I’ve only played around with it a little tonight (before I even got it home) and I couldn’t wait to load up the video and see how things were looking. You can check out two videos I made with it below.

The first video was edited in Adobe Premier Elements 7.  This next video was a chance for me to check out the video editing software that comes loaded on the camera.

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Initial Reactions

I think I’m happy with my purchase in general. The design of the camera does leave you to buy several necessary additions: An SD Memory Card (which is good because the memory is expandable and you can carry multiple cards for added capacity),  a Tripod (the bottom of the Zi8 is rounded unlike the Flip Cam which has a flat bottom that will allow the camera to stand on a flat surface), and a USB extension or hub (the built in USB plug is flexible, but I don’t feel comfortable putting that extra weight of the camera on my USB connection).

I think I would like the lens view to be a bit wider – self-recording can easily crop the top or bottom of my head — and I’m GOOD and aiming a camera at myself.

I LOVE that I can plug in an external microphone (stereo at that!) I got better sound with a cheap external mic plugged in – simply because I was able to have the mic closer to my voice.

So far, I’ve only done low indoor lighting and available street lighting for the two videos I’ve made.  The video is grainy in low light but definitely useable for the kind of camera it is.  I’m looking forward to seeing the quality in some well-lit areas.

I love that the form-factor closely resembles a phone – making it less conspicuous for candid street videos.  There is a red light by the lens however that lets you know it’s recording.

The image stabilization is an added benefit – but won’t replace the need for a tripod.  I hear that feature also eats up the battery.

I Don’t like the video editing software that came with it – but mainly because Adobe Premier has me spoiled. (side note: Humm… I probably have misspellings in the video… DOH!)

Those are my first thoughts.  As always feel free to leave your comments below.  I’m strongly considering a redesign to this site, so maybe in the near future you’ll see more video updates from me posted here.