Filed under: Hardware, Multimedia, Video
New Kodak pocket cam outputs 1080P and supports the Mac
The world of pocket video cameras is heating up. Kodak announced today a September ship date for a new competitor to the much loved Flip line, and more broadly, the iPhone 3GS, with a rather astonishing 1080P output at 30 FPS. The camera, the Zi8, can also output 720P at 60 FPS, or 30 FPS 720P. WVGA is also supported, along with built in image stabilization.The camera has a macro mode, and will shoot 5.3 MP stills. It also supports an external microphone for stereo recordings, and of course, still sports a mono mic built in.
Video is H.264 which is very Apple friendly. Kodak says the camera requires OS X 10.4 or higher, and wants to see a 2.8 GHZ processor or greater, 1 GB of RAM, and 300 MB of hard disk space. The processor speed spec is pretty high end, understandable for 1080P 60 FPS playback. The camera comes with AV cables, but also HDMI cables, which many people have been clamoring for with these video enabled pocket cameras.
This camera could be a worthy competitor to the Flip Ultra HD. The cost is expected to be about US$180.00. The iPhone 3GS camera is decidedly un-HD capable, and this Kodak camera, like the Flip line, will surely be of interest to Mac video mavens.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Barkin said 2:57PM on 7-29-2009
So this is a low-end consumer camera ($180, right?) that requires you to have a pretty high-end Mac (2.8 GHZ processor or greater).
These specs make no sense. You need a 2.8 GHz processor, but only 1GB of memory? Does such a Mac even exist? (If you have a processor that fast, it's gonna come with at least 4GB of memory.)
To use this dinky little camera in HD, you basically need one of the highest end MacBook Pros, or the highest end iMac, and maybe a Mac Pro (will 2x2.66GHz do?). Like I said... makes no sense if they want this to be a consumer camera.
Reply
Spedione said 3:01PM on 7-29-2009
I agree. The specs are way too high
maxtkaxz said 5:42PM on 7-29-2009
When they say 2.8GHz, that by default means single core. And so, any new computer you buy today (or have bought in a while) will have a dual core processor. So really, many computers will be able to run it (so really only 1.4GHz dual core.) Which my mac mini has (at 1.83 GHZ)
Hope this clears that up.
michaelbelong said 2:59PM on 7-29-2009
I have the Zi6 and I was looking forward to this one but you guys just gave me the specs I need to say no way.
If it had 60FPS 1080p, I'd buy it the day it came out.
Reply
Barkin said 3:04PM on 7-29-2009
So looking at their website, there's no explanation of the specs, except that the processor specs seem to apply to both Mac and PC. It's possible that the 2.8 GHz processor is necessary for their crappy PC software. If you're using iMovie or FinalCut or whatever, I'd say the Kodak specs are probably irrelevant.
Reply
Raj said 3:44PM on 7-29-2009
Agreed, specs are a guideline, Barkin.
Given you have an idea of what to expect for output (1080P@30FPS), the consumer should be able to figure out for themselves what works and what doesn't.
I would buy one, but I'm a bit wary of the digital zoom... does the Flip have optical zoom?
Joanna D said 3:05PM on 7-29-2009
If everything "just works" on Mac, why is it news when a camera supports OS X?
Reply
Tsing Tao said 12:17PM on 7-31-2009
NO idea. Because people are stupid and don't know you can just plug the damn thing in and go.
Jaggers said 3:30PM on 7-29-2009
Wow, those specs are ridiculous. This will be no competitor for the flip or 3GS, which will run on almost anyone's computer. I was seriously going to take a look at this product until it was stated that they probably cut out 90% of their market with processors that will not be common on reasonably priced mac and pcs for at least another year. I know I just spent 1,700 on my mac, getting a good deal and it only has a 2.66! Kodak... Dumb move.
Reply
Scott Nicol said 3:32PM on 7-29-2009
I think that's 2.8GHz single core, not dual. Also, everything I've used works on OSX, so I don't see why this article has 'supports the Mac', unless it's Kodak-specific software that they're bundling with it.
Reply
daranger1 said 3:41PM on 7-29-2009
The Zi6 works with iPhoto just fine and the movies are easily editable in iMovie. Not sure what was incompatible about it.
Reply
Drew said 4:00PM on 7-29-2009
I'll be the first in line when:
- it comes with an auto-focus lense. This still has a fixed-focus lens.
- It has a wider lens. The field-of-view is way too narrow for most indoor shots, etc.
Reply
Bob S. said 5:20PM on 7-29-2009
Honestly, I'll take fixed focus over autofocus. The last thing I want is some algorithm changing its mind about what it wants to focus on when I'm zooming, tilting, or panning. On every camera I use, the first thing I do is turn off autofocus.
Reg said 4:21PM on 7-29-2009
Actually, the 2.8GHz spec does mac sense if you are doing non-linear editing of H.264 @ 1080p60 only because H.264 is CPU intensive. However, a single core would do. Thus, pretty much any Intel Mac or G5 (if you have one of those) would do.
Reply
jmetts said 4:26PM on 7-29-2009
For everyone worried about the specs, that is more than likely dealing only with the PC bundled software.
Ask yourself, "Can my Mac play H.264 1080p video?" If the answer is yes, you are fine.
I have the Zi6 and it sounds like the Zi8 will be much the same as it is with the Zi6 in regards to how it works with OS X. The camera is recognized by iPhoto, so all you need to do is import, then put them to use in iMovie, Final Cut, etc.
I will be getting it day 1 to replace my Zi6 for image stabilization, external mic jack, and better low light capabilities. 1080p is just bonus for me.
Reply
jmetts said 6:16PM on 7-29-2009
OK, sorry. Editing will need more power than just playback, but grab an H.264 1080p video of the net and try a couple things in iMovie or whatever. If you can edit the video, you should be good.
Like Reg said, "pretty much any Intel Mac or G5 (if you have one of those) would do." Although I would add that a multi proc G5 would be necessary over a single proc G5.
samuel said 7:34PM on 7-29-2009
When will these video recorders get geo-tagging capabilities, YoiTube supports, and encourages, mapping of video locations. Sure a HD recording would not naturally sit well in the YouTube archive but I bet a lot of the videos get uploaded there regardless.
Reply
samuel said 7:34PM on 7-29-2009
Look at the price, $180 is really cheap, that's progress!
Reply
Znapel said 5:23AM on 7-30-2009
Hmmm.... I wonder about its low-light performance. I had the Zi6 and unless I was in a pretty bright place the HD frame-rate was just crap. I'm talking inside with a couple of lamps not being enough light. I see it says "more details/accurate colors" in low-light, but that was never quite the problem. Sucks, because it was otherwise a decent camera. I also liked that it used regular batteries as opposed to a proprietary Lion pack. Though, with that much performance I guess you'd need a bunch of juice...
I'm guessing I'm getting to be old, spending too much time looking back. It used to be awesome if your parents had a couple hours of film and then, later, maybe a VHS tape or two of you growing up. Now by the time my kid grows up they could have hours upon hours of 1080P video...
Reply
tyler138 said 7:20AM on 7-30-2009
looks good, but not out in the UK till Sep so looking at the Zi6 which i can get for £99...
Reply