Kodak Zi8 HD

kodak ZI8 HD Camcorder

The full-featured Zi8 captures the best HD pocket-camcorder footage we've seen, but its interface and digital zoom often get in the way. Kodak's Zi8 high-definition pocket camcorder ($180 as of 9/14/2009) is the superpowered follow-up to the company's cult-favorite Zi6 model. It's also the most full-featured pocket-size camcorder we've seen, thanks to three unique features: the ability to record 1080p full-HD video, digital image stabilization, and a microphone-in jack that lets you use standard headphones or earbuds as an external mic. It fulfills its promise in at least two of those three areas, offering superb video quality and versatile audio options. Quite simply, test footage shot with the Zi8 in 1080p mode is the highest-quality video we've seen in a pocket camcorder to date. The Zi8 also serves up a range of shooting options. In addition to the 1080p setting (1920-by-1080 videos recorded as .mov files at 30 frames per second), you can also capture images in a number of resolutions and frame-rate counts: 720p at 60 fps, 720p at 30 fps, 848-by-480 standard-definition WVGA video, and 5-megapixel still photos. That's a wider range of options than some full-size camcorders offer, let alone most pocketable devices.