Kodak Zx3 | Flip MinoHD II (8GB) | Flip UltraHD II (8GB) | |
size | 2.3″x4.4″x0.8″ | 2″x3.9″x0.63″ | 2.2″x4.3″x1.2″ |
lens (35mm equiv.) | 48mm@1080p/36mm @720p; f/2.8 | 35mm; f/2.4 | 28mm; f/2.4 |
resolution | 1920×1080/1280×720 | 1280×720 | 1280×720 |
frame rate | 30fps@1080p / 60fps@720p | 60fps | 60fps |
media | 128MB internal / SD card | 8GB internal | 8GB internal |
zoom | 4x digital | 2x digital | 2x digital |
sensor size | 1/2.5″ | 1/4.5″ | 1/4.5″ |
sensor type | CMOS | CMOS | CMOS |
image stabilization | electronic | electronic | electronic |
file type | H.264 | H.264 | H.264 |
battery | Li-ion battery pack | Li-ion battery pack | Li-ion battery pack / 3 ‘AA’ batteries |
price | $130 | $230 | $200 |
Conclusions: Cisco just updated their line of Flips to shoot at 60fps; this is a great thing, especially for shooting motion. You can slow this footage down to 50% and still have fluid motion. The Kodak seems to have a sharper picture and exhibits less lateral distortion when moving. The Kodak is also waterproof up to 10 feet. I haven’t used the newer Flip models, but it sounds like the only improvements are internal. I cracked the lens on my UltraHD quite easily, but have had no problems with my Kodak Zi8 (the Zx3’s predecessor). The Kodak has a larger sensor, but the Flips have a faster lens. The Flip Ultra has a wider lens than the others, but all of them can be used with the flisheye. None of the models have any manual controls, but such is the nature of pocket video cameras. By the numbers I would choose the Kodak; its storage can be expanded to as large of an SD card as you can find, and Flips included rechargeable battery is a piece of shit, unless they have fixed it on the newer models.