Kodak Zi8 Camcorder Kicks its Competition Down the Stairs

Kodak's Zi is taking it to the next level for portable camcorders with a major update to its portable camcorder. The first and most obvious is the polished new look and 3 glossy color options to choose from. The bright 2.5 inch LCD looks to be the same quality and size as previous models. That's about the only feature that hasn't been upgraded. The Zi8 can now shoot 1080p video at 30fps. An hour of 1080p HD video will take up 3GBs of space so up to 10 hours can be recorded on a 32GB SDHC card.

Once you get over the shock at such a tiny package being able to capture 1080p, Kodak has also added image stabilization to its list of features to help combat any jitter or bounce on your travels. There's an jack for an external mic so you can enhance your audio over the built in mic. You can also snap off 5 MegaPixel digital stills if you need to. Another notable addition is the ability to buy spare rechargeable batteries for it which is a must if you plan to use it for more than just occasional videos. Use the swing out USB arm and the included software to quickly get your indie movie aspirations up on youtube. Priced at a reasonable $179 this could make you an instant star of your own movies.