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2,210 of 2,243 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ultra Flip Review and walkthrough, September 16, 2007
I'm a computer artist and animator and I haven't been happy with a lot of cameras. I was drawn to the Ultra Flip because of the lack of wires, I like the idea of the USB stick. They include a set of batteries with the package so you can start recording right away (as well as a little velvet drawstring bag). It was very easy to use, it's just as promised, click the red button to record (and to stop) then flip (ha-ha) the USB stick out and put it in your computer's USB slot.
I read a reviewer of another model of the Flip saying he needed an extra part to hook up his USB, I don't know what he was using but you don't need any middleman if you have a current USB port. Of course it might have been that he didn't feel comfortable with the camera sort of weighing itself down a bit when you have the USB attached to a tower. I'm using mine with a laptop which is on a table so the camera can rest comfortably on it. He might have gotten a USB extension so that he could set his down if he was using a desktop computer. I did try the flip out in my desktop and I did have to make sure that the dog didn't jump around it as it does feel sort of vulnerable, but I will mainly use it in my laptop.
After you have it in your USB port, you will then go to "my computer" and see a new blue icon (unless you're Mac, you'll see a folder for you instead), click it and it installs the program - which seems to run on the stick alone, not taking up any space on your system, although it does put a small encoder on your system.
(Side note: - I did try to click "explore" before I installed the program to see if I could just drag the videos directly to my desktop by passing the program, and while you can save them, you can't see the videos). You have to go through the program to save them to your computer and be viewed properly.
So after you have installed the program, click "flipvideo" from your "my computer", then click "Flip Video for PC.exe" to open the program. It's very simple, you will see your videos and on the left you'll see a "save video" tab, here you can select what video(s) you want to move to your hard drive and then click the save button - they call it saving to your library, they will ask you to name a library, which will end up being a folder that holds your videos, which you will find in your documents as "My Flip Video Library".
After you have done this, you can then open them normally (outside of the program using just a player). They will be saved as AVIs.
They also have a "share video" section where you can upload your movies straight to Youtube, AOL or any video sharing website. Sounds good, but I haven't tried it yet. Now you can make a "movie mix" which is basically adding an effect to your video (slowed down in black and white or cartoon fish floating about etc. - no editing). It's very (very) simple, but it's cute.
They include a little plug that connects your Flip straight to your TV. Use your remote to find your 'line', 'input' or 'source' button to find it, click a few times, you'll see the first still of your video when you've got it right. Then hit play, now it wasn't clear in the instructions, but you want to hit play on your Flip (not the TV), to watch your video on your television and it looks great!
They also have an option to 'save for email' - if you do this it will save the videos into a folder "Flip videos for emailing" on your desktop that you can then send as attachments. When I did this it sped up the sound (think Mickey and Minnie) while the footage remained at normal speed (now don't worry, this doesn't happen when you save the videos to your computer as discussed above). This is probably a compression problem, but we can't fix it in their program, so I won't be using that option again - I'll stick to the 'save to library' option. It also does this for the ecard videos. There is an option to send the video as an ecard with cute little borders around them, recipients are sent a link to see the card, but again when played the sound is sped up.
In spite of that (cuz it's worth it), I have found my video camera, it's so small and light, there are no plugs or cords, it takes great videos, no tracers, no little pixel smudges and the lighting is great. I took one outside at dusk and it looks nice. This thing records twice as long as my bulky handycam and I don't have to format any disks or plug in a bunch of stuff. The picture quality of the Ultra Flip videos is really amazing, my other cameras (handycam, Creative labs, the onboard Vaio and VIJE) do not hold a candle to the Flips quality. I'll be using it for video projects. I am very happy with the Ultra Flip and will be bringing it along with me for a family visit. I recommend it! Yes, I flipped for it!
NEW UPDATE ADDITION (11/15/07): Just an update for you here, after I wrote this review I did run the flip on some other systems and it did not have the problem. I only had the problem on my custom Hypersonic PC laptop which runs windows XP. The computers that had no problems were: A Boxx desktop running Windows XP pro, and a Sony Vaio laptop running Vista, and just today I tested the flip on a Dell desktop running XP home which also had no problems.
-And, a big AND here, after I ran the flip on the first two working machines (the Sony and the Boxx) a few times (using the export and email functions), suddenly it worked on the "bad" Hypersonic laptop. It seemed to have jolted it to work? I don't know why. Since that time I have had continued success on the Hypersonic.
-An engineer from Pure Digital (the makers of the Flip) emailed me after reading my review and we had an extensive exchange working on trying to figure out why this happened and he was very serious about resolving the issue. Another thing that flip does is create updates, so with these two things in mind I feel confident that they have or are taking care of any problems. But again, right now I do not have any problems.
-Also, someone asked if you can take stills. This camera is only a video camera, you can't snap pictures with it, however you can pull stills from your movies inside of their program.
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1,443 of 1,491 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Small Device With Big Memory! (UPDATE!), October 7, 2007
Length:: 1:34 Mins
UPDATE: The new model of FLIP Video is better designed and does not have a problem with the record button being insensitive as shown in this video. Also, the HD version is already a classic!
A video camera the size of a box of cigarettes records up to 1 hour of your favorite 'instant' moments with an easy on/off button, minor zoom and shuttling between videos. Simply plug it into your PC, download the SETUP and you are on your way to editing your own home movies. This is a cool invention! And YES, the Record button does take a firm click - its not sensitive as you'll see (Press, press, press....)
Since you don't want to risk snapping the FLIP Camera USB port off on your computer, I recommend you buy the CABLES TO GO 26686 (male and female ends). It is six feet long and very convenient.
Also, I highly recommend buying a waterproof encasement for rainy or even very humid days. I fried my FLIP recently without any water (just humidity) getting into the flash drive.
Have fun!
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130 of 131 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Flippin' easy to use, October 9, 2007
This camcorder is a simple way for you to share videos with friends and family, make and share mini-movies, capture special moments, or film your next masterpiece for YouTube or Amazon.com.
Pros:
1. The "cool" factor is off the scale. Every time I showed it to somebody, they said "COOL!!!"
2. It uses two AA batteries that are easy to install. There's a latch at the bottom of the camera - one side has a picture of a closed lock, and the other has a picture of an open lock. It doesn't get simpler than that, does it? Push towards the open lock and slide off the panel on the front of the camera from just under the lens. After you put in the batteries, slide the panel back into place and push the latch back to the locked position. You're now ready to start filming.
3. There are very few buttons required to operate the camera. Turning it so that the side with the big red button is facing you, the on/off switch is on the right side of the camera. After powering up, the screen will light up with the Flip logo and then it will indicate that it's ready. At this stage you'll be looking at whatever's in front of you, with a time check at the bottom telling you how much video time you have left.
4. Filming is easy - just press the red button to start, and press it again to stop. The camera will save your creation, tell you how long it is and how much time you have left. You can zoom in and out by pressing the + and - signs on top of and below the red button. The microphone will pick up and record whatever's going on at the time.
5. Playback is a one button operation.
6. Deleting your mistakes is a one button operation.
7. You can scroll through your videos by using the arrow keys to the left and right of the red button.
8. Getting it on your computer is the easiest part. With the red button facing you, pull down on the latch on the left side, and - surprise!!! Out pops a USB arm which you then connect to your computer. Once you're linked up, the Flip Video software will show you the way home. (It takes a while to pop up) Choose the option to view your videos, and agree to the terms and conditions, and then the "Muvee Video Mixing Software" begins loading. This is a one time installation. From there you can easily play, name, edit and share your videos.
9. You can also capture still shots from your videos, but you can't use these when making your movies with the software provided.
10. There is an option for making a movie, where you can arrange your edited videos, choose from a selection of six movie styles and music, or even add your own music. Choose your style, click on the "Make Mix" button, and the computer does the rest. If you're happy with the results, you can save the file.
11. The camera comes with a wrist strap, a velvet drawstring case, and also the necessary cables to connect it to your television for a bigger view. There's also a place to connect a tripod.
12. There is a "Help" feature included with the software.
Cons:
1. Being a simple "point and shoot" camera, the resolution isn't fantastic, but quite good enough for action shots. Forget detail close-ups such as words and logos - zooming in and out will just get you various degrees of blurry.
2. You'll need to be careful with background noise, as the microphone will pick up the sound of your fan or your stomach growling.
3. The video editing capability is limited to the length of the video you want to save, and the order you want to save it. There are no options for titles, fade ins or outs or any bells and whistles. If you're filming yourself giving a speech, you'll pretty much have to get it right in one complete take.
4. As with all videos, if your hands shake, you'll need to get a tripod, or you may make a lot of people seasick.
5. If you have big fingers, you may have some problems with the red button. Once your finger covers the area around the button, you'll have trouble starting and stopping the video. If you can't get it to work, you may have to use just a fingernail, because if you press anywhere other than dead center of the red button it won't start or stop.
Overall, this is a very good camcorder if used for the purpose for which it is intended. It isn't going to make you the next Stanley Kubrick, but it's a good start.
Amanda Richards, October 9, 2007
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