Kodak Pixpro SL10 Smart Lens

Pros Sharp 10x zoom lens. Good image quality at higher ISOs. On-camera shutter and zoom controls. Wi-Fi with NFC. iOS and Android compatibility. 5.6fps burst capability. Inexpensive.

Cons Awkward to use. Slow to lock focus and fire. Doesn't support SDXC memory. No support for Windows Phone. No flash. Bottom Line The Kodak Pixpro SL10 adds a 10x zoom lens to your Android or iOS smartphone, but it's a bit awkward to use.

By Jim Fisher There's very little question as to where JK Imaging got its inspiration for the Kodak Pixpro SL10 Smart Lens ($229). From a design perspective, it's a clone of Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-QX10, the first mass-market attempt at a digital camera that is designed to work in conjunction with a smartphone. It's less expensive and a more consistent performer than the QX10, but it still presents many of the same usability issues that prevented us from recommending the original take on the smartphone add-on lens/app combo. Its image quality is actually quite decent, and its app never locked up the same way that the Sony did, so it earns a slightly higher rating. It's by no means an Editors' Choice, that goes to a more traditional camera, the Canon PowerShot N100, which has a shorter zoom range but makes up for it with a larger image sensor and also supports Wi-Fi for easy image transfer to a smartphone.

Design and Features
The SL10's cylindrical design omits a rear LCD and most traditional physical controls—it just has a power button, zoom rocker, and shutter release. It measures 2.4 by 2.2 by 2.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.1 ounces. An adjustable clip is built into the lens barrel, which is a departure from the design of the Sony QX10 and QX100, each of which include a removable clip. The SL10 is also a bit bigger than the QX10 (2.5 by 1.2 by 2.5 inches, 3.2 ounces), which definitely prevents you from sliding your phone into your pocket when the lens is attached.

The 10x zoom lens can capture a lot of different types of scenes. It matches the field of view of a 28-280mm on a full-frame camera, with an f/3.2-5.6 variable aperture. It's not quite as wide as the 25-250mm f/3.3-5.9 lens that Sony uses in the QX10, but for all intents and purposes it matches it in light gathering capability through the zoom range. There's no flash, another area in which traditional compacts like the Nikon Coolpix P340 hold an advantage.

It's possible to snap photos with the SL10 without pairing it with your smartphone, but the lack of a display makes that fairly impractical, save for occasional happy accident that you may stumble upon by blindly pointing and shooting. But to properly use the device you'll need to connect it to your smartphone via Wi-Fi or NFC and launch the Pixpro Remote app, available for free in the iOS and Google Play app stores.

Pairing the Smart Lens with your phone leads to a rather awkward setup process before snapping a photo. Again, the SL10 is a bit too chunky to slide into your pocket when attached to a phone. So you'll either have to leave it attached and carry it at your side in anticipation of snapping a photo, or deal with latching it onto your phone before every photo op. It's a process that doesn't lend itself to capturing candid moments.

The Kodak app puts a good amount of control at your fingertips—and fully automatic operation is available if you choose to go that route. Shooting modes include Program, Face Beautifier, Wide Dynamic Range, High Dynamic Range, Auto Scene, and Continuous Shot. You'll have the most control over settings when shooting in Program, which gives you access to the White Balance, self-timer, image resolution, EV compensation, and ISO.

The difference between WDR and HDR is worth noting; WDR captures a single image and brings up detail in the shadows and attempts to eliminate blown-out highlights, while HDR does the same by merging three separate shots. The HDR mode does a better job bringing out details when shooting in mixed lighting, but it requires fairly static scene for the best results, and the output resolution is limited to 8 megapixels.  WDR does the same thing with a single exposure, and while its results are not quite as dramatic, it does support 16-megapixel image capture.

The Live View feed to the phone is very smooth, even when pointing the lens at scenes with a lot of detail. The Sony QX100 and QX10 both choked and stuttered when attempting to frame a shot with a lot of bare tree branches, and while the SL10 is being reviewed in summer months where wintery scenes are not readily available, it never stuttered during field testing, no matter how hard I tried to make it.

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Kodak PixPro SP1

Pros Good video quality. Inexpensive. Built-in display. Doesn't need a waterproof case.

Cons Heavy. Relatively low 30fps limit at 1080p. Buggy Android app. Bottom Line The Kodak PixPro SP1 is one of the best action cameras in its price range, and it doesn't need a waterproof case.

By Antonio Villas-Boas

There aren't many action camera makers that can boast a waterproof enclosure and an integrated display, but Kodak can with its $199 PixPro SP1. Sure, GoPro has the LCD BacPac, but that's $70 extra on top of its cameras' already high pricing. Displays and waterproofing are great features, but video quality matters, too; fortunately, Kodak's SP1 delivers. It's a little heavy, but that's an easy sacrifice to make when the two best alternatives, the iON's Air Pro 3 and GoPro Hero3 Silver Edition, are both at least $100 more expensive.

Design, Features, and Accessories
The Kodak PixPro SP1's yellow and black color combination may remind you of Kodak's trademark 35mm film roll. But at 2.02 by 1.55 by 3.33 (HWD), the SP1 is much larger, and it's 0.4 ounces heavier than the iON Air Pro 3, weighing in at 5.4 ounces. It's the heaviest action camera we've tested to date, and was fairly uncomfortable to wear with a bike helmet mount as it would push the front of my helmet down my forehead, edging it closer and closer towards my eyes. Despite its size, it doesn't need a waterproof case, as it is waterproof out-of-the-box down to 32 feet, and action cameras that need cases can become even bulkier than the SP1.

It feels positively solid and is designed to withstand drops from heights up to six feet. Indeed, the camera still worked after I dropped it a few times from six feet, and the screen didn't crack, but it didn't save what I was recording.

On the right side, you'll find a 1.5-inch display that's great for quickly checking and framing shots. It also lets you navigate through the settings menus using the controls on the camera's top side. They include Power, OK, Record, and Left and Right buttons that double as Menu and Play controls. The menus aren't the easiest to navigate, but action cameras are rarely intuitive. On the back is an attached, lockable door that keeps water away from the battery (which is removable), a micro HDMI port, and a micro USB port. The lens is flanked by stereo microphones with a speaker directly beneath. A standard screw hole lets you attach Kodak's mounts to the bottom of the unit, and is compatible with any third-party mounts.

The mounts are quite small compared with those from other action camera manufacturers, which is a good thing for traveling and trying to keep things compact. Aside from the camera, in the box you'll find the battery pack, a standard lens cover, an underwater lens cover (that lessens water's refractive qualities), a micro USB cable, an AC adapter, and a CD-ROM-based manual.

For now, you can only purchase the SP1 bundled with an accessory pack, but a Kodak spokesperson confirmed that the company will soon sell the camera on its own for $199. The Explorer Pack bundle ($229) that came with our test unit contained two base units with screw mounts, two extended arms, curved and flat adhesive mounts, a handlebar mount, a vented helmet strap, and a regular strap for the camera. Also available is the Aqua Pack ($229), which contains similar mounts, but exchanges the bike handlebar and helmet mounts for a surfboard adhesive mount and a headband mount. If you want all the mounts and accessories, an Extreme Pack is available for $249.99.

Video Quality and Apps
The PixPro SP1's video quality is superior to Sony's more expensive POV Action Cam, but not quite as good as the much pricier GoPro Hero3 Black Edition, or the iON Air Pro 3. Details are clear and crisp, and the 160-degree field of view captures a good amount of the action. I did see substantial distortion around the edges that creates an exaggerated fish-eye effect, the extent of which may not be to everyone's liking.

You can choose between 1080p30, 960p50, 960p30, 720p60, 720p30, WVGA60, and WVGA120 video recording modes. That's somewhat lacking when you compare it with other action cameras we've tested, which usually include 1080p60 and can even go up to 1440p48 in the case of the GoPro Hero3 BE.

Image stabilization worked very well, and created less of a rolling jelly-like effect than the iON Air Pro 3's stabilizer did in my tests. During testing, I watched the camera shake considerably while it was mounted on my road bike's handlebars using the bike mount, and I was impressed by how much of the shaking was smoothed out by the SP1. For an action camera with a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor, still photo quality isn't bad, either, and you can shoot in both time-lapse and burst modes.

You can connect the SP1 to a device running either iOS or Android using the PixPro SP1 app and the camera's built-in Wi-Fi radio. Initial pairing wasn't too difficult in my tests, but rather than a dedicated button to reconnect to a mobile device, you need to go through the menu, which simply isn't as easy. Also, the distance the SP1's Wi-Fi radio transmits was shorter than other cameras we've tested (see slideshow), maxing out at about 10 feet in our admittedly crowded lab network.

I ran into some bugs with the Android version of the app. The Remote Viewfinder streamed what the camera is pointing at in decent quality and with minimal lag—save for a "Reconnecting" popup that repeatedly appeared for no reason. The Playback option supposedly displays thumbnails of your photos and videos, but crashed the app when I tried to play anything. However, everything worked fine in the iOS version.

Conclusions
Kodak's PixPro SP1 shouldn't add enough weight to boards or bikes to make a significant difference, but you'll notice it if you wear it on your head or helmet. Video quality isn't up to GoPro Hero3 Black Edition standards, but it's a pleasant surprise considering the SP1's low $199 price tag, and is worth a close look by anyone looking for an inexpensive action camera.

View the original article here

Kodak PixPro SP1

Pros Good video quality. Inexpensive. Built-in display. Doesn't need a waterproof case.

Cons Heavy. Relatively low 30fps limit at 1080p. Buggy Android app. Bottom Line The Kodak PixPro SP1 is one of the best action cameras in its price range, and it doesn't need a waterproof case.

By Antonio Villas-Boas

There aren't many action camera makers that can boast a waterproof enclosure and an integrated display, but Kodak can with its $199 PixPro SP1. Sure, GoPro has the LCD BacPac, but that's $70 extra on top of its cameras' already high pricing. Displays and waterproofing are great features, but video quality matters, too; fortunately, Kodak's SP1 delivers. It's a little heavy, but that's an easy sacrifice to make when the two best alternatives, the iON's Air Pro 3 and GoPro Hero3 Silver Edition, are both at least $100 more expensive.

Design, Features, and Accessories
The Kodak PixPro SP1's yellow and black color combination may remind you of Kodak's trademark 35mm film roll. But at 2.02 by 1.55 by 3.33 (HWD), the SP1 is much larger, and it's 0.4 ounces heavier than the iON Air Pro 3, weighing in at 5.4 ounces. It's the heaviest action camera we've tested to date, and was fairly uncomfortable to wear with a bike helmet mount as it would push the front of my helmet down my forehead, edging it closer and closer towards my eyes. Despite its size, it doesn't need a waterproof case, as it is waterproof out-of-the-box down to 32 feet, and action cameras that need cases can become even bulkier than the SP1.

It feels positively solid and is designed to withstand drops from heights up to six feet. Indeed, the camera still worked after I dropped it a few times from six feet, and the screen didn't crack, but it didn't save what I was recording.

On the right side, you'll find a 1.5-inch display that's great for quickly checking and framing shots. It also lets you navigate through the settings menus using the controls on the camera's top side. They include Power, OK, Record, and Left and Right buttons that double as Menu and Play controls. The menus aren't the easiest to navigate, but action cameras are rarely intuitive. On the back is an attached, lockable door that keeps water away from the battery (which is removable), a micro HDMI port, and a micro USB port. The lens is flanked by stereo microphones with a speaker directly beneath. A standard screw hole lets you attach Kodak's mounts to the bottom of the unit, and is compatible with any third-party mounts.

The mounts are quite small compared with those from other action camera manufacturers, which is a good thing for traveling and trying to keep things compact. Aside from the camera, in the box you'll find the battery pack, a standard lens cover, an underwater lens cover (that lessens water's refractive qualities), a micro USB cable, an AC adapter, and a CD-ROM-based manual.

For now, you can only purchase the SP1 bundled with an accessory pack, but a Kodak spokesperson confirmed that the company will soon sell the camera on its own for $199. The Explorer Pack bundle ($229) that came with our test unit contained two base units with screw mounts, two extended arms, curved and flat adhesive mounts, a handlebar mount, a vented helmet strap, and a regular strap for the camera. Also available is the Aqua Pack ($229), which contains similar mounts, but exchanges the bike handlebar and helmet mounts for a surfboard adhesive mount and a headband mount. If you want all the mounts and accessories, an Extreme Pack is available for $249.99.

Video Quality and Apps
The PixPro SP1's video quality is superior to Sony's more expensive POV Action Cam, but not quite as good as the much pricier GoPro Hero3 Black Edition, or the iON Air Pro 3. Details are clear and crisp, and the 160-degree field of view captures a good amount of the action. I did see substantial distortion around the edges that creates an exaggerated fish-eye effect, the extent of which may not be to everyone's liking.

You can choose between 1080p30, 960p50, 960p30, 720p60, 720p30, WVGA60, and WVGA120 video recording modes. That's somewhat lacking when you compare it with other action cameras we've tested, which usually include 1080p60 and can even go up to 1440p48 in the case of the GoPro Hero3 BE.

Image stabilization worked very well, and created less of a rolling jelly-like effect than the iON Air Pro 3's stabilizer did in my tests. During testing, I watched the camera shake considerably while it was mounted on my road bike's handlebars using the bike mount, and I was impressed by how much of the shaking was smoothed out by the SP1. For an action camera with a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor, still photo quality isn't bad, either, and you can shoot in both time-lapse and burst modes.

You can connect the SP1 to a device running either iOS or Android using the PixPro SP1 app and the camera's built-in Wi-Fi radio. Initial pairing wasn't too difficult in my tests, but rather than a dedicated button to reconnect to a mobile device, you need to go through the menu, which simply isn't as easy. Also, the distance the SP1's Wi-Fi radio transmits was shorter than other cameras we've tested (see slideshow), maxing out at about 10 feet in our admittedly crowded lab network.

I ran into some bugs with the Android version of the app. The Remote Viewfinder streamed what the camera is pointing at in decent quality and with minimal lag—save for a "Reconnecting" popup that repeatedly appeared for no reason. The Playback option supposedly displays thumbnails of your photos and videos, but crashed the app when I tried to play anything. However, everything worked fine in the iOS version.

Conclusions
Kodak's PixPro SP1 shouldn't add enough weight to boards or bikes to make a significant difference, but you'll notice it if you wear it on your head or helmet. Video quality isn't up to GoPro Hero3 Black Edition standards, but it's a pleasant surprise considering the SP1's low $199 price tag, and is worth a close look by anyone looking for an inexpensive action camera.

View the original article here