The Sony MHS-CM5 is the best under $200 camcorder on the market. Its auto focus is quick, the colors are rich and accurate, and the mono mic actually sounds good. It has a built in usb plug (which is also used to charge) and pretty good face detection. The still camera (unlike the pocket cams) actually takes decent 5 megapixel photos. It has a playback speaker which is loud enough. The 5X optical zoom is smooth, and the digital zoom is well… a digital zoom. Bottom line, for the price the picture quality and build is mighty good.
There is some negatives, I listed them below, none are deal breaking.. more of a wish list. The biggest feature missing for me is Steady Shot (image stabilization) on the 1080p and 720/60 frame modes. The Kodak zi8 has this, but it looks like crap on 1080p so I guess I would rather not have this feature if the hardware is too slow to process the steady shot without problems. Which is why im guessing Sony didn’t include this feature on the higher quality modes. This is better than the Kodak Zi8, and the Flip cameras- both in image quality and overall quality of the product.
This is the perfect camera for people who want to film something quickly and easy with no drama. Perfect when it comes to “bloggin” your life. Check the video reviews below for my full review.
Pros:
-Very acceptable video quality
-Good sounding mic
-GREAT accurate colors
-5X optical zoom
-for once a decent still camera
-quick zoom
-SD memory card capable and Memory Stick Pro Duo
-Record and upload.. its in a format that just.. Works.
-Mac and PC friendly
Cons:
-Battery lasts a little over an hour (buy an extra!)
-Steady Shot Mode is only on 720P (30 Frames/sec) and VGA
-lens cap instead of hardware lens open/close
-mic is mono (but its not bad)
-no manual focus
-low light (like all low cost camcorders) isnt the best, and the focus is slow/struggles in low light.
BUY NOW! -AMAZON (CHEAPEST PRICE)
Videos
PART TWO
As usual I have uploaded a bunch of test videos, and comparisons to my Youtube page.
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
