Flip Video UltraHD HD Camcorder (Black)

I recently purchased this item from the US. I brought this item because I was fed up with the carrying my standard camcorder, even though it's new and small; it's still bulky compared to this gem.

The Flip UltraHD can be carried in my jeans pocket or my wife's handbag, it's so light you actually forget you're carrying a camcorder, it's also very easy to use, and it's the perfect "point and shoot" camcorder. The battery lasts for about 2 hours which is perfect considering you can record 120 minutes of footage. You also have a few buttons which starts and stops recording and offers some basic digital zoom options. As with any product you are always limited with digital zoom as oppose to optical zoom.

The Flip UltraHD also has an HDMI port, I connected this directly to my HDMI port on my 42" Plasma and I was surprised at how good the quality was, the clarity was superb. Night time recordings in limited light conditions were as expected - quite grainy.

The software is supplied and installed on the camcorder itself, once you plug it in your USB port, the software is installed, again just like the flip its very straight forward and easy to use. You have options to save the files on your computer, create video/DVD, Upload to YouTube or social networking sites, send video files via email. Create video greeting cards. The software will also let you trim your videos and create titles, credits for your videos, all done in a nice and easy to use Wizard function. The software can be updated by choosing automatic or on-demand option.

I haven't used the still photos function so cannot comment on this.

There were some bad points which I feel deserve a mention:

- The battery takes between 6-7 hours for a complete charge via USB, the camcorder occasionally complains that it has overheated; at this point you have to detach the camcorder and take the battery out for about 15 minutes before charging can be resumed. Normal AA batteries can be used.

- The Built in Flip out USB arm can cause problems as it does not swivel meaning in some cases you may have to hold on to the camcorder or leave it hanging off your desktop or laptop, this can be resolved by using a USB cable.

- When panning, the recording appears a little jittery, as it has no stabilisation built it, you need an extremely steady hand.

- The Flip UltraHD cannot replace a standard camcorder, nor is it suppose to, however it is the perfect addition to your video recording needs.

The product is also supplied with a soft pouch, however it would be worth while purchasing another product to protect the The Flip UltraHD.

Despite the negative points raised, the The Flip UltraHD still deserves 5/5 stars for quality and price.

Unfortunately I have had an awful time trying to get this product to work. I was sold on the 'simple to use / set up / store / view' not to mention the size of the camcorder. However the reality is that one week in and I am having problems with the software, charging the camcorder, getting the product to record, keeping recordings and stopping the thing from freezing, and then losing recording after setting up the camcorder to the TV. I have emailed the manufacturer who are US based and do not have a UK helpline, you can call them but it will cost you a trans Atlantic phone call to the West Coast - make sure you do it on Pacific time! To date I have not received any constructive help whatsoever from them.
I would NOT recommend this product to anybody - it may be small but if you can't use it what good is that? I am about to send mine back. Do not buy.

So far superb. About the size of a mobile but a little chunkier. As easy as easy can be to operate, gave it the kids to mess around with and they were recording in minutes and off having fun. I'll be looking for a silicon glove cover fairly quickly for it as it doesn't feel as though it will take too many drops and that might just help, the device feels a little plasticy but is well put together. Software is decent and an absolute breeze to use. Video quality is better than I expected and connecting to my PC was an absolute breeze although I would recommend that you get a USB extension cable just to make life easy. Overall a good package, ask me again in 6 months.

I LOVE this! Its not only extremely easy to use, but the onboard software is truly amazing - never has editing, making movies, adding your own music, uploading to YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, emailing etc etc been SOOOOOOOOO easy and fun to do. And it worked instantly - you simply plug into your PC using the integrated USB arm and the software boots up with all your films ready to edit and send. I also have an old Mac I occasionally use and with some great help from the Customer Support team at Flip got the Mac working with the Flip in no time! So I'm fully set up on my PC and Mac and emailing and sharing everything.....I'd give both the camcorder and the customer support 5 stars!

I am a film studies student and record and make short films for fun, we use this and the quality is amazing when you open and see the video you recorded.
The software that the flip comes with is very easy to use and quick to install.
You can use any tripod stand with this because of the hole under the flip and if you want to record while on a bike or attach it to your helmet then flip does a action tripod for 10-20 pounds.
I would recommend this for the price and the quality you get for the price

This is simply brilliant, the quality is amazing.....i just love it!
Buy one! you won't regret it!

Well I got Flip Ultra HD for nearly a week and forgot to review it! I am a student and making videos never been so easy, saves me time! I put my Vlogs on youtube channel. If you want to see the qaulifty for yourself then go to youtube and enter ImYourAbiraj and watch my vlogs. This is my first camcorder and what a great one to have, if you decide to buy this product I recommended 110%! :D

My Flip HD Ultra arrived this morning, I had it set up in minutes. It is very easy to use, my 10 year old also used it with ease. I like the way you have to go through a sequence of options before videos are deleted.
The software loaded on laptop without any problems, I haven't used all the features yet but have managed to save and email the videos and trim one.
I would recommend this camcorder, it's a perfect size for travelling with.

I have been using this Flip UltraHD for around 3 months now, and i have put around 9 videos onto Youtube using this camera and the software provided with it, and the quality is excellent and i actually prefer this to the Canon Camcorder i have which is also HD and cost me 800 pounds!!
Definitely worth the money, you will not be dissapointed :)

Extremely good quality video's, small and easy to use, the perfect camcorder for holidays and days out