Home > Consumer Reviews > Flip Mino Series Camcorder Bundle with AC Adapter, 60 Minutes (White)

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3978KAPMRW5WR *****
The new Mino is simple and so easy to use right out of the box. See it demonstrated here in this very short video. Also see how it uploads. I made the video using the old Flip Ultra (the version that came right before the Mino), which I like; however, the new Mino is lighter, smaller, and performs some functions a bit easier.

Note that the new Mino fits the same tripod that the old Ultra did, thank goodness!

If money is an issue, you can save a few dollars by buying the old Flip Ultra, they do work great (they are a bit bigger and you have to put in two AA batteries). I'm still using mine, along with the new one. I enjoy them both!

Highly recommended.
*****

I am a new mom and I keep a blog for my son that my family members all around the country check on. It's our way of staying close even when we are on the west coast and most of the family is on the east coast.

I looked and looked for a simple, straightforward camcorder type item that would work seamlessly with my computer so that I could easily upload video onto the blog. After hours reading Consumer Reports and visiting annoying stores like Circuit City, my friend and fellow Mom/blogger told me about the Clip camera. It is EXACTLY what I was looking for and cheaper than all the camcorders I had been researching!

What I like most is the following: (1) small size (fits in diaper bag), (2) incredibly easy interface for video upload and editing, perfect for technophobes like me, (3) seems to work nicely without installing all kinds of annoying software on my computer (which can't accept any more software because it is full of photos and video files!) It also charges via its connection to the computer which is excellent since we all know that batteries die at the least opportune times and also are a pain to replace.

It is also pretty cool, which is nice, as I try to appear cool at times.

This new model has an especially nice control dial that is an improvement on the earlier models. It does seem a bit sensitive/reactive but I am sure I will get the hang of it soon.

As far as I can tell, the video quality is excellent, beyond what I would have ever expected from such a petite and economical device. Even the sound is great - nice and clear.

So - five stars, and great enthusiasm for this little camera.

After having this camera only 6 weeks the internal lithium ion rechargeable battery crapped out and will not hold a charge enough for the camera to turn on for more then 2 seconds. The worst part is you can't buy another Battery@! Bummer, I wrote Amazon to see if they would swap for a replacement (No Luck, too bad it took 6 weeks to fail and not 4weeks)
$150.00 Flushed.............

We loved the little camcorder and it worked great for about a month and a half. Then my husband plugged it into the computer yesterday and it was not recognized nor did it charge. Completely dead. Luckily we had uploaded what was on there before the crash. Since others have had similar problems I would hesitate to order unless you got an extended return policy and even then, maybe just look for something else...

This is a VERY HONEST review of my Mino and the Customer Service at PureDigital (the makers of the Flip Mino). Please keep in mind when dealing with electronics there are always lemons for whatever reason. I, unfortunately, was someone who had a lemon. I believe it is important to add a review of these broken products so that customers are well informed about potential problems and their frequency (for example, if 50% of the reviews are reports of problems it is typically a good idea to be wary of a product).
I wanted to title this... "Even an Idiot Can Use," however, my title would not be entirely true. When I first picked the Mino out of the minimalist box it was so easy there was no need to read the "QUICKSTART GUIDE." The Mino is THAT intuitive. Nevertheless, if you do need to read through the guide, you will be happy to know it is a tiny pocket-size foldout brochure... yes, you heard me right... no 500 page book... no instructions in 10 languages (which may not be a good thing if English is not your primary or strong language).
I immediately began recording videos both in and outdoors. In low light and bright light. The small screen made everything I recorded look beautiful and bright. However, on the small screen it looked as though it had a hard time focusing at anything closer than a 1 ½ feet. I found this to be true (much) later after loading the videos on my computer.
After recording several minutes of video throughout the day I came home in the evening, popped in the incorporated USB plug and nothing happened. All the videos and files on the Flip were corrupted. After trying several "fixes" nothing worked. I contacted Customer Service by email, which promises a response within 4 business hours. They were true to their word during this initial contact and were back to me fairly quickly. After several days of back-and-forth emails (no longer within the 4 hours the promised) they did acknowledge that I had a broken Flip and replaced it free of charge. They even emailed me a PDF that allowed me to ship the Mino back to them without paying UPS shipping. I was ecstatic with customer support. However, my cheery attitude took a change in direction when I did not receive a working Mino back until a MONTH LATER! The positive though, it contained all of the videos I recorded from the first day I got the Mino.. in WORKING condition. I really appreciated that extra touch.

Pros:
- Small
- Intuitive
- Super easy to use
- Easy to connect to a PC and retrieve videos off the Mino
- Free shipping back to Pure Digital on broken Mino
- Customer Service works hard to recover videos on broken Mino
- Fairly inexpensive (good for when you don't want to bust out the high dollar camera in conditions where it could become damaged)

Cons:
- Small sheet of directions in English only (not an issue for me but something to note. I did not subtract stars for this)
- I received a broken Mino and there are others out there. Not sure how pervasive these problems are yet but you should look over the reviews and see if this is becoming a trend or isolated incidents before purchasing.
- Customer Service took a month to get a working Mino back to me.

Finally, this does not belong in the pro or con section for me as I knew this before I received the product but I feel I should let everyone know what to expect before purchasing. This is not a camera to film your child's birth, first steps, or ailing family members last birthday. The quality is good enough to post on the internet, email videos to family members, let your children play around with, etc. Please be aware before purchasing the camera's limitations. It is amazing for what it is... a small, light, easy to use video camera, with fairly good picture quality that you don't mind knocking around. A great camera to take to a theme park, on a horseback riding trip, filming the kids playing dress up to email to grandparents, etc.