Lovin’ My Ultra-Tiny Flip Video Ultra Camcorder

Posted March 2, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Camcorders

Flip Video Camcorder After learning about the Flip camcorders from an Internet marketing colleague and seeing how small it was, I knew I needed to have one.

Although I already have a very nice Sony Mini DV camcorder that I’ve used to make a few business videos from my home office, I rarely took it anywhere with me because I found that it was ‘too big’. ‘Too big’ means that it is too big to put in my pocket, because I don’t carry a purse and rarely carry a packsack.

So I ordered the 60-minute orange Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder (F260N) by Pure Digital Technologies as shown here to the left from Ritz Camera — and lo and behold, I’m actually starting to make more videos because I’m carrying the camera with me.

For example, I grabbed the Flip Ultra when I saw the hot tub pouring suds all over my backyard last week, shot footage of my buddy Damon lifting loot from the Coast Sundance Lodge and caught a few precious moments of my adorable godson, Gavin.

I’ve also taken a few driving-down-the-road videos, such as this hand-held video that I took while driving through Peachland, British Columbia. I plan to pick up the mini tripod made especially for the Flip Ultra that sits nicely on a car dashboard. It will be perfect for those ‘check out that idiot!’ scenes that you come across on a too regular basis here in the Okanagan valley.

If you watch the videos linked above, you’ll notice that you can hear me (the camera person) just fine, but others farther away can be a little difficult to hear. Note too that the one taken while driving deals with both engine noise and the radio and yet came out just fine. So, for those people scenes, I’ll just get in closer next time and warn video subjects in advance to speak louder OR I’ll use it primarily to record scenes and situations.

Being a bit of a techno-phobe who hates to mess with cables, what I appreciate most about the Flip Video Ultra is that the built-in software makes it so easy to upload videos to your computer and then to video-sharing sites. The software self-installs the first time that you use it. You just plug the USB arm (the bit that is sticking out in the photo above) into your computer or USB hub, upload your videos and with direct links to YouTube and AOL Video you can publish videos online in just minutes.

And although there is no direct link, you don’t need any additional software to compress your videos before uploading to Google Video, because video files are saved to your computer in both MPEG4 and AVI format — which Google likes.

The camcorder runs on 2 AA batteries. Although my eco-friendly nature didn’t appreciate that the Ultra Flip came with the throw-away variety in the box (since replaced with rechargeables), I have been very impressed by how long the batteries have lasted with more than an hour of video taken and uploaded and the batteries are still going strong.

The price is remarkable as well.

I bought mine for $155, but if you don’t specifically need an orange video camera, the black and white versions can be had for under $130. To see how much they are now, just search for ‘Flip Ultra’ from the Ritz Camera homepage.

If you’re looking for a low-priced, plug and play camcorder that you’ll remember to carry around and use - I’d highly recommend getting a Flip Video Ultra.

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Slide And Negative To Digital Picture Converter

Posted January 5, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Photography & Optics

Ed and I have thousands of slides between us that we want to turn into digital photographs, so I’ve just ordered this slide and negative to digital picture converter.

Ed wanted the one that cost 1700 bucks because it handles large volumes of slides quickly… but because we have (he has) tons of time on his hands, I opted for this one at only $99.95.

It converts old 35mm slides and film negatives into digital images, allowing you to easily preserve your memories without having to rely on a conversion service, and allowing you to clear valuable storage space of cluttered slide carousels and dusty photo boxes.

Slides and negatives are placed into a tray that aligns each properly; the touch of a button scans the image instantly.

It has a 5MP CMOS sensor that provides 10 bits per color channel for data conversion, and uses fixed focus and automatic exposure control and color balance, resulting in clear digital images without loss of resolution.

It can scan images up to 1,800 dpi and uses three white LEDs as a back light source.

For photo transfers and power it has a USB cable that plugs into a PC running Windows XP and includes software that allows you to edit, crop, and resize your slides as well as convert your negatives into positives. Requires Windows XP. 6 1/2″ H x 3 1/2″ W x 3 1/2″ D. (1 lb.)

The Slide And Negative To Digital Picture Converter is sold at HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER.

I’ll let you know how it works out.

Technorati Tags: picture converter, digital, slides, negatives

Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder

Posted November 21, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Camcorders

I recently learned about the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder through a friend online and after seeing examples of the videos that he took with it, I just had to order one for myself.

The Ultra Flip is described as “a revolutionary new way to shoot and share videos” and its portable, simple-to-use design makes it incredibly easy to create high quality home movies.. and better yet, it’s very light for travel!

It’s so light, you’ll be able to carry it anywhere and everywhere to capture those special and interesting moments in time and share them with your family and friends.

Built-in software provides a convenient, seamless way to save and share your videos by email, or make custom movies, capture still photos from video clips, and upload videos directly to popular video-sharing sites, including AOL Video and YouTube.

This next-generation version of the original Flip Video line features a new sleeker design, premium no-glare LCD screen, and improved video and audio quality. Flip Video Ultra comes with a TV connector cable, wrist strap, soft carrying case, two AA batteries, and a quick start guide.

Best of all the Flip Video Ultra is also ultra affordable.

Credit-Card Sized Digital Camera

Posted October 7, 2007 by Ed Szajniak · Filed Under Cameras

Available through HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER, this full-featured digital camera has all the indispensable features found in larger cameras without the bulk.

This 1/2″ thick sleek stainless-steel camera offers a superior 6 megapixel image sensor, for high quality prints up to 11″ x 20″, as well as flawless cropping and other image enhancements, in addition to a 3x optical zoom lens.

The 2.2″ LCD viewfinder screen is larger than many cameras twice this unit’s size, and lets you clearly compose, edit, and delete shots with ease while in the field. The camera offers automatic and manual picture settings (including exposure and white balance), allowing you to take as much control as you’d like, while an anti-shake option reduces blurry images caused by camera shake or moving subjects.

A digital MPEG-4 movie mode lets you record high-quality videos at up to 30 frames per second with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels.

The rechargeable battery lasts for up to 300 shots per charge. 8 MB of built-in memory; accepts SD/MMC cards. Includes a built-in flash, docking/charging cradle, and video-out and USB cables.

2 1/2″ H x 4 1/4″ W x 1/2″ D. (5 oz.)