First Look: Kodak Playfull Waterproof

Kodak launched its Playfull Waterproof camera back in October, but now we've got one to play with.  We took it out for a spin this weekend and here are our first impressions.

Kodak Playfull Waterproof MARCHANDS €     Amazon mark...  58.78  Amazon mark...  59.61  Amazon.co.uk  60.49  Amazon.co.uk  61.96  Misco  64.99  Compare prices

It's waterproof up to depths of three metres, cheaper and—above all—bulkier than the earlier Ze1 version.  The Playfull Waterproof is available for around a hundred pounds, making it the cheapest HD Pocket Cam currently available.

Like lots of pocket camcorders, the list of features available has been cut back to the bare minimum to keep it easy to use.  One result of that is a single resolution is available, with video recorded at 1280 x 720 pixels with a framerate of 30 fps.  The quality is more than good enough to distribute online, but problems are clearly visible if you play it back on a large flatscreen TV, where the difference between the results produced by a 'real' AVCHD camcorder are all too obvious.

The colours look somewhat faded ...	... especially in low light levels.

The only zoom is digital, but the lens does have a wide-angle lens, measuring 31 mm as a 24 x 36 equivalent.

Instead of a touchscreen interface there are physical buttons, including Kodak's favourite, 'Share', which allow users to identify which clips they want to upload to YouTube, Facebook, Flickr or Twitter as soon as they connect the camera to their computer.

The battery is recharged by a built-in USB cable, and video is recorded onto an SD/SDHC card.  An HDMI output and the USB extension are hidden at the bottom and can be tricky to access.

Lining up a shot on the 2'', 112 300 pixel screen	The USB cable is found at the bottom alongside the video output
Buttons	Lens

Our overall impressions are rather mixed.  The Playfull can go for a swim, of course, and it won't bankrupt you, but now that smartphones like the iPhone 4S can shoot Full HD video (and do a lot more besides), we're less tempted ...

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