Two days ago I bought the new Flip MinoHD video camera to use for video blogging (vlog) and other things. The purchase was a close toss-up between the Flip MinoHD and the Kodak Zi8. While the Kodak Zi8 definitely has more features, most of them are not as important to me as the Flip's small form factor. The smaller it is, the more likely I am to toss it in my pocket and actually use it.
But after using the Flip all day to vlog yesterday in Minneapolis and then editing the footage this morning, the video quality and audio quality are both pretty underwhelming. The video quality isn't necessarily bad, it's just that the lens is pretty narrow and makes it a challenge to frame shots well, especially up close. And despite the great reviews of the Flip doing a good job with audio, I found it picked up way too much background noise when I talked to it, especially if I was talking from behind it. I guess that's to be expected from a front-facing mic, but if I'm going to be switching between shooting myself and other subjects, I can't have the audio fading in and out as I do so. Plus, if my hand rubs the front of the Flip too much, you can hear that in the audio, too.
I was also hoping I could use the Flip's memory as a scratch disk for editing the videos with Final Cut Express. While it works, it's way too slow and thus gets a little frustrating. I'll have to transfer all the files to my Mac's hard drive next time.
Even though the Kodak Zi8 is bigger (about the size of my cell phone) and uglier, I'll planning to go pick one up and try it out. It can shoot in macro mode (for up-close subjects, unlike the Flip), which I found myself needing several times yesterday. Hopefully it does a better job with audio, too. I just hope it's not too big for me to feel like leaving it at home.
