Review: Flip Mino HD
The bestselling pocket camera goes HD with improved software. (November 23rd, 2008)
The Good
- HD a boon for HDTV enthusiasts or simply future proofing.
- Simple but excellent FlipShare software loaded on the camera.
- Very straightforward on-camera control.
- Good low-light sensitivity; detail kept in most individual video frames.
- 4GB of memory built-in enough to handle likely uses of HD without an add-in card.
- Well-built.
The Bad
- No removable storage or battery.
- Images occasionally subject to purple fringing or poor light level transitions.
- Battery life is just 'good enough.' - Software lacks clip trimming or other editing besides clip selections and music.
- Needs optical zoom to truly rival larger, more expensive cameras.
wrapping up
Pure didn't have to change much with the addition of the Flip Mino HD for it to be a success, and that's precisely the end product. Hardware-wise, it's the familiar pocket camera with 720p video and a few alterations made to improve the overall image quality. Many are just looking for output with a built-in degree of future proofing, and that's exactly what the camera itself provides.
The largest improvement is in the software, which is painless enough to make video exporting trivially easy. Many producers of far more complex cameras still don't know how to nail down the basic process of getting video from the camera to the computer in an easily understandable way, let alone online; Pure has sorted out the entire process. There's room for additions like trimming and more refined folder selection, but little to complain about regarding the components that are already there.
Without diluting what makes the camera so effective, the next steps are simply to improve the final output: increase the quality of the lens and sensor, add optical zoom, add a focus light. None of these may come any time soon given their cost and potential bulk, but these could transform the revamped Mino from good-for-the-price to good compared to more expensive cameras.
Still, the $230 price tag can't help but dominate the discussion. At this price, it's hard to resist for anyone who records video with the web or strictly practical uses in mind, and it's sufficiently trouble-free to create pressure on rivals like the Creative Vado or Kodak Zi6 that have more features but are also more complicated. Why worry about removable storage when you have enough, or spend several hundred dollars on a camcorder that may spend most of its life on a closet shelf? The Flip Mino HD certainly isn't the best camera, but for many it could well be the right one.