Have A Great Time Shooting With The Flip Mino Camcorder

If you have an eye for recording everything that goes on but don’t want to lug around huge equipment you might want to try the flip Mino camcorder. It is the top of the line for a camcorder of its size and takes up to and hour of video. It is small and ready to go.

The Flip Mino weighs in at 3. 9 inches wide by two inches wide by. 6 inches deep. It is the smallest of its class the most power and versatility. It is easy to transport around and easy to download your video with the adapter cord. It runs for normally $180 or under if you shop around stores or online.

You can even upload the video straight to You Tube, Facebook or your My Space pages. This makes it great for the video grapher on the go who wants to post their stuff fast. It can capture video up to an hour long and is small enough to carry around discreetly. Better watch yourself around everyone because you never know when you are being videotaped.

The Flip Mino is also Mac compatible. Unlike some of its competitors out there it easily interfaces with programming not only on the PC but the Mac as well. This makes it a plus for anyone who has a Mac. Even if you don’t you want that option if a friend has one. You can also adjust photos and design your own cover for your Mino.

It does not have regular batteries to replace the energy should it run low. It has lithium powered batteries that are not self replaceable. You need to charge it up to two hours on its adapter or three hours on a USB source. The power length is about four hours of solid use for shooting video.

The only complaint so far from reports is that it takes awhile to download and people with it had a memory card for more memory. But hey, its size is awesome and for that size it’s got power to spare. You just need to remember to keep it charged so you always have it available when you want it.

The Flip Mino Camcorder makes a great holiday gift for anyone who loves shooting video. It is the king of mini recorders and hot this season for gift giving. You will be the number one Santa by giving someone a Flip Mino Camcorder.

Flip MinoHD Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Brushed Metal) NEWEST MODEL Customer Reviews

Reviews from amazon.com

The Flip Video is a very nice little digicam., December 2, 2009

Flip MinoHD Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Brushed Metal) NEWEST MODEL this camera has become part of my personal arsenal of electronic gadgets. It’s very handy to have a simple device that I can just pull out and start recording HD video. Good HD video. That combined with the fact that there are no cards or cables to lose makes this camera my new favorite among my all my electronic gadgets.

I think I’ll give this one to my sister and go get a newer/fancier model.

The camera operation and usb file transfer (to Windows 7) are simple and straight-forward.

I assume that the HDMI operation is as great as everything else about this camera, though I have not tried it due to lack of cables.

But not to worry concerning USB cables… the USB plug is built into the camera. File transfer and battery charging both take place over this switchblade-style USB plug.

Also, no need to buy an SD card. The camera has 8 gigs of flash built-in. Though I would much prefer to have the large internal storage and a microSD slot, being able to forget about cards is nice. I Now think of it as a USB flash drive with a camera. You do have full access to the device filesystem.

The Battery lasts a long time. I don’t know how long ’cause I haven’t run it out yet. I don’t think I’ve even had it down to 50% power – even though I’ve recorded many great moments with it.

The Screen offers live view while recording and playback in a very tiny and rather high resolution display. The specific stats’ll be on the product page.

Tripod mount on the bottom allows for very precise framing on a tripod. it also allows a rather simple attachment mechanism for arms, cranes, balloons, and other types of automated and controlled motion.

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Love this Flip, November 30, 2009

This is a great and fun product! Some friends are going to get one this Christmas

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Size Counts, November 30, 2009

After trying out tapes, and then recording to mini DVD’s I was skeptical (to put it politely) about the FLIP’s MinoHD camera. Then, seeing it on display, I completely disregarded it. Not only is it small, but it is light enough so that you may not take it seriously – at first.

But don’t discount this gem. Yes it is small. But, think about it: you are at an event and don’t want to lug around a camera bag all day. Slip this baby in your pocket (small and light enough for your shirt) and it’s stored safely away.

Facts? The recording is sharp (even under low light) and the sound is your average camcorder sound. However, with the slightest bit of effort on the photographer’s part, the colors are bright, crisp and clear. You can do simple tricks (zoom).

Yes folks, it only has 2 hours of recording time (reusable) and you can’t add to it. But it is a no-brainer to upload the video from the FLIP to your computer (USB port). The program loads and you can view, or slightly edit, your video as well as sending it to a popular on-line area (YouTube), e-mail it or burn it to a CD.

In short, considering the size and ease of use, this is a fantastic gadget that no video photographer should be without.

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The camcorder SHOWDOWN: I’ve done the product comparisons for you, November 6, 2009

If I’m going to spend more than a hundred bucks on an item or somewhere around there, I do extensive research first to know I got the best bang-for-the-buck and, consequently, dodge any potential future buyer’s remorse.

I’ve realized that the time I spend doing my product comparisons is often time that others don’t have so I may as well share what I can.

I’ll start by saying that you’ll see my “Verified Amazon Purchase” on the Flip HD Ultra Camcorder review because, obviously, that’s the one I wound up buying and I’ll share with you why. But what I like in a camcorder may not suit your own needs so I’ll break it down and let you decide what’s best for you via what I found out:

Here are the pocket camcorders I compared:

Flip UltraHD (will be referred to as “F”)
Flip Mino HD 2nd generation (Will be referred to as “M”)
Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB 2nd generation (Will be referred to as “CL”)
Kodak Zi6 Pocket HD (Will be referred to as “K”)

Why HD cameras only? Brighter colors and better images, wider images

HD SHOOTING TIME:
F: 120 minutes.
M: 120 minutes
CL:120 minutes
K: 25 minutes with batteries they included, 120 minutes if you buy an SD card

MEMORY:
F: 8 GB
M:8 GB
CL: 8 GB
K: internally only 30 MB recording space but it has 32 GB expandable SD/SDHC card slot. Because it comes with such small recording space you really need to buy an SD or SDHC card to maximize its potential, but the potential is really good and this will increase your ability to shoot longer.

RESOLUTION:
All 720p which is excellent, just one step below the top 1080p format.

SOUND:
F:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds
M:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds.
CL:Poor sound quality; had issues with sound and picture not being in sync.
K:Poor sound quality

ZOOM:
F: 2x
M:2x
CL:2x
K: poor quality zoom on the one I tried but I still think it’s 2x. It has a great macro focus for very close-up objects if, for example, you see a bumble bee and want to shoot it on a leaf a few inches away! Kinda cool.

SIZE AND WEIGHT:
F: 6.2 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches ; 11.2 ounces
M: 2 x 0.7 x 3.9 inches ; 1 pound
CL: 3.3 x 7.9 x 6.3 inches ; 11.2 ounces
K: 4x 5x 2.5″ 2.4 lbs

TECHNICAL DETAILS:
F: USB cable pops out of the back so you don’t need to keep up with a separate cable. Comes with Flip Video rechargeable AA battery pack (recharges when connected to USB); also supported by standard AA batteries. Note: Some sets come with the HDMi mini included and others come with the rechargeable battery pack on Amazon. Looks like one or the other but of course if you need both you can buy the other.
M: USB cable pops out of the back on this one as well. Has child safe button to prevent accidental deletion of videos. Internal lithium ion battery recharges through built-in USB arm
CL: USB cable in camera, Included in box are HDMI cable, (nice) USB extension cable, (nice) silicon skin (cool) & rechargeable battery.
K: Included in box are HD and AV cables and wrist strap and rechargeable batteries and battery charger. Has built in USB arm.

SPEED:
F: 30 frames per second.
M: 30 frames per second
CL: 30 frames per second
K: choice of 30 frames per second or 60 frames per second.

VIEWING SCREEN: All 2″ except the Kodak was the largest at 2.4″

IMPORTANT NOTES:
F: Best low-light performance for the mini cameras (though not perfect at all) and least amount of blurring and dropped frames in my opinion. You can get an underwater case for this one! Though that may sound crazy for a Texan, we use the camera non-stop on vacations and even when we aren’t IN the water, we are around the water…on boats, in the sand with sea mist, etc. Then we can dive in and record the fish. Comes preloaded with flipshare software…just plug in to computer and it pops up.
M: Colors don’t appear as good on the Mino as the other cameras. Thinnest camera. Make sure you get the one that only comes in the color aluminum or brushed metal. If it comes in any other colors it is the 1st generation MinoHD and they improved upon that one in the newer models. Great audio. Better shooting in low light than most mini cameras. Camera comes preloaded with FlipShare software. Can get still images through flipshare software.
CL: Decent filming in low light. Software is preloaded in camcorder.
K: What appears to be metal in picture is actually a chrome colored plastic. That said, this had the largest viewing screen of all of them. 2.4″ Very poor in low light and seemed to have far more shaking and blurring. It also takes still pictures but they are really really poor quality…same as a lesser-quality cell phone pictures but good in a pinch if you want a still shot and have no cell or camera I s’pose. Heaviest for a pocket camera. Software is not preloaded in camcorder but a cd comes with it.

And, finally, the reviews of the Flip Ultra HD from experts swayed me quite a bit:

Fast Company: “Flip Ultra HD is Pure Digital’s “Best Pocket Camcorder Yet.” 6-09

USA Today: “New Flip Ultra Video Cameras Might Flip Your Switch” 4-09

Business Week: How do you Invigorate a Recession? Look to i-phone, Flip, Kindle, and Zip Car For Answers

There were lootttts more I came across when researching the Flip Ultra HD but those are some of my favorites.

CONCLUSION: Clearest picture and sound was important to me, expert reviews that pointed to the Flip UltraHD as well and I liked the built in software and the case I can get to shoot underwater. It is the number one selling camcorder as well. So that was my personal decision-making process. However, keep in mind that if you need reading glasses none of that will matter if the 2″ screen is too small for your viewing the shots easily for playback in which case you may wish to get the Kodak if that’s important to you..

Also: No matter which one you get, you will probably want a mini tripod if you ever want to be in the shot yourself do don’t forget those.

Hope my obsessive comparing and contrasting for my own purchasing assistance helped you as well even if what you wanted in a camera was different from me.

Click here for more information and reviews.

Click here for more information and reviews.