Kodak Playsport

1080p HD sports video camera

Product

Kodak Playsport Video Camera

Promise

Rugged 1080p HD sports video camera that is waterproof up to three metres

Performance

The Kodak Playsport video camera is a neat looking product. The build quality is great and certainly tough enough to take a knock or two. As you’d expect from Kodak the camera lists a myriad of features including being waterproof up to 10ft (3m), Full 1080p HD video capture at 30 fps, 5MP HD stills at 16:9 ratio and HDMI output to link up to your television.

Its obvious competition is the Sony Bloggie and the Flip. Whilst these are great products the Kodak’s selling point is the fact it is designed for sports and looks far more rugged. Having dropped the camera from several feet (accidentally) it continued to operate with no problems at all.

Set up is a snap using the easy-to-navigate menu and the camera is really simple to use. Just put in the date and time and you are ready to go. There are several different recordings options. The 1080p format for high definition at 30fps, a great sports mode output at 720p/60fps video and a WVGA mode for conserving memory card space. Finally there is a stills mode for 5mp pictures.

The ‘out the box’ settings provide great results. We were particularly impressed with the built-in image stabilisation providing blur-free video when rested on bike handlebars. The video was bright and vibrant and the still shots crisp and detailed.

Transferring your movies and pictures is done using the supplied USB cable. The camera is Mac and PC compatible. When you first connect the camera simply follow the on-screen prompts to install the required software. Alternatively you can connect the camera directly to a television using the supplied HDMI or AV cable.
 
The Playsport comes with a whole host of accessories such as increased memory cards, tripods, cases, camera bag and neck straps, a remote control and a neat adventure mount allowing attachment to a helmet or bike handlebars. For the fashion conscious the camera comes in four colours – Abyss Black, Wave Crash Blue, Adrenanlin Purple and Orange.

Verdict

An impressive dual-purpose video/stills camera, providing great results straight out of the box. Kodak's tried-and-tested technology combined with a tough outer shell result in a product that will last.