To keep ports and such watertight, there are two locking doors; one on each side of the body. Under the right-side door is a proprietary USB port as well as a Mini-HDMI port and an AV jack; cables are included for each. To keep the body compact and limit opportunities for water damage, this model doesn't have a built-in USB connector that's common to this type of camcorder. Instead you have to use the included USB cable. Not only does this mean you need to carry a cable around with you for on-the-go uploading, you have to carry around this specific cable with you since it's not a standard Mini- or Micro-USB port. (Assuming you have an SDHC memory card reader available, you could go that route, too.) Under the left door is the battery and SD/SDHC card slot. The battery is charged in camera via the bundled USB cable connected to a computer (approximately 4 hours for a full charge) or an included wall adapter (approximately 2 hours for a full charge). I recommend buying one or two additional batteries if you're going to record at 720/60p or 1080/30p, as those settings noticeably bite into battery life. Also, you'll need to supply an SD/SDHC card for recordings. There is 128MB of internal memory but only 20MB of it is available for video or stills.
As we've said many times before, pocket video cameras such as the Playsport can't compete with a full-fledged HD camcorder costing hundreds of dollars more. There are other factors that go into creating great video beyond high resolution. That said, the 1080p video quality is generally excellent with great color and sharpness for its class. When played back on a large HDTV, you'll notice artifacts, but not to the point of distraction (and frankly, if you're that picky, you shouldn't be buying in this product category). However, if you're doing a lot of panning or you're shooting fast-moving subjects, you'll want to switch to the 720/60p setting to avoid a lot of judder in your clips. The results are visibly softer than the 1080p, but much smoother. The digital zoom will degrade quality, but it isn't so bad to make it unusable. Low-light performance is good, too. It looks like there's some active noise reduction going, because clips appear softer. There's also noticeable color banding, but still the results are pleasing even on a big screen. Results underwater looked fine as well, though you'll have to remember to stay 4 feet away from your subject to keep them in focus.
Photo quality is on par with a good camera phone; it'll do if you just want a quick snapshot, but it won't replace a digital camera. Unlike other models we've tested there is little shutter lag, which is nice; however, it does take a couple seconds to store the photo before you can shoot again.
With pocket video cameras, easily sharing the video is equally as important as shooting it. Stored on the device's internal memory is ArcSoft's MediaImpression for Kodak software for sharing. Connect the Playsport to a computer via USB and the software will start installing. Be careful with your clicking, though, as the software will ask whether you want to use it as your primary application for viewing multiple types of photos and video. Once installed it will allow you to e-mail clips and upload directly to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Vimeo (after you've entered your account information, of course). There's a basic editor for trimming and cutting along with adjustments for color, contrast, and brightness, underwater enhancement, dynamic lighting, and denoise. You can apply a handful of fun effects as well such as Watercolor, Negative, and Sketch. It can capture individual frames and also convert video for use on Apple TV, iPhone, and iPod as well as Sony's PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. Unfortunately, one thing it can't do is work on a Mac: the software is Windows only. If you own a Mac, you can copy your video and still images to your computer by dragging and dropping the files from the camcorder as you would with any USB storage device (and upload them to YouTube easily enough) and then edit your video using iMovie.
Waterproof or not, the Kodak Playsport Zx3 is a fine minicamcorder for its price and size. It is more rugged than the average pocket video camera, but it certainly isn't indestructible. The video is excellent for its class, though, and the sacrifices for its rugged construction are more inconvenient than insurmountable.
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