Flip Ultra Camcorder Review
Posted by Sandy Berger on July 6th, 2009
The small Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder took the market by storm in the last two years. And why not? It’s a small camcorder that fits in the palm of your hand. It is very easy to use. The quality of the videos is good for showing online (640 x 480) and the Flip makes it easy to upload the videos to YouTube.
There are now many Flip imitators, but the Flip was the first in this market area, and it still holds up well against the competition. The Flip now also comes with a better resolution in a Flip appropriately called the FlipHD (1280 x 720).
The Flip has a pop-out USB connector, so there are no clumsy cables. Just insert it into your computer. The included software is also easy-to-use.
Here are my pros and cons:
Pros:
- Simple, easy-to-use controls
- Self-contained, easy-to-use software
- Easy uploads
- Quick start-up
- Good video quality
- Good in both high and low light conditions
- No cords
- Small and light
- Tripod mount
- TV playback
Cons:
- Plasticy feel
- Low resolution
- Few editing options
- Doesn’t always fit in USB port without hub or extender
- No optical zoom
You can read my more detailed review with pictures at HardwareSecrets.com. Although it a great little camera, the Flip is getting a lot of competition from cell phones whose video hardware is getting better and better! Buy one now if you want to have a small video cam and want to upload to Youtube quickly. Else, wait a while — these things just keep getting better and better.
July 6th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
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July 10th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I do not presently own a camcorder but, that “Flip” looks like a winner. What’s the cost?
July 11th, 2009 at 11:24 am
it costs about $149. On all my reviews I try to give a link to a place where you can purchase the item because then you can see how much it costs and you can often read the reviews of other users. So on this review, if you click on the “Buy” button you will be take to Best Buy where you will see the price and also see that Best Buy users have rated it highly. You are under no obligation to buy.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:05 am
I love my flip…however, can anyone tell me how to transpose still snapshots so they can be copied onto a CD and printed? I have no trouble pulling snapshots from the video, but they are in WMV format and not printable. Thanks
August 24th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Try a free program named ImageGrab:
http://paul.glagla.free.fr/imagegrab_en.htm
If you follow the tutorial, it is very easy to use and it works like a charm. I was just reviewing it for the Compu-KISS newsletter when your post popped up. If you don’t get the free newsletter, you can sign up at:
http://www.compukiss.com/newsletter.htm
September 26th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I love my Flip. I started with a Flip Mino, and I’ll be picking up the Ultra soon. I think the additional drive space and rechargeable battery is great. There have been a few times where I ran out of juice on the Mino, but didn’t have my laptop handy. My only complaint with the Mino.. and I guess applies to the Ultra is the image stabilization. It’s a little shaky if you’re not using a tripod.
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 am
I’m having many problems. First, I have tried for two days to log in to the Flip site but cannot. Also, vids get stored in the flip folder but cannot be uploaded to the flip page to make a video. Vids cannot be downloaded on to my camcorder AND when new vids are added to my channel, notifications sent to me in an email take me to a dead end web page. Great product but major software issues.