Kodak PlaySport Zx5 user reviews (black)

Pros 1. waterproof..maybe
2. durable/feels good in hand
3. external memory/ "expandable"

Cons 1. Didn't get past testing it out
2. Battery/charging Issues
3. poor kodak support

Summary I bought this item at bestbuy yesterday, played with it in the car on the way home (only at stop lights :) ) to see how the picture looked and familiarize myself with the icons. Pretty simple. I'd say if you arn't technologically capable then you have a 50% chance of hitting the right button.

So, I take a test video when I get home of my son, and then I plug it in to charge. (now, maybe this initial use before charging was my problem...but thats a stretch) I walk over to it about 1 hr later to see how it's truckin' along, and the signal light (blinks when charging, and steady light when fully charged) is not on. It does not turn on either. I unplug everything and tryit on my laptop. nothing. Then I put it back into the wall, and try again. Nothing.

I search "kodak play sport charge problems" and a ton of stuff pops up on how shotty the battery/charging is on the thing. Many ppl have had to bring their brand new devices back to wherever...and return/exchange them. Apparently there was one guy who even tried contacting kodak support before bring it back a third time, to see if this was a common problem. kodak was less than helpful,and suggested sending it in to repair. However, this was a bad choice becasue the guy was still within his 14day exchange period and was more or less looking to see if this was a problem that wasnt worth the money. If it keeps happening, which is seem to be, then why would they keep the item.

...I guess I want to play with the thing before I decide to boycott it. because underwater is soo cool, and it's like the only durableish looking pocket/handheld out there right now. but I sorta feel like if I couldnt even use it once without a problem, that 7mo down the road I'll be wishing I took the advice of all the reviews saying to stay away from it.

So, today I went back to bestbuy to get a new one. it's charging right now, I havn't done anything except open the box take it out and charge it. However, I did this on my lunch break, so I did take it out of the wall at work, and put it back in the wall at my house. Hope this small interruption wouldn't make a difference either way. just sayin..

Pros What more do you want for a pocket video camera. Almost same size as a cellphone. Cheap for a small video camera that shoots Good video. Shock proof! Water proof! Dust proof! Built in battery last. I was practically shooting videos the whole day...editing

Cons For its price and size... there is nothing really.

Summary Pretty good for its price.

Pros + Price
+ Great video quality (for it's price)
+ Outstanding battery life
+ Waterproof
+ Easy to use
+ Different color modes adds a little more fun to shooting
+ Pretty good in low-light.

Cons - No flash/light like other waterproof cameras (but that takes a toil on battery life)
- And a view zoom problems will filming in 720p 60fps

Summary For the price you pay for this camera you can't expect to have jaw dropping video quality results and it's a pocket camera nonetheless. But I am not saying that the quality is bad, for what this camera is I found the video quality to be pretty great. The battery life is outstanding. Over two hours of straight use, and over a few days of limited use. The battery life far surpasses my $700 Canon HD camera. The love the fact that this little camera is waterproof, I have taken this in the River and tested it out may times. There is a little ringing sound with the mic underwater.. but oh well. You have a different shooting color modes to play with, so that makes it more fun. I found this camera to be pretty decent in low-light... a little grainy, but that's to be expected when there is no flash/light. I had some zoom problems when filming in 720p 60fps after about 3 mins in the camera would flicker near full zoom, and also when you reversed the zoom, also the video would speed up. But it doesn't/hasn't done it in normal 720p. I kind of do wish that this had a flash/light for better low-light performance but that would put a toil on battery life.

All and all I would suggest this pocket camera to anyone.

Fun. Easy to use. Affordable. Waterproof. And great video quality for it's price.. What else can you ask for?

Pros Small size, waterproof, durable, easy to use, easy to grip finish, inexpensive, decent picture quality. Anybody can pick it up and use it with minimal instruction.

Cons Whitebalance was a little off at times. Would be nice to have a larger view screen that swiveled for easier underwater shooting. I also wish it had a wider angle lens. When you get up close, like easy conversational range, a little too much is cut off.

Summary I have had none of the charging problems noted by others. If you are looking for an inexpensive camera to take to the beach or a pool party, this would be the one. I am also puzzled by the review that said it doesn't connect to usb as mine does. Maybe he meant the liffle flip out plug like some others, but remember it is supposed to be waterproof. Every port is a potential catastrophic failure. A flip out usb jack would be asking for trouble.