Great little handheld video cam

[Torch]

I thought I might share some useful information. There are many times when we wish we had a video camera available for certain moments or events. Many mobile phones of course have built-i vid cams, but the quailty is sub-par. A few years back, a company called Pure Technology produced and high-quality cam called the Flip Video. They used to sell new at around $160. I found 'em cheaper at eBay and purchased a few of them. I own (and recommend) the Flip Ultra 60. This cam is similar in size to an iPod and has a built-in flash drive that will hold 60 minutes worth of video. They are powered by 2 AA batteries. A mic is built into the cam. The sound and picture quality is better than most any other cam I have seen in this price range. I have also captured live bands, and the sound and picture quality was real good. The cam is called The Flip because, there is a sliding switch located at the side of the unit....and when you move that switch, a USB plug "flips out" safely. By way opf the USB plus, you cannoct the cam into a USB port on your computer and can easily transfer your videos.
The reason why I am posting about this product is because I recently recorded two live shows by a local band, and the sound and image on playback was nice and clear. Once I transfer the AVI Flip Video footage to my PC, I use a software to convert the AVI files to DVD diles and burn it all fo blank DVD. Sweet!

[mojobone]

Link to some sample video?

I use a Fuji Finepix 2000 for video; the onboard mic has a lot less of that crispy sizzle that's designed to "enhance" speech, so it works pretty well for recording live bands. It does 720p HD in MP4 format, so I can upload the files directly to YouTube, once they're on my computer. (uploads via tiny USB connector cable) It also takes great stills, and retails for under $200. It takes AA batteries you can find anywhere. (sucks up amps like mad, though, so use Lithium for best results) It has one slight drawback; you can take a maximum of 15 min of video at a time. (the 8G SD card can hold six clips or so) Not a huge problem since YouTube clips are limited to ten min. It is also NOT pocket size.

You need a fast internet connection to see this in full resolution. You can select 720P and pause the video 'til the little bar underneath fills up, if it stutters on ya.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M21W_GZgfrk

[hazineju]

sigh, i just lost my fuji finepix s700 to the rio grande a couple weeks ago. yes, i got many beautiful stills from it. recorded some video on it as well, and would say it was a lot better than the flip mino i have for recording video. the flip mino hardly has any zoom. the sound wasn't great for me on either of them when recording live music, but i was recording in a venue with horrible acoustics, so i really couldn't give that a fair assessment. i do give the flip points for being so small, lightweight, and easy to use though. the fuji was bulky and heavy but i do miss that thing.

[Torch]

I never pursued the Flip Mino. There were a few factors about it that I did not like, including the built-in rechargeable battery. Perhpas the Mino can still be used if if it is plugged into an AC outlet whhile the battery is charging, but how inconvenient. I much-better like the ability to swap otu batteries within secdonds and kee filming. I know that AA batteries for powering my Flip Tltra 60 can be expensive when purchased at a retail store, but if you go to eBay (like I have), you can buy a bulk of AA batteries and save a lot of money. Just make sure the batteries you purchase have long-lasting expiration date.
Where my Flip Ultra falls short is that it has a 2x zoom that makes the film "grainy" when zoming in. Also, the unit is god for 60 minutes and is not expandable by use of a smart media card. In spite of these factors, I have gotten really good and consistent picture and sound quality from my Flip Ultra 60 cams. I purchased a few of them on the cheap at eBay. I paid an average of $60 per unit and have alwys been satisfied with the performance of this cam!

[mojobone]

Yeah, I can't control the zoom speed on mine, or do soft focus or any arty stuff; I may get a quality HD videocam for serious work. I've been asked about shooting some commercial stuff, but I'd also have to upgrade my editing software for that. (Final Cut Pro, here I come, heh) A lot of people don't know this, but I originally trained to be a photographer, before my love of playing and producing shows got in the way.