In-Depth Review: Flip SlideHD Camcorder

[SuperAnimallover2000]

Are you able to zoom in and out during a video

[georgef551]

@SuperAnimallover2000

Yes, digitally, while recording, not on playback.

2x digital, pixelization happens around 1.4x or so.

[SuperAnimallover2000]

@georgef551 ok thanks for answering but im kind of dumb with cameras i just got one and playback is what exactly srry for wasting your time a little :/

[georgef551]

@SuperAnimallover2000

Playback = Playing the video(s) you recorded.

[mykolvroxgen]

The Flip Slide also displays a battery meter :D

[georgef551]

@mykolvroxgen

I think it didn't show up once, and went with that.

(Flip rarely does that.)

[austingalloway1]

which one is better definition ?

[georgef551]

@austingalloway1

All Flip HD cameras are 1280x720p. This one is a little better in the dark, but saturates in brighter areas.

The Gen3 UltraHD's offer image stabilization (as well as the last generation of the Mino).

If you don't mind the lack of image stabilization, this can work, especially with 16GB of memory.

All cameras (except image stabilized ones) are 30fps, 60 for the stabilized ones.

[LearningAlongTheWay]

Hey george would this be good for Youtube videos and Vlogs? If not.

Can you give me suggestions of some cameras that would be good for it?

Any ideas?

[georgef551]

@LearningAlongTheWay

It'll do okay, but be careful on touching the screen, as you'll trigger buttons. It takes a little getting used to.

If you want a stable image, I'd go for the Gen3 UltraHD instead.

[LearningAlongTheWay]

@georgef551 So you think that'd be better for up close speaking? and or a good distance away of skits? I want to make video of funny vid's. But i want the right camera with right software to download that won't screw up my computer. And will be able to edit into.

Any ideas?

[georgef551]

@LearningAlongTheWay

You'd be a lot better off with the 3'rd Gen UltraHD in that case, because the mic in the Slide isn't anywhere near as powerful.

[LearningAlongTheWay]

@georgef551 Alright thanks alot. I WILL take you up on that man seriously im gonna go buy the 3rd. Any last ideas of to keep up with it. P.S Hows the software and being able to edit into it.

[georgef551]

@LearningAlongTheWay

No idea how the included software works (it has FlipShare for editing). I use my own editor, which the camera talks to flawlessly, and keeps up with the editor (Corel VideoStudio x2 is what I use).

[LearningAlongTheWay]

@georgef551 Does that editor cost how much?

[georgef551]

@LearningAlongTheWay

I heard the current version (x3, I believe) has issues. Not sure where you can get a patched-up x2 version. Patched up, because some MP4 videos (even from Flips) get cut off.

I think the x3 is around $120. Could always try it first at corel-dot-com, if they still do that.

[LearningAlongTheWay]

@georgef551 Im going to get it off amazon.com for 96.99 no tax. I want to be able to edit video combine two videos but i need to know will this mess up my computer? Will this have good quality? Will this be a good one for youtube videos and skits and vlogs? Would this be good long term? Please reply.

[georgef551]

@LearningAlongTheWay

Not sure. I don't remember the problems. Then again, every software has problems with some systems anyway. Be sure to have a system restore point created.

It should work for what you're doing. Keep in mind it's not the fancy-schmancyiest editor out there.

[LearningAlongTheWay]

@georgef551 Alright thanks man im gunna get it. Any last words?

[georgef551]

@LearningAlongTheWay

Good luck! Hopefully, there's still some around.

[cacatu74]

@georgef551 There should be. Amazon has many

[thecomputernerd4253]

ultra has 60 fps slide 30fps :P

[georgef551]

@thecomputernerd4253

In the land of YouTube, it doesn't matter, unless you're doing action, or sweeping shots (you lose half the framerate on 60fps, but the shearing, or skewing in the video, is greatly reduced).

[mjwfred]

I'm getting the slide hd today. Any tricks you can show me?

[georgef551]

@mjwfred

Not really. Point, shoot. That's it.

[Lololilly24241]

Can you use an sd card? 

[georgef551]

@Lololilly24241

No, you can't. You got the 16GB on-board memory.

[Recon6Productions]

Hey is it possible to hook this up to an xbox, to record game play? Like a HD PVR, or something close

[georgef551]

@Recon6Productions

No. It only records from the camera.

If the video is compatable, you can PLAY it on this.

[KatiushaVN4]

$280??? LOL not even close

[georgef551]

@KatiushaVN4

Porbably can get it a lot cheaper than the actual proce nowadays.

[xStyxBleichx]

Good review...invest in a tripod please :) but very good review I appreciate it

[georgef551]

@xStyxBleichx

Actually, I have one. In some of the demos, a tripod would not help any.

[XxeyeluvyouxX]

does it allow you to take pictures?

[georgef551]

@XxeyeluvyouxX

Not by itself, but with FlipShare (included), you can grab a still from a video to make photos.

(If you know how to do screen captures, and cropping, that'll work as well, but it's more involved.)

[mrjtb100]

what happends when the camcoder has

no more minutes on it,do you have to buy a

new one.

[georgef551]

@mrjtb100

It'll simply stop recording.

If the battery dies, it'll stop, save, shut down.

Ditto for space issues. In that case, you dump videos onto a computer, and free up space.

[thatapplegeek]

Is it a capacitive or resistive screen?

[georgef551]

@thatapplegeek

It's likely resistive, since at sharp angles, you can see a grid of transparent conductors.

[theelevatorstation]

what camera were you using in this video

[georgef551]

@theelevatorstation

SONY Handicam.

[H4ND0FD34TH]

can you edit videos and add clips to other ones? or can you only edit 1 video?

[georgef551]

@H4ND0FD34TH

I use a different editor, not FlipShare. Not too familiar with it.

Back when there was the 10-minute limit, I had to butcher the crap out of this video, so it had a ot of awkward edits in it. Wish I had unlimited time, like I do now.

[Skyscraperman2000]

I noticed in another flip slide videos that there are two red l.e.d's on the front when you record. So if i'm looking for the button, I'll just have to face the camera towards me, touch the record button without looking and wait until I get the red light.

[georgef551]

@Skyscraperman2000

I disable the recording lights, but I can see how it lets you know you hit the "button".

[Archerfish98]

actually when u playback in widescreen mode u can fastforward and change the volume. you hold your fingerdown on the screen while its playing and it will giv u optionzz and u just touch wich one u wanna do

[georgef551]

@Archerfish98

It didn't work when I was trying it out for the review, but I know you can do that after the fact. D'OH!

[thejake7788]

nice review best 1 :)

[georgef551]

@thejake7788

Could've been a lot better. If the unlimited time for videos was around then, it wouldn't be so badly chopped up, to fit a then 10-minute time limit.

Glad you enjoyed the review!

[TheGummyBear5]

so what would you recommend for unboxings and like iphone(ipod touch) close up's videos??something that's good quality and not bad looking(desing wise)

[georgef551]

@TheGummyBear5

Not sure, really. I just wanted something small that would be descrete when recording in public.

You'd probably have to go with a real camera/camcorder for tighht shots.

[TheGummyBear5]

Is this GOOD for like unboxings and or for ipod touch/iphone videos on like top cydia twecks, apps, thems, etc??check out my channel if you dont understand,,,plz comment back,...,thanks...;)

[georgef551]

@TheGummyBear5

It is good for almost anything. A tripod, and a very steady hand, helps.

As for resolution, it's 1280x720x30 only.

However, if you get about 18" or closer, things get blurry. Close-ups of small things, not good. If you want to do phone vids and reviews, this won't work (blurry). Anything 2 feet away or greater, yes.

[TheGummyBear5]

@TheGummyBear5 awwww....i see...well thanks for replying....thanks for teh heads up...good video by the way

[georgef551]

@WazUpPersonWatching

I know what you're asying. I had to hold it a bit different, so as to not accidentally touch the screen while recording.

[mcnameer1]

Dude, you can control sound and fastforward/rewind in wide screen mode by holding down on the screen. the sound and time bar than pop up. like youtube.

[georgef551]

@mcnameer1

This was pointed out in annotation-form. It didn't work when I tried it before this review, so at the time, I didn't think it did that stuff.

[Fartssmellgood]

HOLY shit youre annoying to listen to. Learn to edit and talk smoothly dude.

[georgef551]

@Fartssmellgood

There was over 11 minutes ov video, nearly 12 (when 10:59 was the limit), some cuts that needed to be made ended up sub-par, but got the job done. The video is intended to demo it's abilities, which I nailed. The beginning is rough, I admit.

The SONY I used to record this does make my voice sound terrible as well.

[elevatorsonly]

At 6:04 in the vid, it's a Share HD? No, it's a Slide HD.

[georgef551]

@elevatorsonly

There's bloopers throughout. :)



[Joobacca0319]

can it take pics?

[georgef551]

@Joobacca0319

No.

Stills not doable here.

[coolestkittay]

@Joobacca0319

in the editing software, you can capture frames of your videos though.

[elevatorsonly]

At 4:55 in the vid on the Ultra HD, it shows an elevator. It is the JCPenney elevator at The Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, NH

[georgef551]

@elevatorsonly

Yes it is.

Those videos are just a few weeks away, lasting about a month.

[ThePitchersArsenal]

if u could help me filter out an answer i'd highly appreciate it. basically i do baseball pitching tutorials, which are outside in the sun and i need good glare resistance and zoom to show the grip and how to throw, etc. the quality of the video is really important to me as well because we need to be clear, also we're young so there are bound to be a some drops and scratches so durability is a factor. plus we don't really care about the price as long as we get what we pay for. thanks so much!!

[georgef551]

@ThePitchersArsenal

You might want to get a real camcorder for that application, especially if you are to zoom in tightly.

I'd try the store demo model, and aim at people approximately the distance from the pitcher, and see. These only go to 2x digital zoom.

If you're willing to put the camera in the line of fire, or close, it'll be great, because in bright outdoor light, there's zero blur, even on super fast objects. Could be distorted geometry.

Probably a real camcorder for you.

[ThePitchersArsenal]

@georgef551 thanks so much for the response

[georgef551]

@ThePitchersArsenal

No problem.

[RobbieBrowning]

is there and focas? like when you go up to something close enough it would blur up. does the slide do that to?

[georgef551]

@RobbieBrowning

It's got a fixed focus, so if you get about 18" or closer to an object, it'll blur.

On the plus side, the casted image is slightly larger on the CMOS, so things will be a little sharper, and larger, at pre-blur.

[LookAtMeNow186]

What should I get the ultraHD or the slide

[georgef551]

@LookAtMeNow186

It's really up to you. Try them out in the store beforehand.

(1) Slide is great for having 4 hours of video storage.

(2) Ultra has physical buttons, makes control easier.

(3) Slide will let you show videos so a few can watch.

(4) Slide has a headphone jack.

(5) Ultra has better flesh tone ability, but darker video appears greenish.

It's hard to choose a winner, since I still have both cameras, and use them both as well.

[flipskaterfourlife]

does the ultra hd have a usb port

[georgef551]

@flipskaterfourlife

Yes, at the top. There's a switch that releases it on the opposite side of the power button.

The review was about operation and quality, so I didn't have time to show some of the components. I even edited out a lot of parts to fit the video into YT's timeframe.

[goldrunkendragon]

it seems the ultra has better picture (wider angle also) but the slide has cool features that really help filming.. i don't know which one i wanna get..

[georgef551]

@goldrunkendragon

Ultra does have a wider shooting angle, but the Slide actually shoots wider than the viewfinder shows. The plus side with the Slide is, you can zoom in tighter, and you get a little more detail in normal range.

It is a toss-up. Try them both out at a store, and see what you like best.

[BCflammable]

@georgef551 well your wrong... its $280...

[georgef551]

@BCflammable

I said $280, but the "2" was hacked in a bad edit. It's somewhat audible, but I annotated it, just so nobody else gets confused. You're not the only one who thought it said $180.

[MrJacobi22]

DID YOU SAY $180?

[georgef551]

@MrJacobi22

I reviewed the video. I did say $280, but the endit was choppy. Part of the "2" was lopped off.

I annotated that for clarification.

[theneenjah]

so if i recorded a 4 hour long video, would i have to save it on a computer, recharge it, then start shooting again?

[georgef551]

@theneenjah

You probably can't go 4 straight hours on it, like the UltraHD couldn't go 2.

[theneenjah]

Constructive criticism: Can u speak more fluently plz? haha, not trying to be offensive.

[georgef551]

@theneenjah

The video wound up being over 12 minutes long, and I needed to whittle out time where I could, so it does result in some jerky or odd moments, but it keeps it under the 10 minute maximum.

[RyanGreyson]

Really awesome video man gunna get my Flip SlideHD on Monday!

[georgef551]

@RyanGreyson

Glad you liked it!

Just hang onto everything, in case it's not what you thought it would be.

I don't want to sway people, just show them the product.

[SchindlerHaughton]

I personally hate Flip cameras. I prefer my Sony far over my old Flip.

[georgef551]

@SchindlerHaughton

I don't care much for Sony, although my "real" camcorder is a HandyCam, and it's been good to me.

I don't like how bad Sonies tend to lose focus so easilly, as well as having major Fish-Eye. Flip has a little Fish-Eye, but Sony is just too much.

[RyanGreyson]

@SchindlerHaughton Yea, I agree. But its a little more portable. So like if your at school and you see a random fight you could just take it out and record it. No that i do that. XD

[jimster586]

An excellent review.

[georgef551]

@jimster586

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[Delaypat]

Great review my friend. If you ever want to get rid of your Ultra HD I'm your man..I want to get another one and start making 3D videos. OHHH YEAH!!!! 3D!!!! HEHEHE! True Stereo video would be awesome! I do like how on the slide the tripod is in the center of the camera. ME LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!! Great review!

[georgef551]

@Delaypat

Sorry, but I still plan on using the UltraHD, mostly for Shock Cam.