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Pure Digital Flip MinoHD Camcorder Review

Pure Digital Flip MinoHD Camcorder Description

Pure Digital Technologies has really hit a home run with the Pure Digital Flip MinoHD Camcorder. This is the perfect mini camcorder to capture those moments that just ‘pop-up’ unexpectedly. Everyone has had a moment when something absolutely hysterical or just plain cute has happened and they wished they had their video recorder with them. You never have to experience that again as you can take this mini with you everywhere you go because it is about as big as an iPod and will easily fit into your pocket. It may not have all the features of a full sized camcorder, but this will more than do the job of capturing your special moments. Don’t get the impression though that this camera shorts you on features because it does have a lot more than you would expect in a mini:

Flip MinoHD Key Features

• 1.5” viewing screen
• 1280×720 resolution
• Ultra low-light sensitivity
• Automatic white balance and black level calibration
• Fixed Focus (1.5m to infinity)
• 2 hour battery life between charges
• Powers up in less than 4 seconds
• Weighs only 3.3 ounces
• Super compact
• 4GB of Internal Memory

Flip MinoHD Key Comparisons

The MinoHD leaves the competition in the dust as it is tough to find one that can perform any where near the level of this camera. The Kodak Zi6 does not have the sharpness to its images that the MinoHD has and doesn’t even come close in its attractiveness. The RCA EZ300HD was also pretty weak and, in short, RCA puts out a product that simply does not perform well, especially when you stack it up against the MinoHD.

Usability

The thing that sets this apart from other camcorders is how easy it is to use and how quickly it fires up. In most cases, by the time your camera is up and ready to go, the moment is over. This camera seems like it is ready the moment that you hit the on button. Add to it the fact that all the features are extremely easy to use and this mini flies to the front of the pack in desirability. Here is an overall look at the good and the bad of this camera:

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Great design (you can actually design it yourself on their site)
• Easy to use
• Very portable
• Great low light images
• Quality sound capture
• Quick start up
• Easy to edit video with software provided
• Focuses quickly
• Images are very clear

Cons

• Battery cannot be replaced
• Memory cannot be expanded
• Fully charged battery only last 2 hours
• Does not take still photos (although the software will allow you to separate single images from your video and turn it into a single frame still photo)
• Does not have an HD direct connect feature for viewing on television or computer monitor

Flip MinoHD Conclusion

Overall, I think it will be very difficult for you to find a better mini camcorder in this price range. I was simply amazed at the quality of the images that it was taking. When you compare the images side by side with other mini cameras, you would expect to see very grainy photos and more discoloration from the natural surroundings in the pictures. That is not the case with this camera as the image is usually pretty true to life.

I can’t emphasize enough the portability of this camera. It weighs next to nothing and is so tiny that it is hard to imagine that they have packed so much technology into this little wonder. Now don’t confuse this for a regular sized camcorder, they are simply not able to put all of the features of a full sized camera in this creation, but it definitely is about as close as you are going to get. Other companies simply do not make as much good use of their space as the MinoHD does.

For portability, performance and picture quality, there simply is not a better camera out there in this price range or any price range close to it. And did we mention how cool this thing looks? If you needed another reason to buy this camera, that is the final touch!

B & H Photo, The Pros’ Choice