We have always felt the need for waterproof gadgets because there is a pair of clumsy hands in every family. But, quite apart from mishaps, now, with more and more of us holidaying in the wild, braving the monsoon or going snorkelling, the need for suitable gadgets to accompany you on your adventures has just grown. With companies just about starting to realise and trying to address this need, we picked from the options already available in the market. An HD, waterproof camcorder that could be a trustworthy companion on our adventures, here's an account of our underwater experience with the splash-proof Kodak PlaySport Zx3.
Overview
The Kodak PlaySport Zx3 feels strong and sturdy in your hands. The videocam is compact and almost feels like you are holding a smartphone in your hands. The pocket camcorder which is water-proof up to 3 metres (10 feet) is visibly built to accompany you on a lot of adventures. Tiny screws hold the fascia of the cam on top and bottom together with parts of the rubberised body. Unlike other Kodak video-cams, even the latest ones like Zi8 in which the shiny, plastic body looks great but doesn't lend itself to be action-proof, the Kodak Zx3 looks like it won't have high-maintenance issues. A 3-metre drop in the water aside, this feels like it'll survive a 3-metre drop on the floor as well.
The only downside with the strong build are the buttons, especially the circular D-pad-type which require more than just a light, easy press to be activated.
Controls
The screen is 2-inches across with four buttons laid out in a small arc below it. The options you have are Video Recording, Playback, Trash Can and Settings. Next to these click buttons is a circular dial with arrows on all four sides, which serve varied functions depending on which mode you are in.
The top and bottom arrows let you zoom in to your subject while operating the camcorder. The device allows up to 4x digital zoom. The side arrows give you the option of switching between the Still Camera mode and Video Recording mode. If you are shooting a video, you also have the options to choose between WVGA and HD resolutions of 720p, 720p (60 fps) and 1080p with the same buttons.
In both video and still shooting modes, the topmost button lets you switch between colour options only for the LCD-view mode. Apart from the regular screen, you can change your view to a high saturation one, which can be useful in low-light situations where you might have trouble spotting your subject. The other option is to view your surrounding in black and white. These changes do not affect the videos or photographs that you shoot though, the options are only meant to make visibility via the LCD screen better as you try to capture the subject in different lighting conditions.
User interface
The camcorder has a very minimalistic user interface. The Settings button throws up about 10 options. These include very basic tweaks like switching on the water-proof mode, turning down LCD brightness, enabling Face-tracking during video shoots and having the EIS (Electronic Image Stabilisation) option on.
The image stabilisation did not work wonders as a lot of not-so-short videos that we recorded had more jerks and shakes in them than we expected.
Shooting videos
While you are in the video recording mode, a timer on the top left of the screen indicates how much recording time you have left. This, of course, changes when you switch to other resolutions.
Even while shooting in low-light conditions, with a 1080p HD resolution, the results weren't disappointing.
Underwater
When you take the plunge or are river rafting with your buddies, switch on to the inbuilt Waterproof mode.
The videos were clear even as we shot underwater. It's a credit to the camcorder's design that it wasn't clumsy to operate even underwater. The body, thanks to the rubberised panels wasn't slippery and the water slips off the body as soon as you pull it out of the water. This isn't the case with the lens though, which was possibly the reasons behind blurry still shots post a dip in the pool.
Photographs shot in the Still Mode weren't extremely impressive. The colours were a little lost even under bright shooting conditions. Using the 4x digital zoom resulted in heavy compromises in the image quality with a lot of resultant grain and blur in the photographs.
Connectivity
The HDMI port, USB port and A/V-out are lined next to each other behind a clasp on the right side of the camera, as are the slim compartments for the battery and the microSD card on the opposite side. Both compartments are water-tight.
Every adventure trip of yours can probably be recorded on this cam as it has a memory card slot, which is expandable up to 32GB. This roughly translates to 10 hours of HD video playback.
Kodak wins big brownie points for including an HDMI cable in the box despite the product not being one of its really high-end ones.
Our verdict
Even though the video quality isn't absolutely the best, by virtue of being water-proof and being able to produce more-than-decent HD videos, the camera can be a great option to consider especially with the ‘makes-you-smile' price tag it comes with.
Rs 7,999
Love – Good HD videos
Hate – Poor low-light performance. Lacks optical zoom capability
Ratings
Aesthetics – 4/5; User Interface – 3/5;
Features – 4/5; Value For Money – 4/5
