Performance

The Kodak Zi6 is equipped with a 1/4.5-inch CMOS sensor, which has a gross pixel count of 1,600,000. Video is outputted at a resolution of 1280 x 720 (high definition), with an option for standard definition 640 x 480, as well. By comparison, the Pure Digital Flip Mino uses a 1/4-inch CMOS, which offers slightly more surface area (a potential benefit in low light). The Creative Vado also has a 1/4-inch CMOS. Both the Flip and the Vado are standard definition video.

We looked at bright-to-moderate light video performance in two stages (low light performance is further down this pate). First, we shot in the lab under tightly standardized conditions, the same method undergone by every camcorder that passes our doors. We shoot a DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde chart at an even 3000 lux, then compare the results with those of similar camcorders.

For some reason, the Kodak Zi6 completely fell apart under these conditions. The colors were completely off, veering far too much into the yellow-red end of the spectrum. This is both bizarre and unfortunate, because the tungsten lighting should have fallen well within the abilities of the auto white balance, and there is no way to manually adjust the white balance. You're stuck with what you get. As you can see, the Flip and the Creative Vado were hardly exemplars of quality, but both faired significantly better in this test.

You might say, 'Well Mr. Camcorderinfo, I don't live in a lab. I live in the real world.' So we took the Kodak Zi6 out for a spin.

The most obvious benefit over the Flip Mino, or any of the Flips, is that the Kodak shoots in HD. That means, no matter what the color performance or auto controls, you're getting a lot more detail in each shot. The 100% crops above are testament to that. We were both surprised and pleased to see that the reasons to consider the Kodak did not stop there. Outdoors, under very good shooting conditions, the Zi6 produced much more pleasing colors than the Flip, catching the golden rays of the late afternoon sun.

Motion was another issue. The Kodak Zi6 frequently appeared stuttery. The Flip Mino, perhaps with much less of a data load on the processor, looked smoother. This dichotomy – better colors and higher resolution, but worse motion rendering – pitches the would-be buyer a difficult question.

The compression is clearly heavy, a common problem with budget camcorders. Heavy compression results in ugly color or sharpness problems collectively known as compression artifacts. The Kodak Zi6 actually avoided a lot of the issues we saw with the Flip and Creative Vado. We didn't see the tell-tale blocky chunks that can kill image quality. There was some color banding – areas where the color compression was too high to manage subtle shifts.

We should mention that the Kodak Zi6 shoots in three video modes: HD, HD60, and VGA. We could find very little discernible difference in quality between the HD and HD60 modes. The HD60 should, in theory, offer smoother motion, but we couldn't see it. (This only holds for shooting in adequate light. In low light conditions, we saw a small improvement in HD mode over HD60.) The VGA setting exhibited the same color and exposure tendencies, but with a much-reduced resolution. If you have the room on your memory card, there's really no reason to shoot in standard definition. HD video can always be down-converted to a smaller size later, but you can't up-covert standard definition to HD.

Overall, the Kodak Zi6 will serve as an adequate camcorder if you have little aspiration beyond occasional online video use. The fact that it records HD video is certainly enough reason to attract attention from those already considering the Flip. The image is much sharper than either the Flip or the Creative Vado. However, the artifacting, stuttery motion, and relatively low resolution (compared to traditional HD camcorders) is a tough pill to swallow when you throw it up on your HDTV. Know that you're buying an ultra-budget camcorder before you actually plop the money down.

Video Resolution* (10.13)*

The video resolution was tested by shooting a DSC Labs video chart at an even, bright light, then watching the playback footage on an HD monitor. We looked at the resolution in HD and HD60 modes.

In HD mode, the horizontal resolution measured 400 line widths per picture height (lw/ph). The vertical resolution also produced 400 lw/ph.

In HD mode, the horizontal resolution increased to 450 lw/ph, and a vertical resolution went to 450 lw/ph.

Because the Kodak Zi6 is a high definition camcorder, you'd expect the resolution to be much higher than its standard definition competitors. In fact, the measurable resolution gain was only moderate. The scores were much higher than the Flip Mino, but only a little better than the Creative Vado. By comparison, more expensive HD camcorders routinely produce scores around 550-650 lw/ph.

Low Light Performance* (9.83)*

The low light performance of the Kodak was excellent, much to our surprise. A few years ago, a cheap camcorder virtually guaranteed low light performance. But the emergence of 'YouTube camcorders' seems to have given a new freedom to engineers – if online video hosts (i.e. YouTube) are going to re-compress the video within an inch of its life, why bother with producing the highest resolution image? Why not instead focus on getting the highest sensitivity possible? We're not sure if that's exactly what engineers have been thinking, but the results have pointed in that direction. The Pure Digital Flip also displayed a very high sensitivity.

We tested the low light performance in three stages. First, we shot the DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde chart at an even 60 lux and 15 lux, then compare the results with similar camcorders. Secondly, we run the numbers on color accuracy, noise, and saturation. Finally, we measure the camcorder's sensitivity.

At an even 60 lux, the Kodak Zi6 performed far better than it did at 3000 lux. Clearly, the camcorder does not do well with the tungsten lights used in bright light performance, but handles the LED lights of our low light testing just fine. In addition, the sensitivity is great. The colors are strong. This high sensitivity comes at the cost of noise, an incredible amount of noise. The auto gain appears to have been boosted as far as possible.

The HD60 mode setting produces even noisier results than the HD mode setting, and also some loss of sensitivity.

By comparison, the Flip Mino was brighter, but lacked the depth of color that the Kodak Zi6 offered. Obviously, the Kodak's fine detail resolution was much better, because it's HD. But the Flip did manage to side-step some of that noise that plagued the Zi6. The Creative Vado, on the other hand, was just terrible.

When the light was dropped to 15 lux, the Kodak Zi6 saw a slight loss of sensitivity and some increase in noise, but remained remarkably strong. In fact, the HD mode setting at 15 lux looks nearly identical to the 60 lux image in HD60 mode.

The competition could not hold a candle as fas as color performance at this very low light level.

Out of the lab, we see what the real effects of sensitivity and color saturation mean. Take, for instance, the shots below. The Kodak Zi6 produces the best color, but the brighter exposure of the Flip resulted in better detail retention. (Note, these images were taken on different days, but under the same lighting conditions.)

For the second stage of low light testing, we shot an X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even 60 lux, then ran frame grabs through Imatest imaging software for data on color accuracy, and saturation. According to Imatest, the Kodak Zi6 (shooting in HD mode) produced a color error of 9.49. This score was far superior to the Pure Digital Flip Mino, and a world better than the Creative Vado. The Kodak's score, in fact, was comparable with many camcorders that cost a thousand dollars or more than the Zi6.

Those gains in color accuracy don't tell the whole story, though. At the same setting (HD mode), the noise measured 1.265%. This was far worse than the Flip Mino, which only had 0.4525% noise. To be clear, that means that the Kodak Zi6 produced well over two times the noise of the Mino. The saturation measures 114.7%.

When we ran the same tests with the Kodak Zi6 in HD60 mode, the exposure was slightly reduced compared to the HD setting, which seemed to produce slightly better color accuracy. According to Imatest, the color error was reduced to 8.01. Conversely, the noise increased to 1.715%. The saturation measured 108.4%.

The final test determines sensitivity by examining the camcorder's outputted exposure (measured in IRE levels via a waveform monitor). We lower the light in a slow and steady manner until the camcorder can achieve a maximum output of 50 IRE. Ultimately, both the HD setting and the HD60 setting showed the same sensitivity: the Zi6 produced 50 IRE with only 6 lux of light, an incredibly good score.

As we said earlier, all signs pointed to Kodak boosting the auto gain as far as it could go, which would result in a high sensitivity, but also a high noise. The numbers confirm our suspicion.

Overall, the Kodak Zi6 is a good low light performer for its price. The Flip Mino produces a much cleaner image, but the Zi6 delivers richer colors.

Stabilization* (0.0)*

The Kodak Zi6 does not have a stabilizing system.

Wide Angle* (7.4)*

The Kodak Zi6 produced some very bad wide angle scores. When shooting HD video, the camcorder can only capture 37 degrees. If you choose to shoot in standard definition VGA, that wide angle narrows to a pitiful 29 degrees. By comparison, the Flip Mino also did a poor job with a 38-degree field of view. The Creative Vado was much closer to what you'd expect of a traditional camcorder, shooting with 49 degrees of wide angle.

Format

Compression* (3.5)*

Video from the Kodak Zi6 is compressed with H.264 and outputted as a .MOV file. This is great if you have a Mac computer, as QuickTime is pre-installed on all Macs. If you have a Windows computer, chances are you already have QuickTime, but you may need to download it to watch your videos.

H.264 has surpassed MPEG-2 as the compression of choice for budget camcorders and some cameras recording video, because it offers more efficient data storage. Many higher quality camcorders also apply H.264, albeit in a much more powerful and visually pleasing manner.

There are three compression/quality settings to choose from here, a feature that sets Kodak apart from the rest of the pocket camcorders. The HD setting records 1280 x 720 video at 30 frames per second (fps). The HD60 setting is the same resolution, but at an increased 60 frames per second.

The specs do no state the bitrate of these three settings, but we can only guess that they are quite low.

Media* (6.5)*

The Kodak Zi6 records video to a meager 128MB of internal memory, or to removable SD/SDHC cards, which range up to 32GB capacity. As you can see from the table below, the internal memory is all but useless for storage. We highly recommend buying a memory card before going home with the Zi6.

Editing* (6.0)*

Pocket camcorders may excite too many expectations when it comes to video quality, but the Pure Digital Flip editing and YouTube upload process dead simple, so the clones are expected to follow suit. The Kodak Zi6 does its best by including a software bundle called ArcSoft MediaImpression Light, which allows you to import video clips, upload to YouTube, and perform some rudimentary editing to stitch a home movie together.

Let's take a tour of the software. Below is the welcome screen that greets you after the software is installed. The options here are to browse clips, import video from the camcorder, or upload to YouTube. Notice that there are no other video hosting websites offered here. If you prefer Vimeo, MetaCafe, or any of the myriad of other hosts.

Welcome Screen

Choosing Browse or Import will bring you to the same screen. All your clips appear as thumbnails.

All your video clips

Let's say you want to upload to YouTube. First, you are prompted to log in. If you don't have a YouTube account, you'll need to open your browser and do that yourself.

First, login to YouTube

Next, the software will insist that you complete a bunch of information about each clip, including a title, category, and description. You cannot advance forward without first completing this info.

*Tell us a little bit about your video clips.
*

Then, hit the Upload button and wait for the magic to happen. That magic is actually the re-compression of your video, squeezing what scant video quality you started and making it even worse. This is just something that YouTube does, and there's no way stop it. Your best bet is to start with the highest video quality possible.

The other major task of the ArcSoft software is creating home movies, which is very limited. Essentially, you can select clips, place them in a specific order, and choose from a few pre-set transition effects. Then you can throw a soundtrack on top and add opening and closing titles. There is no option to actually edit an individual clip. If you have even modest filmmaking aspirations, or are trying to encourage one in your kids, you should invest in more powerful software. There are plenty that can be found cheaply.

The editing screen (not much there)

 

Auto / Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control
* Automatic Control (3.0)*

The auto performance of the Kodak Zi6 is everything, because there are no manual controls if you don't like the look of your shot. Case in point, the white balance was complete off during our normal, bright light testing, despite the fact that every other camcorder we've ever tested has performed adequately under the same conditions. So we threw our hands up and said, 'Okay, that's that.' We can't change our testing to suit a camcorder's inability to adjust, and the scores suffered accordingly. A manual white balance would have helped immensely.

The auto exposure, on the other hand, it good. Adjustments were smooth and fast. For whatever reason, the Zi6 seemed to adjust from dark to bright faster than from bright to dark. Panning across areas with varied highlights and shadows posed no problem. The Zi6 could keep up just fine.

Auto focus is not an issue, as the Zi6 has a fixed focus lens. You can shift between a macro or a tele mode via a small switch on the side.  

Overall Manual Control (0.25)

In short, there is no manual control, except for a 2x digital zoom. The Pure Digital Flip really set the trend by omitting nearly everything but the power button. Now everyone else is rushing in to get a piece of the new 'dead simple' market, including Kodak.

The Zi6 does up the stakes in one area, offering a switch toggle between tele (normal) and macro shooting.

Zoom (2.5)

The 2x digital zoom on the Kodak Zi6 is controlled by pushing up and down on the joystick while shooting. When you zoom, a scale appears along the right edge of the screen. The video quality setting has a substantial effect on the smoothness of the zoom. When the camcorder is in HD60 mode, the zoom stutters from one increment to the next. It gets better when you reduce it to HD mode, then even better in VGA quality.

Zoom Power Ratio (0.0)

The Kodak Zi6 has no optical zoom, because there are no moving parts in the lens. You do get a 2x digital zoom, but be aware that any digital zoom will significantly decrease the quality of your video.

Focus (1.0)

There is no manual focus on the Kodak Zi6, because as we stated above, there are no moving parts in the lens. You do, however, have one thing here that can really beef up your shooting repertoire. On the right side of the body is a small switch with a picture of a mountain on one side and a flower on another. This switch shifts the focus between a fixed tele setting (the mountain) and a macro setting (the flower). The latter is for shooting things up close to the lens, like bugs, fine print, or... you guessed it, flowers.

Exposure & Aperture (0.0)

There is no manual exposure or aperture setting on the Kodak Zi6.

Shutter Speed (0.0)

There is no shutter speed control on the Kodak Zi6.

White Balance (0.0)

There is no white balance control on the Kodak Zi6. 

Gain (0.0)

There in no gain control on the Kodak Zi6. 

Other Manual Controls (0.0)

There are no other manual controls on the Kodak Zi6.

 

Still Features

Still Features* (4.0)*

The Kodak Zi6 captures JPEG stills in one size and one quality. There are absolutely no options here. You get 3-megapixel stills, which are interpolated up from the 1.6-megapixel CMOS sensor. Stills are saved to either the paltry 128MB internal memory or to a removable SD/SDHC memory card.

There is no menu and no way to change manual controls, except for the 2x digital zoom.

Still Performance* (3.17)*

The still performance is tested by shooting an X-Rite color chart at an even, bright light, then running the stills through Imatest imaging software for data on color accuracy, noise, and saturation. Typically, we shoot at a number of exposure settings and score based on the best performance. But there is no option here on exposure. So we pointed the camcorder are the target and hoped for the best. Here's what we found:

The Kodak Zi6 produced a color error of 18.9. This is an incredibly poor score, nearly twice the error of a standard camcorder. The noise measured 0.7975%, which is actually a decent score. The saturation is far too high, measuring 135% according to Imatest.

Still Resolution* (1.09)*

The still resolution is tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart at an even, bright light, then rung through Imatest imaging software. As we explained in the previous section, the still image tests are normally shot under a number of exposure settings, then we pick the best one. As there is no exposure control, or really any control, we just shot in auto mode.

The Kodak Zi6 produced a horizontal resolution of 285.3 line widths per picture height (lw/ph). (Due to the low quality of the image and various internal processing, this test produced a high clipping error of 5.32%, which does diminish the exactitude of this score. However, the Kodak Zi6 has no manual controls that would allow us to try and less the clipping.) The vertical resolution measured 378.6 lw/ph (this clipping error was lower, measured at 2.91%).

These scores were not very good.

 

Handling and Use

Ease of Use* (10.0)*

If a camcorder in this emerging 'YouTube camcorder' market can't manage to be simple, it has utterly failed at hitting its audience's needs. Fortunately, Kodak took the tried and true path laid out by the Pure Digital Flip series. There are no menus and no manual controls (save for the 2x digital zoom) on the Kodak Zi6. Recording and playing back clips could not be simpler or more intuitive. If you've ever used a joystick for anything – from video games to cell phones – you should have no problem operating the Zi6.

To upload video to YouTube, plug the camcorder straight into the computer with the pop-out USB connection and follow the very simple instructions from the software. (You will have to install the included software first.)  From start to finish, it's dead simple.

**
**

Handling* (4.75)*

As you might guess from a camcorder of this stature, handling is not a strong suit. No, you should not expect to see professional camera operators rushing to praise the sleek ergonomics or amazing feel of the Kodak Zi6. The goal in designing this was pretty clearly 'Make it small!' Even with that stipulation, Kodak did a pretty good job. The body is lightweight and well balanced. The joystick is well placed for the thumb, and it's not terribly likely (though still possible) that you'll drag your finger across the microphone on the front. You can set the Zi6 down on a flat surface and have it stand up straight, a key feature missed by the far more advanced Sony HDR-TG1.

The joystick itself is of a higher quality than we'd expect, particularly because the camcorder requires such little interface. There's no menu or manual controls, yet the joystick is easier to manipulate than some HD Panasonics costing many times the price.

The only hazardous areas are the ports, all of which feel extremely cheap. If you accidentally rip the memory card port cover off, you'll probably live to shoot another day without too much trouble. But the extendable USB arm, the most important connection on the Zi6, feels like as though it's not long for this world.

Overall, the Flip Mino still handles better. Comparatively, the Mino's interface is lighting fast, while the Zi6 drags as you shuffle from clip to clip, or form one shooting mode to another. Also, the touch-sensitive pads on the Mino are just plain cool.

Menu* (5.0)*

There is no menu to speak of on the Kodak Zi6. While in video or still recording mode, you use the joystick to toggle left and right through the shooting modes: HD, HD60, VGA, and Still Photo. Use the joystick up and down to control the digital zoom.

When you're in playback mode, you have the ability to toggle through the video clips (joystick left and right), and delete clips (the stop/delete button). That's all, folks.

The lack of a menu is hardly a detriment, in this case. The Pure Digital Flip set the trend of making operation as simple as possible. This is a direct reaction to years of overly-complicated camcorders that become expensive door stops.

Portability* (9.5)*

The Kodak Zi6 is extremely portable, with dimensions no larger than an aging Blackberry cell phone. The actual measurements are 114 x 64 x 23.5mm (4.5 x 2.5 x 0.9 inches). It weighs 107g (3.8 ounces) without the AA batteries.

By comparison, the Flip Ultra measures 100 x 50 x 16mm (3.94 x 1.97 x 0.63 inches) and weighs 93.5 grams (3.3 ounces). The Creative Vado measures 100 x 55 x 16mm (3.9 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches). This makes the Flip Mino the smallest, and the Kodak Zi6 the largest of the three. It can fit in most pants pockets, but it will leave a bulge.

LCD and Viewfinder* (2.0)*

The Kodak Zi6 has a 2.4-inch LCD, with an unknown resolution. By camcorder standards, this is a small size, but it's hard to argue for a larger screen on such a small device. Kodak could have opted for a horizontal design, like a digital camera, that allowed for a 16 x 9 screen across the entire back, but they clearly wanted the give the Zi6 that cell phone look.

There is no viewfinder on the Kodak Zi6, which should come as no surprise.

Battery Life* (12.4)*

The Kodak Zi6 ships with two rechargeable AA batteries. It's a rarity for camcorders to come with batteries that you can find in a convenient store. Rather, they typically ship with proprietary battery packs that, while expensive to replace, can provide a lot more power. The Zi6 has no moving parts (i.e. no zoom lens, solid state memory), so it doesn't require much power.

Along with the batteries, Kodak throws in a wall charger to put some life back into the AAs (two at a time). This is certainly more convenient that having to buy a charger yourself.

We tested the batteries for duration. In total, they lasted 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 45 seconds (123 minutes and 45 seconds).

Audio / Playback / Connectivity

Audio* (3.0)*

The audio options on the Kodak Zi6 are laughable. On the front of the camcorder, under the lens, is a tiny grille concealing a mono microphone. The mic has a very small range and is meant only to record audio in the most limited manner. Because YouTube tends to compress the audio so terribly, anyway, it's arguable that this is no great loss. However, Kodak made the Zi6 a high definition camcorder, which means that you'll likely want to plug it into your HDTV. When you do, be prepared for some disappointing audio results.

Playback* (3.75)*

The playing back of clips on the Kodak Zi6 is remarkably simple, just like everything else on this camcorder. To enter playback mode, press the button to the right of the joystick. The LCD screen fills with a frozen frame of your last video clip. To shift from clip to clip, move the joystick left and right. Numbers appear at the bottom of the screen to tell you which clip you're looking at, and how many total clips there are (i.e. '5/20' means this is the fifth clip out of twenty total).

You can fast forward and rewind by pushing and holding the joystick left and right. To delete clips, push the only other button, the one to the left of the joystick.

That's it. There are no options to edit within the camcorder.

Connectivity* (5.0)*

The Kodak Zi6 has three ports onboard. The easiest to spot is the pop-up USB arm, which springs out from the left side. The implementation of this design is no doubt eye-catching, but potentially weak. Moving parts break first. The USB arm extension has not one, but two types of movement. The arm is spring loaded to pop out at a 90-degree angle from the body when you push the release button. But the arm itself is broken into two segments, the metal USB connection point and an outer sleeve into which it retreats. When you push the arm in towards the body, an internal spring pulls the metal part back into the sleeve automatically. It looks cool, but it will probably break before anything else does. The Flip Mino has a similar movement, but it feels sturdier, if only by a little.

Below USB arm are two 1/8th-inch jacks, one for composite A/V-out, and one for component video-out. The former is for standard definition, and the latter for high definition. There is no HDMI jack for a purely digital interface with your TV.

Other Features

**

What’s in the Box?**

The Kodak Zi6 ships with the following items:

• Two rechargeable AA Ni-MH batteries

• Battery charger

• Component (HD) cable

• Composite (A/V) cable

• Wrist strap

• Camera pouch

• User Guide

• ArcSoft MediaImpression editing & YouTube upload software (PC only)

This bundle is missing on key thing before you're off and running: MEMORY! The Kodak Zi6 only has an internal memory of 128MB. In the lowest quality setting, that's only enough room for 1 and 1/2 minutes of video. You are in dire need of an SD or SDHC memory card, and any sales rep that lets you walk towards the cash register without warning you is not doing their job.

Other Features* (0.0)*

There are no other features on the Kodak Zi6. 

Conclusion & Comparisons

Conclusion

The Kodak Zi6 ($179 MSRP) is a decent camcorder. If you want something extremely small and cheap, but you insist on HD, you can buy it with confidence. The competing option, the RCA EZ300HD Small Wonder, is speeding its way to our offices right now. Read the comparisons below to find out how they stack up on paper.

On the plus side, the Kodak Zi6 is easy to use, feels good in the hand, and ships with good software for uploading to YouTube. Unlike the Flip and most other pocket-sized camcorders, it records in high definition, as well as standard definition. The HD video is undeniably sharper than any of its competitors, and the color performance competes well.

On the down side, the Zi6 failed miserably under our bright tests, which take place under tungsten color temperatures that should be well within the range of a camcorder. As many people's home lighting is the same color temperature, it's something to watch out there. The complete lack of manual controls makes it impossible to correct for. Another potential negative is that if you only plan on using this camcorder for YouTube, why buy an HD camcorder at all? Currently, YouTube doesn't support HD and will automatically squelch your HD video down to a very poor quality when you upload. Granted, there are lots of other sites to which you can upload your movies, but YouTube is the only host accounted for with the included software.

It's also crucial to point out that there is a world of difference between an 'HD camcorder' that costs $180 and the traditional, more expensive 'HD camcorder,' of which we have reviewed dozens upon dozens. Know what league you're batting in before you start.

Overall, the once or twice a year shooter who just wants a camcorder in their pocket on vacation will probably find the Zi6 a fine choice. It's also not a bad option for high school or younger filmmakers who can't afford (or be trusted) with a $1000 device. The Flip is still the simplest and smoothest to operate, but it's certainly not the only kid on the block anymore.

Comparisons

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters

The Kodak Zi6 is perfect for point-and-shooters who want a no-fuss shooting experience in HD.

Budget Consumers

At $179 (MSRP), there is cheaper to be found, but finding a cheaper HD camcorder is tough. This is a good deal. 

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid

Despite the Kodak name, this is far from a well-equipped camera. Look elsewhere.

Gadget Freaks

The Kodak Zi6 does deserve some nerd-buzz, with the cheap price, small size, and HD video. Better still, the video quality is actually decent!

Manual Control Freaks

There are no manual controls, outside of a 2x digital zoom.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists

No.

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