June 1st, 2008 I had mentioned this a few weeks ago, and I finally took the plunge and bought a Flip Video Ultra. While I have a larger camera, I wanted something smaller that made more sense for me – having the larger camera was nice, but I never used it. I’d rather take quicker little videos when convienient and deal with the negatives of a smaller camera, rather than lugging around a beast of a camera but never really getting a chance to use it. When I saw the Flip was on sale on Amazon for $119, I took the plunge. The Hardware I was instantly pleased with the packaging.
It felt like something that you’d see an Apple product shipped in, and the unboxing experience was just as pleasant. The first thing you see is the camera sitting there, and below the tray holding it is the other accessories and materials. Very Apple-like.
Finally companies are realizing that first impressions go a long way. Once I got the camera out, I quickly put the two AA batteries that were included into the camera, and I was on my way. If you don’t know much about the Flip Video Ultra, it’s premise is that it is a very simple point and shoot camera, and you can be up and shooting within a few minutes.
I took a few quick shots of my dog and tested out the low light / bright light shooting conditions. That is not to say that the product is perfect, however. Quickly I noticed that there is no battery indicator, so you’re left to guess how much time is left.
From what I’ve read, 5-7 hours is a pretty reasonable estimate of what you’ll get. The nice thing is that you can bring along two AA batteries and you’re set. No silly cables or chargers.
Not the most eco-friendly solution, but it’ll do. I’ll probably invest in rechargeable batteries at some point for the Flip. Another thing that I noticed is how awful the digital zoom is. I didn’t expect much, but the thing is a total waste of time. They should have not even included it as an option.
The ‘flip’ out USB drive is a really nice touch, and it makes it simple to get your video onto your computer from anywhere. Again, it’s one less cable to carry around. Video Quality Here is a quick sample: <