by Benjamin Miller

Created on: January 20, 2009

This is one of a few products I own that I am extremely satisfied with. It was exactly what I was looking for in a video recorder, which was something easy to understand, operate and handy to carry around. The version I own is the Flip Video Ultra, which takes 60 minutes of footage. Based on my experience with the Ultra, I would certainly buy more of this company's products.

The recorder itself cost about $150, and I'm pretty sure the price has dropped since then. Even at that time, I was comparing it to other video recording devices that started at $300 or more! The real selling point was the user video on their website...I had never operated a hand-held video recording device (other than digital cameras and cell phones) before, and they showed how simple it was with the push of a button. It has been quite durable (I took it to Jamaica, using it on the beaches and on a kayak trip there), and the footage I have taken with it has been excellent. It adjusts to levels of light quite well, and the audio comes out very clean. However, when using the playback on the device itself, the max volume is still a little low. There is also no night mode and zoom capabilities are limited, but for basic filming it has outperformed every other device I have used. It's very easy to connect to computer via the flip out USB port, and the software self-installs meaning you can use it on your home computer or anywhere else just as easily.

It's also a great replacement for a regular digital camera, because with the video editing software you can take a screen shot of any moment during the film to create as many pictures as you like. Attaching mini clips and bringing them into one longer movie is a bit challenging, and the video clips themselves are very large files (which can make sending them to friends a bit challenging too), but these things can be worked around. I use rechargeable AA batteries (2), and they last a considerably long amount of time. It's very one-touch to operateturn it on and press record and you're off!

Also, the first model I purchased had a defect of some kind which showed itself after a few weeks of use. It took very little time at all to receive another brand new model from the company, which is a refreshing change from some of my other customer service experiences. Overall, I would recommend this product and the company that sells it.

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