had no effect on sensitivity. Quite the contrary. The video shot at night has definitely become brighter. I attach a comparison of the night video of three cameras in 720p 60fps mode: Zi8, Zx3 and Zx5.
As you can see, the microphone sensitivity at standard settings is also higher.
For dynamic scenes, the camera is not suitable, because it still uses the CMOS matrix. As a result, the upper part of the picture will run away from the bottom.
Autofocus and digital image stabilization
The thing is definitely necessary, but there are also disadvantages. In Zi8, the macro mode was turned on by a toggle switch on the case, which during recording video created a wild grinding sound in the audio track. In the Zx5, there are two modes in the focus menu: macro and autofocus. When using the Zx5 as a DVR auto focus often switches to macro, which can be seen in the video:
Because of this, sometimes there is a lack of a third mode of focus settings: normal.
Digital image stabilization is always on by default and is now called DIS, not EIS. For me, this is a big minus, because When creating accelerated video, the picture starts to jump. When shooting with hands it is quite suitable for the average person.
The Zx5 removed the ability to select video recording modes with left-right buttons. Now, in order to switch from 720p to 1080p, you have to go into the menu and choose the format you want.
A photo
Photos are clearly not the hobby of Kodak digital camcorders. Sample photo taken by Zi8:
Zx5:
Underwater shooting
You will not become Jacques-Yves Cousteau, but you can show the fish taken with a shaking hand to your relatives. It is only necessary to remember that after chlorine or salt water, the chamber must be rinsed in fresh water and dried with open plugs. And do not lower the camera deeper than 3 meters. Sometimes after water, the sound from the microphone begins to squeak unpleasantly, as seen in the following video:
In the settings there is a special mode of underwater recording. Unfortunately, he did not please me. Instead of improving, this mode blurs the video heavily and creates the effect of a misted viewfinder. I used it only once and did not turn it on again.
Time and battery
The battery life stated by the manufacturer is two hours of shooting. To get real numbers just divide the time in half. In Zx5, the running time is twice as long as that of the Zi8. But at Zx5 it is fixed, but more capacious - 1250mAh versus 1000mAh in Zi8. In addition, the minimum brightness of the new product is much lower than that of the old model. In the car, I use the adapter from the cigarette lighter to 5V 1A with a USB connector to charge both cameras. If you use a current of 500mA, then in the process of long-term shooting, the camera may turn off.
The battery in the Zx5 non-removable, but it does not bother me at all. The only negative of the non-removable battery is the inability to completely de-energize the camera when water enters it.
Screen
The battery life has increased due to the screen size of 2 inches instead of 2.5 for Zi8. The camera has a light sensor, as well as a high contrast mode for better display in the sun.
findings
The new model is undoubtedly better than the previous ones. The manufacturer even took care of such trifles as a recording indicator. In Zi8, the indicator is very bright and lights up continuously, while in Zx5 it is dim and lights up once a second.
Another nice feature is that 4th grade memory cards now work on long videos. In Zi8, when creating a new part of the file (where they are divided by 2GB each), the camera hung. Zx5 divides files of 3.9GB each and saves them in MP4 format, not MOV.
Like the Zx3, the Zx5 has several color options for the case:
Pros:
- Autofocus
- The best sensitivity of the matrix
- Stable bitrate
- Ability to shoot under water
- Impact resistant (withstands a drop from one and a half meters on plywood)
- Compact
- Inexpensive (in Moscow you can find for 5000 rubles, and in ebay for $ 110)
- Longer battery life
- Special display mode for the sun
- Works great with Class 4 memory cards.
Minuses:
- The inability to turn off stabilization
- Sometimes autofocus gets off.
- No support for SDXC
- For a dynamic video, there is not enough bit rate and artifacts appear
- Non-removable battery
- All known cons of CMOS matrix
- Only one accelerated mode when watching a video (2x)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/129032/
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