Kodak - Playsport ZX5 (Generation 2) 1080p HD Flash Memory Camcorder - Black

Bought this camera specifically to use by or in the water and it worked great. I have read some reviews where they couldn't get the SD card slot door & battery door closed or open it easily, I had no problems with either. I do suggest like the book says if you are in salt water to rinse it off because the salt does build up easily. For the money it takes great pictures and video. Underwater pictures turned out real clear. It is very easy to use right out of the box. If you're looking for an inexpensive camera that you can use in the water definitely give this one a look. Extremely happy with my purchase.

Purchased to use during our Carribean vacation...even though it did lock up during usage at a show I managed to get in working condition in time for our sting ray and snorkeling outing. It worked to my expectation and then some!!! Easy to use; light weight and for the price what else can you expect??? Some other vacationers with expensive cameras were jealous :-) They had issues with batteries, view finder, ease of use and camera weight. Can't wait for next underwater experience!!!

This camera does not take as good of pictures as my SLR, the lens is not suited for descent zooms, it is not laden with features, and it can be awkward to aim due to its vertical nature. That said, Kodak never claimed that you'd want to use it to take your wedding photos. It is a simple, modest design that is a blast to take along to the amusement park, pool, beach or anywhere there is fun, but no room to drag a lot of stuff along with you. When we got it, it went straight into the pool. It's tough, waterproof, and shock resistant--just like it advertises. We are very happy with this product.

This camera is great for outdoor activities, got it for my daughter at the store on sale for $79.99, great price! My daughter says she loves it and its amazing, i would recommend it to anyone who loves because outside and capturing great memories, the zoom may be a problem but otherwise it awesome.

I just got this, used it for the first time at a birthday party. It was actually a lot better than I thought it would be. The stills are decent, it works well in average room light, the video is really good for something this size, and the battery life is not horrid. I didn't have time to charge it completely, and it lasted through the party with about 50% left. I was very happy with the video - the quality is good, and the mic seems to pick up pretty well. It doesn't have a flash, so very low light conditions are NOT going to give you good pics. But average room light (and it wasn't the brightest light at the party) was fine. I have a lot of cameras. Too many, probably. I have a decent mini-DV camcorder, a DSLR, and 2 other small digitals as well as an old 35mm SLR and of course, the camera in my smart phone and iPad. The video quality is as good as with my camcorder, the stills are about the same quality (not the same density though) as my point and shoot digitals. The biggest advantage is that this is SMALL - way smaller than any of my others. It's much easier to carry, doesn't require a special charger (when I take the camcorder and DSLR I'm carrying 2 extra chargers/batteries as well as the phone/iPod chargers), and it's VERY easy to use. A camera really isn't much good if you don't use it. I rarely used my camcorder because it was not only too big to fit in my pocket, it was hard to get the video off. This is a piece of cake - hook it up, grab the pics/video, upload. MUCH easier. And it's easy to throw in your pocket or purse, and grab it anytime you want to snap a pic. Which is the whole purpose of having a camera, isn't it?

I was pretty reluctant to purchase this camera after all of the negative reviews, but I'm happy I did. I wanted something besides my Nikon to document my trip to Thailand, but was on a budget after the plane ticket and so on. I knew that I wasn't buying something that I could make a blockbuster motion picture with, but the videos I've been taking are pretty darn cool! Basically, I'm using this little camera to get close proximatey footage and self shots. I've been extending one arm, holding the camera, and talking to it while I'm doing stuff. I've used a little 'bendy' tripod with it too, so I can set it a few feet away and film things such as, eating meals, talking with people, ect. Another thing about this camera is that it kind of looks like a cell phone, so its not too invasive when I'm walking through crowded areas. I'm sure I look funny walking through outdoor markets talking to a cell phone looking thing, arm extended, but I'm getting the footage that I want. I haven't taken into the water. Earlier this year, I managed to dump it in a river while paddling in my kayak. I had my Canon digital camera and Blackberry with me. Long story short, niether worked that same after that. The point is, unless its specifically made for underwater use, or you have some sort of underwater encasement like Go Pro makes, you might want to think twice about intentionally taking any electronics in the water with you, no matter what the box says. I found that there is one negative with the Play Sport, since it has its own internal battery, you have to be by some power source to recharge it. I haven't been able to fill an 8 GB card before the battery meter was in the red zone, and that can be a problem when you're hangin' the jungles of Southeast Asia! Treat this camera like a cell phone without a hardshell cover, be realistic about your expectations, don't forget that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and I believe you'll have a fantastic time with this camera!

I picked this up just before I went on vacation, knowing I would be spending a lot of time in the sand and surf. I have two other point and shoot cameras, and usually use them (and my phone camera) on vacation, but wanted something that I wouldn't have to worry about getting wet or broken. This camcorder did everything I hoped it would. It took clear, true photos with the same resolution as my camera phone, and while I won't be framing any pics I took with it, were still good photos. The videos the camera took were really very good. With the option of a 720p high speed or full 1080p, I was able to take good quality videos in most daylight situations. The videos I took at the pool and while snorkeling were really amazing! The quality of the underwater images and video were more than I expected. Using an HDMI cable, I hooked it up to several tv's, and while playback functions were a little limited, it was very entertaining to review the photos and video on the camera. Downloading to a computer was also a snap. I only had to charge the camera once in the two weeks of vacation. The ability to swap out SD cards made it easy to keep on filming. Low light use is fairly limited, and any darker it really wasn't all that useful. I really only found myself wanting an optical zoom, but beyond that I was really impressed with it. The combination of full HD recording, 5 MP photos, and the rugged and underwater use, make this a very nice camcorder for daytime, outdoor and underwater use.

To preface the review my wife and kids use daily the Sony bloggie duo, kodak playtouch, iPhone 4, and lastly a canon vixa hf10 camcorder for sports, fun, and family events. It is troubling to see such negative reviews most in regards to a screen freeze. Video quality in well lit venues and outdoors is great. The autofocus is quick and it is super user friendly. I think that of all the portable quick cams ive used this is the best quality video. The Sony has the best audio recording so if that's a must it may be a better option.. Of course this will not come close to the low light indoor quality of my canon hd camcorder but that's not what this camcorder is about. It is so easy to use that my 5 and 6 year olds get great video with it and it's durable enough to have survived several drops. I highly recommend this and am not sure what all the talk is about the screen freezing. If anyone is concerned about video quality go on you tube and see some of the great hd video folks have captured with this. In summary great camera perfect for outdoor fun with in my opinion better video quality than the iPhone, Sony, or flip products I've used. This does not shine in low light performance and is not a replacement for a standard hd handheld when it comes to that. I originally bought the Sony thinking it's brand qould be sure to produce better optics but was surprised when my kids were shooting much better quality video image wise with the kodak. Lastly, I have not used the camera photo aspect as we use stand alone cameras an therefore can not comment.