A Better Pocket Cam: Kodak Zi8
by Amani Channel #kodak
I own three Flip cams, and have managed to avoid paying for any of them. I have a HD Mino, the Flip Ultra, and another model which I think was one of the first generation Flips.
I’ve enjoyed using the Flip for a few reasons: 1) Tapeless workflow; 2) Small and convenient; and 3) It’s easy to use. I’ve received all of my cams at media conferences or events as give aways.
My biggest complaint is that none of the models are equipped with a mic input. As a professional news guy, a mic is a must have piece of equipment.
Audio is just as important as video. But it seems that most of the consumer camcorder manufacturers haven’t received the memo that people want to produce quality videos regardless of the size or price of the cam.
I’ve managed to get around the mic situation, by making sure background noise is a minimum during interviews. I’ve even edited a few MUR episodes using Flip b-roll and sound.
As much as I like the Flip cam, there’s a pocket cam that appears to be even better.
It’s called the Kodak Zi8. It’s about the same size, and price, but it is equipped with a mic input. Why is a mic so crucial?
Let’s say you’re at a conference and there’s a speaker you’re dying to interview for your YouTube channel or vlog. You have your Flip, but there’s a bunch of background chatter. The interviewee takes the time to answer your questions; you’re all excited about the interview, but when you go to watch it, the audio sucks. You can barely hear your questions, let alone the answers… in other words, the video is garbage.
I know it’s happened to you before, because it’s happened to me before. There are a couple of ways around having a mic. You can scout out a quiet area, and ask your interviewee if s/he minds moving, or you can buy a camera that has an external mic input. Of course you still have to buy a mic, but believe me it’s a worthy investment, especially if you’re a serious video enthusiast.
Kodak hasn’t been as aggressive as Flip with give away marketing with Zi8’s because I probably would have one or two by now, but I’m going to have to make that move.
In the meantime take a look at how SCAD’s Social Media Manager Jason Parker rigged up his Zi8.
Here’s an example of my use (at State Capitol for CBSAtlanta) of the Kodak Zi8… with an aux/external mic plugged in and ramped-up for lots of background noise too.
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video/22346002/
Audio did great. I can’t imagine trying to capture sound on a consumer cam like this in a place as noisy as the State Cap. without an aux mic. In fact, this GA politics project for CBSAtlanta was exactly why I got the Zi8 as I knew it wouldn’t be possible to get the kinda audio we were after in the noisy place we were going to be without some sort of external mic.
Kudos to Kodak for figuring out what is really needed out in the field. Why in the world did it take anyone so long to grasp this simple fundamental of video production? One brief chat with any news technician could’ve told anyone that an external mic input was critical.
Especially in this era of amateur video producers. That’s why I’ve always preferred Canon camcorders… they generally have a mic input. It’s time to move away from MiniDV though. I like tapeless. No time to digitize.
I bought myself a canon vixia hv30 last year because I didn’t feel like digital was there yet, and I wanted tape backups. That is a great miniDV camera, lowest priced one with a mic input. But the hit to my workflow was just too much. With a limited amount of time, tapeless really is the way to go. The tradeoff just wasn’t worth it anymore. It’s not like I’m producing videos for the big screen.
I’m really liking the zi8, high quality and definitely a conversation starter. Some guy even asked me about it in the elevator!
Check out the SCAD open studios and DMC opening that I shot with this same rig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9TKplTMjWQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch#v=NnED665-jTI
And thanks for the post!
I was surfing through your blog and came across this post. Thanks for the recommendation. I’m pricing mini camcorders now.