flip - Gizmodo

posts about #flip more →
The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
FlipShare TV Hands-On
Flip's Next Pocket Cam May Be a Wi-Fi Slider
Ultimate Pocket Camcorder Comparison
Flip Mino HD Review: If it Ain't Broke...
Next-Generation Flip MinoHD: Sleeker Design, Double the Memory
Unsightly Flip Video Remote Appears
Crazy Long-Lens HD Cam Concept Makes Flips and Vados Self Conscious
Kodak Zi8 1080p Pocket Camcorder Review: Your Move, Flip
Kodak Zi8 Wallops Flip With 1080p, Image Stabilizer and SD Slot
Zoom Q3: Finally A Flip-Type Pocket Cam With Decent Audio
Samsung Barges Into Flip Territory With HMX-U10 1080p Pocket Camcorder
Ideas We Like: iPods With Cameras
Santa LeBron Gifts Unsuspecting Teammates With Flip Mino HD Cams
Flip UltraHD Camcorder Review
The New Mantra of Tech: It's Good Enough
Flip Ultra HD: Our Favorite Cheap Camcorder Goes HD
Cisco Acquires Pure Digital, Makers of the Flip Video Cam, For $590 Million
Dealzmodo Hack: Overhaul Your Last-Gen BlackBerry
Creative Vado HD Pocket Camcorder Now Available

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

newgalactic
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
When I worked at Circuit City in college (1999), we were given a statistic that the average camcorder user uses their camcorder for 12 hours a year. Remember that when you consider dropping $800 on a camcorder.
Reply

newgalactic was starred newgalactic was unstarred

Eugenia
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
I highly disagree with what's concluded in this article.

The Flip (and Kodak Z-series) cameras are the worst digirecorders one could buy. Want good portable P&S video? Get the Canon SX200 IS digicam that records at 720/30p. Not only you will get exposure compensation AND locking for $300, but you get enough color and other settings to even emulate the movie look! And all that at high h.264 bitrate: 24 mbps! Beats the completely automatic, highly compressed Flip/Kodaks any day.

As for the high-end camcorder, I don't agree with going with the Panasonic one. The best camcorder in that range is the Canon HF-S10/S100. It has more detail than the TM-300, and more manual controls and ports -- at the same price.
Reply

Eugenia was starred Eugenia was unstarred

lpranal
12/08/09

@Eugenia: the sx200 is nice, but it costs twice as much. Yes, the money may buy you oodles of features / better optics, and is probably a much better value... but "budget" is not the word I would use at that price point, speaking as a broke-ass graphic designer.
Reply

lpranal was starred lpranal was unstarred

mullingitover
12/08/09

@Eugenia: Seconded. I have the Powershot 780IS and it's a wicked good HD video recorder. It's only $199.

The focusing lens is what makes it totally outclass the flipcam-style recorders. It's also *tiny!*Bonus: Canon makes a really solid underwater case that'll let you shoot down to something like 150 feet with full controls available.
Reply

Eugenia promoted this comment mullingitover was starred mullingitover was unstarred

frigg
12/08/09

@Eugenia: I was strongly considering the HF-S100 but Camcorderinfo compares it with the TM-300 on a number of fronts and makes a compelling case for the Panasonic, concluding:

"TM300 has the edge in performance, clearly beating out the HF S100 in low light, noise, stabilization, and still performance; the Canon has only a slight edge in bright light color, video sharpness, and motion"

I'm not sure what port the Canon has that the Panasonic doesn't - is it an important one?
Reply

frigg was starred frigg was unstarred

Margatron
12/08/09

@Eugenia: I agree with the heart of your argument, that a more comprehensive review of certain cameras at certain price levels should have been done.

It's a very easy argument that currently Cannon makes some of the leading sensors on the market and another easy argument that everyone looking to do semi-pro filming (ie 1300$ and up) should stay far away from Panasonic. I say redo this article as a weeklong special with that level of research.
Reply

Margatron was starred Margatron was unstarred

Ninety-9
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
My vote is still on the Kodak Zi8. Currently priced at $150 for a 1080p pocket camcorder, and it's got all the cool little things that makes us gadget people all giddy.
Reply

Ninety-9 was starred Ninety-9 was unstarred

Demonbird
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
Why buy the Mino HD when you can get a JVC Everio MS120, a traditional camcorder, for $20 more?
Reply

Demonbird was starred Demonbird was unstarred

ninjamurf
12/08/09

@Demonbird: Because you don't WANT a big honkin' camcorder? And you would prefer something you can drop in your shirt pocket?
Reply

Demonbird promoted this comment ninjamurf was starred ninjamurf was unstarred

Demonbird
12/08/09

@ninjamurf: It's not much bigger than that, has a lot more features, and I'm pretty sure that would be an awkward thing to put in your shirt pocket.
Reply

Demonbird was starred Demonbird was unstarred

thePrototype
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
I would really recommend taking a look at previous gen cameras on eBay or CL, a lot of people buy them with good intentions and never use them.

My husband picked up a Sony HDR-HC3 for $400 when the HDR-HC5 was retailing around $1200.
Reply

Mark Wilson promoted this comment thePrototype was starred thePrototype was unstarred

Nick
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
i like this idea of co-opting articles from niche sites. is this just a christmas season sorta deal?
Reply

Nick was starred Nick was unstarred

Ridley
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
I would have liked to see how the Flip HD compares to something like the Lumix DMC-ZS3 - a point and shoot also built for video.

Or to see how the camcorders compare to the DSLR's video like the Canon T1i
Reply

CommentingpointlesslyisMeh promoted this comment Ridley was starred Ridley was unstarred

CommentingpointlesslyisMeh
12/09/09

@Ridley: I own the ZS3...it is amazing. The Video is outstanding (720p). Pictures are excellent. It's not a perfect low light performer but with a small CCD and only 300 bucks it can't be beat. I am considering going to the Pana GF-1 though. A micro 4/3's rockstar. Read some reviews.
Reply

Edited by CommentingpointlesslyisMeh at 12/09/09 1:42 AM

CommentingpointlesslyisMeh
12/09/09

@CommentingpointlesslyisMeh:
Reply

CommentingpointlesslyisMeh
12/09/09

@CommentingpointlesslyisMeh:
Reply

beekerstudios: you are inane and stupid
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
The only contender for me was the Panny, for the focus ring, but for $500 more I will be getting a 7D, and killing two birds with one stone. Not the same, I realize, but I have a $3,000 Sony FX1000 (needed tape) for work, that I have full access to whenever I want.
Reply

Mark Wilson promoted this comment

Col. Mustard
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
the HV40 from canon is excellent. $700, MiniDV, excellent in most light
Reply

Mark Wilson promoted this comment Col. Mustard was starred Col. Mustard was unstarred

Rob C
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
So where's the $300-400 model?
What if we don't want a cheap mini like the Flip, but want something a little better without breaking the bank at $600?
Reply

Mark Wilson promoted this comment Rob C was starred Rob C was unstarred

Mark Wilson
12/08/09

@Rob C: In short, they no longer really exist - not in a form you should buy. Flip-style cams cannibalized the market.
Reply

Mark Wilson was starred Mark Wilson was unstarred

Joe Stoner
12/08/09

In reply to The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget
If you're looking at spending $1300 on a consumer video camera, I really have to recommend taking a look at the previous generation of pro (or cheap documentary) cameras, specifically the Panasonic Ag-DVX100B. Yes, it's only SD, but it's really good SD (using 3CCD instead of CMOS for the sensor). And sound quality is terrific - with a pair of XLR inputs, you can't compete on sound with any of these consumer models, and if you've ever shot video only to find the audio was terrible, you know how important sound is to good video. Also worth mentioning is the real 24P mode. Instant dramatic effect.

It's since been replaced by the $5K AGX200, which shoots in HD, but a quick search on ebay shows that they are out there (don't be fooled by the "buy it now" listings - they're priced too high and there's a reason they're still listed).
Reply

Joe Stoner was starred Joe Stoner was unstarred

TheCrudMan
12/08/09

@Joe Stoner:
It's been replaced by the HVX-200, the HPX-170, and the HMC-150 actually....actually in many ways the HMC-150 is the actual successor. There is no AGX200 to my knowledge. The HMC-150 at $3500 is a freaking amazing camera...same body, etc, as the much more expensive HPX-170 but it lacks P2 recording which for most people isn't a big deal, p2 actually being a detriment for independent filmmakers on a budget. HMC-150 also has the best implementation of AVCHD in any camera ever.

That said, I also highly recommend the Panasonic Lumix GH1.
Reply

Joe Stoner promoted this comment TheCrudMan was starred TheCrudMan was unstarred

Joe Stoner
12/08/09

@TheCrudMan: Yeah, HVX-200 is what I meant. And we opted to get a 160GB firewire drive instead of using P2 cards since they're just too damn expensive.
Reply

Joe Stoner was starred Joe Stoner was unstarred

MDIFILM
12/08/09

@Joe Stoner: well, p2 cards prices droped, and from my distributor, they said the firestore doesn't work well and they aren't doing well since p2 cards prices dropped (We have 4 hvx200 cameras)
Reply

Joe Stoner promoted this comment MDIFILM was starred MDIFILM was unstarred

Joe Stoner
12/08/09

@MDIFILM: We never had any issues with the firestore... but it's great that the prices have dropped on P2 cards.
Reply

Joe Stoner was starred Joe Stoner was unstarred

scoobydoo
12/01/09

In reply to FlipShare TV Hands-On
This is what happens when you let Cisco screw around with consumer electronics.

Just look how successful the Linksys media streamers were, or how great the Media Hub is doing.

Flip was great on its own, you plug the damn thing in, and it works.
Reply

scoobydoo was starred scoobydoo was unstarred

Sirobin
11/19/09

In reply to Flip's Next Pocket Cam May Be a Wi-Fi Slider
I like how it says Cisco confirmed it, and yet this article is tagged "uncomfirmed"...
Reply

tande04 promoted this comment Sirobin was starred Sirobin was unstarred

tande04
11/19/09

@Sirobin:
Yep. I don't know if anyone cares when I relate the story why they do that but I like telling the story...

The short and sweet version is that when the first iPhone was getting ready to launch Engadget posted a story that the iPhone was going to be delayed that was "confirmed by sources at apple." Turned out the whole thing was a scam but it wasn't figured out until after apple stock dropped 2 and a half percent on the news. After that Giz started a policy of calling anything that doesn't have a press release in hand "rumor" and "unconfirmed".
Reply

Edited by tande04 at 11/19/09 1:10 AM tande04 was starred tande04 was unstarred

ilerrantriat
11/19/09

In reply to Flip's Next Pocket Cam May Be a Wi-Fi Slider
I don't see how the sliding form factor would look good on a video camera :/
Reply

tande04 approved this comment ilerrantriat was starred ilerrantriat was unstarred

tande04
11/19/09

@ilerrantriat: I don't really get the sliding part either.

It going to be a slider cellphone? I guess it kind makes sense in that the lens is protected in someway.
Reply

tande04 was starred tande04 was unstarred

Christopher Powers
11/18/09

In reply to Ultimate Pocket Camcorder Comparison
Nice you did the Nano in there but you left out the iPhone 3Gs...
Reply

Christopher Powers was starred

Ryno29
11/18/09

@Christopher Powers: If you're gonna do the Iphone, then you have to do all the other phones with video cameras in them.

Some people like not having a contract with their camera.
Reply

Don Nguyen approved this comment Ryno29 was starred Ryno29 was unstarred

iomatic, hey, I'm an idiot, but I'll comment anyway
11/18/09

In reply to Ultimate Pocket Camcorder Comparison
Uh, just a minor point re: the Nano; VGA resolution would not explain color saturation ("dull" and "lifeless"), though it would explain lack of detail.

Thanks for the homework; I'm sure this will help many a holiday buyer.
Reply

Don Nguyen promoted this comment

ifteetylatun
11/17/09

In reply to Ultimate Pocket Camcorder Comparison
Key to the Kodak is an audio in jack to provide an external mic, can't be said how valuable this can be!
Reply

Don Nguyen approved this comment ifteetylatun was starred ifteetylatun was unstarred

Ebichuman - イカせてみせます、今夜こそ！
11/17/09

In reply to Ultimate Pocket Camcorder Comparison
I own a JVC Picsio, and I can concur on its crappiness.
(Disclaimer : I got it with BicCamera gift cards, and that's the only mini cam they have).
The feeling is awful, buttons are indeed very confusing and unpractical, making the interface nothing short of crap-tastic.
Besides, any shot in darker than daylight conditions is barely watchable.

It does the job somehow, but there is so much better out there (...unless by out there you mean Japan. The mini cam market is inexistant here) #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
Reply

Don Nguyen promoted this comment

NotSoSiniSter
11/17/09

In reply to Ultimate Pocket Camcorder Comparison
do skulls mean "deadful"? #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
Reply

NotSoSiniSter was starred NotSoSiniSter was unstarred

NotSoSiniSter
11/17/09

@NotSoSiniSter: i meant dreadful. lol deadful. pun. :D #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
Reply

Don Nguyen promoted this comment NotSoSiniSter was starred NotSoSiniSter was unstarred

Angelo Perera
11/17/09

In reply to Ultimate Pocket Camcorder Comparison
I looked at all these cameras at a Best Buy store in minnesota and decided on buying the Zi8 simply due to the fact that it was the highest resolution camera with an actual SD slot.

As cool as the flips are, they were premium priced and only had integrated memory. I like flipping cards in and out, having the flexibility instead of always having to download files to a computer (usually huge files) before you can shoot again. #pocketcamcorderbattlemodo
Reply

Don Nguyen promoted this comment Angelo Perera was starred Angelo Perera was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Gizmodo Team

SUBSCRIBE TO Gizmodo

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment

Edit tagpage description