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
If I had a Nano, this would almost be a no-brainer of a buy. I've used the external speakers on my VZW Env to play background music for work events. Little speakers like this sound good enough for settings where music isn't the primary draw, but can still be enjoyed. #ipodspeakers
Perhaps to state the obvious, but...the portable speakers are great on vacation.
Before we traveled throughout SE Asia, we bought a set of tiny portable speakers, and they were a life saver. Would have never used them at home (and haven't) but it was really nice to set them up at night on or porch and listen to music while drinking lao lao and looking out over the river.
Headphones wouldn't have worked quite the same way.
Something like this would have been even more convenient. #ipodspeakers
@92BuickLeSabre: We were right next door, disliked your taste in music and would have devoutly preferred for you wear headphones, vs. impose "your music" on us when we were trying to chill in our own quiet fashion.
No you were right on target. "Headphones wouldn't have worked quite the same way."
Thanks for ruining our evenings.
Plus you never offered to share that delicious lao-lao. Even a bong hit would have been nice. #ipodspeakers
@njdevil: You can select "Show Hidden Threads" at the bottom of the page. You can also go to the "Settings" section of your profile and set it to always show the hidden threads.
And no... I'm not the least bit hurt by your opinion of star comments... #ipodspeakers
@Software_Goddess: I set it to always show hidden threads yesterday,but I haven't noticed any changes. Still hidden
It's not that I have something against starred commenters, I just don't personally value their input any more than any other random person on the internet.
Take this article for example. The few hidden threads there are are both funnier and more informative than anything posted by you starred commenters- See comments by @whatne1wuddo and @Shawn Pero. #ipodspeakers
Then again, anyone who sees your user name would quickly realize that you are a great deceiver and false teacher, attempting to tempt and trick all of us from the beginning of recorded history. In short, you appear to be from New Jersey. #ipodspeakers
@TheLostVikings R.O.A.C.H.: At first the setting would flip back after a few hours, but now it stays on "show hidden threads", but still hides hidden threads.
Similar problem with my avatar thingy- I changed it a few weeks ago from what I now know is a pedobear to an instructables hand. When I post something, it will show the new avatar, but the next time I view the page, it shows pedobear. How do I fix that? #ipodspeakers
But what if I want to play the terminator theme while using cyborg mode on that awesome new camera? How do they expect me to do that if they cover it up with the speaker? Screw this then. #ipodspeakers
Edited by Mike Zuniga: That was Unexpected at 10/16/09 6:29 PM
Mike Zuniga: That was Unexpected was starred
Mike Zuniga: That was Unexpected was unstarred
anything wifi related is harsh on battery. my little sansa clip will go for about 20-30 hours of low volume fm, and its battery is about 1/8th the size of the ipods.
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
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10/16/09
10/16/09
Before we traveled throughout SE Asia, we bought a set of tiny portable speakers, and they were a life saver. Would have never used them at home (and haven't) but it was really nice to set them up at night on or porch and listen to music while drinking lao lao and looking out over the river.
Headphones wouldn't have worked quite the same way.
Something like this would have been even more convenient. #ipodspeakers
10/16/09
No you were right on target. "Headphones wouldn't have worked quite the same way."
Thanks for ruining our evenings.
Plus you never offered to share that delicious lao-lao. Even a bong hit would have been nice. #ipodspeakers
10/16/09
Also? Impeccable taste in music.
Plus, I totally would have shared the lao lao. #ipodspeakers
10/16/09
10/16/09
And no... I'm not the least bit hurt by your opinion of star comments... #ipodspeakers
10/16/09
It's not that I have something against starred commenters, I just don't personally value their input any more than any other random person on the internet.
Take this article for example. The few hidden threads there are are both funnier and more informative than anything posted by you starred commenters- See comments by @whatne1wuddo and @Shawn Pero. #ipodspeakers
10/16/09
Then again, anyone who sees your user name would quickly realize that you are a great deceiver and false teacher, attempting to tempt and trick all of us from the beginning of recorded history. In short, you appear to be from New Jersey. #ipodspeakers
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
Similar problem with my avatar thingy- I changed it a few weeks ago from what I now know is a pedobear to an instructables hand. When I post something, it will show the new avatar, but the next time I view the page, it shows pedobear. How do I fix that? #ipodspeakers
10/17/09
@Jrsy Devil's Bright Idea®: I know. Oh do I know. *raises eyebrow* #ipodspeakers
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battery life will be substantially better.
anything wifi related is harsh on battery. my little sansa clip will go for about 20-30 hours of low volume fm, and its battery is about 1/8th the size of the ipods.