Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
by Flip Video
|
List Price: Our Price: $124.50 You Save: $75.49 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $48.55 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Score!
Summary: 5 Stars
There are no more excuses for missing the moment. This camera isn't designed for producing major motion pictures, but it does a terrific job of being available, while being ridiculously easy to use. It will be tossed into the purse for recording moments at gatherings.
I would say that the "HD" designation is mildly exagerrated, but the picture quality is better than what I get from the Sony miniDV Handicam (which does a nice job), but with far less aggravation when it comes to importing and viewing. And I have never thrown the miniDV into my purse to capture a moment at a gathering. This Flip MinoHD, I doubt if I'll ever leave home without it.
Auto-focus is first-rate. It automatically adjusts for lighting conditions and does a good job in dim light. The sound quality is not exceptional, but it isn't exceptional on any home video camera I've ever used, either. Still, it picked up my granddaughter's voice from across the yard without distortion. I haven't tried to edit the video yet, but the included software is straightforward when it comes to storing and viewing videos. The camera also comes with a cord to connect to your TV.
It is what it is and at a very reasonable price. This thing...this is truly a score. Oooo oooo, I have to get a DryPak so I can use it in the pool...!
UPDATE:
A potential customer asked a question in the discussion area. I answered, but include it here as well in case others are curious, too. The question -- how does the video compare between TV or HDTV, and a computer monitor.
I tried four different screens -- a 42" plasma flatscreen, a 42" lcd flatscreen, a regular old-style TV and an lcd computer monitor.
The old-style TV, I wasn't surprised, was "grainy," to use an old-fashioned term. The plasma was disappointing. The particular model I own didn't allow me to shrink the video to its natural size, so the picture was blown up edge to edge and that caused the picture to degrade. (DVDs on that TV are great, by the way.) Your plasma might operate differently and therefore, offer better results.
The lcd TV allowed viewing the videos at natural (large) size, best quality of all, although even full size it looked great. And the computer monitor was great, too.
If your potential gift recipient is a casual videographer as most of us are, they won't be disappointed. Fancy themselves as the next Baz Luhrmann and the Flip will promptly find itself on the return pile.
2011 UPDATE: This camera is still useful and enjoyed at our house, so I'm stunned to learn that Cisco bought and then dropped the product line. I know most people have phones that shoot video, but not very good video. Anyway, didn't know where to place a vent. This space seemed as good as any. -- Regards
Customer Review: The Flip Mino-HD, with the Perspective of Time
Summary: 5 Stars
My comments are based on researching, using, and writing about the Flip Mino-HD for a number of months.
The negative arguments, in summary: 1) The composite output to a TV is poor. 2) There is no built-in image stabilization.
The positive arguments, in summary: 1) It's very inexpensive. 2) It does shoot very nice quality HD video, if you can hold it steady. 3) It fits in your pocket comfortably. 4) It's dead simple to understand and use. 5) It uploads its video (and editing software) to your computer by just plugging it into a USB port.
Sometimes, simple is the right way to go. This is one of those times. An inexpensive, simple camcorder that fits comfortably in your pocket means it's going to get used by different people in different ways from all those that went before. That's exactly what has happened with the Flip.
As for the composite out quality, who expects to watch unedited video straight off the camera and be entertained by it? I have never tried to use the composite output, because I don't want to watch unedited video.
The editor is as easy to use as the camera itself, and your friends and family will REALLY appreciate it when you take a few minutes to ferret out the good video from the crap. FlipShare lets you trim, add fade transtions, and add titles.
Actually, there IS built in image stabilization. It's a standard tripod mount on the bottom. If you want great video, use a tripod, a minipod, or a monopod. You can also stabilize the camera by bracing your elbows against your chest when you shoot. Start pans with your feet pointed toward the end of your pan. These are all things that professional videographers do.
Another piece of basic information: If you want to watch HD on your computer, your computer has to have enough horsepower to decode a complex video format on the fly.
Many people have suggested that the Flip Mino (sans HD) doesn't have many of these problems. If you don't want the potential of HD, that is the right way to go. If you DO want HD, you should be prepared for a little extra trouble and expense to get the value from it. And that is true regardless of what HD camcorder you buy.
In short, you get good quality and good economy from a camcorder with a carefully optimized feature set. You can actually create great videos with this camcorder, edit them, email mail them, auto-upload to YouTube, and create a web channel of your own movies, and all that is in the box.
There are competitors, but I have yet to hold one in my hands with the fit and finish of the Flip. Expect the Flip Mino-HD and Flip Ultra-HD to be outdone first by their own manufacturer -- Pure Digital.
Darrell Icenogle
[...]
Customer Review: I have the Mino and the Ultra, I prefer the Ultra for many reasons...
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I have the MinoHD and the Ultra and the same laptop I use for high-end gaming.
I have jerky playback and the included FlipShare program takes forever with the MinoHD, yet no problems with the Ultra.
The primary reason is the resolution, understood, but this is the same high-end laptop.
Playback on my HDTV with the Mino was pretty disappointing, however on ANOTHER TV where you can manually set the resolution to 720p, it looked GREAT. What this means is your TV output playback experience is directly affected by your TV's ability to scale up or scale down; mine cannot be manually changed to 720p, it recognizes it as 480i. :(
With the lower resolution of the Ultra (yet still looks fantastic) - I have not found a TV where the Ultra didn't look good.
Also, the Ultra plays all of the videos with no jerkiness on the same laptop that also plays new DVD movies without a glitch. How is it that a Mino playback comes out jerky ? Sure, YOUR computer might play it fine, but it should be fine out of the box, regardless of drivers, codecs, bla bla. The Ultra is fine out of the box.
In summary:
1. I like the Ultra better than the Mino and the home-video quality is fine with the Ultra, especially if you'll be using it on the Web or You Tube or what not, your friends/family will just be glad someone didn't use a camera phone to take video.
2. The Mino must be USB charged which I think is a "minus" - I *personally* would rather carry double AA batteries that the Ultra uses (it does not USB charge) so that I can record as needed and swap out batteries and get instant power, versus waiting for USB to charge up over several hours.
3. Because of the higher resolution, 2 minutes of video on the MINO may be 70mb in size!! 2 minutes of video on the ULTRA is half that, 33mb. Who really wants to stream or download 70-200mb of video?
4. The buttons on the MINO are too sensitive and the glossiness is prone to fingerprints. The Ultra is matte and has good button feel.
5. For price, performance, and video quality, the ULTRA is by far the better value! I wish I could trade it back in for an Ultra and carrying case. :) P.S. if you're putting this on You Tube, the Mino resolution buys you nothing, since it will get scaled down to You Tube's size...
Customer Review: Man buys Flip, has video epiphany.
Summary: 5 Stars
You've probably read a few reviews by now and have formed your own opinion about the video quality, sound quality and what it does, so I'm going to tell you what I really think of this camera.
What prompted me to write the review in the first place, after a month of owning the camera, was a moment of awe when using the Flip video software. While watching TV, absentmindedly clicking around and importing video, I looked down and forgot that I was looking at video. The screen like any other iPhoto or Picasa application, I was like looking at photos. Scrolling through I was impressed with the quality of these pictures, some with really great lighting, others with neat angles. Interesting pictures that made me think why would I take a picture of tha... their video. I can PLAY these pictures. A real "Harry Potter moving pictures" zen moment.
This camera is fantastic. Period.
I've had it for a month and, waiting for that million dollar moment, I've carried it in the front pocket of my jeans everyday. It's been ice fishing several times, snowed on and handed around. I leaned on a pool table while it was in my pocket, heavily, for half the game before I realized and switched it to another pocket. It was unfazed. I basically forget that it's there. The little soft cloth bag they give you is great, if' I'm just filming something quick I don't even take the camera all the way out, just open and film.
The comments about lightweight, hard to film with...pffff, whatev. Unless your Andre the frickin' giant you'll be OK. You'll quickly learn good technique to getting great video. Smooth pans, be conscious of keeping it steady while moving, hold shots for a little before panning or pan extra slow (you can always edit out later, you might want to use that extra) and try new things.
The quality of the video continually impresses me. The HD picture is crisp, bright, colorful and it adjusts to lighting conditions very fast. The sound is also great. I'm very impressed with how well it works in noisy and windy conditions.
I couldn't ask for more out of this camera. It's VERY well made. It says what it does and it does what it says. If you're considering it. Buy it.
Here are some videos that I shot with it. Search Vimeo for Flip Mino HD to see more good examples.
http://www.vimeo.com/2837116
http://www.vimeo.com/2750426
(If they seem to skip at all it's the streaming, pause and move the playhead back a bit and play)
Customer Review: Improvement Over The Ultra Series
Summary: 4 Stars
I burned through a Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (Black) having had it in extremely humid weather for five days camping. It also went through AA batteries fairly quickly. I replaced it with this Mino, which is only about $40 more, and worth so much more. The differences between the two are worth making note of.
The quality is High Definition (HD) and compared to the Ultra Series, that makes a big difference. When I play video on my Mitsubishi LT-46149 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Integrated Sound Projector, the definition is that of a regular broadcast, not super clear (1280 X 720) - that's pixels per square inch. It is much crisper on my computer screen. The Mino screen doesn't glare like the Ultra and is easier to view outdoors. One of the better improvements is placing the USB connector on the top instead of the side. It's easier to fit into my TV now and I don't need to use an extension cable (a cable is still a good idea to prevent damage to the port). It's much thinner than the Ultra, which makes it pocket-friendly (so why not more flash memory?). Here's a giant plus - the red record button is larger and easier to work. My older Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (Black) button was not sensitive at all which caused for some funky starts and finishes of my videos. The biggest plus is the rechargeable lithium battery - no more AA batteries to go through or carry around.
Although thinner, I was disappointed that the viewing screen is no bigger than my Ultra. 60 minutes is still a lot of time to store video, but I'm surprised they don't manufacture one with more memory. The software is easy as the older Ultra version, but I still edit on my Windows Movie Maker. The 2X digital zoom is worthless, as far as I am concerned, as it has limited range. Mind you, the Sony DCR-DVD610 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom (my office has one I can borrow for work) has all the bells and whistles, but you get what you pay for. For the price and convenience, I'd rather own my Mino than the Handycam.