This camera has performed perfectly for me. There are features that I could wish were on this camera, but it only costs $140! I used a tripod with flexible legs to secure the camera to the forward storage area of my grand daughters Ocean Kayak Frenzy. There was no shake on the videos captured at 720p / 60 frames per second. Hand held videos do show off your (and mine) inability to hand hold a video camera. The battery lasts about an hour and half. I'll probably buy a second battery.
The camera was dunked to capture scenes of schooling fish, There were no problems with leakage. The camera is dead simple to use. Power on, then press the large button. You are now recording. The camera is capable of capturing 1080p (30 fps), 720p (60 fps), 720p (30 fps), WVGA (30 fps) and can be used as a 5 megapixel still camera.
A 34 minute segment (720p @ 60 fps) used about 2.9 gb of the card. The camera will accept a 32 gb SDHC memory card. So, you could record about 5 hours or over 3 batteries worth onto one chip.
The camera does NOT float. I kept it and the tripod secure to the kayak with a lanyard. Kodak sells a floating wrist strap as an accessory.
720p videos are shockingly detailed compared to VGA videos. Be prepared to say WOW! Here is a link to a screen capture:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77734531@N00/5185503779/
This is an easy to use and high quality camera that can take a dunking. There are no hassles with this. No waterproof cases, no worries about the seals, decent battery life / recording time and it is affordable. If someone stole it or I lost it, I'd buy another right away.
Simple, Good and Cheap are three words rarely used to describe one thing. Here, they all fit.
