The last two years these sub $200 flip SD vid cams have hit the US market in mass quantities.
Most claim to be HD some 720 but many now claim 1080

It is hard to believe they can even meet HD quality.

I was wonder if anyone has tested sub $250 all digital vid cams and if any gave you surprisingly good results.

My use would be to have something portable to capture some show performance for promos.

My assumption for flip cams - color is poor-low light handling is poor- not as sharp due to fixed lens and glass quality- zoom all digital not as clean-audio muddled if in loud environment.

I just do not know how they can make the HD claim if the image does not come out sharp. (I could live with poor color reproduction but I want a sharp video)

So lets see if anyone has one or played with these and maybe there will be a surprise in the bunch. I know and have seen many cannon digital still shots do surprisingly well for video at 640 but then they start with better optics and have manual zoom. So eventually I can see there being a hidden gem showing up with these "flip" cams.


I will enjoy hearing what you guys have tried. To make it fun for all of us to play, please provide the model and brand with your review and if you view your video on an HD TV. (or even post a link to a sample.)

Depends on what you are using to for. I am VERY pleased with my little sony MHS-PM5 "blogger" I got on sale for under $100. For stuff that's going to be viewed online its more then adequate and very convenient.

Its from a while back but..

Well, it depends what its for. If for personal use, not to be published anywhere, then they are not bad.
*They have 1080p? I don't think so, all I've heard was 720p.
But keep in mind. Its not TRUE 720p. Its not possible. Its trickery.

Its decent, I don't have one, but Ive seen other people use it. It doesn't have manual settings, but if its personal, you might not care.

I'm all about perfection in my videos, best quality, best lenses, best.. well, everything. - That's because I do this professionally. But, that's a different story.

I mean no disrespect but I do NOT think it should matter what is being done with it. Really, if there are any good ones that live up to there claims it matters very little what the application is. Think about it. One wants the a good quality image. IF a camera makes claims and can live up to it, then it will work in any application.

Lets be real, no one here is asking about cameras to make a TV broadcast quality show or documentary film.
It is most likely for clear promotional material. And who wants bad video for family memories. We all should want the best we can afford in video quality.

However I guess yes, if you are doing web stuff ONLY than I guess it does not matter what you use.

Look, several years back I bought a Canon G3 digital still camera for some product shots. I needed features like a hot shoe for an external flash. It was $500 back then and only 4 MP. It did the job and is still going.
However you can get 12 MP or more for $100 now.

So it stands to reason that as time goes on, we will not need to spend $2000 on a camera.
Funny, there is some video guru who posted on the Café even a year or two ago about renting expensive HD cameras and the cost of the high speed memory cards.
And now, you can easily find dozens of HD cameras in the prosumer line that use memory cards.

SO my point is, that sooner than later there will be some sub $500 video cams that will deliver full HD.

The reason for my post was to see if there were anything out there that really surprised people that the image quality was impressive for the sub $150 range.

Since the post I did find some reviews that maybe confirmed what I thought about how the flip style do in comparison.

It does stand to reason that maybe for all their expensive bells and whistles, that maybe there will be a brand that comes out that produces a good camera at a fair price.

The big things you need to worry about with flip cameras are:
low light situations
Their lenses are quite narrow
The audio quality is lacking
There is significant camera shake unless you use a tripod
Flat colors

Just to name a few

Doug

These so-called HD flip cameras are completely useless. They are kiddie junk. A friend of mine WASTED $150 on a very highly-rated camera to use to post his vids to YouTube. The problem was the lack of sensitivity to light.

@Powermagic -- you say there are "dozens of prosumer HD video cameras that use memory cards."

Name ten of them and the price of the memory cards they use. Also list the amount of time you can shoot at once.

And while you are at it, give us the price, please.

Hi Bill,

As I said, for web stuff, which is going to be compressed all to hell anyway, my little blogger works fine. I paid about $80.00 for it.

Would I use it for a movie shoot? Hardly. But for the static camera stuff you see in 80% of all magic videos? Its fine.

I use a 2 gig memory card. $5.00 on Amazon.

You need a fast computer to handle your HD videos first. If not, it will be very hard to do anything.

Second. You can buy a used cheap Canon T1i with a kit lens for a cheap price now. It shoots 720p, which is good enough. But, you will have to learn to focus and proper shooting and post with these cameras.

If anything, PM me for a faster response.

Hey, got a question for ya.

I have an original Canon EOS Rebel. Does the T1 range use the same glass?

Ive toyed with upgrading but for snapshots the rebel is fine. Id consider it though if that also meant Id be getting a digital movie camera in the bargain...

Btw you know the old joke right? Why they call them Canons?

"cause that's how much they weigh and that's how much noise they make

Seriously though I've loved all my Canon cameras.

Flip 3rd Generation 8 gig HD works well in low light according to use reviews. They discontinued and many are ticked about it. Still selling them.

I use flip cameras constantly but only for a very specific applications. All the above comments are absolutely right, but for exterior point-and-shoot documentation where sound isn't critical, they are fine as long as they last. Before GoPros were around, flip cameras were great to put in dangerous locations where the camera could be damaged. We have shot dozens of reality-based shows at our studio and they were very convenient to stick in out-of-the-way places for additional coverage. The footage definitely wasn't the same as the HD broadcast cameras but they still used it in all the shows.

Now the GoPro cameras have replaced the flip cameras for practicality and hazardous locations. Most production companies will have three or four of them they put in every location imaginable.

On the other hand if you are looking for something to use for filming anything real, I would recommend an actual camera because generally it is not the HD processor but the lens that is the weak link. There are many reasonably priced HD cameras that shoot directly on SD cards that are not much more expensive than the old flip cameras and have much better lenses.

Get the Flip HD. There is the Ultra and the Mino.

Anyoned deal with Kodak, I have heard from a friend the kodak ZI8 is nice . looking into the kodak Play touch with the touch screen, any users out there with advice or comments on either of these? Thanks.

I know with some of them you have to be running at least 10.5 operating system on a Mac.

They just keep trying their darnest to get me to buy a new computer.

Richard

Aint technology a kick in the pants Richard. This is my year to update technologically??? I have a freind who will be bringing over his Kodak Playtouch. Has a HDMI cable so we can attach to the large screen to check out resolution, He shot some rehearsal footage from the back of the room, and I will be doing some additional out side and inside footage. Once we hook up to large screen, I will see the quality of video at 720 and 1080. although most youtube and DVD are done at 480, this should not be an issue, but we will see in a day or so. I have a small sony I have been using for years but the zoom button sticks and locks from time to time. Makes it a hassle to do any video, and I have a good friend who is patiently waiting for a video to shoot of his Bag load,,WINK.. Wink,,RH. So when I get this figured out, I will report, and THEN get a video to my Patient friend mister RH Wink Wink.