The $179.95 (direct) Playsport Zx5 Video Camera is Kodak's second-generation waterproof pocket HD camcorder, but the first to include the ever-important autofocus feature. With this Playsport, the company has also fortified the camcorder's housing so it can withstand drops up to 5 feet, and it's as waterproof as ever, with the ability to shoot up to 10-feet deep. Video quality is also improved, and now competes more closely with non-rugged pocket videocamera competitors. A few things are missing, like a headphone jack, integrated storage, or a built-in USB connector, but if you want to record video outdoors, at the beach, or anywhere else there's water, the Kodak Playsport Zx5 is a top choice.

Design
Measuring 4.4 by 2.3 by 0.7 inches (HWD) and weighing 4.4 ounces, the new Kodak Playsport is nearly the same size as its predecessor, the original Playsport ($149.95, 4 stars), but like I mentioned it's more ruggedized. Not only is it waterproof up to 10 feet, but it now can withstand up to a 5-foot fall. Kodak was able to fortify the build without increasing the camera's dimensions by making a sacrifice: the battery is no longer removable. I suspect that's a non-issue for most users, but it would be nice to be able to swap batteries in and out. Design is very simple: there are five buttons on the back of the, along with a direction pad for navigating menus. Each button is labeled with icons for its function—Playback, Delete, Settings, plus Camera and Camcorder modes. The Power button is on top of the device. The camera has a grippy, rubbery coating, so it's easy to hold and comes in black, white or red.

The LCD on the Zx5 is, like with most pocket HD camcorders, unimpressive. The 2-inch screen is made up of 145,000 dots, both far below the specs of a comparatively priced digital camera. The General Electric E1480W ($169.99 3 stars) 3-inch LCD is packed with more dots (230,000), and the size and sharpness increases are noticeable. The one stand-out display in this product category can be found on the Editors' Choice Sony Bloggie Touch ($199.99, 4 stars), it's a 3-inch touch-screen LCD with 288,000 dots.

One of the new Playsport's most considerable upgrades is the lens; it's the first pocket HD camcorder from Kodak to feature autofocus. Nearly every pocket HD camcorder on the market (save the aforementioned Sony Bloggie Touch) has a fixed focus lens. Camcorders like the Kodak Playtouch Video Camera ($229.95, 3.5 stars) require subjects be at least 3 feet away in order to be in focus. If you want to get close-ups, you have to switch into macro mode, which brings objects into focus at about 6 inches away from the lens. The new Playsport re-focuses and switches modes automatically, so your subjects will always be clear and in focus regardless of their distance. Like most pocket camcorders, the Zx5 does not include optical image stabilization or optical zoom.

Video Quality and Performance
Video recorded by the PlaySport looked great in my tests. It was far better than its predecessor or the Playtouch. Footage from the Playtouch looked too high in contrast and grainy in comparison. The Zx5's video quality looks closer to that of the Sony Bloggie Touch or the Cisco Flip UltraHD (3.5 stars, $229.99). You have the option to record in high-definition 720p at 30 or 60 frames per second or at 1080p at 30 frames per second. Videos are recorded as .MP4 files which can be uploaded directly into YouTube and Facebook for sharing.

The Zx5 also captures 5.3-megapixels still images. Since the camera has no flash and no optical image stabilization, indoors you'll often get noisy and blurry photos, but in good lighting or outdoors, the Playsport can take some decent shots.

If you install the included (Windows-only) software and enter your account information for Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other services, you can hit the Share button when you're shooting to mark which videos or still images you would like to share, and where. When you plug the Zx5 into your computer it sends off the video and images automatically. It works well, but if you're comfortable uploading videos to these sites on your own, you can just drag and drop the files from the camcorder to your computer and post them from there.

Things you won't find on the Zx5: a microphone input and headphone jack. The Kodak Playtouch offers a standard headphone jack, while Flip cameras include both a headphone jacks and a port for proprietary accessories like wireless mics. Also absent is a built-in USB connector, the arm that swings out to plug into your computer for charging and file transfers that nearly every pocket camcorder includes. The Playsport, instead, offers a micro-USB port, so you'll have to go grab a USB cable if you want to pull your media off the camera.

Unlike a Flip or Sony pocket camcorder, the Playsport does not integrate storage. The Zx5 writes to SDHC cards, so capacity is expandable up to 32 GB. And if you have an SD card reader built into your computer, you could pop the card out and pull the photos and videos off the camera that way. There's also a micro-HDMI port, so you can plug the Zx5 right into your HDTV and view your images and videos. The micro-HDMI cable is not included, but if you register the Playsport on Kodak's Web site, they company will send you a cable for free.

An auto-focusing lens makes the Kodak Playsport Zx5 Video Camera a very capable compact camcorder for any purpose—the fact that it's waterproof is just icing on the cake. Video quality from Flip and Sony pocket camcorders has a bit of an edge, but the Playsport is a worthy choice if you want the durability and the ability to quickly and easily share media on social-networking sites.

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