Flip Ultra Video Camera - White, 4 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation)

I currently have one Flip that I bought in 09 and am considering purchasing another one. It's a great camera that has good video quality, sound, and best of all it's easy to use! Turn it on, press the big red button and you are recording! A few things I don't like about the camera are the lack of editing abilities with the software (like flipping the video) and not being able to fast forward while viewing a video on the camera. They aren't super huge issues but it would be more convenient. Otherwise I really love this camera! Unfortunately the company is discontinuing it. So I'm going to enjoy using my Flip(s) for as long as I can! (Thanks to the CTFxC for introducing me to this awesome camera!) Update: I now have two Flips (First gen and second gen) and have noticed that the first gen's batteries die a lot quicker than the second gen's. I use rechargeable batteries and charge them at the same time. After the first few times I switched the batteries from one to the other and the first one still died first, so I know it's not the batteries. Other than that they are both the same and work beautifully. Update 2/19/14 So I discovered something interesting. These cameras record up to two hours of video and once the two hours are filled up you can't record more unless you delete footage you don't want. It shows you how much time you have left after each video you take. I use my Flips as a dashcam for my car while I'm driving, and when the drive is over I usually turn the cameras off with the side power button while the cameras are still recording. Sometimes they don't turn off and I don't notice it and put them away so they end up recording blackness and noises. Usually the batteries die first so I've never noticed anything strange, but the other day when I checked to see how long the video was I was shocked to discover it recorded up to TWO AND A HALF hours?? And it was STILL showing time available to record video with. I experimented to see how much more it would record by placing the Flip face down so it would record darkness only, and was able to record much more. There was almost four hours of recorded video on my Flip before I stopped. Now, I'm not tech savvy so I don't really understand how it does it, but I'm guessing the lack of light and imagery allowed it to be able to record past its two hour limit. It doesn't help if you want to take regular videos, but if you want sound only? It's pretty neat!

Bought 2 of these as xmas gifts. One for my 11-yr-old niece & the other for my 21-yr old daughter in college. They both love it - it was their favorite gift. Extremely easy to use, just turn it on & press the red button. The niece uses it for fun at home & school as well as having her father film her hockey games. She has learned how to upload and save files using it. It doesn't get a real close up of her on the ice but it's not bad and it handles the fast motion of skaters very well. The sound is decent too. My 21-yr-old daughter is in a dance group at college and films her dance routines with it and then effortlessly uploads them to youtube and the school's website. Often she just asks random folks in the audience to take the video it's that easy (very easy to hold). The nice thing about it is that you can also get a still photograph from it by pausing the video and taking a snapshot of a frame (it doesn't actually take still photos). I'm not sure if you can save that as a file or not but she's given me photos on paper of my cat, her dance group, etc! I was worried about getting the model that uses AA batteries vs the rechargeable kind but have been happy with my decision. It was cheaper & I liked that you could get AA batteries anywhere if need be. We have been happy with the battery life. It's durable & portable. I've used it myself filming my attic (pre & post insulation - exciting stuff) in very low light conditions and was quite impressed. Amazon had the best price at the time compared to big box club warehouses (may have been a gold box deal).

I was amazed at how rapidly this was delivered during the Christmas season - it came from [...] in about 2 days with regular shipping. I was debating between the new Kodak "flip" and this HD Flip. The Kodak was not stocked anywhere so I bought this as a gift for my teenage daughter. I got the version in white which she loves. Operation is very easy, interconnection with her laptop was simple, video quality is great, and audio is acceptable (this is not the device to expect quality recordings of live string quartets or other similar music - the microphone is fine for voice, but not for high fidelity music - there is no external microphone jack either). The camera comes with PC software to help file and categorize videos. The HD videos from this camera would not play on our standard PC software (Windows Media Player) - I suspect a codec is missing somewhere. However, the videos played fine in the Flip software running on the laptop. The device is very portable. Obviously this lacks the true optical zoom found on higher-end camcorders but some zooming in the device is possible. Bottom line- my daughter was pleased with the Flip, she has used it several time, it has not become her most cherished possession however.

Just by chance I happened to come across the Flip Ultra 2nd Generation last week when the price was at $89. It lists at $149. Even for a bit higher this little gem is so worth it and thanks to Laura I's video review- in which she actually uses it and shows the quality of the imaging and ease of use with this unit- I was sold in the few mins that it took to watch her vid. Mine arrived this past week and I have been experimenting with it and believe me- it is so easy to use- I can't get over that even someone like myself who hates to mess with a bunch of buttons, but at the same time, loves to preserve those once in a lifetime moments, could be more happier with a purchase! This is the most economical and best investment for just that. For myself- I don't feel the need at this time to worry about having the HD option on the higher end items. I mainly use these vids to upload to emails, blogs and what not- I suppose down the road if I the need for HD, I would consider upgrading to HD, but I have viewed a video I shot with this unit on our HD televsion and honestly- I'm content with the quality of the video . The main things for me, is that I was able to open the package when it arrived, put the AA batteries in, and after reading the rest of the instructions, which are short and right to the point note card- shot some short clips- slid open the side USB stick- connected it to my computer- and at the same time- the FLIPVDIEO software package was being uploaded onto my computer-how nice- no extra disc to worry about, it's all in the FLIP, then uploaded and emailed the video shorts I had just created within the first hour of receiving this. How great is that? I give this 5 stars all the way and have now ordered the tripod that goes along with it- another great investment that I know will come in handy. So for a minimal investment, during these tight economic times- I say this far exceeds my expectations and am so looking forward to the holidays and being able to capture roughly 120 mins of video-more than I'll ever need at any one occasion. The only concern is to make sure to keep enough extra AA batteries (2 needed) on hand- I have used it quite a bit so far and am still on the same batteries that came with the unit! Take a look @ Laura I's video - you will be sold- and apparently quite a few people are- as while I am writing this- it is out of stock- again. I just wish I would have taken the leap and ordered 2, as I was thinking- this makes a perfect gift as well! I am still considering ordering another one for a gift as I know they would just love this one as much as I do. My advice-if what you are looking for is similar to what I had in mind- when this comes back in stock- jump on it- It's a purchase that I'm sure you won't regret! JUST POINT AND SHOT- How easy is that?

I bought this to record a special event, which I did earlier today. I have had many cameras and camcorders over the years to compare this to, and this one is good. But there are a few things they can improve on. Pros The Flip is comfortable in my hand, easy to hold, all buttons are in convenient places. They put thought into the design. It is easy to use, no learning curve. Turn it on, press the button. It has a pause, replay, delete. Instructions are simple. When I turned it on, it is silent. I have another brand at dings, which is distracting. No other screens to scroll through. It records video and audio. No games, no phone, no GPS, no address book. It is dedicated to making a good video. I like that the lens, mic, and speakers are all at the top. Holding it without covering the lens or mic with my hand is easy. Downloading is easy, plug into USB and it downloads. Play quality of video and audio is great, but much better on the computer than on the Flip unit. It has a battery indicator that comes on when batteries are low. Cons Battery life is not good. You need the rechargeable battery pack. It didn't record a full two hours which I planned on, but was close. I missed the last few minutes. Flip software did download when I plugged it in, but I have to play it in Picasa. It says it's not compatible with it's own software. It needs stabilization. Some parts got shaky when I moved around. I am hooked on this. I just ordered the 16 gig. slide Flip. It has some features I want, but this one is good. I was going to return this, but I decided it's so nice I will give it to my daughter to make movies of her kids.

I bought the Flip Ultra before our Disney Vacation the end of December 09. I took it and my heavy duty vhs-c camcorder. I ended up just using the FLIP camera the entire trip bc I didnt want to haul around the big ole camcorder. Flip Ultra was awesome. Easy to use, fit in my fanny pack, I filmed our entire vacation on the flip (which had 120 min of record time). When I got home my troubles began. I loaded the FLIP with the easy usb connection onto my VISTA computer. I downloaded the video to my computer. But to my surprise...I could NOT transfer any of my vaction memories with the MP4 video from my computer to a dvd to keep. The MP4 video format has to be converted into a video format my computer & dvd can read. Then the FLIP software CRASHED my computer! It took an entire day for the VISTA computer to repair itself, and thank God I didnt lose anything on my computer. It took off the FLIP software, then I went into add/remove programs and made sure I uninstalled the FLIP software. So now I go to Office Depot and buy Roxio Software which claims it converts MP4 video to another format. Well I havent been able to figure this out either. So now Im totally STUCK with my precious family DisneyWorld Memories in this FLIP camera with no way to get it onto a dvd. Plus it crashed my computer and I cry every day bc I bought this horrible piece of junk. DO NOT BUY THE FLIP ULTRA or any flip camera. If I can spare ONE person from this misery then I think Ive done a good thing. Spare yourself the grief. And take your big ole vhs-c camcorders to use for your precious family memories. At least that can be converted.

I love this little camcorder. Five minutes after opening the box I was making videos and saving them to my PC. It's small size and ease of operation are the reasons I purchased it and on those points it can not be beat. The built in software is all most people will need to save and share their videos. The video and sound quality are excellent. The lack of an optical zoom (limited digital zoom only)is it's only shortcoming but I can live with that. It even works well in low level interior lighting with only a small amount of grainines. The school where I work purchased several of these for children as young as 8 and 9 years to use to make reports and videos to go along with their lessons. I have also purchsed one for my 75 year old father-in-law and he really enjoyed making holiday videos with his great-grand children. It is just so easy and simple to use and with it's handy size there is no excuse for not having it with you all the time to capture what amounts to video snapshots.

My wife and I are ballroom dancers and needed a video camera that was portable yet had good quality in all lighting. I used the camera to film several dance showcases. Several other people brought their video camera of various sizes and qualities. Although the lighting was low, the videos from the Flip were the preferred videos for the event. Why? It was so easy to use, captured movement with no blurring, sending videos through email and facebook was quick with no set up. Extracting still photos from the video was painless and produced excellent stills quality. I've used the Flip since to record dance lessons, groups and events other than dancing. Its a go-anywhere do anything camera. Highly recommend it. The only problem is that, like me, you may stop bringing your larger costly video cameras with you, and they become dust collectors. There's only one setting for the flip: Easy with great results.