Over the past few weeks I have really been focusing on increasing my efforts in video and increasing my skills in making video. The other week I shared a post on what HD Video options were the best bang for the buck. One of the comments I received from more than one person was to do a demo of some of the different cameras mentioned.
Today I wanted to share I made of various HD video options that are out there that I currently own. Some of the devices I tested do not promote that they do HD, but I included them for comparison. In the video below you will see comparisons of the Kodak Playtouch, Panasonic Lumix TZ5, HTC MyTouch 4G for TMobile, an original FlipCam, and the InSight Webcam of my Macbook Pro. I shot all the video sitting at my desk in my office from as close to the same position as possible so there would not be any variables in light, audio, or surroundings.
Also, I did not make any edits to the actual videos themselves. They are in as raw a format as possible. Audio has also been left alone. I will note that I did use my Audio Technica ATR 3350 microphone with the Kodak Playtouch. I had recently purchased a mono to stereo adapter and wanted to see if it worked in splitting the audio from a single mono L to a left and right channel. It seemed to work pretty well.
Here’s the video showing the various results:
Granted, there are many other camera options out there, but these were the only ones available to me at this time. If anyone watching this video has an HD video camera they would like me to review, feel free to contact me I’d love testing out your products and sharing with my audience.
So which of the cameras shared in the video, which one seemed best to you and why? Also, you can see many of the products used in my Amazon Video Store.
I think the Kodak with the external mic and, surprisingly, the Macbook were the best quality on both counts. I’ve been thinking of getting the Playtouch myself. Thanks for the comparison!
Thanks James! I really am happy with the quality so far of my Kodak
Playtouch and the accessories I purchased to go along with it.
Jeremy, I was amazed at the difference the wide angle lens attachment makes in your Kodak Play Touch. I have a Kodak Zi8, and just ordered a wide angle attachment and can’t wait to try it.
Your phone appears to have a wide angle lens in it! I thought it took a darn good video. The Panasonic sound didn’t sound very good to me.
I have a MacBook Pro and have never used the iSight camera. Maybe I’ll give that a shot too!
Thanks for doing this test. If I hadn’t just purchased the Kodak Zi8 late last year, I would be getting the Play Touch. Do you think it’s that much better than a Zi8?
I think the playtouch has a few more features, but if you already own the
zi8 I don’t know that it would be necessary to upgrade. They both have
several of the same features. One other thing I’d suggest is the external
mic. If you haven’t seen that test, go to the post I link to above. It’s a
HUGE difference in audio quality on the Kodak video camera.