Kodak PLAYSPORT Digital Camcorder 1442102 Camcorders

• Waterproof up to 10 ft. (3 m)


• Full 1080p HD video


• Electronic image stabilization


• Brilliant 2.0 in. color display


• Capture 5 megapixel HD stills (16:9)

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A Review for Mac users

The camera

The camera has a 1.5 inch screen that is vibrant but small. The camera is thin and can easily be slid into the front pocket of your jeans. It is extremely light. The buttons on the back are touch sensitive and are not typical buttons that you "press". There is a nice quality built in microphone. Operation is dead simple. Turn it on and push the large red button to start record and then press it again to stop.



The video quality:

The video quality from this camera is phenomenal considering its price tag. No its not a Canon HV30 but its not supposed to be.There is very little motion blur and the colors are nicely saturated. Due to the higher quality video shakiness is more pronounced in the videos but its not terrible. The more still you can hold this camera the better. The sound is crisp and clear. I can easily say the quality of this camera trumps all other flash based camcorders in this price bracket.



The Software

Mac users rejoice! The Mino HD's video files ( MPEG4) are natively supported by Mac OS X Quicktime & iMovie 8 or iMovie HD. The software (Flipshare) even allows stitching the footage together adding music and transitions and exporting the finished result directly to Youtube or just onto your desktop. I am very impressed Pure Digital rewrote the software package so that the features for Mac Users were the same as PC users. When you first plug in the camera iPhoto will open and offer to import the video's. You can override this in iPhoto's preferences. From then on the Flipshare will open automatically.



Final Conclusion:

The Flip Mino HD billed as the worlds smallest HD camcorder (as of 11/14) is worth its weight in gold. Especially if you have a Mac! If I had to choose one con for this camera I would say that I wish they would've added an external microphone jack to it-but thats really reaching. It's a wonderful camera for the money and they say the best camera for the job is the one thats with you when you really need it. More detail ...

Excellent Compact Camcorder

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R36XMSX3O7L286 I've made a video review using the Flip Ultra Camcorder so that you can see the audio/video quality (Keep in mind I had to compress the video a little bit for Amazon) and I also show how to use the camcorder.



In my opinion this is an excellent camcorder for a novice or someone who just wants an easy to use camcorder that is small and compact. I personally don't need more than 2 hours recording time and it's wonderful not having to purchase tapes.



The price is actually less than many digital cameras. I've wanted to own a camcorder for a long time and the Flip Ultra has finally met my standards for: quality value and ease of use.More detail ...

The camcorder SHOWDOWN: I've done the product comparisons for you

If I'm going to spend more than a hundred bucks on an item or somewhere around there I do extensive research first to know I got the best bang-for-the-buck and consequently dodge any potential future buyer's remorse.



I've realized that the time I spend doing my product comparisons is often time that others don't have so I may as well share what I can.



I'll start by saying that you'll see my "Verified Amazon Purchase" on the Flip HD Ultra Camcorder review because obviously that's the one I wound up buying and I'll share with you why. But what I like in a camcorder may not suit your own needs so I'll break it down and let you decide what's best for you via what I found out:



Here are the pocket camcorders I compared:



Flip UltraHD (will be referred to as "F")

Flip Mino HD 2nd generation (Will be referred to as "M")

Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB 2nd generation (Will be referred to as "CL")

Kodak Zi6 Pocket HD (Will be referred to as "K")



Why HD cameras only? Brighter colors and better images wider images







HD SHOOTING TIME:

F: 120 minutes.

M: 120 minutes

CL:120 minutes

K: 25 minutes with batteries they included 120 minutes if you buy an SD card



MEMORY:

F: 8 GB

M:8 GB

CL: 8 GB

K: internally only 30 MB recording space but it has 32 GB expandable SD/SDHC card slot. Because it comes with such small recording space you really need to buy an SD or SDHC card to maximize its potential but the potential is really good and this will increase your ability to shoot longer.





RESOLUTION:

All 720p which is excellent just one step below the top 1080p format.



MICROPHONE:

F: Stereo

M: Mono **Update** They are now putting Stereo Mics in the Minos as of 2010.

CL: Mono

K: Mono



SOUND:

F:Premier AAC audio. Best stereo sound quality but still not great in winds

M:Good sound quality. Still not good in winds.

CL:Poor sound quality; had issues with sound and picture not being in sync.

K:Poor sound quality





ZOOM:

F: 2x

M:2x

CL:2x

K: poor quality zoom on the one I tried but I still think it's 2x. It has a great macro focus for very close-up objects if for example you see a bumble bee and want to shoot it on a leaf a few inches away! Kinda cool.



CAMERA SIZE AND WEIGHT:

F: 4.3x2.2x1.2 4 oz

M: 3.9x2x0.6 3. 3 oz

CL: 3.9x3x0.6 3.5 oz

K: 5.5x2.5.0.9 5.6 oz



SHIPPING SIZE AND WEIGHT:

F: 6.2 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches ; 11.2 ounces

M: 2 x 0.7 x 3.9 inches ; 1 pound

CL: 3.3 x 7.9 x 6.3 inches ; 11.2 ounces

K: 4x 5x 2.5" 2.4 lbs





TECHNICAL DETAILS:

F: USB cable pops out of the back so you don't need to keep up with a separate cable. Comes with Flip Video rechargeable AA battery pack (recharges when connected to USB); also supported by standard AA batteries. Note: Some sets come with the HDMi mini included and others come with the rechargeable battery pack on Amazon. Looks like one or the other but of course if you need both you can buy the other.

M: USB cable pops out of the back on this one as well. Has child safe button to prevent accidental deletion of videos. Internal lithium ion battery recharges through built-in USB arm

CL: USB in camcorder. Included in box are HDMI cable (nice) USB extension cable(nice)silicon skin (cool) & rechargeable battery.

K: Included in box are HD and AV cables and wrist strap and rechargeable batteries and battery charger. Has built in USB arm.



SPEED:

F: 30 frames per second.

M: 30 frames per second

CL: 30 frames per second

K: choice of 30 frames per second or 60 frames per second.



VIEWING SCREEN: All 2" except the Kodak was the largest at 2.4"





IMPORTANT NOTES:

F: Best low-light performance for the mini cameras (though not perfect at all) and least amount of blurring and dropped frames in my opinion. Best color. Only one with stereo sound. You can get an underwater case for this one! Though that may sound crazy for a Texan we use the camera non-stop on vacations and even when we aren't IN the water we are around the water...on boats in the sand with sea mist etc. Then we can dive in and record the fish. Comes preloaded with flipshare software...just plug in to computer and it pops up. Only one with stereo sound.

M: Colors don't appear as good on the Mino as the other cameras. Thinnest camera. Make sure you get the one that only comes in the color aluminum or brushed metal. If it comes in any other colors it is the 1st generation MinoHD and they improved upon that one in the newer models. Great audio. Better shooting in low light than most mini cameras. Camera comes preloaded with FlipShare software. Can get still images through flipshare software.

CL: Decent filming in low light but not nearly as good as the Ultra or Mino; Software is preloaded in camcorder.

K: This is the only camera that I compared without the built in image stabilizatin which corrects for shaky images. What appears to be metal in picture is actually a chrome colored plastic. That said this had the largest viewing screen of all of them. 2.4" Very poor in low light and seemed to have far more shaking and blurring. It also takes still pictures but they are really really poor quality...same as a lesser-quality cell phone pictures but good in a pinch if you want a still shot and have no cell or camera I s'pose. Heaviest for a pocket camera. Software is not preloaded in camcorder but a cd comes with it.





HOW CNET'S EDITORS RATED THE CAMERAS:

F Excellent

M Excellent

CL Very Good

K Very Good



And finally the reviews of the Flip from experts swayed me quite a bit:

Fast Company: "Flip Ultra HD is Pure Digital's "Best Pocket Camcorder Yet." 6-09



USA Today: "New Flip Ultra Video Cameras Might Flip Your Switch" 4-09



Business Week: How do you Invigorate a Recession? Look to i-phone Flip Kindle and Zip Car For Answers



There were lootttts more I came across when researching the Flip Ultra HD but those are some of my favorites.







CONCLUSION: Clearest picture and sound was important to me expert reviews that pointed to the Flip UltraHD as well and I liked the built in software and the case I can get to shoot underwater. It is the number one selling camcorder as well. So that was my personal decision-making process. However keep in mind that if you need reading glasses none of that will matter if the 2" screen is too small for your viewing the shots easily for playback in which case you may wish to get the Kodak if that's important to you..



Also: No matter which one you get you will probably want a mini tripod if you ever want to be in the shot yourself do don't forget those.



Also note: It's confusing because when these manufacturers make changes in the camcorders they do not change the names on the new versions nor do they change the names if it's an HD version or a non-HD version so be sure you look for the "HD" after the brand name and look for "2nd generation" or "newer version" on the Mino and Vado if you like one of those better so you don't get the older models.





Hope my obsessive comparing and contrasting for my own purchasing assistance helped you as well even if what you wanted in a camera was different from me. :-)

















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