A Flip video camera is a compact, handheld camcorder made to easily record and share videos. The Flip camera connects to a computer using a built-in USB arm, and records in different resolutions based one of the four currently available versions, Flip Mino, Flip Mino HD, Flip Ultra, Flip Ultra HD.
Recording Capacity
The different versions of the Flip have different recording times. The Flip Mino and Flip Mino HD record for 60 minutes, while the Flip Ultra and Flip Ultra HD record for 120 minutes. In terms of memory, this equates to 4 GB of memory for 1 hour of High Definition (HD) video and 2 GB of memory for 1 hour of Standard Definition (SD) video. This amount of memory would directly translate to how much memory a computer would need to store video from a Flip video camera. Thus, the right amount of memory would be however much footage would be saved long term. The more video stored, the more memory would be required to store it.
Computer Requirements
The SD Flip cameras require at least a 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor, while HD versions would require a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor or better. All of the cameras require at least 512 MB of RAM if the camera is used with Windows XP or 1 GB of RAM if using Windows Vista. These hardware requirements are for the software that comes with the Flip camera, which is used to easily transfer, edit and share the recorded videos.
Limitations
The Flip cameras have fixed focus lenses and limited zoom. In addition, the cameras do not give much control of picture settings, as many of these settings are automated. All of these factors contribute to the lack of the ability to adjust the picture to desired specifications. The Flip camera was designed to be able to record video quickly, but does not account for a more controlled recording experience.
Use
Using the Flip camera is simply a matter of pointing the lens at the desired subject and then pushing the record button. Once the desired footage is recorded, connect the camera to a computer's USB port using the Flip camera's USB arm. The footage can then be imported, edited and shared using the Flip software.
Considerations
Unlike many digital cameras, the Flip camera does not use expandable memory, meaning it has a fixed amount of memory. This is not a big issue, but if the necessary recording time is longer than the maximum capacity of the Flip, the footage would have to be transferred before more could be recorded. In contrast, in a camera that uses memory cards or even tapes one could easily switch out one tape or card for another. However, to compare and choose between the Flip and other camcorders would require determining what the acceptable trade off is between desired features and value.
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