Smaller camcorders are increasing in popularity, and at the vanguard of that
is the Flip Video camera, which is already a big seller in the USA.
In addition to shooting video it allows users to directly upload their clips
to Youtube using the supplied software, and can store up to an hour of video.
At first glance, the Flip Video may seem like quite an expensive way of
shooting the MPEG4 movies it creates, something that's also possible with most
new mobile phones.
However, the quality of the recorded video from the Flip is much better than
that from any mobile phone we've seen.
Its maximum resolution is a decent 640x480 pixels and we were pleasantly
surprised by its good exposure levels and impressive low light performance.
The Flip Video outshines the
Creative
Vado in both of these respects. Sound, although only in mono rather than
stereo, was also very clear.
Using the Flip was simple – there's a single button to start and stop
recording and one for playing back videos. Recordings can be played back in full
screen on the computer or on a television.
The AV cable needed for do this is supplied, along with a soft pouch –
Creative doesn't supply either with the Vado. Given these, we think the Flip's
higher price – £25 over the Vado – is justified.
The Flip is powered by two AA batteries as opposed to the Vado's lithium
battery, but it doesn't come with rechargeable batteries or a charger.
We were disappointed that its screen is about an inch smaller than the
Vado's, which means some may struggle to see details on it. It's also chunkier
and heavier than the Vado, giving it a toy-like appearance compared with its
sleeker rival.
The supplied software makes it easy to have fun with videos by automatically
inserting effects and transitions based on a chosen theme. Unfortunately,
though, it crashed several times during our testing, so it's not particularly
stable.
Video quality was fairly impressive, although these smaller camcorders are
never as good as their full-size rivals. The Flip is a well-designed video
camera that performs well, then, but it's not perfect.
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