Photographers looking to add some fun "behind the scenes" footage to their blog or Web site aren't likely to need all the firepower of the $17,500 professional ultra-high definition Red One camcorder. In fact, since most of the time you're going to want to compress your video down to a manageable size so it doesn't slow your site to a crawl, you probably don't need even a prosumer-grade high definition camcorder either.

All you may need for those guerilla-style, on-the-fly clips is something as small and inexpensive as the swell-looking Kodak Zx1, a pocket camcorder with a rugged build you can bring anywhere. Resistant to rain, snow, sand and dirt, the Zx1 is the pint-sized follow-up to Kodak's generally successful Zi6 pocket camcorder. The Zx1 is tougher than the Zi6 though, with rubberized doors to protect the ports—USB 2.0; HDMI output; AV output; DC in; and an SD/SDHC card slot—and a stainless steel panel across the front to add strength and style.

While you can't dunk it in water, if you're shooting water sports, skiing, or other potentially messy outdoor activities, you won't be afraid to pull out the Zx1 and grab some quick videos.

Image quality from the Zx1 isn't bad either. It can capture 720p HD video at up to 60 frames per second, in a 16:9 aspect ratio. You can also choose between a 30fps HD setting or VGA settings if you want to save room. With a 16 gb card you can shoot up to five hours in HD which is really more than enough since the Zx1 is more designed for shooting short clips than feature length films.

The LCD screen on the Zx1 has been shrunk to 2 inches compared to 2.4 inches on the Zi6 but that was mostly done to make the camcorder small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. Unfortunately, the included software which lets you upload your videos directly to YouTube is PC-only right now. If you want to play your videos directly on an HDTV to show clients, Kodak throws in an HDMI cable which is a nice extra.

The jury's still out on the Zx1's low-light capabilities. Kodak says it's improved the video quality when shooting in dim conditions but we'll wait to pass judgment till we get a final version to test when the Zx1 debuts in April. There also isn't any optical zoom, just digital, but that also really has to do with the small form factor.

And finally, like just about every other gadget these days, the Zx1 comes in an array of colors—red, blue, black, pink and yellow.

Cost: $149.95 Further information: www.kodak.com