Flip Video Reviews
For those of you interested in any of the Pure Flip Video products, we have compile a list of independent reviews from a variety of sources.
We have arranged these Flip Video Reviews by product, and we trust that you find this information beneficial.
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Pure Flip Video
I have found my video camera, it's so small and light, there are no plugs or cords, it takes great videos, no tracers, no little pixel smudges and the lighting is great. I took one outside at dusk and it looks nice. This thing records twice as long as my bulky handycam and I don't have to format any disks or plug in a bunch of stuff. The picture quality of the Ultra Flip videos is really amazing, my other cameras (handycam, Creative labs, the onboard Vaio and VIJE) do not hold a candle to the Flips quality. I'll be using it for video projects. I am very happy with the Ultra Flip and will be bringing it along with me for a family visit. I recommend it! Yes, I flipped for it!
I'm a computer artist and animator and I haven't been happy with a lot of cameras. I was drawn to the Ultra Flip because of the lack of wires, I like the idea of the USB stick. They include a set of batteries with the package so you can start recording right away (as well as a little velvet drawstring bag). It was very easy to use, it's just as promised, click the red button to record (and to stop) then flip (ha-ha) the USB stick out and put it in your computer's USB slot.
I read a reviewer of another model of the Flip saying he needed an extra part to hook up his USB, I don't know what he was using but you don't need any middleman if you have a current USB port. Of course it might have been that he didn't feel comfortable with the camera sort of weighing itself down a bit when you have the USB attached to a tower. I'm using mine with a laptop which is on a table so the camera can rest comfortably on it. He might have gotten a USB extension so that he could set his down if he was using a desktop computer. I did try the flip out in my desktop and I did have to make sure that the dog didn't jump around it as it does feel sort of vulnerable, but I will mainly use it in my laptop.
After you have it in your USB port, you will then go to "my computer" and see a new blue icon (unless you're Mac, you'll see a folder for you instead), click it and it installs the program - which seems to run on the stick alone, not taking up any space on your system, although it does put a small encoder on your system.
(Side note: - I did try to click "explore" before I installed the program to see if I could just drag the videos directly to my desktop by passing the program, and while you can save them, you can't see the videos). You have to go through the program to save them to your computer and be viewed properly.
So after you have installed the program, click "flipvideo" from your "my computer", then click "Flip Video for PC.exe" to open the program. It's very simple, you will see your videos and on the left you'll see a "save video" tab, here you can select what video(s) you want to move to your hard drive and then click the save button - they call it saving to your library, they will ask you to name a library, which will end up being a folder that holds your videos, which you will find in your documents as "My Flip Video Library".
After you have done this, you can then open them normally (outside of the program using just a player). They will be saved as AVIs.
They also have a "share video" section where you can upload your movies straight to Youtube, AOL or any video sharing website. Sounds good, but I haven't tried it yet. Now you can make a "movie mix" which is basically adding an effect to your video (slowed down in black and white or cartoon fish floating about etc. - no editing). It's very (very) simple, but it's cute.
They include a little plug that connects your Flip straight to your TV. Use your remote to find your 'line', 'input' or 'source' button to find it, click a few times, you'll see the first still of your video when you've got it right. Then hit play, now it wasn't clear in the instructions, but you want to hit play on your Flip (not the TV), to watch your video on your television and it looks great!
They also have an option to 'save for email' - if you do this it will save the videos into a folder "Flip videos for emailing" on your desktop that you can then send as attachments. When I did this it sped up the sound (think Mickey and Minnie) while the footage remained at normal speed (now don't worry, this doesn't happen when you save the videos to your computer as discussed above). This is probably a compression problem, but we can't fix it in their program, so I won't be using that option again - I'll stick to the 'save to library' option. It also does this for the ecard videos. There is an option to send the video as an ecard with cute little borders around them, recipients are sent a link to see the card, but again when played the sound is sped up.
In spite of that (cuz it's worth it), I have found my video camera, it's so small and light, there are no plugs or cords, it takes great videos, no tracers, no little pixel smudges and the lighting is great. I took one outside at dusk and it looks nice. This thing records twice as long as my bulky handycam and I don't have to format any disks or plug in a bunch of stuff. The picture quality of the Ultra Flip videos is really amazing, my other cameras (handycam, Creative labs, the onboard Vaio and VIJE) do not hold a candle to the Flips quality. I'll be using it for video projects. I am very happy with the Ultra Flip and will be bringing it along with me for a family visit. I recommend it! Yes, I flipped for it!
NEW UPDATE ADDITION (11/15/07): Just an update for you here, after I wrote this review I did run the flip on some other systems and it did not have the problem. I only had the problem on my custom Hypersonic PC laptop which runs windows XP. The computers that had no problems were: A Boxx desktop running Windows XP pro, and a Sony Vaio laptop running Vista, and just today I tested the flip on a Dell desktop running XP home which also had no problems.
-And, a big AND here, after I ran the flip on the first two working machines (the Sony and the Boxx) a few times (using the export and email functions), suddenly it worked on the "bad" Hypersonic laptop. It seemed to have jolted it to work? I don't know why. Since that time I have had continued success on the Hypersonic.
-An engineer from Pure Digital (the makers of the Flip) emailed me after reading my review and we had an extensive exchange working on trying to figure out why this happened and he was very serious about resolving the issue. Another thing that flip does is create updates, so with these two things in mind I feel confident that they have or are taking care of any problems. But again, right now I do not have any problems.
-Also, someone asked if you can take stills. This camera is only a video camera, you can't snap pictures with it, however you can pull stills from your movies inside of their program.
Flip Video Mini
I have a PC at home and the Mino truly is a plug-and-play device. You don't have any confusing software or cables to muddle around with. Simply plug the USB adapter into your computer and you're ready to go! It's great for the non-technically savvy. I also like the rechargeable built-in battery in the Mino (which is a new feature). It recharges like an iPod, either in the computer or through an outlet which is convenient. I can't attest yet to the battery life/quality but I figure by the time it dies out on me, I'll be well on my way to buying a next generation Flip Micro!
The form factor on this product is great. Its noticeably smaller (in both the pocket and the hand) than its predecessor - the Flip Video Ultra Series, 60 min. And the Ultra was already compact to begin with! The sleek size was important to me because I just won't bring a camcorder out with me if it doesn't fit easily in my pocket. This device did just the trick. If you don't care about size (i.e., because you will just put it in your purse, etc) then I would suggest saving the money and getting the Ultra, which lists for about $50 or so less.
As far as I can tell, the video quality and functionality is about the same as the Ultra and they both have the 2GB of memory, similar 1.5" screen size, digital zoom etc. So the only reason in my mind to get this is for the size advantage. But for me, size does matter. When I think about how many moments passed by unrecorded simply because it was too cumbersome to take a camcorder along, it really makes me wish they made this Mino years ago!
For those of you unfamiliar with Flip camcorders, the Mino has suprisingly good VGA video quality. I'd put it on par with that of much larger, more expensive traditional camcorders. The Mino also records well in a variety of light settings. The lack of a true optical zoom is probably to be expected given the small size, but the 2x digital zoom is good enough for most casual settings. The design is well thought out to avoid many of the classic pitfalls of portable devices - there's a scratch resistant covering on the lens, an on/off switch on the side that is difficult to trip accidentally and a centrally located record button that has enough resistance to avoid unintentionally starting/stopping recording (I know some have issues with the Ultra record button but I have not).
I have a PC at home and the Mino truly is a plug-and-play device. You don't have any confusing software or cables to muddle around with. Simply plug the USB adapter into your computer and you're ready to go! It's great for the non-technically savvy. I also like the rechargeable built-in battery in the Mino (which is a new feature). It recharges like an iPod, either in the computer or through an outlet which is convenient. I can't attest yet to the battery life/quality but I figure by the time it dies out on me, I'll be well on my way to buying a next generation Flip Micro!
Flip Video Underwater
Took my Flip and waterproof case snorkeling in the Bahamas and it worked perfectly. No leaks, controls were easy to operate. Screen was a little difficult to see, but this was due to reflection from sun and water. I would highly recommend.
I bought this to use on a recent trip to Maui, HI. All I can say is WONDERFUL. The image quality and sound are far higher than I expected on a $140 camera with a $40 housing. I have pretty extensive UW photography experience and own a number of housings for my SLRs, so I was pretty confident I could see a good seal all the way around the o-ring and hopped right in. In the ocean and the pool this camera was a winner. The lens is great in low light and thus perfect for UW work.
I'm planning to rig a mount for my BC, just turn it on and hit record before I dive, we'll see how well it does below 30' -- but thus far its been fine. Generally its the buttons on these things that just cease to work below a rated depth, but the o-ring holds a seal pretty well. Certainly do not use it outside the manufacturers specifications if you expect them to be responsible.
I am very, very pleased. Perfect for baby in the pool or snorkling/diving in open water situations.
I bought this to go with my Flip Ultra video; I wanted a disposable camcorder for some scuba diving antics, and this fit the bill - at $200 for the case + camera, it's throw-away if anything goes wrong...and so far, it's been flawless.
The manufacturer rates the case to 30 feet; I've had it down to 140' without a problem, although at those depths, I've been a little busy with switching gas mixes to play with the camera buttons. The case does stay waterproof, though, in any case. The way the gasket's designed around the buttons, it may not hold much deeper (bummer) and I'm not sure if the buttons will work that deep...I'll try it out next weekend and see. I kind of wish they'd done a little better job and used o-ring sealed spring-loaded buttons. On the other hand, $50 for this thing? How can you go wrong?
The weakness of the case is that there's not a mount for a tripod, bracket, etc - you'll need to epoxy a couple of stainless nuts to the case to actually mount this on a bracket with a video light or two. You can easily find the appropriate thread (1/4"-20) at Lowe's, though, and, if you do it right, you can glue it to a simple tray. I'm using mine with a couple of UK Light Cannons (10W HID lights with a video diffuser in each.) It's the ultimate low-budget underwater video rig, suitable for YouTube... Sure, it's not the 3CCD 1080p rigs with which to shoot "real" underwater footage, but at 1% of the cost, it's a lot more than 1% of the fun. It's also a lot more compact, and a lot easier to travel with... it's not like Light Cannons are "real" dive lights, either, but it all seems to work.
Like any underwater housing - if you're sloppy putting it together, it'll leak - clean your o-rings thoroughly; any dust or hairs on them will be your demise. Also, be sure to lube the o-rings until they're shiny (but not so you see the grease at all on the surface...) You can get the lube online or at any decent camera store. That's important - if you're not careful to maintain the housing, you deserve any leaks you get.
All in all - it's a great product, totally disposable ($200 for everything? Who cares if it floods? Just buy another...) and it's a blast...
Flip Video Case
I bought the Eva Black case for my son and all I can say is that it was well worth the money!
The inside of this case has a velcro strap on one side (to keep the camera secure) and an extra pouch on the other (my son uses it to keep his money there)
Just in case you're curious, this is a hard case, so it won't be so easy for your camera to break if droped by accident (not that you should try it)It also has a hook on the back that my son uses to clip to he's backpack qhen going on fieldtrips.
I will soon be buying a Nylon Black for myself since I don't want it to get mixed up with my son's Eva Black.
The product does what it was intended to do: look pretty with the flip video camera and protect it. The clip is also easy to attach to a bag or purse for easy access. One additional feature which would have been great is a special place to put 2 spare batteries but nevertheless, I would give this product 5 stars.
I got this flip case to protect my new Busbi video plus, which has very sensitive buttons - esp. the delete button. It works well, thought it's a tight fit. Until Busbi comes up with it's own hard case I would highly recommend this. SC
Flip Video Reviews
