Kodak Playsport Zx3

Auto Mode (5.0)

All of the controls are on the back of the camcorder.

Since the Kodak Playsport really has no manual controls to speak of, it could be said that the camcorder is always functioning in a "dedicated auto mode." The main difference with the Playsport's auto controls and most traditional camcorders, however, is the fact that the lens is completely fixed on the Kodak. With a fixed lens, the camcorder has no autofocus mechanism and you need to be at least one metre (around 3.3 feet) away from your subject in order for the image to be in focus.

Auto exposure and auto white balance are functional on the Playsport, unlike autofocus. We found the auto exposure to work relatively well—it produced smooth transitions between light and dark scenes as well as avoiding a choppy, jump-like switch as we shot at varying light levels. The Playsport is equipped with a basic face detection feature that works with the auto exposure system to correctly expose subject's faces within the frame.

The auto white balance, on the other hand, was a major problem on the Playsport. The camcorder generally white balanced properly under outdoor light, but during our testing and under mixed indoor light the Playsport often showed significant white balance problems (like the orange hue you can see in our bright light testing). In Kodak's defence, this is a problem we've seen on many ultracompact camcorders, but it is also something that has been particularly problematic on previous models from Kodak.

Zoom (3.0)

The digital zoom on the Playsport is controlled by pressing up and down on the d-pad on the back of the camcorder. The zoom is choppy, slow, and the zoom speed cannot be controlled variably—not to mention the d-pad isn't the most comfortable or precise method for performing a zoom. The only good thing is a large bar display appears on the right side of the LCD to show you the progress of the zoom. With only a 4x digital zoom, however, this bar isn't all that important.

The d-pad is used to control the digital zoom.

Zoom Ratio (0.0)

There is no optical zoom on the Kodak Playsport due to the fact that the camcorder's lens has no moving parts (called a "fixed" lens). There is, however, a measly 4x digital zoom that can be used to magnify the recording frame. Small digital zooms like this are a staple of ultracompact camcorders, but, frankly, they really aren't that impressive and they degrade image quality. Use it if you must, but we recommend to avoid it if you can.

Zoom Comparisons
Wide Angle	Mid Digital Zoom	4x Digital Zoom

Focus (0.0)

With its fixed focus lens the Kodak Playsport has no manual or autofocus mechanism. Kodak lists the camcorder's focus range as being 1 metre (3.3 feet) to infinity, or 1.33 metres to infinity when shooting underwater. We found this focal range to be rather accurate in our testing, so make sure you're at least more than three feet away from your subject when your recording them—otherwise they'll come out all blurry.

Exposure (0.0)

The auto exposure system on the Kodak Playsport is entirely automated, just like it is on most ultracompact camcorders. Don't be confused by the brightness and glare settings in the camcorder's menu, either—they just adjust the light levels for the LCD and have nothing to do with manually adjusting your video.

Aperture (0.0)

The lens on the Playsport is fixed at f/2.8 and the aperture cannot be adjusted to any other f-stop value.

Shutter Speed (0.0)

Shutter speed control on the Playsport is entirely automated.

White Balance (0.0)

The Kodak Playsport uses an automatic white balance system and has no manual option.

Gain (0.0)

You guessed it... the Playsport has no option for manually setting the gain levels.

Colour & Image Controls (0.0)

There are no color or image controls on the Kodak Playsport.
 

Other Manual Controls (0.0)

The underwater recording function has its own menu option on the Playsport, so it technically could be considered a manual control. When you turn the underwater function on in the menu the video image turns bright orange, which may be a result of the camcorder's poor white balance system. We're actually not quite sure why the underwater record mode must be turned on, and we don't know if the setting actually does or changes anything about the way the Playsport records video (other than adding that orange hue). Unfortunately, Kodak's provided instruction manual doesn't really go into any detail about what the underwater mode does either—other than saying the mode should be turned on when shooting underwater and turned off when you are finished.

Manual Controls Summary
Control	Kodak Playsport	Kodak Zx1	Picsio GC-WP10	Sony Bloggie Touch
Focus	No	No	No	No
Exposure	No	No	No	No
Aperture	No	No	No	No
Shutter Speed	No	No	No	No
White Balance	No	No	No	No
Gain	No	No	No	No