Kodak PlaySport - Extreme Video? Don't think

I have long wanted something like this device - I saw it, got it, took it off. The compact novelty from Kodak, positioning itself as a video camera for fans of extreme sports, seemed to me quite interesting. Indeed, in fact, it’s much easier to put a device the size of a mobile phone in your pocket when going out into the countryside, for example, than to drag an expensive video camera with you and shake over it - no matter what happens.

Without hesitation, go to eBay. I find a wonderful lot for $ 99.99 + delivery to Russia $ 29.99 (USPS Priority Mail International). For such a price I would like to take it without hesitation, because it is cheaper than the official sale on Amazon ($ 149.00) at the time of order (06/30/10), even taking into account delivery. Probably not worth mentioning about the price in Russia. The lot is paid, and the parcel reaches my city in an extremely short time - exactly 10 days later. Without waiting for the notice, he went to the local post office. Presented a printout of the track and a hot-exhausted postal worker delivered me the cherished package.

In anticipation of the next batch of new iron, I print out the package.










It looks beautiful, it is comfortable in the hand. It's time to start testing the quality of shooting. To do this, I will list the possible shooting modes for the camera:

WVGA - 848 x 480, 30 frames / s
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

I consider the 720p mode (30 frames / s) optimal for myself, mainly shooting will take place in it.

We test in the aquatic environment. At the end of the video demonstrates the operation of digital zoom.



Testing in motion, frame rate - 60 fps. All the flaws of the EIS are clearly visible.



Testing in a dark room and in daylight. Shot in calm conditions with hands, shaking is minimized. This mode is the only successful one for this camera, because EIS works disgustingly.



Even before the purchase, I knew that there would be at least one big drawback, this drawback of course is the electronic image stabilizer. It is worth recognizing that the video quality for such a compact device with such tiny optics is amazing, but at the same time it spoils the EIS .

How can this camera be recommended to fans of extreme sports? I would not do that. It seems to me that the only possible option for shooting this camera is only in calm conditions. Otherwise, in the end, shaking videos from which your brain will begin to go crazy after 10 minutes of viewing the footage cannot be avoided.

But enough about the flaws, let's look at the advantages of the camera

The camera menu is made rather concisely and a user can understand a small number of settings at any level. The display, of course, does not strike the eye with bright colors, frankly, of an average level, but nevertheless, the ability to apply one of two filters to the picture displayed on the screen will allow you to shoot quite comfortably even on a sunny day.

The camera supports SD / SDHC memory cards up to 32 GB. I have 2 cards at my disposal:  SanDisk SDHC 8 GB Class 2 and KINGMAX SDHC 16GB Class 10 . I can say with confidence that the second class was enough for any shooting mode. But throwing off footage onto a computer is, of course, much nicer at high speed.

Video can also be output directly from the camera via the supplied HDMI cable directly to a TV or monitor.

I would also like to dispel the myth about the time of shooting the camera from a standard battery, otherwise reviews contain very subjective statements about this, someone writes 2 hours, someone 4. Why guess? After 4 cycles of charging / discharging, I am testing. I charge and leave on an impromptu tripod to take a picture from the window. The camera lasted exactly 1 hour 44 minutes 21 seconds. I think not bad. Given the penny cost of the battery for this camera on eBay, you can always take a spare kit. The battery is charged by connecting the USB cable to the camera via the supplied charger or from the computer’s USB port. As an option, you can purchase an external charger.

Underwater, the camera really takes off, tried to dive with it to a depth of three meters. Yes, yes, nothing happened to the camera and it pleases. For me, this mode is an undoubted plus, but somewhat on a different plane, you can not be afraid of the camera and shoot, for example, in heavy rain. Is it enough in what conditions you can find yourself when going out into the countryside? This camera does not care such trifles. The electronic filling is hidden under a thick layer of plastic, so you should not be afraid of accidental camera drops from a small height. The back surface is made of material that feels like a soft touch. Together with the strap that comes with the kit, this will protect you from most unpleasant accidents. However, when underwater shooting, be careful, the strap will not help much, the camera can easily slip out of your hands, rowing with it is absolutely inconvenient.

I consider it necessary to note a couple more shortcomings, the automatic white balance leaves much to be desired. A sharp transition from a light object (a light source, for example) to an object in the shadow clearly puts the logic of the camera at a standstill and the result of the shooting may not be what you expected to see. Perhaps this will be fixed as new firmware releases, let's see. Well, I would not recommend using Kodak PlaySport as a camera, the quality of images can be described in just one word - acceptable, but nothing more.

Image quality (clickable, without editing, 1.53 MB): I think the camera is worth the money, but the conditions for its use are very limited. I draw such conclusions after three weeks of using the camera. Good luck