The Flip is a self-contained camcorder with no moving parts. It can record an hour or more of good quality standard-definition video with a minimum of fuss. The controls are simplicity itself - switch on, then press the red button to record, and once again to stop. This simplicity is what makes the Flip work for even the most technologically challenged, and the picture quality is far better than the grainy result a mobile phone serves up.
Pure Flip Video - Ease of Use
The Flip is easy to use - insert batteries, switch on and go. There is no tape to insert, no card to fit. The LCD screen on the back shows what the Flip will record. Simply press the red button to start recording, press again to stop.
The Flip looks just like a mobile and it is small, so it is beautifully designed to go anywhere. Being small, it is perfect for casual videos shot on the fly. It won't draw people's attention or intimidate the subjects - if they notice it at all they will think it is a mobile phone, and the small size means it is not a problem to carry around.
This ease of use is achieved by having no user controls apart from start and stop recording, and a very rudimentary digital zoom. Picture quality is best if the digital zoom is not used, and the Flip is operated zoomed fully out. The picture size is typical of a normal lens (~50mm on a 35 mm camera) so the camera viewpoint is to pretty much the same scale as the user sees in front of them.
Flip Ultra Video Quality
The Flip Ultra records 640x480 pixels VGA size video at 30fps, which looks fine on a standard definiton TV. The software is provided on the Flip itself, and is loaded when it is connected to the USB port. Once again the software is easy to use, allowing basic cut editing to trim videos, move them to the hard drive, and synch music as desired.
The video is compressed with the H264 codec, sound with AAC, and saved as a mp4 file. Pure seem to have achieved a remarkably good low light performance, streets ahead of the typical mobile phone and indeed many consumer DV camcorders. This makes the Flip excellent for use indoors. Outside in good light a DV camcorder will usually give better results, and the Flip clear lens cover has to be kept scrupulously clean (and unscratched!) otherwise flare is a problem if sunlight falls directly on the lens.
All in all the Flip is a great way to take casual video in the course of a day. The whole system is incredibly easy to use, and the software makes it easy to upload Flip videos to YouTube. The Flip Ultra was used for this review, there is a HD version, and the Mino range which can be customized; the range share the Flip ethos of being all about simplicity, fun and handy access rather than ultimate image quality and lots of features.
The lack of zoom feature is no great problem for the casual use - simply get closer to zoom in, The unobtrusive nature of the Flip makes it perfect for what is known in the stills photography world as street photography - capturing shots of people in everyday life. The Flip is not about making serious movies for the big screen, but it is about being there, at the right time, a perfect match for the YouTube generation.
For all its fun and portability, the fundamentals of video recording do still apply. It is usually best if the Flip is stationary - a tripod socket is provided though it seems to defeat some of the sponaneity - the standard perspective and no zoom means it is possible to handhold the Flip, but walking with it still leads to shaky video that may induce motion sickness in the audience!
The bottom of the range Flip Video Ultra retails for around $149, the top of the range Mino HD for about $229 (2009)
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