 Fantastic compact device you can take everywhere! |
| Review Date: June 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: ken in the city, |
The form factor on this product is fantastic. Its noticeably smaller (in both the pocket and the hand) than its predecessor - the Flip Video Ultra Series, 60 min. And the Ultra was already compact to start with! The sleek size was vital to me because I just won't bring a camcorder out with me if it doesn't fit easily in my pocket. This device did just the trick. If you don't care about size (i.e., because you will just place it in your purse, etc) then I would suggest saving the money and getting the Ultra, which lists for about $50 or so less.
As far as I can tell, the video quality and functionality is about the same as the Ultra and they both have the 2GB of memory, similar 1.5" screen size, digital zoom etc. So the only reason in my mind to get this is for the size advantage. But for me, size does matter. When I reckon about how many moments passed by unrecorded simply because it was too cumbersome to take a camcorder along, it really makes me wish they made this Mino years ago!
For those of you unfamiliar with Flip camcorders, the Mino has suprisingly excellent VGA video quality. I'd place it on par with that of much larger, more expensive traditional camcorders. The Mino also records well in a variety of light settings. The lack of a right optical zoom is probably to be expected given the small size, but the 2x digital zoom is excellent enough for most casual settings. The design is well thought out to avoid many of the classic pitfalls of portable devices - there's a scratch resistant covering on the lens, an on/off switch on the side that is hard to trip accidentally and a centrally located record button that has enough resistance to avoid unintentionally starting/stopping recording (I know some have issues with the Ultra record button but I have not).
I have a PC at home and the Mino truly is a plug-and-play device. You don't have any confusing software or cables to muddle around with. Simply plug the USB adapter into your computer and you're ready to go! It's fantastic for the non-technically savvy. I also like the rechargeable built-in battery in the Mino (which is a new feature). It recharges like an iPod, either in the computer or through an outlet which is convenient. I can't attest yet to the battery life/quality but I figure by the time it dies out on me, I'll be well on my way to buying a next generation Flip Micro!
------------ July 8th update -------------
I noticed the price dropped on the black Flip Mino. For those of you who don't know (Amazon doesn't advertise this) Amazon not only has a 30 day return policy, but a 30 day price adjustment policy as well. So if you bought your Flip in the past 30 days, you can call them up and they will immediately refund the difference to you with no hassles. This policy holds for all products directly sold by Amazon. |
Fantastic small camcorder
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| Review Date: June 4, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Mediahound, SF Bay Area, CA United States |
The Flip Mino is a fantastic small camcorder for the price, mainly because of the form factor. It's a lot thinner and smaller than the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (White), yet yields equal performance. The only negative is that it doesn't take AA batteries like the Flip Ultra because it's so thin. Instead, it has a non user replaceable built-in lithium ion battery like an iPod.
The Flip Mino does not neccessarily replace the Flip Ultra and the Flip Ultra is being sold side by side with the Flip Mino. And, the Flip Mino doesn't come in as many colors, only a black version and a white version.
I would say If you already have a Flip Ultra, you may not want or need to buy the Flip Mino (unless you really want the smaller form factor or you have money to burn) since it yields about the same video and audio quality. If you don't own a Flip video camera yet, the Flip Mino is probably the one to get unless you require AA batteries which admittedly is nice because they are readily available everywhere. I really prefer AA batteries over an internal rechargeable battery that over a few years will start to lose it's charge and not last as long between charges.
That said, the Flip Mino is pretty nice because it's so small and thin.
Even though I have a digital point and shoot still camera that can shoot video, I find it simpler to shoot video with the Flip Mino. The vertical form factor is better suited to shooting video. The built in software is nice and it's built into the camera so you need not install anything on your computer.
The Flip Mino is a fantastic 'take everywhere' video camera that fits in your pocket and can yield some creative and endearing videos.
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Smartly designed and simple to use
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| Review Date: June 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: D. J. Shih, Seattle, WA USA |
The Flip Mino is a slick device that is well-designed to perform its intended task, namely to take videos that can be readily posted on the Internet. Here are some features that impressed me and that may not be clear from the specs:
Excellent video quality. The video quality is surprisingly excellent, even indoors. I have one of those first-generation consumer digital video cameras (a Sony Mini-DV) that cost $1200 way back when. The resolution of 640-by-480 is the same, and I don't see any difference in the pixel quality between that and my expensive camcorder. Of course the Mino doesn't have all the same features, but it turns out you don't use those features anyway. The picture quality is certainly way better than I get on my cellphone (a Blackberry) or other devices where video recording capability is only an afterthought.
No accessories needed. I like how you can charge and exchange data by USB. I'm not talking about using a separate USB cable. The Mino has a spring-loaded USB plug that pops out so you can plug it in directly to your computer. And when you're done using it, you push the plug down and a hard plastic cover protects it automatically. This is way smarter than those fiddly rubber port covers you see on many electronic devices that you have to push and stretch back into place. This cover hides the USB plug while preserving the clean lines of the device. No extra cables or chargers to carry around when you travel.
Stable picture. I was surprised at how un-shaky the picture is. The narrow, vertical form-factor allows you to hold the Mino steadier than, say, your cellphone. I used to use my digital still camera to take videos, but I'm finding the Mino is much steadier.
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Video recorder, so simple to use
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| Review Date: June 6, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Roy P. Russell, Cambridge, MA USA |
The Flip Mino is brilliantly simple. I've had a couple of camcorders which are huge, complicated, fragile, and eventually break. The Mino is small, simple, sturdy with no moving parts. If you're looking for something simple to use to take high quality home videos, you've found it.
It recharges over the USB connector when you plug it into your Mac/PC. It seems to have way more charge than needed to take 60 minutes of video, so it might just end up being fully charged all the time (unlike my camcorders which were never ready to go). And I prefer the rechargeable over replaceable batteries that just end up in landfills.
The video quality of the compression software was also excellent, though the compressor itself took a long time. In all fairness, this is probably because I have an ancient slow G4 Mac -- time to upgrade. And you can easily grab the raw .avi files right off of the camera if you want to work with uncompressed files. |
Entrepreneurial videos
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| Review Date: August 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Crouse, SC |
I like my new Flip Mino camcorder. I was mega-skeptical about how excellent
something this tiny could be, but I needed something quick, simple and
practical for sales-oriented website videos. I was amazed at how simple it
is to use the Flip Mino, and at the quality of the end product video.
Is it the "perfect" camcorder for every ocassion? No, but for those
impromptu, "down & dirty", on the spot videos it beats the heck out of
using a huge camcorder...or a cellphone. I considered buying a Sony
"Webbie", but dollar for dollar you can't beat a Flip. |
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December 18th, 2009 | 
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