Also keep in mind that the movies are saved in MOV format, not exactly optimal for 90%+ of computer users. The format is native to Macs. Windows prefer AVI, and there is almost no free or shareware program that can edit MOV. Most conversion software will degrade the image, and it’s time consuming. And it’s a real hassle to convert a lot of files, which is often the case since people tend to take lots of short video clips.
Kodak’s misguided insistence on using an unpopular container format is the major reason a lot of people avoid their otherwise excellent handheld camcorders, i.e. Zi6.
I can’t speak for this camera, but Kodaks have a reputation for being battery hogs. A previous 12 MP that used NiMH AA’s consistently lasted for less than 50 photos no matter what batteries I used. Taking videos drained it even faster. Other Wooters had the same experience.
Another common experience with another Kodak model is that the LCD screen was unusually delicate. Several Wooters, including myself, had broken LCD screen within months despite not having any obvious trauma. Mine was kept in a case in backpack pocket. I don’t remember ever dropping or banging my backpack yet I found the screen broken. My other point-and-shoot cameras, i.e. Fuji, Samsung, Canon and Casio, get rougher treatment with no problems.
I should emphasize that my description is not about this model but an older one, Z1275.
Nope - a player that supports both containers may play a .mov file that’s misnamed as .avi, but that doesn’t mean it’s really an avi, or that you can edit it with an avi editor.
There are conversion solutions available though, many of them free:
It might not be as crazy as it sounds. You might be able to play a renamed .MOV file in a player that doesn’t support .MOV, as long as the audio/video stream inside the container is something that the player recognizes, like MPEG-4.
Of course, there are some audio/video formats that can be contained in a .MOV container that can’t be placed in an .AVI container, so simply renaming the file might not work and would confuse the player.
But if a .MOV container just holds simple MPEG-4 video and stereo audio tracks, I can believe that simply changing the extension to .AVI might allow it to be played in a player that doesn’t otherwise support .MOV.
I got another Kodak Easyshare here long ago and yeah, battery life sucks, but just buy some Eneloops and you’ll be golden. Best rechargable batteries ever.
Not gonna happen with this camera; it’s got its own proprietary battery. The good news is that out-of-the-box battery life should be pretty decent. The bad news is that it’ll be painfully expensive or impossible to find a replacement once the included one starts to go downhill (inevitable with a LiIon, even if you’re kind to it), and you can’t buy emergency power at any drugstore on the planet for a few dollars or the equivalent in local currency.
It will work sometimes, but not all the time. The important question is “What codec(s) does the camera use to encode the audio and video inside the .MOV container?”.
If the codec inside the .MOV container is something simple that Windows Media Player (or whatever player you’re using) recognizes, then simply renaming the file to .AVI will probably work.
But I guarantee you that if you take a .MOV file that contains an H.264 video track and a multichannel (5.1 or 7.1) audio track, along with chapter markers and subtitles, and just rename it to .AVI without doing anything else, your player will barf up its guts trying to play it.
I wasn’t completely correct. While time is not limited, each clip is limited to 4 gbs, according to the product website. At VGA res, that should be quite long.
The exact wording is:
“continuous based on memory capacity, up to 4 GB”
But we’re talking about .mov files from a Kodak camera - not just any .mov files.
I said in my original post that you can play the renamed file in some apps. I have 2 Kodak EasyShare cameras, and I can not edit the .mov files with avi-editing software, even if I rename the files. For that, i need to convert them.
"Kodak digital cameras record movies in the QuickTime MOV format. The easiest way to play back these files is with Apple’s QuickTime software, which is available as a free download from Apple either as a standalone application or as part of the iTunes download.
If you want to edit these movie files in Windows Movie Maker or most of the other consumer editing applications available for Windows, you’ll need to convert the MOV files to AVI or some other format compatible."
Also, check this out. I haven’t tried that Morgan codec.
There is almost no way that would work unless the file was really an AVI misnamed to MOV. This is not a matter of VOB and MPG, which are essentially the same. MOV and AVI are different enough that there are volumes of websites devoted to problems playing AVI on the Mac. Very often, there is either no video or sound, or the two would be out of sync. It’s a problem I deal with weekly (and no, VLC didn’t work).
And that’s just playing. If you want to edit the file, be ready to shell out some money because I have yet to find a good free/shareware MOV editor for Windows.
The only realistic solution is conversion, which is tedious and time consuming if you have a lot of clips (most free converters don’t have a batch mode). And most degrade the video significantly.
This is the reason I use my Casio point-and-shoot camera for videos more often than my Kodak Zi6 camcorder.
Playing isn’t that much of a problem. Windows users can always download a free copy of Quicktime, or use Media Player Classic with the appropriate codecs (but even that’s not perfect. Some of my older Kodak MOVs had no sound).
The real issue for me is editing. Given the inability to pause when video-ing, there will be lots of junk footage so the option to edit is important. Even if the audio/video stream is recognized by a player, most editors would reject it based on the container.
I downloaded a sample video from this particular camera here, and simply renaming the file to .AVI won’t work even for playback, at least not with Windows Media Player under XP or Windows 7.
Besides the .MOV container, the audio/video codecs inside the container aren’t Windows-friendly either. The video encoding is done with “Motion JPEG A” (mjpa), and the audio is a compressed AIFF format called “µ-law 2:1”, or “ulaw”. Both of these codecs are very Apple-centric, and neither one is supported by Windows Media Player.
This is a shame, since the .MOV files from some other cameras (some Panasonic video cameras, for example) can be played back under WMP with a simple filename change.
BTW, the page I linked to above also has a full review of the M550 in addition to the sample video, and although the review seems fair and unbiased, it’s generally unfavorable.
Eneloops offer no advantage for digital cameras unless they’re stored away unused for months. Most users, i.e. tourists, use their cameras a lot within days. In that case, Eneloops may actually have a shorter life because they’re only rated for 2000mAh. Ordinary NiMH AA’s usually have more capacity, up to 2900mAh, which means longer life.
Eneloops and other low self-discharge batteries are only advantageous in devices that are seldomly used (flashlights, emergency equipment), or where the drain is extremely slow (thermometers, clocks, scales). That’s because ordinary NiMH batteries discharge even when unused so when you take your flashlight out a year later, the batteries are dead. Eneloops will retain about 80% of the original charge after a year. But if you plan to drain the batteries fully within days – as is the case with cameras – the self-discharge is irrelevant since it is only detectable in weeks and months, not days.
In fact, ordinary NIMH batteries are a much better deal for cameras since they’re much cheaper and come in higher capacities.
If you must buy Eneloops, however, go for Duracell Pre-Charged batteries instead. They are identical to Eneloops (made by the same manufacturer) but cost less. As luck would have it, Pennywise is having a ONE DAY SALE where a 12-pack is only $21.99 with one cent s/h. Eneloops are often $10 for 4. I have the Duracells and am very happy with them. Just make sure to protect your investment with a smart charger, preferably using low current.
Thanks for verifying this. As longtime Wooters know, a daily question on Woot is “Will it work with Mac?” The answer is often no. Well, in this case, the Kodak seems to work better with Mac than Windows.