I think I'm in love

Preface: I received this digital camcorder free from Amazon.com, as part of a way to encourage high-volume reviewers to try their new video reviewing option. To avoid any semblance to quid pro quo, I am not reviewing this item on Amazon.com, or on any other site, but Epinions.com. For those of you who like facts and figures, all that stuff is listed below, thanks to me raiding the Flip Video website (www.the flip.com).

Back to the beginning: As I said, this digital camcorder came to me free and unexpectedly. I almost did not accept the offer, as I have greatly impaired dexterity, and I easily imagined myself not being able to work the thing. However, as it came with a statement that there was no obligation to do any video reviews, I figured I would either be able to use it, or it would make a neat gift for someone.

By the way, when you first connect the Flip Video Ultra to your computer, it automatically loads the needed software, stored in the device, into your computer.

Usage experience: I quickly found that I had no problem handling this little device. The biggest struggle is pushing the Record button, which is on the back, just below the LCD screen, and it is set in a bit, to make it hard to accidentally start or stop recording. Around the red Recording buttons, there is a ring with four buttons at the cardinal positions, that are used for zooming in or out, moving through multiple videos, and choosing which video to play or delete. The actual play and delete buttons are outside the ring.

Uploading a recorded video to my computer is fairly easy. Along one side, there is a flip-up arm that, when extended, acts as the connection to the USB port on my computer. Once connected, a screen pops up, giving me clearly-labeled choices. The actual uploading takes about as long as the length of the video, or somewhat less. Once loaded onto the computer, you get to see a small-screen version of the video, with options to save it, or to edit it before saving. The editing amounts to cutting off unnecessary sections at the beginning and/or at the end. If you want to string pieces of video together, you use the make-a-movie option, which I have yet to try out.

While uploading to my computer was quick and easy, uploading to a website was a horse of a slightly different color. Uploading to Amazon or YouTube was just as easy, but a ten-minute video took almost an hour to upload to either site. I have uploaded one video to both sites, and the time required was no different.

A note on connectivity: When I plug the extendable arm into my computer, about one-quarter of the time, everything is fine. The rest of the time, my computer labels it as an unidentified device, and I have to unplug it, and try again. That can become frustrating. I must add, though, that after talking to a few other owners of this device, no one else was encountering this connectivity issue. It might well be more of an issue with my computer and/or my USB port. I seldom use my USB port.
How I have used it: I have done ten video reviews, with the quality depending upon my handling of the device and my creativity. The Flip Video Ultra is not the cause of my less-impressive creations. I videotaped our front and back yards on Thanksgiving morning, when we got a nice layer of unexpected snow, and those turned out very good. I tried videotaping the enormous opossum that visited us on Christmas Eve morning, twenty feet beyond our doorwall, but my timing was bad and, by the time I got the recorder up and running, the critter had ambled off into the neighbor’s yard. I used the zoom feature, but he was still too far away.

My biggest success with the Flip Video Ultra came on its first usage. I work for a non-profit mental health clinic for children and adolescents. We had invited a speaker, from the County’s intermediate school district, to talk about transition issues (i.e., helping teens prepare for the post-high-school years). With the speaker’s permission, I turned the recorder on, aimed it at the podium, and ran it for a full hour. The Flip Video Ultra not only gave me a video with the picture quality of a good television, but every word the speaker uttered was picked up clearly, from twenty feet away, when the audience was quiet. The video was definitely good enough to share with my colleagues who were unable to attend the presentation.

I have tried using the Flip Video to create a still-shot. The first time, it came out great. The second time, I discovered the limits of the device to handle low lighting. We were at a fairly dark restaurant, for my parents’ anniversary, and no one in the shots were recognizable. I have not yet tried making an MPEG “movie” by stringing together video segments, but hat is an option I have.

Conclusion: If this device was stolen from me, I would mourn its loss, and I would be sorely tempted to spend the $150 to replace it, that some sites are selling it for.

And now, for the data-lovers:

Available Colors: White, Black, Orange, Pink

Main Details
Up to 60 min.
Internal Memory 2GB
MSRP $179.99

LCD Screen
Screen Size 1.5" (diagonal) 1.5" (diagonal)
Screen Resolution 528 x 132 pixels
Screen Type Transmissive TFT Transflective TFT (for bright daylight)

Video Quality and Performance
Resolution 640 x 480
Sensor 1/4" VGA CMOS sensor
Large (5.6 µm) pixels for maximum light sensitivity
Low Light Sensitivity Very high sensitivity (>2.0V/lux-sec)
Video Compression Pure Digital Video Engine 2.0
Frame Rate 30 frames per second (constant)
Video Bitrate 4.5Mbps (average - auto adaptive algorithm)
Video Format Advanced Profile MPEG4 AVI
Auto White Balance & Auto Exposure - Auto-adaptive white/black balance and exposure; Improved color fidelity, exposure control and dynamic range

Optics
Lens Type Fixed Focus (0.8m to infinity)
Aperture f/2.4 (fast lens for great results in low-light environments)
Zoom Smooth multi-step 2x digital

Camcorder Functions
Interface 8 Buttons
(Power, Play, Delete, Record and 4 way navigation)
Time From Power-Up to Record Less than 3 seconds
Clip length Minimum of 1 second, Maximum of 60 minutes
Power Saver (Auto Shut-Down) Yes
Delete All Function Yes
Play All Function Yes
Set Date/Time Function Yes

Additional Specifications
Dimensions (H x W x D) 4.17" x 2.16" x 1.25"
PC Connection Built-in flip-out USB arm (up to USB 2.0 speed)
Speaker Built-in speaker
Microphone Built-in wide range microphone (improved sensitivity & accuracy)
TV Out NTSC (cable included)
DVD Processing Pure Digital (nationwide retail service) (Details available through website)
Supported Battery Types 2 x AA Batteries
(1.5 Volt AA alkaline, Energizer® e2® Lithium®,
1.2 Volt NiMH rechargeable)
Battery Life - Improved battery life: Up to 2.5 hours
(with 2x AA Alkaline batteries)**
Up to 6.5 hours (with 2 x AA Energizer® e2® batteries)
Tripod Mount Yes

Built-In Flip Video Software
Supported Operating Systems - Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OSX Minimum
System Requirements (Windows) - Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz computer with at least
512 MB of RAM, Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista,
SVGA display monitor (1024x768) and video card,
Windows Media Player 9.0, Microsoft DirectX 9.0
Minimum System Requirements (Mac OSX) - PowerPC G4 1.0 GHz, Intel Core with at least
512 MB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.3.9,
SVGA display (1024 x 768) monitor and video card,
QuickTime 7 or later
Auto Start - Windows: Yes, Mac OSX: No
Online Sharing - Unlimited Private Sharing
Video greeting cards
Upload to YouTube (public and private)
Upload to AOL Video (public and private)
Prepare for web publishing (any other site)
Video Editing - Video truncation (set start/end points)
Compose a new Movie Mix (including 6 movie styles)
Snap Still Photo From Video - Yes (VGA still photo)
File management - Play, Copy/Move, Delete, Rename, Archive on PC
Software Update - Check for updates online (automatic and on demand)

Accessories
In Box Accessories: Carrying pouch, wrist strap, video out cable
Protective Silicon Skins - No
Sport Carrying Case - Yes (in Silver, Black, Pink, Orange and Green)
USB Extension Cables - Yes (Orange, Pink and White)
Tripod - Yes (with multiple color accents)
Action Mount - Yes
Underwater Case - Yes (coming soon)

Model Numbers
White: F260W
Black: F260B
Orange: F260N
Pink: F260P