Flip Video Camcorder

The Flip Video camera by Pure Digital is a user friendly video camera that is very reasonably priced for what you get. It’s also a great alternative to traditional video cameras as it records on solid state memory and you can edit the footage by plugging the device into any computer thanks to its built-in software.

Technical Specifications:

Dimensions

Height: 4.125″
Width: 2.25″
Depth: 1.25″
Weight: 4.9 oz.
LCD Screen: 1.4″

Video storage capacity

30-minute camcorder: 512 MB of internal flash memory
60-minute camcorder: 1 GB of internal flash memory

Lens

Focus: Fixed-focus
Aperture: f/2.4
Focal length: 35mm equivalent
Zoom: 2x digital zoom

Viewfinder

Electronic LCD-based color viewfinder (280 × 220)

Image sensor

¼ inch 4:3 VGA-format (640 × 480) CMOS sensor
Active area: 3.58mm (H) × 2.69mm (V)
5.6 µm square pixels
Superior low-light sensitivity (>2.0V/lux-sec)
Preprogrammed auto exposure
Automatic white balance
Automatic black level calibration

Video capture

Resolution: Full frame VGA resolution (640 × 480), 30 frames per second (fps), progressive scan
Format: MPEG-4 Part 2, Advanced Simple Profile (ASP), saved as an AVI file

TV output

NTSC

Audio

Microphone: Built-in microphone (on front of camcorder)
Speaker: Built-in speaker (on back of camcorder)

Battery

Uses two AA batteries (Standard Alkaline or Energizer® e2® Lithium
Automatic power-off if inactive for more than 90 seconds

Connection Interface

USB 2.0 connector via flip-out arm

Software

On-board Flip Video program
Runs from camcorder when connected to computer
View, save and organize videos
One-click video emailing
Instant online video publishing
Simple editing and movie making
Capture still photos from videos

Accessories Included

Two AA alkaline batteries
TV connection cable (audio/video)
Wrist strap
Protective carrying pouch
Quick Start Guide

Impressions:

The USB interface is cleverly concealed in the camera and it flips open to allow you to connect the camera to your PC or Mac so that you can download movies and audio for editing purposes. It is very easy to capture and share low-resolution video via e-mail and the Web.

There is even an option to upload your edited movies to free hosting sites such as YouTube, but I never managed to get this to work as it just kept crashing. Editing footage on the Flip is a piece of cake, but it’s the ease of use where it really excels.

You also receive a velvet looking black pouch to carry it around which can be used to clean finger marks from the screen.

On a different note, I wanted to do some video blogging for our website but found it difficult to capture myself. If I could suggest one design change it would be to include a small mirror or reflective surface near the lens, which is a feature included on many mobile phones, as this would allow one to correctly position the lens while recording.

Another unanticipated flaw is caused by the concealed USB interface as most people will need to purchase an extra USB extension cable unless the USB ports are on the side of their computer and the extension arm lines-up perfectly. Alternatively, it would be nice if the Flip came with a built-in retractable USB cable.

With no pretense of being a professional SVGA camcorder, the Flip Video is built for immediate out-of-the-box fun with batteries included! The videos look great and I really enjoyed watching them on my laptop (there is an option to connect to your TV as well). The sound is also remarkable when you consider the size of the built-in mic!

Conclusion:

A very good product that will appeal to a broad audience, especially vloggers and those look ing for an easy to use entry-level video camera, just don’t expect to be shooting Ironman 2 on it.

Pricing and Availability:

Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder: R1,513.00 from WantItAll.

Pros

• Price
• Ease of use
• Portability

Cons

• Silly design flaws
• Limited functionality
• Comparable in quality to phones such as the N95

Rate this review:

(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Filed Under Accessories, Audio/Visual, Featured Reviews