A lot of people have digital cameras, but not many have a camcorder. But what if you want to record those precious moments on film? Most times you don't need a fancy camcorder with thousands of features, but you want something that works.
I'm going to review Pure Digital's Flip camcorder, which surprisingly has captured over 13 percent of the camcorder market in the past year.
On first glance, the Flip looks like those toy camcorders, since it doesn't have bells and whistles like a zoom or flip-out screen. However, that is the essence of the Flip.
It's got a huge record button and only a couple of others, it doesn't use tapes, discs or memory cards, and it has a built-in USB plug for connecting to your computer. It's the equivalent
of a simple point-and-shoot camera.
Because this device is so easy to use and carry, it's easy for virtually anyone to be able to capture video whenever they want.
The startup time for the Flip is only two seconds, making it possible to capture all those candid moments. And when you want to transfer video back to your computer, all you have to do is flip out the built-in USB switch and plug it into your computer.
The bottom line: This device is so simple to use that anyone ranging from a first grader to college students to senior citizens should have no trouble recording and downloading video from the Flip.
The Flip is obviously a great choice for casual users who want to capture simple video, but it has its limitations.
As previously mentioned, it only has a 2x zoom, so you can't use this device to capture things like sporting events, where you're far away from the action. However, the video quality is superb in dim light settings without anything like "night mode," so lighting isn't something you should worry about.
The other main limitation is the capacity of the device. The Flip comes in 30-minute and 60-minute models, which indicates the length of footage it can record.
There's no way to add
more storage to it, so when you fill it up, you either have to download the recorded clips or delete them.
The quality of the video is decent, at least for Web sharing on YouTube, but it certainly isn't movie production quality. And lastly, I think the Flip is a bit overpriced at $150 and $180 for the two models.
Overall though, I think the Flip is really a great camcorder. It does what other camcorders can't do; that is to encourage you to take more videos. In the age of YouTube, who doesn't want to able to capture every moment with ease?
It's great because it's rugged and easy to use, and I'd recommend it to those who don't mind the slightly high price tag.
