Flip Video Camcorder Review

by Mark Shapiro

read the press release

 

 

You will flip over the new Flip Video camcorder from Pure Digital.

Last year, Pure Digital announced an unique one time use camcorder – you’d shoot until the flash memory is filled up and then you would take it to a drug store or photo outlet for the digital data to be burned onto a DVD and then tossed the camcorder..

This year’s new hip product is the next step. Using the same basic technology and product design, Pure Digital has introduced a very easy to use, compact camcorder that records directly to a built in flash memory.

 The new Flip Video Camcorder Ultra is now available - with twice as much memory - also it is skinnier and comes in more colors - more

Positioned somewhere between an expensive toy for the kids and a family camcorder, the Flip Video camcorder is a very interesting little product. By little, I do mean small. It easily fits into a pocket. It is about 3 inches high, 2 and quarter inches wide, and an only an inch and a quarter deep.

 

(see spec sheet)

 

There are two versions – one that records for only 30 minutes and another version that will record for 1 hour. I’d recommend getting the 1 gig 60 minute version. Buy the new Ultra version and get the 2 gig version!

 

It is truly a point and shoot camcorder. You turn it on, aim it and press the record button. It includes a 2x digital zoom that allows you to get a bit closer to your subject. You don’t have to worry about focus as it is a fixed focus camcorder. According to the specs, the focal range starts at about .8 meter and goes to infinity. However, I found that when shooting with lots of light, I could get a good deal closer and have acceptable focus. As you shoot and record, it counts down how much time you have left to on the flash memory to capture video and audio.

 

When you are done shooting or the memory is filled up, you can review the captured clips on the camcorder’s LCD screen. If you don’t like a clip, you can select and delete it or you can delete all the shots at once.  You can also watch your videos back on a TV screen via the included analog video and audio cables or you can transfer it to your personal computer. The Pure Digital Flip Camcorder works with both Mac and Windows machines.

 

 

So where does the flip come from? It includes a built in USB 2.0 connector that flips out from the side and enables you to easily transfer your videos from the camcorder to your computer.

 

There is no CD for the installation software. The software for video transfer, editing and uploading is stored on the flash memory inside of the camcorder and automatically downloads when you first plug in the camcorder to your computer. This means that when you go visit your relatives or go on a trip with your FlipVideo camcorder, you don’t have to worry about taking the software along or forgetting a cable. Its all in the camcorder.

 

So how does it look?  Is it good enough for prime time? Well, it all depends on what you need a camcorder for. You are not going to win any awards for cinematography using this camcorder but the pictures are good enough and fun enough. It look like good quality analog VHS.

 

The camera likes a lot of light. Indoor shots – especially dark indoor shots, didn’t look so good. But if you got near a window, shot in a well lit room, or went outside in the sun, the images looked a lot better.

 

To me, it seemed like the colors were tweaked a bit to make faces and people look very good. By the way, I noticed a bit of jerkiness in the video monitor screen while actually shooting the video but when played back, the video looked a lot smoother. The audio quality is good enough. As you would expect, this is not the camcorder for recording high fidelity music videos.

 

There are not a lot of buttons to figure out. One button powers it up; the red button in the middle starts recording and the play button plays back the clips one by one. You zoom by using the up and down arrows on the dial around the red record button.

 

 

 

So what about the software.

 

Amazingly enough, Pure Digital bundles in a free Windows and Mac software application that enables you do to do basic trimming and assembly of your video clips. You can also burn your videos directly to a DVD.

Also, by using the Microsoft Windows software licensed from muvee, you can create fun music videos that combine your video clips with music files on your computer. You can also grab still images from your videos.

 

Unfortunately, the direct upload feature to YouTube and Grouper did not quite work as promised. Yes, it will prepare your video for uploading and connect your computer’s browser to the appropriate upload window but you will still need to register and create an account or sign in to an existing account. And then you will need to find the video that has been loaded to a directory sitting on the desktop. Not a big deal, but it ain’t obvious….

 

By the way, you don’t need to use the Pure Digital software. When you plug in the camcorder, your computer will recognize it as a USB storage device. This means you can easily click and move files from the camcorder memory to your hard drive.

 

A couple of times, my test unit froze up and crashed during playback. However, that was easily fixed by simply opening up the battery compartment and forcing a re-boot.

 

So – should you pull out your credit card and buy this? I think so. The Pure Digital Flip Camcorder is small, easy to use and lots of fun. And it works.  It runs on just two AA batteries and the operation is very simple to figure out. You don't need to go to film school.

The quality of the captured video and audio is sufficient for recording most family activities and events, and perfect for Internet video posting and email sharing. Because of the camcorder's small size and ease of file transfer, this could be a great solution for capturing video while traveling.  

 Even better (or worse), my kids love this camcorder and I’ll have a hard time getting it away from them.

 

	The camcorder retails $114.99 for the 60-minute model. You can get a great deal at Amazon
	The camcorder retails at $110. for the 30-minute model You can get a great deal at Amazon

 Here is the new 2 gig version! Now offering VGA quality video - 640 by 480 pixels