By: A prolific

A prolific — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:01:09 +0000

If I’m going to spend more than a hundred bucks on an item or somewhere around there, I do extensive research first to know I got the best bang-for-the-buck and, consequently, dodge any potential future buyer’s remorse. I’ve realized that the time I spend doing my product comparisons is often time that others don’t have so I may as well share what I can. I’ll start by saying that you’ll see my “Verified Amazon Purchase” on the Flip HD Ultra Camcorder review because, obviously, that’s the one I wound up buying and I’ll share with you why. But what I like in a camcorder may not suit your own needs so I’ll break it down and let you decide what’s best for you via what I found out: Here are the pocket camcorders I compared: Flip UltraHD (will be referred to as “F”) Flip Mino HD 2nd generation (Will be referred to as “M”) Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB 2nd generation (Will be referred to as “CL”) Kodak Zi6 Pocket HD (Will be referred to as “K”) Why HD cameras only? Brighter colors and better images, wider images HD SHOOTING TIME: F: 120 minutes. M: 120 minutes CL:120 minutes K: 25 minutes with batteries they included, 120 minutes if you buy an SD card MEMORY: F: 8 GB M:8 GB CL: 8 GB K: internally only 30 MB recording space but it has 32 GB expandable SD/SDHC card slot. Because it comes with such small recording space you really need to buy an SD or SDHC card to maximize its potential, but the potential is really good and this will increase your ability to shoot longer. RESOLUTION: All 720p which is excellent, just one step below the top 1080p format. SOUND: F:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds M:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds. CL:Poor sound quality; had issues with sound and picture not being in sync. K:Poor sound quality ZOOM: F: 2x M:2x CL:2x K: poor quality zoom on the one I tried but I still think it’s 2x. It has a great macro focus for very close-up objects if, for example, you see a bumble bee and want to shoot it on a leaf a few inches away! Kinda cool. SIZE AND WEIGHT: F: 6.2 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches ; 11.2 ounces M: 2 x 0.7 x 3.9 inches ; 1 pound CL: 3.3 x 7.9 x 6.3 inches ; 11.2 ounces K: 4x 5x 2.5″ 2.4 lbs TECHNICAL DETAILS: F: USB cable pops out of the back so you don’t need to keep up with a separate cable. Comes with Flip Video rechargeable AA battery pack (recharges when connected to USB); also supported by standard AA batteries. Note: Some sets come with the HDMi mini included and others come with the rechargeable battery pack on Amazon. Looks like one or the other but of course if you need both you can buy the other. M: USB cable pops out of the back on this one as well. Has child safe button to prevent accidental deletion of videos. Internal lithium ion battery recharges through built-in USB arm CL: USB cable in camera. Included in box are HDMI cable, USB extension cable, silicon skin

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By: A prolific