So after a few weeks playing with the Kodak Zi8, I have found some new issues that prevent me from recommending it 100%. While the issues are nothing too major, and they might be fixed in upcoming firmware from Kodak, I still want to inform my audience.

First lets start off with the good.. Yes Kodak fixed the zoom in their latest 1.05 firmware (it wasn’t a smooth zoom, but a sluggish zoom stop zoom stop motion). But I have found that in low light, during zoom it blacks out the picture.

Sample Here:

Now one user on youtube said that issue always existed for them, but I never noticed it before, so who knows.

Next a new problem I have found is 1080P jitters. Notice on the bottom of the following video around the 7:30 mark the reviewer even talks about it.

Next up is the most obvious, and annoying bug I have been experiencing. In low light using 780p formats I have noticed slight vertical lines. Sometimes these lines are more noticeable then others. This is actually the one issue that might make me return my unit. Here is a sample photo taken from a discussion about the subject on Amazon’s forums.

The photo on the left is 1080p and the right is 720p with the vertical lines.

Hopefully Kodak is going to fix these problems with a firmware update as they did with the annoying zoom problem. They so far have been on top of things, so I will give them some time before I look into returning or selling my Kodak Zi8.

Amazon Kodak Zi8 Discussion Forum
My Original Review
BUY NOW!
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/y8wjpet
Generic Battery for Zi8: http://tinyurl.com/y8htmjx