Kodak PlaySport

Going to CES can simultaneously be a gadget lover’s greatest dream and worst nightmare.  While the opportunity to demo the latest gear and technology is extremely thrilling, it quickly makes one realize the obsolescence of their “stuff” and the potential costs associated with frequent and incremental gadget upgrades.  Even those with steep tech gear budgets find it difficult to reasonably quench the thirst for ownership of the very latest and best the industry has to offer.  Balancing the urge to upgrade or adopt a technology can be tricky, especially given the life cycle pace of modern electronics.

I’ve been closely watching the portable camcorder market for several months now, intent on ultimately buying one of the HD flavors of these products.  Devices like the JVC PICSIO and Vivitar DVR-150, along with higher end devices by Flip and Creative, typically offer compressed high definition video recording in a lightweight and portable package.  While not the camera on which one would choose to shoot the next Hollywood blockbuster, they serve a very specific purpose for those seeking an alternative to and improvement upon cell phone or standard definition digital still camera video sources.  And with integrated cell phone camera technology showing signs of neglect in favor of the convergence of other features, the pocket camcorder market may exist for longer than expected.

At Kodak’s CES booth, I was introduced to the PlaySport portable camcorder and, after handling the device, immediately knew this was the camcorder by which I would personally enter this market.  Building on the highly successful Zi8 portable camcorder, the PlaySport records video in several modes, including full 16:9 1080p HD at 30fps with (often under-emphasized) digital image stabilization.  Its 5MP image sensor can also capture digital stills, storing them on an SD card (the device includes minimal internal memory).  It offers a 4X digital zoom, 2″ LCD display, facial tracking, and both HDMI and USB ports.

Available in various colors

What really elevates the PlaySport from the crowd of other portable pocket camcorders is it ruggedness.  It’s designed to be waterproof at depths of up to 10 feet, making it perfect for the beach or pool – both settings in which higher-end equipment may not fare too well.  It incorporates an automatic color mode switching feature, which will, for example, compensate for overly blue underwater shots.  And at $150, it’s priced pretty competitively considering its feature-set.

Unfortunately, the PlaySport isn’t available until April 2010, although Amazon is accepting preorders.  But until then, I can look forward to a summer of capturing decent HD video at times and places in which I may never have previously had the chance.  Oh, and I’ll look forward a few other gadget “upgrades” too…