Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1MC1WUXBJ5G4X This is a video demonstration that is designed to show you the quality of results you can get with this little screamer. I spoke quietly in the background, but did not intend for it to be my Hollywood production review. I wanted to type in my thoughts instead. I shot this on a tripod to create a more professional looking shot. I also shot it at dusk. Ansel Adams used to awake in the wee hours in order to get shots at dawn while the sun was still rising. This was done at dusk, while it was getting ready to set. Taking shots on any kind of camera in the full sunlight produces bleached out results unless you use a filter.
I see other reviewers trashing this HD Ultra because it does not have image stabilization and it doesn't. I looked up compact camcorders that do and noticed in HD they run approximately 4 times the price. If you notice on TV, less expensive commercials use fixed lense positions without panning, and more expensive ones use 5 and 6 figure devices to create sweeping shots. So I shot this on a tripod, and wanted you to see what kind of results you could get with that. Flip also offers a cool portable tripod Flip Tripod for Flip Ultra and Mino Camcorders which is a no brainer to get with this unit considering the price and the quality it produces. It compacts small enough to fit in your shirt pocket alongside the camera.
When viewed in a high def monitor straight from the camera, or copied in its full size and format into the computer, the picture is great. I wish I could provide you with the original format, full 94 meg file so you can see just what a superb picture this camera produces. In that format, your friends will be impressed and even somewhat shocked. If you see the video with the Flip Ultra HD plugged in, or the video file downloaded into your PC, you can fully appreciate the high def quality. (See the edit at the end of the review about the video I posted in the shrunk down format)
The overwhelming advantage of this unit is its, take it anywhere in your shirt pocket size and price. If you are walking along with it, expect a bumpy shot. It has a very nice full size 2" crystal clear LCD on the back for previewing and aiming. The included software is loaded with features, covering all of the most popular things you would want to do with a video. It's also well designed and intuitive, requiring little reading of the instructions. The mini HDMI plug is great for inputting into the devices in your High Def world.
The auto focus is quick, and does a good job of automatically setting light levels, so all you have to do is point and shoot. Mine came with a rechargeable NiMH battery, which is good but since you have to plug the unit into a computer to download videos etc. via USB, which is also the standard method to recharge it, then you are topping off a NiMH battery, which prefers to be run down to empty before recharging. As I understand it NiMH batteries have a memory, and if you top them off, then their charge cycle gets shorter. Lithium Ion would be the best match. Fortunately it accepts standard AA batteries as well.
The biggest advantage of this Flip Ultra HD is its size and price. It is the one that you are sure to have with you when the "event" happens. The best shots are the ones you missed. With the included carrying case, which is silky smooth, and fits the Ultra perfectly, you can conveniently store this in whatever is most likely to be with you.
With 120 minutes of record time, you can go out and shoot, shoot, shoot, and then come back and create your own movie with the included software. You can create snapshots of episodes, include background music, blend clips together, and feel like a Hollywood producer. I'm starting to dream up some scripts in order to create my own flicks. It's another creative outlet. I was super impressed with the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 30-Minutes (White) and now this HD version with 120 minutes of record time will give me a lot more flexibility, and refinement. It's a toy to enjoy and since it is a serious enough exercise into the movie video and audio world, it could become the precursor to bigger and better things to come; something I wouldn't have normally bought if I didn't have the Flip UlraHD to lead the way. You can also use the Windows Muvee app that comes pre-loaded with windows to build your movies as well. Get one and get hooked.
Edit: I wanted to come back and comment on the video now that it is published, and I get a chance to see it via the video window in the review. First off this is a 94 meg video in size right out of the camera and into the PC, which looks great, and then I process it with the included software to make it "web ready", which shrinks/compresses it down to 15.4 megs, making it a 640 x 360 image view, and then Amazon may or may not automatically shrink it further to accomodate a wide range of internet connection speeds. What does all of this add up to? Namely an end result that looks great in the small video window, but when blown up full screen it does not look as good as the shrunk once 15.4 meg file. If you wait until the end of the video and see it finally freeze, that is the quality it looks like on my screen the entire time the video is running. In plain words even when shrunk once by the included software application to 15.4 megs, it is a lot sharper in the focus category, even when blown up full screen the whole time it is EXACTLY like what you see at the end of the video on the last frame when it stops. If you run the video right from the camera, or after downloading it into your PC in the original format, it will more than please you, it will drive your friends to envy. You can even pump the end result directly from the camera from its HDMI jack into a high def TV. I went to a party with the Flip HD, parked it on a table in the kitchen with flourescent lights for illumination, and let it run. The end result once I got home and played it made me cherish owning one of these. The more I use it, the more I love it. Get more detail about Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black).
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