Flip Mino High Definition Camcorder - 2nd Generation, 120 minutes recording - Brushed Metal

I too bought this on impulse at the Gadget Show. The demo clips being shown on a large flat-acreen at the show looked impressive, and most scenes were good, honest amateur footage. So, I've only had it 3 days, and really wanted to wait a while before giving a full review.

First, the good points, and the reasons why you will want to own this....

It's so beautifully made & tactile. It's like an ipod; slightly smaller than my 60GB Classic actually. The build quality appears to be excellent and it feels pleasantly weighty in the hand. And its metal :)
It's incedibly easy and intuitive to use. It has a standard tripod mounting bush in the base (which you will need). It's all solid state - no moving parts - so I'd hope it should be quite robust and resistant to a few knocks. One of its main selling points is the ease of loading video clips onto your PC or laptop - and its ability to compress and send clips to friends via email, or upload to the web. The built-in software makes this very easy, and it appears you can install it onto multiple machines. The beauty is, if you email a friend an eight minute clip (525MB) which takes ages to upload, the friend just gets a link to view the clip - so it doesn't crash their inbox, which is good. Video clips viewed on the PC look OK, and the qualty is still pretty good after they've been processed for Facebook or whatever.

However the best picture reproduction seems to be achieved by playing back footage direct to an HD ready TV, using an HDMI cable. I had to wait a couple of days to do this, as there in no HDMI cable included in the package. You need a cable with standard HDMI socket at one end to a mini HDMI socket at the other (or an adaptor). A recommended twin pack of cables costs nearly thirty quid, but I bought a very good cable from Amazon for under three quid which does the job admirably. Playback on a HD flat screen TV is very good. The full widescreen image has very vivid colours and is pretty sharp; very attractive, if a little artifical looking.

I also love the red light that glows through the front grill while recording or charging!

The Mino HD 8GB is tiny and easily slips in a shirt pocket and you'll take it anywhere.

For all the above reasons it's a five star product for what it does.

However, let's move on to its several limitations. I'd rather not say "negatives" but simply some little points you should know about, and in my view lose it a star.

The picture quality, although good, and acceptable (certainly for web use) is not as good as a full size camera costing perhaps 2 or 3 times more. This is a style item. It has a tiny lens, and I don't like the 2.5 times digital zoom. When zoomed in, picture quality drops and digital artefacts become apparent. For best quality, it's best left on the wider setting. Also, note, this is a fixed focus camera, which is always going to be a compromise. There is no autofocus. Subjects closer than about 1 metre away (85cm I believe) will be out of focus. So it's no good for sharp close ups & QVC style macro work. There is no exposure compensation, no backlight facility to give one or two stops of over-exposure; so backlit scenes, snow scenes, bright beach & surf scenes, dark skin tones and high contrast scenarios will not necessarily be handled well. Evenly lit subjects at middle distance is what it does best (OK for most people, most of the time).

Its tiny dimensions can be its downfall. It is too small to handle steadily and is very prone to camera shake. There's no viewfinder, so shooting at arm's length using the screen as a viewfinder induces yet more shake. There is no image stabilisation. So, ironically, for a product that is designed for mass-market amateur use, it actually needs a more professional approach to get the best out of it. USE A TRIPOD! Even a little mini-tripod is fine. Brace against something solid, or place on a shelf - anything to hold the camera still and you'll get vastly improved and more watchable results. Attach to a bicycle or motorcycle using a GPS mount, and the results can be good.

The touch screen controls may be difficult to use with gloves on (maybe I should have bought the other model, the Ultra HD - with click buttons?). It turns itself off after about a minute if not used - a great feature to save battery life - but annoying when you keep having to turn it back on again using the small, black click switch on the side. The rest of the controls respond to a featherlight touch, so it's quite easy to activate the limited functions accidentally. You don't get lost in complex menus however, as this little gadget simply shoots video clips, or plays them back - that's all.

I'm hoping it will prove to be fairly shock-proof, as I want to use it for motorcycle tours in Iceland. The filmed response to a bump is interesting - you get a "ripple" across the screen, which is preferable to a jerk, a click, or break in image.

One last comment. I'd much rather have a mini USB socket on the thing, rather than the chunky metal plug which flips out. This makes a solid, but inflexible connection to a laptop or PC, and makes connection difficult in some situations. I wanted to be able to download video clips staight to USB memory sticks, without using a PC, but I'm not sure this can be done.

So, as long as you can handle these slight limitations which are the worst things I can find to say about it - go ahead and buy it. It's great little toy.
Bill R.

This new camera arrived just in time to be taken on our Caribbean cruise at Easter. It is so easy to use! The software downloads automatically through the built-in USB connector, with no tangly leads to cope with. Recharging is easy via the same connector. When recording, there are no fiddly buttons or settings to worry about. Just point and shoot with a zoom option if you need it. And immediate playback with an option to delete very easily if you mess things up. Downloading is easy, although the format does not agree with all the settings on my PC. However, all the video can be saved and replayed through Windows media player if you prefer. If you get yourself the HDMI lead you can play the videos directly onto your HD TV - brilliant! And 2 hours recording time - great not to have to worry that the memory is running out. Great!

Let me first admit that I am a huge Flip fan and own three models for family use. I love the HD quality of the recordings and the 120 minute film time provided by this Flip. I also have a Creative Vado which provides about the same film quality and truer colors but less easy to use.

Already familiar with the Flip MinoHD Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black) (the 1st generation), this 2nd generation is set up the same except it includes a HDMI connection for HDTVs (pretty cool) and it records up to 2 hours of video (amazing!). The usb connection is still on the top of the unit and makes for a scary connection to my pc because it sticks out so far and easy to bang into. Some have reported that the usb connection is finicky for this unit but I have never had a problem. The design is super sleek and slim which makes it very easy to slip into a pocket. Convenient to use is a key! You don't need to read the instruction book to figure out how to use it. The software is downloaded automatically when you connect the 120 HD Mino Flip to your pc for the first time. Files are easily edited and stored. I have back-up copies on an external device to prevent loss. Taking a finished movie and burning onto it a dvd yourself is not as easy. I think Flip made this more difficult so they could get the fee for making a dvd for you but it can be done with additional software. I subtracted a star for this combined with the sticking out while attached to pc issue. Also, I'm not a big fan of the sensitive touch pad controls. It takes a couple of pushes for my husband to activate the on/off button (having nails makes it easier). I much prefer the click buttons of the Ultra version but it's a matter of personal taste.

Compared to my first model, the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 30-Minutes (White) OLD MODEL, this one has obvious upgrades (much more recording time, HD video, smaller size, etc.) but I love the click button operation of the function keys (start/stop, zoom, etc.) and the easy to slide button to turn the Flip on and off. I find myself still grabbing this one despite its limits. The usb connection is on the side and makes for a sturdier connection to my pc in my view. After three years of continued use, I can feel this model starting to go.

I highly recommend this 2nd generation model if you love touch pad controls. I want to get my hands on the Flip Video Ultra High Definition Camcorder With 8GB Memory - Black since I prefer the side usb connection and click button controls. Whichever model you choose, you cannot go wrong with a Flip video recorder. They are smart to offer different option models. Thankfully, I have managed to capture many cherished moments due to the convenience factor of a Flip.