Flip Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (Black) OLD MODEL

Pretty easy to use. Don't turn the camera sideways to film. Pain to download to save to computer...The size makes it very easy for traveling. It does an hour worth of taping. Surprised how well it works in low lighting. Sound is pretty good also. Great cheap camcorder for just around the house and party type events.

Flip sent me 3 camcorders, none would record when I pressed the red record button. Amazon ( a great company) finally had to return my money. Flip refused to send me a refund. Thanks to Amazon I got my money back. I would not use a flip if they gave me one.

I took this with me on a trip to Europe last year and it worked great! The picture quality and sound are pretty good, but I wish it had been a tad smaller. (Note - there is a smaller version Flip Mino Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black), but the Ultra was recommended to me as having better quality.)

Video Quality: Obviously, a big factor that people worry about is video quality. The video quality of this camera is pretty nice, especially for the price that I paid. However, it is a bit washed out (especially indoors). 36/40

Audio Quality: The mic on this is also pretty nice, but it is a bit muffled. The mic on this is also pretty prone to wind noise. All else considered, the audio is still fairly crisp and clear. 17/20

Memory: While memory consumption is extremely efficient on this camera, better than you would find on most digital cameras that shoot in standard definition, the memory is completely non-expandable. The memory expandability is a pretty big factor when you only have a fairly limited amount of memory to work with. 14/20

Durability: Upon first impression, this camera does NOT feel very well built. Not to mention that it broke after a fall from chest height. 6/20

Features: This camera has what you need, but the zoom sucks (2x optical) and the features are very basic (no macro). 5/10

Portability: This camera is reasonably portable, it will fit in most pockets, but it is slightly bigger than your average digital camera. 8.5/10

Battery: The battery life on this is pretty nice, you will rarely have to change batteries, but the fact that this uses AA batteries is a slight negative point; however, on field replacement can be seen as an advantage. 9/10

Aesthetics: It's not an eyesore to look at, but its Fisher Price-like look isn't necessarily attractive. 2.5/10

Overall: 73% (3.5/5)

Summary: Overall, this is a good product for freelance videographers. However, I would not recommend it for anybody else or if you need a camera that can take abuse. If you need a product like this but with better build quality, I would suggest the similarly priced Kodak Zi6, which shoots in 720p HD.

At first I loved my FLIP upon receiving it as a Christmas gift in 2008 - not even one year ago. Went to use it recently and the camera is FROZEN - this must happen often because it is on the Q and A of frequently asked questions. I email the support staff at FLIP and they instructed me to remove all batteries from camera for 48 - 72 to see if Camera would automatically reset. Batteries have been out for a little over 72 hours, camera still frozen. FLIP support told me that because it is over 90 days ther is nothing they can do. This viedo camera, although small and portable, is nothing more than a disposable video camera that won't last long. I personally feel whenyou buy something like this the expectation is that it will last a few years at least. Would not recommend.