Thoughts on "Flip" video recorders?

[lizajane]

I was thinking about getting my brother one for his college graduation. He is going on a mission to Northern Ireland for a year, beginning in late August. I thought it would be an exciting way to document his trip, while being very easy to pack, carry and use. I am sure he will bring his laptop. Thoughts??? I know one friend with it, but she is not tech savvy, so she may have chosen it because it is cute! lol!

[ohiomom1121]

I just got one. I have a nice Sony hard drive video camera, but this is so tiny I can throw it in my purse or diaper bag. (Plus for $50 I'm not as concerned if I lost it, broke it etc) I just bought a couple I found on clearance at Walmart for 2 of my nieces and they have been big hits. I think they're a great gift!
They couldn't be easier to use either. My kids have both walked around filming each other (and again, I'm not worried about it like I would be with my regular video camera). I kind of feel the same as I do with my regular camera...I have my nice DSLR and then my pocket cam, and get lots of use out of both.

[infomama]

Is the video quality with the Flip really that much better than the video function on a point and shoot camera?

[bubbaray]

I absolutely ADORE my Flip Mino. It is so freakin' small and easy to use and the video quality impressed even my FIL (who repaired cameras for his business for his whole life).

Love mine! So small and easy to shove in my purse. We only took my Flip Mino (purple floral) and my small pink Canon SD1100 to Disneyland -- we didn't take my dSLR. Our photos are great! Next time we might take the dSLR because we hope to get the girls on more rides and be toting fewer diapers (therefore have more room), but still, I'll take my Flip! :)

[ohiomom1121]

Ohiomom1121...have you used the video function of a point and shoot camera before? If so, is the flip camera video quality really that much better?
I guess it would depend on which one you got...mine is probably comparable to a point and shoot type camera but they do have high def versions too. I was intrigued by the flip also because of the waterproof case you can buy for it. I thought it would be fun to take to the pool/beach.

[wellyes]

Is the video quality with the Flip really that much better than the video function on a point and shoot camera?

I have a low-end Walmart flip. Here's a video taken on the fly:


It's fine for just-for-fun videos, but in terms of quality? I'm not impressed.

It'd be much better if you use a tripod. And I'm sure the HD ones are nicer. But for what I have, my point-and-shoot (a $200 model, Panasonic TZ3) does a slightly better job.

[Davids-Coco]

The HD ones are significantly better than a point and shoot. We have both an ultra (old one with stripe of color on white) and an HD. They are both super easy and nice but the HD has amazing quality.

[strollerqueen]

Is the video quality with the Flip really that much better than the video function on a point and shoot camera?

I shot the same video with my Flip Mino HD and Sony Cyber-Shot (new one that takes excellent pictures.) The video on the Flip was way better.

[LBW]

I have a Vado HD (similar to flip) that I got on amazon a month or so ago for ~$100. It shoots about 2 hours of HD video or about 8 hours of non-HD. The quality is fantastic, and I love how tiny it is. It's simple to use. My 6-year old has made movies on it, and I'm considering buying him a $60 non-HD version for his birthday or Christmas.

[strollerqueen]

The only issue I have with it is that you can only shoot up to an hour. Most of the time that's fine. But what if you are traveling and don't have time to upload the video you shot? Are there similar cameras with the same high quality and ease of use, BUT use memory sticks or something so you can shoot more?

[hillview]

I JUST (Today) got the new flip HD -- records 120 mins and is better quality. I LOVED my mom's older flip and am excited about
- rechargable batteries
- longer record time
- HD for higher quality

I am going to use it on our trip to paris to send the kids videos!
/hillary

[daniele_ut]

I got a 60 minute Flip Ultra for Mother's Day and I LOVE it. I wanted it to have handy in the house or in the diaper bag at a moment's notice and so far it's fitting the bill really well. My family lives far from us and now I can quickly upload short videos to share with them, which is awesome. I wasn't terribly concerned about super quality video, since we have a larger camcorder for that. I just wanted something super easy and small. It was $100 on walmart.com because the new 120 minute Ultra just came out. I didn't want to spend twice as much just to get HD.

[swampnurse]

I have a Mino and love it. But is there a way to pause the recording and then start up again without having to make a bunch of separate clips? It's driving me nuts!