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Published: Jan 27, 2009
Category: Gifts and Gadgets
I'm typing this on a Mac. My cell phone is primitive; I don't text, I don't even know how to store numbers. Since we got the digital camera, our photo albums have languished disgracefully. (Do you know how to get images from your camera to your computer and then to a printer capable of one-hour-phono quality?) And our camcorder gathers dust.
Recently, however, I was liberated --- I bought a Flip MinoHD.
In five minutes, I was making videos. Watching my handiwork. Loading videos onto my Mac. And sending them into cyberspace.
Video
David Pogue demonstrates the Flip
Our seven-year-old is a faster learner. (Okay, who isn't?) She picked the camera up, understood it instinctively, and started shooting blackmail videos of her father.
Can it really be that simple? Here's David Pogue, the New York Times expert on all things digital:
The Flip has been reduced to the purest essence of video capture. You turn it on, and it's ready to start filming in two seconds. You press the red button once to record (press hard -- it's a little balky) and once to stop. You press Play to review the video, and the Trash button to delete a clip.
There it is: the entire user's manual.
And you thought it was a toy!
It certainly looks like a toy --- the iPod's baby cousin. It weighs 3.3 ounces. The lithium battery lasts just two hours before it needs recharging. The 4-gig memory holds only an hour of video. If you need to zoom in, it might be better just to walk closer. You can't use it as a still camera. And, a critic notes, “There are no menus, no settings, no video light, no optical viewfinder, no special effects, no headphone jack, no high definition, no lens cap, no memory card.”
If the Flip has none of the “features” that serious videomakers require, that's a large part of its charm. Turn it on, and in three seconds, you can shoot. When you're ready to shift your video onto your computer, no cable is needed --- a flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your computer. (The software automatically loads onto your computer.) If you want to watch on your TV, a cable's included.
Other strengths: The Flip is surprisingly good in low light. The 1.5-inch screen delivers a sharp image. There's a tripot screw. You can record in silence for “sensitive” situations.
One caveat: Flips come with one-touch video uploading capability so you can post effortlessly to YouTube, AOL, and MySpace. But YouTube doesn't yet accept HD, so if that's your destination, choose one of the cheaper, non-HD models over the MinoHD.
The world's smallest camcorder now sits on a table next to my cell phone and iPod. (When I'm going out, I sometimes slip it into my pocket --- hey, you never know.) It's got the kid thinking about videos she can make. It allows me to show distant friends we're still alive. If I were more ambitious, I could turn these reviews into podcasts --- but that would spoil the fun. And if there's one thing about Flips that everyone who picks one up might agree on, it's that they are outrageous fun.
To buy the Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy the Flip Video Mino Series Camcorder from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy a Soft Pouch for Flip Camcorders from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy a Tripod for Flip Camcorders from Amazon.com, click here.