Flip Video Mino Series Camcorder

I received one of these as a prize for winning an RIA contest, and although I've had it for a while now, I just got around to using it.

Its very easy to use, and the video quality is quite high. It is extremely compact, so much so that its easy to misplace in a large pocket. The zoom feature is pretty limited, which given the size of the camera should be expected.

We have a Flip Mino HD and use it extensively. The HD video quality is amazing. You can play it back on the device and it looks dinky on the little screen, but once you put the video onto a computer it looks big, bright, and clear. The device itself is small and light and the battery lasts a really long time. With the mino, to charge it up you just leave it plugged into the computer. The software that comes with it is really easy to use and it installs itself from the camera the first time you plug it in.

The few downsides are that the on-screen display is tiny and if you're used to lots of zoom range, this doesn't really have it. You can zoom in a little bit and that's all.

The difference between the Mino and the Ultra is that the Mino is fully half as thick (.63 vs 1.25 inches) and is 40% lighter. It's definitely pocket sized, and that makes it really convenient to carry around. The Ultra also takes AA batteries instead of having an internal rechargeable battery.

I'd go with the HD version because the video quality looks so much better once you copy it to a computer. I've recommended this camera to non-computer-literate friends and they use it all the time now.

This is a VERY HONEST review of my Mino and the Customer Service at PureDigital (the makers of the Flip Mino). Please keep in mind when dealing with electronics there are always lemons for whatever reason. I, unfortunately, was someone who had a lemon. I believe it is important to add a review of these broken products so that customers are well informed about potential problems and their frequency (for example, if 50% of the reviews are reports of problems it is typically a good idea to be wary of a product).
I wanted to title this... "Even an Idiot Can Use," however, my title would not be entirely true. When I first picked the Mino out of the minimalist box it was so easy there was no need to read the "QUICKSTART GUIDE." The Mino is THAT intuitive. Nevertheless, if you do need to read through the guide, you will be happy to know it is a tiny pocket-size foldout brochure... yes, you heard me right... no 500 page book... no instructions in 10 languages (which may not be a good thing if English is not your primary or strong language).
I immediately began recording videos both in and outdoors. In low light and bright light. The small screen made everything I recorded look beautiful and bright. However, on the small screen it looked as though it had a hard time focusing at anything closer than a 1 ½ feet. I found this to be true (much) later after loading the videos on my computer.
After recording several minutes of video throughout the day I came home in the evening, popped in the incorporated USB plug and nothing happened. All the videos and files on the Flip were corrupted. After trying several "fixes" nothing worked. I contacted Customer Service by email, which promises a response within 4 business hours. They were true to their word during this initial contact and were back to me fairly quickly. After several days of back-and-forth emails (no longer within the 4 hours the promised) they did acknowledge that I had a broken Flip and replaced it free of charge. They even emailed me a PDF that allowed me to ship the Mino back to them without paying UPS shipping. I was ecstatic with customer support. However, my cheery attitude took a change in direction when I did not receive a working Mino back until a MONTH LATER! The positive though, it contained all of the videos I recorded from the first day I got the Mino.. in WORKING condition. I really appreciated that extra touch.

Pros:
- Small
- Intuitive
- Super easy to use
- Easy to connect to a PC and retrieve videos off the Mino
- Free shipping back to Pure Digital on broken Mino
- Customer Service works hard to recover videos on broken Mino
- Fairly inexpensive (good for when you don't want to bust out the high dollar camera in conditions where it could become damaged)

Cons:
- Small sheet of directions in English only (not an issue for me but something to note. I did not subtract stars for this)
- I received a broken Mino and there are others out there. Not sure how pervasive these problems are yet but you should look over the reviews and see if this is becoming a trend or isolated incidents before purchasing.
- Customer Service took a month to get a working Mino back to me.

Finally, this does not belong in the pro or con section for me as I knew this before I received the product but I feel I should let everyone know what to expect before purchasing. This is not a camera to film your child's birth, first steps, or ailing family members last birthday. The quality is good enough to post on the internet, email videos to family members, let your children play around with, etc. Please be aware before purchasing the camera's limitations. It is amazing for what it is... a small, light, easy to use video camera, with fairly good picture quality that you don't mind knocking around. A great camera to take to a theme park, on a horseback riding trip, filming the kids playing dress up to email to grandparents, etc.

Exactly what I needed. Compact and easy to carry. Records great sound and picture. Perfect for the parent looking to document their child growing up, without having to lug around a bigger model. Great to record in all different lighting. Only complaint would be the zoom...while it's pretty good for a camera it's size...it could be better. Otherwise, this thing is awesome.

How many times do you lose the perfect video moment while you are trying to unzip the camcorder bag or check the battery or tape? Been there, done that!! Plus who wants to lug around a huge big deal for quick 30 - 90 sec shots? The days of making huge productions out of family moments are long gone with this thing. Pop the Flip out of your front pants pocket and 2 seconds later you are ready for action. I took the Mino with me on our trip to Yellowstone and never missed a shot. Old Faithful, was caught in all its glory. I took over 60 small 30 sec to 2 minutes family vids that the family will enjoy as long as YouTube keeps running. The enclosed USB cable is such a great idea. The built in flash drive holds 60 minutes of video and the rechargeable batteries never let me down. Plug the unit into a USB port and the on board software starts and I'm working on videos in seconds...all awhile the batteries are recharging and ready to rock and roll once I'm done. Needless to say I'm super pleased with this. Don't get this is you are looking to do far away shots as the zoom isn't really that great. BUT for what it does..it does well. Small, light, fast and ready when life happens.

This tiny handheld product takes better video than you would expect. It is super easy to transfer and use. I could not ask for more.

Received the shipment in time.
- Its so easy to use that my 75 years old dad can use it without any guidance / manual
- the plug n play feature is great
- i recorded a cricket and a volleyball game - the sound and video clarity is amazingly good.