I have owned both the Zi8 and the Flip Ultra HD. And I can say your review is spot on.
I do most of my shooting outdoor during the day and sometimes at night. And most of my video is of action sports like wake boarding, skiing, motocross, stuff like that. The Zi8 does perform better in perfect lighting conditions but the image is soooo shaky, almost making the video unwatchable. The funny thing is, I think it has an image stabilizer. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
Nice review. I only have one point of contention: these packet camcorders will be around for a long time. There seems to be this assumption that convergent devices like smartphones will drive everyone away from a device category such as this. I disagree. There is a significant portion of consumers that don't want convergent devices either because they're overly complex, or there's no need for a device that does everything. The nice thing about a separate device is that you can give it to members of the family or friends or tape it to your dog's collar and let them use it without taking away your phone, and if anything happens to it (gets dropped/dunked/buried/falls overboard or into a snow drift) you're not risking your phone. It's a type of device that's a lot more innocuous than the traditional camcorder, too. The quality, I think, will also improve over time. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
you guys did a review of this a bit more than a year ago and it has served me well. some of the 1080p video can be blurry a bit and other times look crystal clear. stills are hard to capture with out being blurry, but that seems standard with any video first recorder. does sounds well, you can set it up on its tripod it comes with and let auto focus do its thing. and the cost is right in line with these other guys maybe cheaper in places. if you like the option of the flip out screen this may be the way to go for you folks. i have used it in all situations and everything comes out great. indoor lights can make a bit of a reddish hue, but nothing that distracts from the subjects. outdoor at night in vegas looked good. in the air port and on the plane looked good. and can easily be operated by drunks. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
I have 2 Aipteks just because they're so cheap and the one high end model, if you can call it that, has served me well. I've only had one issue myself-at a concert the distortion is ridiculous. You can only hear muffled bass. I've yet to find a decent video camera that records concert audio without all the nastiness. Decent video camera (and camera) for the price and if you damage it or lose it, it's not all that big a deal. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
@otko: I have a Vado HD, and I think it's ok at a concert setting. It definitely has a compressor in there. The first bass kick will be badly distorted, but when the music starts, the bass kicks will be much better. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
I don't know what Apple was thinking with the Nano cam... This might've been a different list if we got that iPod Touch camera that we were expecting. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
@ripfire: Exactly! This is one of the key features for me. I record a lot of live music and would love to have an upgrade over the video from my G9 to go with it. Being able to run my Zoom H2's audio directly into the Zi8 is what has it at the top of my list. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
Thanks, since I was considering buying one of these. This kind of apples to apples non-Apple comparison is how I found Giz in the first place. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
@Navin R Johnson: Ok, I found it at the Vivitar site. Weird thing is, it says it has 8Mb AND 2Gb of built in memory. Also it says fixed focus lens (read: crappy cell phone camera lens)
Video Clip 640x480 VGA at 30 FPS or 320x240 QVGA at 30 FPS
Built In Memory 8 MB, 2 GB NAND Flash
Storage Media SD Card (Up to 4 GB)
Zoom 8x Digital Zoom
File Format AVI
LCD Display 1.8" TFT LCD
Video Out NTSC/PAL
PC Interface USB 2.0 / 1.1
Power Source 4 x AAA (1.5V)
Infrared Night Vision Yes
Water Proof Yes (with included cover) #vivitardvr150
so would the verdict be that zi8 is still a better deal? picked a zi8 up last week after reading the giz review when i was looking into a cheap video camera. so far i like it. #flipminohdreview
@krztov: So you just want affirmation on your purchase? Well, let's see: zi8 has an SD slot and 1080p recording, so out of the gate it's got a leg up on the mino hd. for the price, I'd be pretty happy with the zi8. #flipminohdreview
In addition to the touch-sensitive buttons, the lens location on these is ridiculous. It's right where your fingers would be if you were holding it in one hand. #flipminohdreview
11/17/09
I do most of my shooting outdoor during the day and sometimes at night. And most of my video is of action sports like wake boarding, skiing, motocross, stuff like that. The Zi8 does perform better in perfect lighting conditions but the image is soooo shaky, almost making the video unwatchable. The funny thing is, I think it has an image stabilizer. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
11/17/09
11/17/09
Everyone knows that it's a joke of a video recorder. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
11/17/09
you guys did a review of this a bit more than a year ago and it has served me well. some of the 1080p video can be blurry a bit and other times look crystal clear. stills are hard to capture with out being blurry, but that seems standard with any video first recorder. does sounds well, you can set it up on its tripod it comes with and let auto focus do its thing. and the cost is right in line with these other guys maybe cheaper in places. if you like the option of the flip out screen this may be the way to go for you folks. i have used it in all situations and everything comes out great. indoor lights can make a bit of a reddish hue, but nothing that distracts from the subjects. outdoor at night in vegas looked good. in the air port and on the plane looked good. and can easily be operated by drunks. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
11/17/09
11/17/09
I have 2 Aipteks just because they're so cheap and the one high end model, if you can call it that, has served me well. I've only had one issue myself-at a concert the distortion is ridiculous. You can only hear muffled bass. I've yet to find a decent video camera that records concert audio without all the nastiness. Decent video camera (and camera) for the price and if you damage it or lose it, it's not all that big a deal. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
11/17/09
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Going after more info on the zi8 right now. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
11/17/09
11/17/09
10/26/09
I looked up 150 and 510 and it's neither of those. The 150 doesn't exist and the 510 is discontinued?
Is this really a product or what?
10/26/09
Video Clip 640x480 VGA at 30 FPS or 320x240 QVGA at 30 FPS
Built In Memory 8 MB, 2 GB NAND Flash
Storage Media SD Card (Up to 4 GB)
Zoom 8x Digital Zoom
File Format AVI
LCD Display 1.8" TFT LCD
Video Out NTSC/PAL
PC Interface USB 2.0 / 1.1
Power Source 4 x AAA (1.5V)
Infrared Night Vision Yes
Water Proof Yes (with included cover) #vivitardvr150
10/26/09
10/26/09
(Note: punching in one letter and one number and having it get lodged in a giant spring is also acceptable.) #vivitardvr150
10/26/09
still...orange? #vivitardvr150
10/26/09
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