Review: Kodak Playsport Video Camera

Kodak recently sent us a Kodak Playsport to review here at TravelPlusWine. Given the choice between the Kodak zi8 and the Playport, we chose the latter because it’s waterproof and sporty.

After nearly 2 months of playing with the camera and taking it to places like New Zealand, kayaking on the Missouri River, and allowing our rent-a-kid to have some swimming pool fun… we definitely feel more than ready to give this camera an honest review!

Overview:

The Kodak Playsport is a durable waterproof, pocket-size HD video camera that is good for capturing those moments where you otherwise wouldn’t be able to bring a camera! Think: swimming pools, beaches, rivers, lakes, streams, and sightseeing on rainy days.

The Playsport is durable because it managed to survive being shuffled between my purse, backpack, and pockets as we traveled the world. The same can’t be said for our other cameras that need a bit more TLC.

Kodak, however, needs to improve upon the display. Even using the LCD Glare Shield setting (which should make the screen easier to see in the bright sun), we had a hard time seeing what we were filming in daylight.

When filming, hold the camera extra steady and pan very slowly as you will be the best image stabilizer for the Kodak Playsport.

Overall, it’s a simple, easy-to-use camera for those who just want to capture the moment without worrying about fancy settings or the bells and whistles.

The Camera:

Read through the directions and you’ll soon get used to the layout of the Kodak Playsport HD video camera.

Check out a few of our videos to view the Playsport quality including evening shots, vlogging on the move, water shots, sound, setting quality, and zoom:

A few TravelPlusWine notes about the camera:

-It’s a very basic camera which makes it perfect for the majority of vacationers who don’t want a huge learning curve before they are able to capture those Kodak moments.

-If you’re using the camera in the water or think it might get wet, be sure and choose Underwater Mode in the settings panel. If you turn the camera off, you’ll have to go back in and reset this feature.

-The camera doesn’t float, so you might want to purchase a small keychain that floats to hook on. Or, keep the wrist band attached to you at all times.

-My biggest issue with this camera was the screen glare, even using the LCD Glare Shield setting. When I was filming outside in the sunlight, I sometimes couldn’t see what I was doing because of the glare. This is something Kodak needs to improve upon for the next Playsport model, especially since it is marketed as an outdoor camera.

-I didn’t have a case for this camera and it held up extremely well being shuffled between my purse and backpack over the past few months. I can’t say this about the durability of any other camera I’ve owned! It’s quite the hearty device.

-Although this device has electronic image stabilization, Kodak could also improve upon this feature. Remember to move the camera slowly and avoid any fast or jerky movements.

Pictures:

Photo taken from a partly submerged rock in the stream

The Kodak Playsport has a basic point-and-shoot 5 megapixel camera. I found it very convenient to not have to carry around an extra camera to take still shots. Taking pictures of people, places, and things was easy and the photos came out nice. Keep in mind simplicity rules because there’s no flash and no fancy settings. Just point and shoot.

Battery Life:

This camera comes with a Li-Ion rechargeable battery with in-camera charging. It’s incredibly nice not to carry around a bulky charger. The Playsport comes with a combo USB & wall charger, basically the same thing I have for my phone.

It’s always difficult to comment on battery life because, as with cell phones, there are so many factors involved. The Kodak Playsport battery life depends on how often you use the camera, the settings, and how much you play back your videos and view your pictures on the display screen.

When you’re on vacation, I’d highly recommend bringing along an extra battery and keeping one charged at all times.

Memory:

The Kodak Playsport has an expandable SD/SDHC Card slot for memory cards up to 32 GB.

Just to give you an idea, I used a 2 GB card and was able to record:

51:43 using WVGA

32:28 using HD 720p

22:24 using HD 720p 60

22:22 using HD 1080p

Features:

For a full (and official) list of Kodak Playsport features, visit the Kodak website.

Picture taken from another kayak