Low Price Flip Video SlideHD Camcorder NEWEST VERSION

Great video camera for baby boomers
My daughter bought this camera for me for my birthday. It is easy to use and fun to share my photos and video with my family and friends. I carry it around in my pocket all the time, so I don't miss anything.

Interesting hybrid of camcorder and video player
Flip pioneered the "instant camcorder" concept and has prospered by it.

Now that everybody else is piling in, Flip perceived a need to expand its space and came up with the SlideHD.

The basic Flip functionality is present: you can record up to 4 hours of truly gorgeous 720p HD video, Audio quality is acceptable if your subject is nearby and ambient noise isn't too loud. Low-light performance isn't great, but considering the physics involved, there is no surprise there. The minimum focal length of the lens is longer than I would like meaning you can't sit across a typical restaurant table and capture two adorable grandchildren being - well - adorable. The minimum focus distance is also a bit on the long side.

Bottom line is that the Flip SlideHD is a very good instant camcorder that is ready to go on a moment's notice. It is a lot faster to get a Flip into action than most dedicated camcorders, still cameras with a video capability and smartphones.

In terms of features and usage, the SlideHDis very different than other Flip models. It is the largest and heaviest of the entire line. Instead of a LCD screen and physical buttons on the back, there is a large LDC screen with graphical buttons. The onscreen buttons are very responsive. Speaker output is surprisingly loud, even if tinny. There's an HDMI output (no cable supplied), a standard tripod socket and a headphone jack.

The big feature though is that you slide the back of the unit and it tilts up to reveal a 3" touch sensitive screen and a capacitive slide panel below it. You can play back your videos or load up to 12 hours of video that has been converted with the included FlipShare software.

Is this useful or just a gimmick? I haven't really decided yet. The 3" screen is adequate for getting a better view of Little Junior playing soccer and, with some technically savvy manipulation on the conversion, can also be used to play back other video. Overall, I think the Slide feature is handy, but not vital.

The battery won't give you a full 4 hours, but compiling 4 hours of video in a single run is pretty difficult. Typical of Flip camcorders, there is an arm that plugs into your USB port. But I really prefer to use short USB cables instead of putting that kind of load on the Flip or my computer's USB ports.

Overall, I like the idea of the SlideHD, although I think the capability of using readily available AA batteries makes the UltraHD a more utilitarian camcorder, with half the capacity.

One thing is for sure: the Flip is still a leading contender in the niche they invented.

Jerry

Pretty good
I just got my flip slideHD last week and am still experimenting with it a bit so i'll be updating this review as time goes by. I'm only giving it 3 stars for now because:

1. When you make videos at night all the lights have a large halo around them
2. The zoom function is easy enough to use but the zoom range is quite limited compared to other cameras
3. Although I knew that the flip would have simple / limited controls, I was surprised at just how limited they are. From that perspective you could almost think of this as a child's camera (if it wasn't for the price and the fact that it's an HD camera).
4. When you email a video via the flip software to someone, they get a link with your video. The problem is that the quality of the image is so reduced that it pretty much defies the purposed of having an HD camera.

More updates to come...

BAD PLAYBACK
Unless you have the 3ghz+ processor in your computer DO NOT buy this product. The playback is jumpy and makes the video unviewable. There is NO fix, no repair, no downgrade, nothing. We are returning this.

Perfect for what I needed...
I race cars and I needed a very simple to use video camera to place in the race car for "in car" video. I am very happy with the purchase as it takes nice high quality video, stores 4 hours of data, the battery lasts fairly long for a digital device, and it has the flip screen to watch the play back in case it is needed in protests. What I didn't expect is that I would find this so useful and fun for uses outside of the race car application. I soon found myself carrying this thing with me all the time especially on vacations. The other thing I really like is the software that came with it which makes it a snap to share out to YouTube and Facebook. Yes the software is a little cludgey as far as file maintenance of the videos but the sharing aspect and the fact that you can freeze a frame to create a snapshot make this icing on the cake. Make sure you buy the wall jack charger which charges the unit faster than being connected to a USB slot on a computer. There are far more AC outlets than USB slots when you are on vacation or away from home. This was a good buy.....

You can find a sample of the in car video produced here: [...]