Kodak PlayFull Camcorder Review 2011
Kodak has introduced a very small HD camcorder, the Kodak Playful Camcorder. For its price and size, the Kodak Playful contains features that could compare with the bigger and more expensive camcorders. With Kodak Playful you get a 5MP CMOS sensor; a 1.5 inch LCD screen; a 4x digital zoom; an SD/SDHC memory card up to 32 GB,;128 MB internal memory; auto white balance; three different modes 1080p @30fps, 720p @ 60 fps and 720p HD @ 30 fps; two macro and normal focus modes; and the new Kodak EasyShare software.
The Kodak Playfull is a stripped down compared to the other mini camcorder lineups of Kodak such as the Kodak PlaySport and Kodak PlayTouch but it still provides full HD resolution recordings and 5 mega pixel photo stills; electronic image stabilization; a 70’s film look of black and white, sepia, high saturation image capture; still photo image from a video frame and an on camera clip trimming.
The Kodak Playfull is so tiny and very light, making it a very handy camcorder. But to get it this tiny, Kodak has to use a very small LCD screen that is quite good but makes shooting and playback rather uncomfortable and requires a lot of straining to see. It shoots rapidly and can take 5 mega pixel photos that are appropriate for Internet use and small prints but clipped highlights with the video recording is a little problematic.
In a Kodak Playful, using the 1080@ 30fps is ideal to use when the subject is stationary because the scenes will look very high-definition. Color and exposure are good on a Kodak Playfull and low-light recording is a bit noisy but quite good without losing a lot of details. Unfortunately a Kodak Playful cannot take a close-up shoot since it is not equipped with macro focus or autofocus. The subject has to be 3.3 feet from the fixed-focus lens to get a good shot. In spite of the shortcomings, the Kodak Playfull is still a great buy for a camcorder.
