I know a lot of folks are looking at picking up convenient camcorders, this holiday season, so I thought I’d take a minute to give you a quick comparison.
Right now Amazon has a Kodak PlaySport bundle available for $139; that includes the PlaySport camcorder, a 4GB SD card, flexible tripod, and a remote. On the other hand, the comparable 4GB Flip MinoHD camcorder will currently run you $148 without any accessories at all. Beyond the better price for the bundle, though, I’m going to give this smackdown to Kodak for all of these other reasons:
1) My husband is a professional photographer, and he prefers the Kodak (we have both); he thinks the user interface on the Kodak is somewhat better. (Although—to be fair—he does lament the PlaySport not having an external mic jack, which is not a concern for casual users.)
2) The Flip’s memory and battery are internal, whereas the Kodak takes SD cards and a removable battery—more shooting time on the fly, provided you have cards and batteries to spare.
3) The fact that the PlaySport is waterproof to 10 ft is magnificent, because we have tried a couple of different “guaranteed waterproof” housings for the Flip and they all leak.
In fact, the only solid point in the Flip’s favor I can come up with is that the Flip is slightly smaller/lighter than the PlaySport. Not so much that it really matters to most, though.
If you’ve been thinking about a pocket camcorder, I hope this helps.
we opted for the kodak zi8. for some of the reasons you mentioned about the flip.
we LOVE it!
H: The husband was torn, because he would like the waterproof PlaySport, but the zi8 has the mic jack he wanted. 🙂
Hooray! I got the Kodak for $49 on amazon (with memory card, but without any other accessories). I figured for that price, it was worth gambling. I love when it turns out I’m even smarter than I think. 🙂
Aw, man. I already got a flip for my daughter. Clear proof that I should always wait and see what Mir says.
Jess, the Flip is a nice product, too! I carry a Flip, myself. But in a side by side comparison, knowing what I know now, I think I’d go for the Kodak, instead.
Thanks Mir, you are an answer to prayer,I have been needing a new camcorder, only have ancient one with tape,,,,,, This looks like a go.
Question, is the Lexar sd card that is 50% off when you purchase the camera bundle, is that a deal? Worth it? I always hate on my old camera when i run out of battery juice and/or run out of tape ………. so am thinking back ups are a good thing, but not being familiar with sd cards and the like,,,, help!
Elizabeth: Yes, Lexar makes reliable cards, and $12 for 8GB is a good deal. I’d definitely pick it up if you’re getting the bundle.
you are so pretty!
If you choose the purple or blue, the price goes down to $115…I couldn’t resist!
Nikki: Keep in mind that the purple/blue versions are JUST the camcorder, not the entire bundle. Still a good deal, of course, but not the same thing.
Perhaps this is why you get paid for this and I don’t!?
Hey Mir…just saw this on FB:
Adorama
Take a look at “Deal of the Day”l! Flip Video Mino F-360W Camcorder with 2 GB of On-Board Flash Memory, $84 Free Shipping
That’s not a bad deal!
Kathy
Kathy: That’s not a bad deal, but it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison; the featured Mino at Adorama is not an HD model, plus it has half the storage capability and none of the image stabilization of either the PlaySport or the 3rd gen Minos.