Camera Review : Flip Video Ultra

I actually own a camcorder.. to make it even better I WON it just before Connor was born. I was so excited and I had all these plans about all these great videos I would take of him with it. Its been 9 months since Connor was born and I can count on one hand how many times Ive taken it out of the box and actually used it. A big reason for that is by the time I got it out and ready Connor was usually done doing whatever it was I wanted to video tape. I have on the other hand taken many short films with my digital camera but the quality is BAD. Not to mention I really want to upload my videos vs keep them on film as most of Connor's family lives in other locations and it would be nice to share... with at least my camcorder thats not so easy to do..

So I went looking for a better option... and I found there is a whole other family of digital camcorders, very compact in size, and in most cases USB built in!

The the Flip Video Ultra by Pure Digital is as small as a regular digital camera, super light weight, and your USB out is built right in. Within 5 minutes of getting the camera I took my first video literally I took it out of the box, installed batteries, turned it on, and pushed the red button on the back and tada your recording. Here are some specs :

• 2x Digital Zoom
• 1.46" Color LCD Display
• Records at 640x480 resolution
• Depending on the model either 1gb (30 min) or 2gb (60 min) capacity
• built in microphone
• easy USB port with video editing software built right into the camera so you can modify and upload your videos from any computer!
• TV output so you can watch your videos on your TV
• Depending on the model there are several cute color choices you can pick from!

The Flip has been my constant companion for almost two weeks now and its SUPER light (actually lighter than my super slim digital camera) so I barely notice it in my purse. I can record within seconds anywhere, anytime... which is great for those impromptu silly outbursts Connor has! The built in software and easy up editing-uploads is really great you can actually upload directly from your camera to you tube as well if you wish. I think the most attractive price on this camera is its under $200 actually the lower model is around $125 and the 2gb model runs around $150-$179 depending on where you buy it.

I did find a few things Id like to see improved but overall I love this camera, and for the price its well worth it. A few things I should mention : the memory is not upgradeable or interchangeable so depending on your model your stuck with 30 mins or 60 mins of recording time. Once thats full you have to find a computer to transfer off your video to start again, I hope in an upcoming model they put in some sort of memory stick option so you can just switch the cards. The picture quality is diminished if you try to record things too far away (see my zoo videos below), though still fine for uploaded videos I'm not sure I would recommend them for DVDs. Videos taken at short range however are actually fairly impressive for a low cost digital camcorder.

I'll note that I have now taken twice as many videos of Connor than I did the entire time before with my big camcorder! *bow*

You can see several videos in my last reviews (Svan, Jack Toys) of the camera being used close up and in normal home lighting.



Baby Rhino, taken at some distance using the 2x Zoom

Mama Rhino, taken no zoom. (*laugh* I am not responsible for laughing over this video)

Want one?

You can get the Flip Ultra (60min) or the Flip Ultra (30min) on Amazon!