Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
by Flip Video
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Great little gadget!
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
(Reviewed by a Mac Addict running a MacBook and OSX 10.5.4)
Ok, so, the Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder has a small but clear LCD (TFT) so you can watch what you're recording. Some may view it as a plus, but the camera is tiny, thin and lightweight. Sure, these are normally nice things things, but for me, I keep thinking I'll break the thing. It's really no larger than most smartphones, but it's lighter.
The Flip comes with its own software... but as a Mac user: it was plug and play. I had to monkey with iPhoto settings a bit (since my Mac thought it was a still camera), but the Flip's video format is easily editable in iMovie and Final Cut Express. Or, you can just copy the video over to your Mac and watch it via QuickTime. Easy peasy. I was really impressed with this feature; I expect this sort of performance from a Canon digital camera, but a little gizmo like this.
As for video quality: it's remarkable. No, it's not professional level or even pro-sumer level, but it is HD and it's clear. Compared to my Canon, I'd say it's close. I have trouble holding the Flip still, so there's a fair bit of shake in my shots (not a problem with my Canon's anti-shake settings). Minuses for me are: fixed focus & no optical zoom. I like being able to adjust focus from background to foreground... and I can't do that with the Flip. (But hey, if you're recording your kids play or time at the park, likely this won't be a concern for you.)
The built in mic is decent, if not a bit tinny. No real concern here and not even that much of a complaint.
In a nutshell: if you need a pocket video camera and have a Mac, this will work wonderfully for you. Even more so, if you're not a technical wiz like me and just want an easy to use, no worries video camera: the Flip MinoHD is a solid choice.
Customer Review: Great Little Gadget
Summary: 5 Stars
The title of this review should be: Why Didn't I Buy This Sooner?
I am not a videophile; I'm just a parent of two little kids who would like to capture everyday moments on the fly. Flip Mino HD fits that bill to a T.
PROS:
1. Petite form factor, highly portable, and therefore encourages toting around, unlike those bulky (yes, even those Canon VIXIA HF-100s) camcorders which require their own bag ( and accessories).
2. USB connectivity is built-in. No annoying tangle of cords. Just plug it into your PC and download videos to the software, and charge your Flip at the same time.
3. Covered lens. The plastic cover is quite scratch and scuff-resistant, and therefore, you won't have to worry about dust getting into your lens.
4. Decent quality 720P video, with above-average microphone fidelity. I mean, you're not using one of those professional shotgun microphones here, but at 200 bucks, can't feel too bad about the Flip's pretty decent mic pick-up.
5. Decent battery life. Mine can run around two hours, fully-charged.
CONS:
1. I wish it had better low-light capability.
2. I wish it had a bigger LCD viewscreen.
3. I wish it had an adapter that allowed wall charging(probably has it out there, haven't found it yet)
4. I wish it had higher-definition video capability.
Overall, I prefer having and using this 99% of the time around the house, around town, and whenever it suits my fancy, compared to my "real" camcorder . If I have to tape something more "serious" such as a recital, game or something in low-light, then I would use my Canon VIXIA HF-100, for better quality. Flip Mino HD certainly lets you preserve more of the spontaneous moments life throws your way.
I would seriously recommend this to anyone who already has a Hi-Def camcorder as a "back-up" of sorts. You may end up using this little gizmo more often than you would even care to admit.
Customer Review: A Review for Mac users
Summary: 5 Stars
The camera
The camera has a 1.5 inch screen that is vibrant but small. The camera is thin and can easily be slid into the front pocket of your jeans. It is extremely light. The buttons on the back are touch sensitive and are not typical buttons that you "press". There is a nice quality built in microphone. Operation is dead simple. Turn it on and push the large red button to start record and then press it again to stop.
The video quality:
The video quality from this camera is phenomenal considering its price tag. No its not a Canon HV30 but its not supposed to be.There is very little motion blur and the colors are nicely saturated. Due to the higher quality video shakiness is more pronounced in the videos but its not terrible. The more still you can hold this camera the better. The sound is crisp and clear. I can easily say the quality of this camera trumps all other flash based camcorders in this price bracket.
The Software
Mac users rejoice! The Mino HD's video files ( MPEG4) are natively supported by Mac OS X, Quicktime, & iMovie 8 or iMovie HD. The software (Flipshare) even allows stitching the footage together, adding music and transitions and exporting the finished result directly to Youtube or just onto your desktop. I am very impressed Pure Digital rewrote the software package so that the features for Mac Users were the same as PC users. When you first plug in the camera iPhoto will open and offer to import the video's. You can override this in iPhoto's preferences. From then on the Flipshare will open automatically.
Final Conclusion:
The Flip Mino HD billed as the worlds smallest HD camcorder (as of 11/14) is worth its weight in gold. Especially if you have a Mac! If I had to choose one con for this camera I would say that I wish they would've added an external microphone jack to it-but thats really reaching. It's a wonderful camera for the money and they say the best camera for the job is the one thats with you when you really need it.
Customer Review: Freezes up, loses video, then goes dead within a couple of days
Summary: 1 Stars
This seems like a nice device, somewhat overpriced but with nice packaging and decent design. Essentially it's a webcam with its own storage and battery. If you plug it into your computer it shows up as a drive and even has the application there ready to install. Unfortunately the MinoHD is not really HD and has some serious flaws. Firstly, the quality of the camera is pretty awful. It's a cheap CCD that can capture high resolution but with overwhelming graininess. Even in good light, it's not even analog TV quality. Colors are washed out and detail is lost in the graininess. Second is the quality and reliability of the device itself. When I started using it the first video froze the device after 15 seconds. No buttons worked, including the power button - it simply stayed in the record mode frozen on one frame. It took some searching on their support site to figure out how to get past this. The trick was to hold down the power button for 10 seconds, then power back on. Unfortunately the video is lost when you do this. Another shot I took was coming along very well but then the device froze up again after two minutes. That video was also lost. Aggravated, I sent a message to their support staff. In classic bad email support style, they didn't read read what I wrote, they just pointed me to a document on the site that matched a keyword in my support request. If they had read it they would know that I already found that support document. Another message and another day (they do have a 1 business day turnaround on questions) and they said to try using the hole in the tripod mount to reset the device. By now, however, the MinoHD was toast, it would not even power on. It was DEAD. Their response this time - send it back to us. Forget it, it's going back to Amazon. While looking for answers I also found websites full of complaints about Flip products. I think I'll stay away from this brand. If they can't make products that work well when brand new then I can't trust them to be usable next week or next year.Customer Review: Do not disregard the negative reviews. Read before buying
Summary: 1 Stars
I thought this camera was a great idea. I thought it would serve me well and would come in handy. I saw the reviews and thought the average was good, didn't really think much about the negative reviews I saw. I bought this camera for myself for Christmas and used it for about a month around the holidays. Then I put it away. Today I got the camera out to record my daughter's dance class. The screen was busted from the inside out, even though it has been sitting untouched for about a month. I just got off the phone with their costumer service and it's one of the worst I've ever spoken to. All they did was try to blame it on me, saying I somehow sat on the camera, stepped on the camera, left it in the heat or something else that would clearly indicate my fault, not a crappy product. I even offered to send the camera in for analysis, to prove there was no physical damage to it. While I was on the phone with the guy, I decided to come back to Amazon and actually take time to read the bad reviews and realized I should have listened. I see why people are complaining about their costumer service and I see how many people said the camera did not last long. This is a disposable camera and will likely show some kind of problem after a little use. I am deeply disappointed, both in the costumer service and the product itself. I thought this would be a great reliable product, especially after hearing so much about it. Now I realize it's just a cheap product put in a pretty box. This company has a lot to improve if they want their costumers to stick around. I'm not sticking around, never buying a anything from them again. If you are reading this and the same happened to you, I'm so sorry. This really sucks. If you are reading this while looking for a camera to buy, know that this one hundred something dollars you are going to spend on this will only get you a cheap product that will likely stop working after a short period of time. Now I know there is a good reason why they only offer a 90 day warranty.