Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'll try to keep this as short as possible. I bought this camera a month ago directly from the Kodak online store. Upon arrival, the camera displayed noticeable vertical lines in all of the modes except 1080p. These vertical lines appeared both on the external LCD display as well as when the files were transferred to a computer. I tried three different SDHC cards (all class 6), and upgrading the firmware. No dice. Additionally, the internal microphone had that high pitched whine sound that has been mentioned a lot (contrary to what many say, the firmware did NOTHING to fix this problem, at least for me). I called Kodak's tech support, and they told me the camera would need to be sent in for repairs, covered under warranty. I had to pay $20 non-reimbursed shipping to send it off, but I did anyway. The facility, an outsourced repair center called Precision Camera and Video Repair had the camera for about three weeks. They claimed they replaced the main CPU and power circuit. I received the camera yesterday, exactly one month after I initially received it, and the same exact problems persist. Once again, I tried different cards and upgraded firmware. No help whatsoever. Additionally, the repair facility scratched the external screen up pretty good, something that was NOT there when I sent it in. So I called tech support again, and said I want a new camera. They said they can't do that, and that I would need to send it back...to the SAME repair facility, and spending my OWN shipping costs again. I said that was unacceptable, and they transferred me to store customer service. They said that they could not replace the camera since it had been repaired...something that tech support assured me would fix the problem. I was livid at this point, and demanded a supervisor. After re-explaining the situation for what seemed to be the 50th time, she supervisor told me that she would need to get authorization from upper management, and that she would give me a call back tomorrow (today...still no call, but it's early). She said if they approved it, I would get an email with a shipping label and to send the camera back. Once they receive the camera, I will be refunded, and can reorder a new camera. I will be refunded my initial shipping costs, but not the cost I paid to send it in for repair. So not only am I a month into this, with no working camera, but I spent an hour on the phone, with no ultimate resolution...yet. Here's the moral of the story. First, don't send it in for repair, demand a new camera. Second, go through Amazon, and avoid Kodak's customer service at all cost. Third, don't buy this camera. The 1080p mode is nigh-useless (it zooms the frame in, narrowing the viewing angle and shooting width, thereby giving you a clearer picture...but much smaller and more narrow), the internal mic is garbage, and more likely than not, you're going to have a sensor problem (look in the forum below or google "Zi8 vertical lines." You'll see many people with the same problem I had) that isnt going to get fixed for you. I dont mind buying an SD card, but when you factor in an external mic, tripod (the electronic image stabilization is also useless), and the headache of actually getting a working product, you're going to spend upwards of $300 and have a heart attack. At this point, I will be taking my refund and running. I will never buy a Kodak product again. You send me a defective product, make me pay for the return costs for repair, DO NOT REPAIR THE ISSUE, and then try to tell me that I cant exchange it or get a refund...even though it's covered in the money-back warranty? I don't think so. Never again. All that potential, and this camera is a cheaply made bust. I think I'm going to take my money, buy off Amazon, and get the Flip MinoHD 2nd Generation. I have an Ultra HD and it's great, but bulky. Only would like a mino for the portability. I would have loved for the Zi8 to work. External mic, expandable storage, 7209/60fps (this was the feature I was most jazzed about since it offers a much smoother video in "action" shots. Too bad this was the very thing that was defective...twice), thin, sleek design, large screen...almost the perfect camcorder. But as it stands, the issues with this camera far outweigh the benefits. I would prefer something more versatile than the Flip line of cameras, but it's looking like thats a pipe-dream at this point. Thanks for reading. It ran much longer than I would have liked, but I needed to get some of the issues off my chest.