A rugged, waterproof Zi8., 31 Mar 2010

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Mr. Peter J. Chapman “Minor Celebrity” (Burgess Hill) – See all my reviews

  

  

The PlaySport is Kodak’s ‘upgrade’ to the very successful Zi8 model.Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera – Black

There are some differences between the two units, so decide carefully what you will be making videos of before making your purchase.

The PlaySport is missing the macro function on the lense that can be found on the Zi8, basically, this allowed you to focus clearly on close up objects. Also missing is the 3.5mm stereo mic input. This was very usful if you were micing up an instrument and recording interviews. It also meant that you could stand as far away from the camera as your microphone cable would allow.

However, the PlaySport has some improvements and features that trump the Zi8.

In my opinion the video quality is better, capturing video in low light situations is improved, the brightness of the lcd screen is adjustable, it works underwater, its smaller and fits better in your hand than the Zi8.

The Playsports lense is wider than the Zi8’s, meaning you can fit more in the frame.

To sum things up. If you are looking to do video blogging, music recordings, interviews and anything a bit more professional, then buy the Kodak Zi8. If you’re looking for something a little more rugged, a camera you’d not think twice about letting the kids use, a video camera to take on holiday or just something to carry around with you to whip out when you spot something worth recording, then the PlaySport should be your weapon of choice.

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For the price perfect, 6 May 2010

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R. Evans “R Evans” (England) – See all my reviews

  

Excellent value for money, i find it great for just picking it up and filming my kids playing.

Picture quality superb at 720p 60fps

Battery life not brilliant, long videos 20+ mins and half flat, and it gets hot

Would recommend none the less

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Stunning, 18 May 2010

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Mr. William Andrews – See all my reviews

  

I bought this camera mainly because my daughter was going to Mexico on holiday and said that she hoped to swim with sharks and dolphins. I have used video cameras on an amateur basis for years but have never progressed to HD. Although she is not the best of photographers (‘hosepiping’ the camera all over the place) I can only say the results really are stunning. The brilliant underwater video shots of the brightly coloured fish are extremely good when viewed on my HD TV, the sound of local singers and guitarists etc. is excellent and the quality of the many still shots (too many) is exceptional. Some of the stills showing the colour of the sea and the sand are literally worth framing.The editing facilities which install when you first connect to a PC are adequate although basic. The only regret I have is that I bought the camera for my daughter: I want it for ME now.

I cannot speak too highly of this excellent video (and still) camera, especially considering the price on Amazon.

Bill

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Takes Very Good Photographs, 12 April 2010

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Mr. Martin Houlton (Hull, United Kingdom) – See all my reviews

  

I too have only had this camera for a few days, but I think it’s brilliant. Its main selling point is of course that 14x zoom lens, which starts at 28mm so at the long end you get 392mm! The Image Stabilization ensures sharp pictures even at that length. I haven’t tried any digital zoom. I find that setting image stabilization to “Shoot Only” works best.

The camera’s second selling point is the Aperture priority, Shutter priority and Manual modes. It is well designed in that it has a proper dial to select the aperture and shutter settings. Unfortunately it is a dual-purpose dial and pressing down on it often selects another function. I have sometimes done this accidentally while trying to select aperture or shutter speed. I expect I will get used to it. The dial can also be used when selecting menu items.

The camera has a Wide mode which records/plays back images in 16:9 format, great for people who like to show photos on their HD TVs. I have this option selected all the time. Please note that despite the heading it’s a 3.5 inch display on the back. I haven’t yet found it difficult to see the display, though we have had some sunny days.

I used up a fully charged battery pack in two days, but I was playing with the camera quite a lot! I think it would last for about a week in normal use. I have ordered a spare battery pack because it’s boring not to be able to get your photos for two hours while the battery charges.

I find that if I take a photo in low light, like indoors, the camera takes a couple of seconds to store an image, but generally it is fine. I have ordered a fast memory card to see if this helps because after all it’s got to store 14 megapixels.

About the problem with the flash popping up, I find that when I pick the camera up, my left index finger usually rests on top of the flash cover, so when I turn the camera on, the flash can’t pop up.

I have added some pictures to the customer images which give a better idea of what the camera is like because they weren’t taken in the dark!

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Superb ‘point & shoot’ digital camera, 5 May 2010

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Lumpster (Yorkshire, UK) – See all my reviews

  

I have used a 7.1mp Olympus Mju compact digital camera for the past 2-3 years as a compact alternative to my main camera, Canon digital SLR. Results were fairly patchy and so I have been looking around for an upgrade for a few months. I was on the point of buying the Powershot SX200 but then saw that the SX210 was imminent, so held off until the camera was launched and the price came down from its fairly toppy launch level of £300+. As expected, as stocks improved, the price has fallen sharply plus Canon has now introduced its cashback offer, bringing the price of the camera down materially.

I went for the Powershot over an Ixus equivalent as a) its hugely powerful 14x optical zoom appealed, b) I am more concerned with picture quality than size and c) the Powershot isn’t actually that big anyway. So far, I have probably taken around 200 photos using the camera in a variety of conditions and am really pleased with the results. Build quality is top-notch, the zoom lens produces fantastic results and battery life doesn’t seem to be an issue (although I have bought a spare Canon battery from Amazon just in case). The menus are intuitive and very much in line with other cameras produced by Canon. As for the flash popping up automatically, I haven’t found this to be an issue (in fact, I think handling is very good) but you can keep your finger on the flash and it stays down. There are different auto settings (e.g. ‘portrait’, ‘landscape’, ‘indoors’ etc.), all of which seem to work well plus movie mode (which I haven’t tried) along with manual settings. I even used the digital zoom (which goes to 56x) with fairly decent results due to the image stabilsation.

I am using a standard 4GB SD Sandisk Ultra card and a Lowepro Apex 30 AW case, which fits well and leaves space for extra memory cards, batteries etc. If you can afford the extra for a really high speed SD card, I’d say it’s probably worth it as with 14.1mp, files are pretty big and there can be some lag evident between shots.

I’m a big fan of Canon photography gear and the Powershot SX210is doesn’t disappoint – you can safely buy this knowing that you are getting a great camera for your money.

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Versatility in your pocket!, 29 April 2010

Had this camera a couple of weeks now and pretty impressed. Great zoom for the money and being a compact. Really good selection of programme functions for getting more creative (fish eye, ‘model/miniature’, and ‘foliage’ – increases vibrancy of plant shots). I’ve taken some good panoramic shots with the stitch assist function, and the stitch software it comes with is very easy to use. Also, the wide format option gives a different perspective and more scope for taking landscape shots.

Really happy with this purchase – as an SLR user myself, I’ve found you can do a lot with this camera without all the SLR paraphernalia. Also – really good macro shots, fully tested at Kew Gardens!

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Samsung ES70 Camera, 26 May 2010

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Ms. H. Jackson (UK) – See all my reviews

  

I got this camera out of argos for 79.99 I think it’s a good camera – i’m using it for taking pictures of my art to sell online and for use on holidays. The USB cable, like the other reviewer said, is very annoying because the cable is too short, but you do get used to it. Over all a good camera – has loads of scene modes and i got a scratch screen in the box which clicks on over the front to protect it from scratches. Also – one thing i love about this camera is the way it shoots colours – they look really vibrant. I had another Samsung before this one and it wasn’t half as noticeable. Also, with the camera i bought, the wall charger is simply a plug into which you connect the USB cable – i’ve never had this before and am concerned about how long it’s going to last.

So far tho – i’ve had no problems at all

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Samsung ES71, 20 July 2010

I just got this camera from Amazon, and I want to say I was amazed by the delivery time. It got here 15 days before the estimate and that’s impressive considering I live in the other corner of Europe.

and about the camera… it’s really a great little thing, packed with plenty of automatic shooting modes that can really help you if you don’t know what you’re doing in terms of photography.the build quality seems to be really great (then again I think everything that Samsung makes is great so my opinion might not be the best of all), and I really like the plastic protective thing that comes in the box. the menu is not very complicated and you can easily find every function without even reading the manual. I don’t really like the fact that is has a very short cable and that is doesn’t have a viewfinder, but what compact camera has one these days? one word of advice for potential buyers : the camera is really small!!! so if you have “sausage fingers” like I do, you will find it difficult to push some buttons.

but when it comes to value for money, Samsung ES71 is in a class of it’s own!

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Added extras, 18 Aug 2010

Although the USB cable is a bit short, it doubles up as the charger lead too, meaning that you don’t have to search for another lead when it needs charging. The photo quality’s good and it comes with a neat scratch proof cover for the front which is handy. Would def. recommend it.

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