Flip UltraHD Video Camera - Black, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation)

Make sure that this camera is made for your needs. There are many people complaining about this product, but I believe many of them buy this before they truly understand their needs.Our friend had MinoHD and we liked what she did with hers. She highly recommended hers and we were between MinoHD and this one. From a benefit point of view, you will get 120 mins. with this one vs. 60 mins in MinoHD. You will not record over long periods (as it is with any camera), because I do not see many people sit down and watch what had happened the previous day on celebrating someone's birthday, but still, 120 mins. is a better option for the same value for 60 mins. of MinoHD. Note that both record HD videos.The size is not really big at all. This particular question was our concern in the beginning. After receiving it, we saw that it was not the case at all. I am mostly carrying it in the front pocket of my jean and it is fine.Here are some criteria I would evaluate:Ease of use: 5/5Controls: 5/5 (I don't know how it can be 4 honestly. There is only a couple of functions :)Portability: 5/5 (absolutely easy to carry)Battery life: 4/5 (I read a lot of battery complaints, but there can be a lot of issues affecting the charging - operating system, your hardware etc. I am not saying that the camera is perfect; it may have issues, but I have not seen any. If if there were some, being able to use rechargeable batteries with this camera is a good feature to save you trouble. If you do not have rechargeable ones with you, or simply all ran out, then run into a store, grab some AA alkalines and continue to record. At least you have some alternative, UNLIKE MinoHD. That one has its own rechargeable battery.)Quality of video: 5/5 (You can complain about any feature of this camera, but its video quality. It this doesn't satisfy you, I suggest that you do not buy a camera at all :) No way)Image stabilization: 4/5 (I gave 4 because I wish it was better. However, I doubt that it can be any better than this soon! The size of camera is very small. Therefore naturally, the camera shakes easily. There is only one solution to this: making the camera heavier, BUT you wouldn't like this right? :))) Think about the handycam cameras. They shake right? Yeah, because it is compact in size. A feature that you trade the image stabilization for the weight and size. I think, people do not understand their needs and wants properly before buying this. If you are worried about image stabilization, buy a bigger cam, but I bet it will not be as easy and fun as this one)Included accessories: 4/5 (I wish Cisco included a USB extension cord in the package. It would be really helpful. My recommendation is, buy a USB extension cord instead of wall charger. If you are buying this camera, it is most likely that you will have some decent access to computers. So, you can charge them anywhere you have access to a computer. BUT, charging becomes a problem if you do not have a USB cable, because the USB extension of the camera will not be always easy to plug into a USB port. People buy the wall charger for that reason. Instead of buying the wall charger, buy a USB extension and Pro Series Car Travel Power Adapter (http://www.amazon.com/Power-compatible-Converter-Computers-Blackberry/dp/B00144KS6W/ref=pd_ys_iyr2) for your car. Check those items and you will understand why I recommend it.Included software: 5/5 (Very easy to figure out. No installation required, because it installs and updates automatically. Maybe I did not have any issue because I am computer savvy, but you will easily figure out the software if you spend some time).Features: 5/5 (I don't see any problem)Someone made a comment about its cheap look. Yeah, it is a trade for a lightweight product. If you drop it, it won't matter whether it is made of plastic or steel; it will BREAK! If you are concerned about cheap look (which I disagree with), you cannot buy a camera for 150 bucks, especially one with features of this camera.In short, I would buy it in a heartbeat again!

This is my 5th flip video camera. I bought two for myself and two for my kids, not I had to have the new HD version.What makes the flip so successful and so much fun is the simple and easy use, it's small size and of course the built in USB connector.Let's be honest, we don't want to shoot a Hollywood movie, we want a simple way to capture precious or funny moments without having to figure out a fully featured camera and we want decent quality. That's exactly what the flip does best. It's so small and compact that I keep it with me almost anywhere. It starts up instantly, it records instantly and 2 hours of recording time is more than enough. The quality is decent in low light and really good in any normal daylight. For such a small device the sound quality is surprisingly good. Sound issues is what most cheap/digital video cameras struggle with. At the end of the day I plug it in my PC and copy the movies over. It really couldn't be simpler. Once plugged in the battery recharges automatically.Although the resolution is not full HD but only 1280 x 720, the quality you got from such a little device and such a low price is really really good. I have a much more expensive HD camera that hardly delivers a better quality.I have been working for several TV stations and have used all sorts of professional cameras and to a degree still do. I know very well that there a many better cameras out there, but for the flip the 'less is better' concept is really true. Even my 6 and 7 year old kids figured out how to use them in no time. For me it's the simplicity and to know I will get a good video out of it without having to think much.A few things about this model:it comes with a rechargeable battery that recharges through a USB connection. This is very handy because you never have to open the cover and replace batteries. Charging takes a while though. But you can always use normal AA batteries.Sometimes when the camera gets warm it refused to charge saying it's too hot. Letting the batteries cool down is a good idea (prolongs their life). Don't leave it plugged in, because it will never resume charging. You have to unplug it and cool it down, then start over.This model has a neat feature to save battery life. Should you forget to stop recording and put the camera in the bag, it will recognize that there is "nothing to see" and turn itself off! Very cool! Downside is you can't use this camera to shoot a long static scene.Overall battery life is about 2 hours which matches the storage capacity.Overall this camera is more responsive and quicker than the previous models. I like it a lot.Really you can't go wrong with this camera if you are looking for something simple to use and still want decent quality videos.

I can't stress enough how easy the Flip is to use! Turn on, record, plug into your computer/tv, and play! That's literally all you have to do.I chose to purchase this UltaHD Flip over the Mino because of the reviews saying the resolution was better on this one. Please note that if you're used to the Mino, this model does seem a lot bulkier.This is a great little camera to have around - perfect for recording your kids' birthdays, taking a quick youtube video, etc. Please keep in mind that the "HD" on this is meant for computers, it's not the same quality as HD tv. The videos are grainy when I play them on my 42" HDTV, but way clearer than any videos I've taken with my 10 megapixel Canon Camera or my Samsung phone. No complaints about the audio, everything is very clear. The zoom feature definitely has room for improvement. I haven't used this for more than 30 minutes at a time yet, so I can't say anything about the battery power, although many reviews on here have complained about it.If the camera cost anymore than $200, I wouldn't have purchased it. It doesn't come with any accessories, and even a basic HDMI cable is an extra $30. You don't NEED anything other than what it comes with - you can plug it in directly to your computer and charge it/load videos - however, the cables and the charger do come in handy. Luckily Amazon was having a deal ($150 for the camera + 2 free accessories), so I took advantage of it.It does what it's supposed to do. It's a great portable video camera to catch moments in life that you might otherwise miss. It doesn't shoot professional video quality and it doesn't take still pictures. It is what it is, but I think it's well worth the price of $150.