Flip Ultra-HD camcorder

josie · #1 04-09-2010, 01:41 PM

HI!
I'm shopping for a camcorder... but dont have a huge budget!! I want to make video of the aquarium... dont want to become a filmaker here! just get easy good videos...

I was wondering if any of you have a Flip Ultra-HD? I'm thinking of getting one... it's a low price and the videos I saw on youtube were good.

review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camc...?tag=mncol;lst

some video-test I found on youtube made with it:

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=HaJKj5MPGzY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWbrbgE7Yjc

what do you think?

Dez · #2 04-09-2010, 02:19 PM

I have this vid camera and it is really great for family trips etc, but if you have a bright aquarium, it is very crappy as it doesn't see what we see. Hope this helps. It is so convenient to have around actually.

josie · #3 04-09-2010, 02:23 PM

thanks

I'll have to shop more now...
anyone have a low cost camcorder that would make good aquarium videos??

soapy · #4 04-09-2010, 03:26 PM

A little more money but this one looks pretty cool too; 30X optical zoom, good macro, waterproof:

http://sanyo.com/xacti/english/produ...wh1/index.html

josie · #5 04-09-2010, 04:17 PM

searching youtube I found 2 videos of reef aquarium taking with a Flip UltraHD...
I dont think it,s that bad...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY6pG__u_tk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbtEEjbzXCE

Delphinus · #6 04-09-2010, 04:36 PM

I find with digital that the lines between digital camera and digital camcorder are really starting to blur. I was looking at this camera a little while ago because it's waterproof to 33'/10m (most underwaters have usually only been good to 10' lately, so this is nice) and it does 720p HD video: http://www.olympuscanada.com/cpg_sec...p?product=1497

Unfortunately I didn't buy it because it wasn't available at the time I needed something (wanted it for a Hawaii trip) so I ended up getting a Canon D10 (this one: http://www.canon.ca/inetCA/products?m=gp&pid=793 ). A little less coin, more or less the same feature set, but unfortunately not HD, just regular video.

It should be available now though.

I considered the Sanyo as well that soapy linked to, but decided against it on account that it was more money and only good to 10 feet, which is good for snorkeling but no good for diving.

When I did get to diving when I was there in Hawaii, one of the fellas that I dived with had an underwater casing for his Flip video camera. Unfortunately for whatever reason it did not perform under pressure. We're not sure what happened, maybe the pressure was pushing in one of the buttons and it got stuck or something. The camera worked fine above water but below the water he couldn't even get still pictures. I ended up sending him everything I took with my Canon. I love this camera, it's now my everyday camera - it just happens to be waterproof but it works just as fine outside of water.

josie · #7 04-09-2010, 04:42 PM

thanks delphinus!
well I'm not looking for a video camera that is waterproof...
just want to make good videos of the tank... I wont be using it for anything else (well maybe a fiew videos of my dog

)...

Delphinus · #8 04-09-2010, 04:48 PM

Hahaha, ok then. I think the only thing you really want to watch out for then, for good tank videos, is the macro focus (minimum focal distance). I'm not sure if all video cameras are capable of very short distances, but if they are not then that's something to consider, since most tank shots/videos will be taken with the camera right next to the glass (otherwise you just get a nice video of a reflection of yourself taking a video

).