Flip UltraHD Video Camera - Black, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL
by Flip Video
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Flip UltraHD Video Camera - Black, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: The most versatile of the current Flip line.
Summary: 5 Stars
Of the three Flip HD models in the current line, this is my favorite.
It is the heaviest of all the Flip models, but this is because it uses regular AA batteries or a rechargeable Lithium AA pack. The 8GB internal memory will give a full 120 minutes of recording capacity in HD mode, but the Lithium battery may not last quite that long.
Creating two hours of video is difficult to do and I suspect most people will not come anywhere close to it. Even the kids' soccer game is interesting when the kid is playing. If the possibility that recording more than two hours of video exists, bring a netbook computer, offload your Flip video, throw in a spare rechargeable AA battery pack and go to it.
Overall, I like the heft of the Flip UltraHD. None of the instant camcorders in this class offer effective image stabilization, so the extra couple of ounces and larger size help in keeping the camera a little steadier. The 2x digital zoom is useless because of image degradation, again common in this class of device. The effective focal length of the lens is higher than I would like. I would prefer a wider angle of view and something less than the approximately 3 foot minimum focus. But things are what they are.
The HD image is simply gorgeous. Breathtaking, in fact, is not too strong a term to use. Audio is acceptable for its class.
The controls are responsive to a moderately firm touch and the 2" LCD screen is bright enough for most circumstances.
I am not a fan of letting the camera hang from the cleverly designed USB arm. I use a short male/female USB extension cable.
The supplied FlipShare software is fine for transferring video from the camera to computer an uploading it to places like Facebook and YouTube or e-mailing it. But the editing functions are primitive.
The Flip gets into action quickly, much faster I think than a smartphone or still camera video function. That's one of the beauties to it.
If you don't mind a somewhat larger and heavier instant camcorder than the others on the market and want the convenience of AA batteries which are found everywhere, the Flip UltraHD is a terrific companion - and, as I said, the HD image quality is awesome.
Jerry
Customer Review: Almost perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I got the UltraHD whilst I was overseas in LA on holidays. In short, it is almost perfect. It's dead simple to use - basically hit the button on the site to turn it on, then press the big red button to start recording, and hit it again to stop recording. There's no real other options on the camera other than time and date, but what it does (shoot video), it does extremely well.
I can't believe I can get HD 720p video out of this, with colour and detail this good, for the price.
The only extra feature I'd really want is an image stabiliser. Videos will come out shaky if you don't have an extremely steady hand. Digital zoom is useless, but I've found that I haven't really had a need for zoom on a video camera. The storage capacity is more than enough - the most I've filled it up is 3/4, then pulled it all off using the excellent software (fast, simple, uninstrusive, and does almost everything you'd want) that comes with it.
All up, I am very impressed with this piece of hardware. Annoyances are as follows (they're minor):
- It'd be cool if the FlipShare software would upload video to YouTube etc as HD instead of recompressing it and resizing it to SD before uploading it. You can get around it by exporting the video then directly uploading the file to YouTube, but it'd be nice to just be able to do it from within the software.
- The USB connection is a bit of a dumb idea. They should have had it attached to a short cable with recoil. Unless you're using a laptop with USB ports almost flush against the desk, the camera is going to sort of be hanging off by the USB port - something that doesn't feel very stable and gives the impression it could snap off if you did it a lot. Your best bet is to get a USB extension cable for about $2 from any old computer shop and plug it into that instead.
- Charging. A lot of people have complained about the battery overheating problem. I had this same problem too, but only if I charge via the wall adapter. Going through USB works fine, but it takes a lot longer. I *think* this problem has to do with most USB wall adapters outputting 1A, which is double the power that a standard USB port outputs, resulting in the overheating. My advice = just hook it up to your computer and charge it through that.
Customer Review: I like it BUT Image stabilaztion is pretty bad without tripod!
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this for my wife to take on a trip to India and a skiing trip I will take in January. The packaging was great and over-all it is a quality product. For the small purchase price it delivers your moneys worth but everyone needs to understand its limitations. If you can use the camcorder on a stationary table or tripod it will work perfectly. If you take videos on the go in your hand you will NOT be happy with the results. It does not have image stabilization so it is VERY jerky and a chore to watch. If you move the camera quickly you will also get jerky video like it doesn't have enough frames per second. Keep in mind this is a very small package and can only do so much. I found the audio to be more than acceptable and the video is excellent when placed in a stationary position. If you can live with this restriction I say go for it. Before I purchased this particular recorder I viewed some videos off the web where comparisons were made between several different camcorders and this problem is normal for all small flash memory camcorders. The Vado was the closest top rated camcorder and it has the same problem. This camera does seem to record in lower light areas better than I expected. It isn't great and it is a little grainy but to me it was acceptable. You have to buy a wall charger seperately if you want to charge it without a USB port. One other improvement I would recommend in future Flips is external memory card slots. It will hold 2 hours but it is strictly internal memory so if you use it up on a long vacation you have to take your laptop and download the videos off the camera to shoot some more. If it had external memory slots you could just slip in another card. 2 hours is a lot of video so for me I believe it will be fine. I love the fact that is powers on in a matter of 1 second and is ready to record right then. No waiting just point and go. I also like the fact you can use regular AA batteries if you can't wait to recharge the main battery pack. This can really save the day if you forgot to do a recharge and the baby is putting on a production or that tornado is in sight. The flipshare software is very easy to use and if you upload to myspace,youtube or facebook it can't be any easier than this. For the money and on the go tripod recording I say buy one and enjoy!Customer Review: Major Problem with Supplied Rechargable Battery
Summary: 3 Stars
First, I never got to put the cam through it's paces as I could not get the supplied rechargable battery to charge. I got the wall charger for quicker charging and went to charge it the first time. During charging, the record light is red and when charging is complete, it goes out. For the first 30 minutes, everything appeared to be going fine, and then I noticed the light was blinking. I turned the Flip over and on the screen was a colorful RED thermometer and the words saying "I'm too Hot ... charging paused". I felt the Flip and it was only slightly warm. I unplugged it a few minutes and waited for it to cool down for a few minutes and then tried to restart the charging process via the USB port. Almost as soon as the charging restarted, I got the same warning message again.
I Googled "battery heating problems Flip UltraHD" and found several reports of the same problem dating all the way back to this summer. The concensus from those reporting the problem was that Flip customer service had no clue what was going on and requested most return their Flips and that there was no solution ..... other than not using the rechargable battery pack that came with it and use stand alone AA batteries. Flip now has a response to this problem stating that if you see this warning, it's normal and just leave it plugged in and after it cools off, the charging will restart, but may take several hours (apparently it will start, stop, start, stop, etc.)
Well, anyone who uses electronics with built in rechargable batteries (cell phone, camera, cordless phone, iPod, etc.) knows this is not normal and also knows that during recharge, the battery packs typically get a little, to quite warm. My guess is that they built a large batch of these with either a bad (wrong value) component in the temp sense circuit, or the design trip point it just too low for normal operation.
Anyway, if you don't mind paying for a recharable battery pack that does not charge, then go ahead and order away. I felt like I paid for one that should work and it didn't, so I returned mine to Amazon for refund. According to my search on Google for this problem, there have been a very large number of returns for this exact problem. I just wanted all to know if this problem before you made your purchase.
Customer Review: Good camera for beginners.
Summary: 3 Stars
I wanted to get into video-blogging, but didn't want to use my mom's video camera for it so, I asked for this one for Christmas.
Pros:
-Shoots 720p quality videos.
-Very easy to use, a completely tech newbie could figure this out.
-Simple design, nothing flashy or complicated.
-Great customer service from Flip, answered my question within 24 hours.
Cons:
-Sometimes the video is a bit grainy/fuzzy looking, depending on how much light there is.
-Lens is exposed; I keep it in the pouch at all times when I'm not using it to keep the lens from getting damaged. That's a bit inconvenient for those of us who might see something worth filming and need ready-to-go camera instead of having to struggle to get it out of the pouch.
-The digital zoom degrades the quality of the video, making it pixelated.
-Power button is on the side and is easily pushed; Sometimes I go to pick it up or put it in my bag, it turns itself on. It cuts off after a minute, but I'm sure it still drains the battery a little.
-Mine wouldn't turn on after I disconnected it from the computer, I had to take the battery out and put it back in to make it work. Just hit a button to light up the screen before disconnecting and it's fine.
-The FlipShare editing software isn't very good. It might be if you only wanted to cut some off the beginning or end of the video, but if there's something in the middle of the clip you want to cut, too bad. Windows Movie Maker decreases the video quality considerably, invest in better editing software like Sony Vegas.
-It has no removable memory, you have to plug the whole thing into your computer via the pop-out USB, then it just dangles there unless you buy a separate USB extension cable.
-Doesn't take still pictures.
-Sometimes the audio can sound fuzzy or picks up even the slightest noises.
-Saves in only MPEG file format, which are hard to play and edit on lower-end computers, especially laptops.
All in all, this camera is okay for beginners, it's light weight and easy to use, push 2 buttons and you're filming.
However, I think I have outgrown this camera now and I think the cons outweigh the pros on most things that matter to me, personally.