Finally, the Flip Camcorder, hailed for its simplicity in the US by Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O'Donnell, Martha Stewart, and other daytime TV personalities, is coming to Canada this week. And you know, it's brought a competitor with it, the "Vado". Both cameras are designed with computer dummies in mind, very easy to use and easy on the wallet too.
The Easiest Camcorders On The Market
No tape cassettes, no discs, no software. You literally just point it, press the record button, and then connect it to your computer when you're done (Mac or PC). A window automatically appears on your screen with your videos loaded, you just click to save, click to edit, and click to upload it to YouTube (or other video sharing websites).
There's no software to install, no blank tapes or discs to buy, nothing to learn.
Both camcorders store their video much like iPod shuffles or cellphones - using 2GB of flash memory which translates to an hour of recording time. When you are done, you connect the camera to your computer, save a copy of your videos, erase the camcorder's memory and start again.
The picture quality is just "fair". These are low-end, VGA cameras (640 x 480), just like the video cameras you'll find in a webcam or a cellphone. They look fine on a small screen, but are really pixelated on a widescreen of HDTV. They only have a 2X digital zoom. Simple to use, but also very basic in functionality.
Good for creating personal messages at a birthday party or a reunion, but a poor choice for sporting events, or evening shots.
Once your videos are saved to your computer, you are free to do anything you like with them. Have them burned onto a DVD, e-mail them off to friends, or edit them using video-editing software.
The Flip Ultra (Recommended)
$160
Available in Black, White, Orange,And Pink
The Flip Ultra is the second generation model of the Flip (the first never received a proper launch in Canada) and is designed around a traditional camera body style. It's USB computer connector "flips out" at the touch of a button, much like a switchblade, hence the name. With an additional audio/video cable you can connect the camcorder to a television to watch your videos on a larger screen. Compared to the Vado it has a smaller, 1.5" display screen, stickier controls (in tests I found the record button didn't always respond immediately), and uses traditional AA batteries for power (good for 2.5 hours) which make it easier to use for travelers. When connected to a computer (Mac or PC), the included Flip software allows you to name your clips, edit them into finished movies complete with music and video effects, and grab still frames to save as digital photos. This is far more robust than what the Vado offers.
Finally, and the reason why the Flip Ultra gets my recommendation, my video tests show the Flip Ultra as having the better colour reproduction and clarity. Although both the Flip ultra and Vado have the same video capabilities on their spec sheets (CMOS VGA sensor, 30 frames per second, MPEG 4), videos just look better when taken by the Flip Ultra.
Creative Vado Video Cam
$100
Available in Silver or Pink
Although less expensive, the Vado offers the same basic features as the Flip. It has a more modern body style with a much larger LCD screen. It also has the ability to connect to a television to play its videos on a larger screen. It uses a rechargeable battery and your computer to charge it, which although will save you the cost of batteries, means that you can't travel without a laptop or computer nearby to use as a charger. What its missing is the option to edit your videos. For that you'll need another program. When connected to a computer, the Vado can simply play or save your clips. With some set up you can also have your videos sent directly to your YouTube or Photobucket account. Although the Vado and Flip enjoy the same video specifications (CMOS VGA sensor, 30 frames per second, MPEG 4) my side-by-side tests revealed that the Vado's results lack hue or saturation. The colour seems drained in comparison. The Vado is certainly an excellent budget camcorder and its price is hard to argue with. Video footage taken with it looks good and you certainly wouldn't know what you were missing unless you had the Flip ultra to compare against.
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