Here it is! I took my Kodak Zi6 with me all over DC on Tuesday and took as much crowd video as I could. Getting into Washington via Metro was surprisingly easy. Getting out of the National Mall after President Obama’s inaugural address was more difficult. Roads were closed in preparation for the parade, and there was the added difficulty of a few million people all trying to head for the same one or two Metro stations in the area that were open.
Much like Baltimore, everybody in Washington was energized. You could feel it the moment you stepped on the train. People love Obama. And, as you see in the video, they’re not shy about vocalizing their opinions of President Bush, either.
Again, the Zi6 was a trooper. I never had to change the batteries once, and I shot all day in HD mode (30 frames per second). My 16GB SD card laughed as I recorded over 140 videos that added up to well over an hour’s worth of footage, with gigabytes to spare. The digital zoom was surprisingly sharp. When I used my Flip Ultra, I avoided touching the zoom like the plague. But on this camera, it’s not bad. Sure, you’re not going to get anything as crisp as you would with an optical zoom, but for a sub-$200 pocket-sized point-and-shoot video camera, it’s amazing.
Last Saturday, then President-Elect Barack Obama made a whistle stop in Baltimore, and tens of thousands of people waited all day in 17-degree weather to see him speak. I was one of them, and ended up waiting in line at about 9:00 am for his speech at 4:30 pm. But you know what? It was worth it. I ended up about 30 yards away from where he spoke, and the energy of the crowd was something I’m really happy I got to experience. Baltimore is overwhelmingly excited about our new President.
Even though the events of the day were widely televised, I think the news channels and networks largely missed the spirit of what it felt like to be “on the ground”. So here’s my perspective on the day, condensed to a little under 15 minutes.
I recorded the whole thing with the Kodak Zi6, and I have to say it was a beast! I brought a pocket full of extra AA batteries but never had to use them. The rechargeable batteries that came with the camera lasted all day, and then some. When I got home, I connected the camera to my TV with the included component cables, and the quality of the video was startlingly good.
Any worries I had about the Zi6 being bulkier than my old Flip Ultra are gone. More than a few times I had to pat down my jacket pocket to make sure it was still there. It somehow manages to be very lightweight, yet also feel solid in my hand. It’s got a good solid grip to it which I much prefer over the glossy-bodied Flip. Even standing out in the cold wearing two pairs of gloves, I felt like I had a firm grasp on it.
My Inauguration Day video is up next, along with more thoughts on the Zi6. This camera goes everywhere with me, now.
That’s the video I took on the National Mall in DC at the moment Barack Obama took the oath of office. Nobody realized it would only be the first take! Honestly, I just thought there were weird audio things happening with the elaborate sound system on the Mall. I didn’t realize that Justice Roberts tripped up Obama with the oath.
Anyway, consider this a bit of a teaser. Saturday, I took a ton of video during Obama’s visit to Baltimore with my Kodak Zi6. I have hours of footage from Inauguration Day that I’ve just barely begun to go through. Tomorrow, I’m going to buy myself a Vimeo Plus account so I can get everything up in crisp, HD quality. (Unless, of course, someone wants to buy me one!)
Update: The Kodak Zi6 HD is coming with me to Inauguration Day! See updates below.
I’ve got a bit of a dilemma on my hands. I’m planning on going to Obama’s Inauguration in a couple of weeks and want to bring an HD camera with me to capture the day. I have a standard-def Flip Ultra now, so I figure this is as good an excuse as any to upgrade to HD.
So here’s the dilemma: Flip and Kodak both have two pocket-sized HD cameras available now (the Flip Mino HD and the Kodak Zi6 HD) and I’m having trouble figuring out which one to buy. Their specs are very similar.
Both capture H.264 video, but the Kodak Zi6 HD has an expandable SD memory card slot, and the Flip has four gigabytes hard-wired, giving the camera 60 minutes of record time. The Zi6 has a 2.4-inch LCD, bigger than the Flip’s 1.5, but I don’t mind the smaller screen on the Flip so that’s not a deal-breaker for me. But the Zi6 has a closer focus range at .7 meters to infinity, compared to the Mino HD’s 1.5 meters to infinity. I’m not sure how noticeable that would be. But the Zi6 apparently has a “close up” mode or range of focus, so things two inches from the lens will theoretically be in focus. Again, without getting my hands on a Zi6 to test it out, I can’t really know for sure.
I’ve developed a bit of brand loyalty for Flip. My Ultra has been super-trustworthy. I like it a lot and take it everywhere. From what I’ve read, it sounds like the Flip Mino HD is as dependable as my Ultra. I know the Flip cameras work great in loud situations because I’ve gotten some wonderful footage from rock shows. Also, I like its simple interface.
Not being able to test out these cameras side-by-side, it’s really tough for me to make a decision on what to buy. I’ve read some scattered complaints about the Zi6 dropping frames, but haven’t really found enough examples or specific evidence to suggest it’s a widespread problem. My favorite comparison of the two cameras is this Andy Ihnatko video:
The color on the Zi6 seems over-saturated and the Flip seems like it adjusts its exposure a bit better. Also, in all of Andy’s shots inside the bagel shop, the Flip seems to produce a much warmer, truer-to-life image than the Zi6. The Zi6 has much higher contrast, and some of the mid-tones seem to get lost.
On the audio side of things, it might just be the camera’s on-board compression, but the Zi6 sounds louder. Although there’s some gain boost or something going on, it also sounds like it picks up more wind noise than the Mino HD.
As of this writing, The Kodak Zi6 HD is $154.65 and the Flip Mino Ultra is $209 on Amazon. For a little over $50 more, I personally think the Mino HD has superior video quality. But the Zi6 has the bonuses of memory card expansion and running off of AA batteries. When I’m at the Inauguration all day, I don’t want to have to ration my recording time and worry about losing my charge halfway through the day. Still, I’m leaning toward the Mino HD.
Have you had experience with either (or both) of these cameras? Is there one you prefer over the other? I’d love to get some feedback, comments, or guidance. After all, this site is where all the videos from the new camera are going to end up, so if they look crappy it will sort of be all your fault.
[Update 1:Chef Mark helpfully pointed out the Creative Vado Pocket Video Cam HD, which is aimed squarely at the same consumers looking for something like a Mino HD or Zi6. He also showed me some great videos shot by Mr. Brown at Marina Bay in Singapore. Thanks, Mark!]
[Update 2: Thanks to the friendly folks at Kodak, I'll be taking a Zi6 with me to Inauguration day! They contacted me within a couple hours after I posted this and helpfully pointed me toward some Zi6 press info. Of course, it's on Kodak's site, so it's largely pro-Zi6 material, but I hadn't seen WIRED's Gadget Lab review before and found it quite helpful to see the two cameras operate side-by-side. The Flip looks sleek, but with the Zi6 I won't have to worry about charging it or running out of space when I'm in DC all day on January 20th, thanks to AA batteries and SD memory cards. Plus, there's just something solid about the Zi6. I'm looking forward to putting the camera through its paces when it gets here. I'm particularly excited about the level of enthusiasm with which they back up their product, especially through social media channels. Look for Zi6 video and a full report coming here soon. Thanks Tom, Julie, and Jennifer at Kodak!]
