looking for a basic HD video camera (720p is fine, though 1080p is preferable) that produces a good audio and video...not sure what features i'd be interested in, but for the most part i just want something relatively cheap that produces good A/V

i've heard good things about the HD-line of flips (ultraHD, slideHD, minoHD)...any other suggestions?

6/30/2010 12:45:19 PM

I bought my wife an UltraHD flip for mother's day, and she absolutely loves it.

The only complaint I have about it is the shaky-cam-ness of it. It has no image stabilization, so you get a lot of shaky video chasing the kids around.

If you want to see some sample videos my wife took of the kids, I can send you links via PM, so you can see what the video looks like in the hands of a non-tech person/average user.

I love not having to upload/edit the videos for her, the software is so easy.

6/30/2010 1:52:02 PM

Gave my mom a FlipUltra-HD for her birthday ... she loves it as well (disclosure -- I work at Cisco and won it as a prize -- didnt keep it because I just use my iPhone video camera).

6/30/2010 2:05:43 PM

Flip UltraHD

6/30/2010 2:07:27 PM

I have a flip HD, kodak HD, and a Creative VADO. I prefer the VADO - it's the only model that will record directly to h.264 so I don't have to convert to edit in Premiere CS3.

However the kodak has the collest software - it's embedded in the device and works on almost any system. From which you can do basic editing and direct-to-youtube uploads. Pretty sweet.

6/30/2010 10:07:32 PM

^creative is on sale for $60 with free case

7/1/2010 1:24:20 AM

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/36190/creative-vado-8gb-hd-720p-pocket-video-camcorder-with-2x-digital-zoom-accessories-pack

7/1/2010 6:50:41 AM

^^ & ^ AWESOMEGONUTS...really, thanks...picked up the red one since the black was out

$65 after tax and FS with the accessory pack (which appears to be a case and USB wall charger) is a pretty good deal, IMO

the wide-angle lens seems to be a favorite of folks (301 votes with an overall of 4/5 stars) and, as noted, default h.264 is a big bonus

only 2 hours of recording on HD+ mode (not sure what this means...lesser compression at 30fps? 4 hours on "regular" HD mode) is kind of disappointing since there's no removable memory, but for $65 it's a great deal

7/1/2010 8:52:16 AM

^ it's ok. You'll never make it to 2 hours on one battery charge. And it charges via the built in USB cable, so.... transfer some crap off while it's sitting there.

Be sure to remember the hit the play and trash at the same time while charging. It causes it to go to sleep and charge like 3x faster. You can juice up in around 20-30 minutes.

I run everything in HD+, and then play it back on a WDTV - which does so native without converting crap Forget the zoom button. It's not worth it, I promise. Sneaker zoom.

The good side to not having zoom is that the aperture value is like 1.4, meaning it will handle even the crappiest indoor lighting environment.

I'm definitely a fan - it's perfect for video podcast and home movie type work. Hoping to give a few away at conference if I can get some funding approved.

7/1/2010 11:02:51 AM

I have the VADO as well. At the price above, it is worth it granted I have never used a FLIP. I just wish I could plug it into my PS3 and have it play video files, but that does not work. The software that comes with it is OK and can do many basic things. Plus it is on the camera, so you always have it with you.

7/1/2010 11:41:41 AM

The software for the flip is in the camera as well.

7/1/2010 11:49:42 AM