Customer Reviews: Read 312 more reviews...
 Great compact device you can take everywhere! June 5, 2008
ken in the city
255 out of 258 found this review helpful
The form factor on this product is great. Its noticeably smaller (in both the pocket and the hand) than its predecessor - the Flip Video Ultra Series, 60 min. And the Ultra was already compact to begin with! The sleek size was important to me because I just won't bring a camcorder out with me if it doesn't fit easily in my pocket. This device did just the trick. If you don't care about size (i.e., because you will just put it in your purse, etc) then I would suggest saving the money and getting the Ultra, which lists for about $50 or so less.
As far as I can tell, the video quality and functionality is about the same as the Ultra and they both have the 2GB of memory, similar 1.5" screen size, digital zoom etc. So the only reason in my mind to get this is for the size advantage. But for me, size does matter. When I think about how many moments passed by unrecorded simply because it was too cumbersome to take a camcorder along, it really makes me wish they made this Mino years ago!
For those of you unfamiliar with Flip camcorders, the Mino has suprisingly good VGA video quality. I'd put it on par with that of much larger, more expensive traditional camcorders. The Mino also records well in a variety of light settings. The lack of a true optical zoom is probably to be expected given the small size, but the 2x digital zoom is good enough for most casual settings. The design is well thought out to avoid many of the classic pitfalls of portable devices - there's a scratch resistant covering on the lens, an on/off switch on the side that is difficult to trip accidentally and a centrally located record button that has enough resistance to avoid unintentionally starting/stopping recording (I know some have issues with the Ultra record button but I have not).
I have a PC at home and the Mino truly is a plug-and-play device. You don't have any confusing software or cables to muddle around with. Simply plug the USB adapter into your computer and you're ready to go! It's great for the non-technically savvy. I also like the rechargeable built-in battery in the Mino (which is a new feature). It recharges like an iPod, either in the computer or through an outlet which is convenient. I can't attest yet to the battery life/quality but I figure by the time it dies out on me, I'll be well on my way to buying a next generation Flip Micro!
------------ July 8th update -------------
I noticed the price dropped on the black Flip Mino. For those of you who don't know (Amazon doesn't advertise this) Amazon not only has a 30 day return policy, but a 30 day price adjustment policy as well. So if you bought your Flip in the past 30 days, you can call them up and they will immediately refund the difference to you with no hassles. This policy holds for all products directly sold by Amazon.
Great small camcorder June 4, 2008
T. Tom (SF Bay Area, CA United States)
445 out of 472 found this review helpful
The Flip Mino is a great small camcorder for the price, mainly because of the form factor. It's a lot thinner and smaller than the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (White), yet yields equal performance. The only negative is that it doesn't take AA batteries like the Flip Ultra because it's so thin. Instead, it has a non user replaceable built-in lithium ion battery like an iPod.
The Flip Mino does not neccessarily replace the Flip Ultra and the Flip Ultra is being sold side by side with the Flip Mino. And, the Flip Mino doesn't come in as many colors, only a black version and a white version.
I would say If you already have a Flip Ultra, you may not want or need to buy the Flip Mino (unless you really want the smaller form factor or you have money to burn) since it yields about the same video and audio quality. If you don't own a Flip video camera yet, the Flip Mino is probably the one to get unless you require AA batteries which admittedly is nice because they are readily available everywhere. I actually prefer AA batteries over an internal rechargeable battery that over a few years will start to lose it's charge and not last as long between charges.
That said, the Flip Mino is pretty nice because it's so small and thin.
Even though I have a digital point and shoot still camera that can shoot video, I find it easier to shoot video with the Flip Mino. The vertical form factor is better suited to shooting video. The built in software is nice and it's built into the camera so you need not install anything on your computer.
The Flip Mino is a great 'take everywhere' video camera that fits in your pocket and can yield some creative and endearing videos.
Smartly designed and easy to use June 5, 2008
D. J. Shih (Seattle, WA USA)
69 out of 72 found this review helpful
The Flip Mino is a slick device that is well-designed to perform its intended task, namely to take videos that can be readily posted on the Internet. Here are some features that impressed me and that may not be clear from the specs:
Good video quality. The video quality is surprisingly good, even indoors. I have one of those first-generation consumer digital video cameras (a Sony Mini-DV) that cost $1200 way back when. The resolution of 640-by-480 is the same, and I don't see any difference in the pixel quality between that and my expensive camcorder. Of course the Mino doesn't have all the same features, but it turns out you don't use those features anyway. The picture quality is definitely way better than I get on my cellphone (a Blackberry) or other devices where video recording capability is only an afterthought.
No accessories needed. I love how you can charge and exchange data by USB. I'm not talking about using a separate USB cable. The Mino has a spring-loaded USB plug that pops out so you can plug it in directly to your computer. And when you're done using it, you push the plug down and a hard plastic cover protects it automatically. This is way smarter than those fiddly rubber port covers you see on many electronic devices that you have to push and stretch back into place. This cover hides the USB plug while preserving the clean lines of the device. No extra cables or chargers to carry around when you travel.
Stable picture. I was surprised at how un-shaky the picture is. The narrow, vertical form-factor allows you to hold the Mino steadier than, say, your cellphone. I used to use my digital still camera to take videos, but I'm finding the Mino is much steadier.
Video recorder, so easy to use June 6, 2008
Roy P. Russell (Cambridge, MA USA)
39 out of 39 found this review helpful
The Flip Mino is brilliantly simple. I've had a couple of camcorders which are big, complicated, fragile, and eventually break. The Mino is small, simple, sturdy with no moving parts. If you're looking for something easy to use to take high quality home videos, you've found it.
It recharges over the USB connector when you plug it into your Mac/PC. It seems to have way more charge than needed to take 60 minutes of video, so it might just end up being fully charged all the time (unlike my camcorders which were never ready to go). And I prefer the rechargeable over replaceable batteries that just end up in landfills.
The video quality of the compression software was also good, though the compressor itself took a long time. In all fairness, this is probably because I have an old slow G4 Mac -- time to upgrade. And you can easily grab the raw .avi files right off of the camera if you want to work with uncompressed files.
Pure Cool June 6, 2008
Peter Pastore
33 out of 33 found this review helpful
Fantastic little device. Great video/sound quality, simple to use, rechargeable internal battery, all with a sleek styling. 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps make this ideal for videos you might one day want to watch on your tv. Publishing to the web could not be any easier. Highly recommended!
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