Very helpful review, well done!

Thanks, Walter... I do lots of Flip-related articles, review, and tutorials here: http://FlipInFocus.com

Enjoy!

Darrell Icenogle
http://flipinfocus.com

Incidentally, the choice got a little tougher with the introduction of the 2nd Generation Flip MinoHD. It has the same memory and storage capacity, very similar video characteristics, but keeps pretty close to the weight and dimensions of the original Flip MinoHD. What it does not have is a user-replaceable battery, and it costs $30 more. So, we're back to 'more costs less.' That is, unless size and weight are more important to you, and for some they are. Wearing tight jeans? That difference might determine whether you take a Flip with you or not. For me, that's huge. I can flt a Flip MinoHD and my cellphone in the same jeans pocket.

Darrell Icenogle
http://FlipInFocus.com

Very good presentation. I hadn't seen this before my purchase, but now I am glad I watched it, it only confirms that I made the right choice.

great review! thanks for someone like me who is just hearing about this product. I have been using more of the canon camera's due to memory sticks/cards for photos & videos. Does this flip video take photos too? I like having both options at my finger tips while we travel. I hate carry to products for good quality still photos and 20min mini video feeds of family trips here and there. thanks again!

Thanks to you both...

The Flip doesn't have all the advantages that some still cameras have, like optical zoom and macro mode, but I have taken some terrific pictures with it -- particularly of people. Film the scene you would ordinarily snap, then use the snapshot feature of FlipShare software to pick just the right frame from the clip -- when no one is blinking or looking away, or when a person's smile is at its peak of perfection. And it is 1280x720 resolution, which is as at least as big as I want to send or keep for most things. That's terrific for a device that slips into the same jeans pocket with my cell phone.

I can proudly say that I have produced a DVD now on sale at Amazon that contains a total of 94 minutes of material on all models of the Flip HD camcorders, and how to get the most from them. Since the above review was produced, Flip added the 2nd generation MinoHD, which has video quality and specs very similar to the UltraHD, and I built a device to simultaneous shoot video from all three models, and then placed them side by side. The DVD can help you choose a model, or to shoot, edit, and share good video with a Flip when you get one. One secret I teach is how to edit with Windows Movie Maker in full HD, which is more capable than FlipShare.

If you're interested, the product link is here:

Secrets of the Flip HD Camcorders

Thanks again,

Darrell Icenogle
FlipInFocus.com

The side by side video from the two cameras helped enormously. Great idea.

Yeah, I just wasn't happy with its lack of synchronization. For the DVD, I basically mounted all three -- a Flip MinoHD gen1, Flip MinoHD gen2, and Flip UltraHD on a board, and attached the board to the tripod. That gave me perfect synchronization. I was lucky enough to have New England fall colors happening all around me, so I took some footage in my back yard that really shows up the color differences. I synchronized them by matching audio peaks. Worked out great.

What an amazingly helpful review!!! I wish every product had reviews like this!!! I'm no longer confused and could have ended up with the wrong Flip camera, so thanks!

Thank you. Keep in mind that this was written in early October, and since then the 2nd Generation Flip MinoHD was released. It complicates the issue just a bit. The recording time and internal memory are the same (2 hr., 8 GB); the video quality and view angle are virtually identical; the audio is stereo for both; the LCD screen is 2" diag. for both. Both now have HDMI outputs.

The tradeoff now is that the MinoHD is lighter and smaller that the UltraHD, but it doesn't have removable batteries, and it costs more.

That may not sound like a tradeoff, but if the difference in size is the difference between it being comfortable or uncomfortable in your pocket, that difference may determine whether you take your camcorder with you or not.

It's pretty hard to ignore the price difference, right now, which makes the price of 'sleek' pretty high.

Darrell Icenogle
flipinfocus.com
Secrets of the Flip HD Camcorders