Back in October I recommended a friend of mine buy a Kodak zi8 digital video recorder. It would record in 1080p, widescreen, and had an audio input connector that, when coupled with a recorder like the Zoom H2 Recorder you can record HD video with high quality stereo sound. Every review compared the Kodak zi8 to the Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Black)
My friend bought the camera from a local Best Buy, and that weekend took some great video of trains traveling past. Imagine watching in HD, while the train, and the audio, travels from right to left. Amazing.
Since that time the camera has become the pick for many people including Leo LaPorte on his Windows Weekly podcast.
That said, it apparently is the hottest item this Christmas, if stockouts are any indication.
I tried to help someone find a camera to purchase for Christmas, so we visited all the usual places.
Amazon. Best Buy. Walmart. We even tried the mothership, Kodak itself where they offer free shipping on the product, but just don’t have it. Then we tried various mail-order locations, such as J&R Audio and Video and B&H Photo-video. No luck. In fact, since that date, Best Buy has raised their price to $209, $30 more than even Kodak is selling it for.
There are other choices. As I mentioned above, you could get the Flip Ultra. That isn’t out of stock. But if you want the best small High Definition, High Quality video camera, you will have to wait. A while.