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Flip UltraHD - Video Podcast's Best Friend


Since I bought the first digital video camera, I tried to take it with me whenever possible, and from time to time I released video podcasts. Everything is good, but I wondered once - is it possible to simplify everything? Because there is something to simplify, this is how the full cycle of creating a video podcast looked:
Drag the bag with the video camera into place → pull out the camera, turn on, take off → bring the camera home → copy files to your hard drive → open files in Sony Vegas → mount → export → upload to YouTube.

Phew ... Not long, it seems?



YouTube is still all right, if you want to upload a podcast to russianpodcasting.ru, then you still need to manage to convert it correctly into one of the suitable formats.
')
And if you do not deal with complex editing, effects and post-processing, when you just shot a few videos and you want to cut, insert music and show the whole world - in this case, the above described cycle only discourages the desire to do it.

Imagine this scenario:
Remove video (because the camera is always with you) → connect to computer (no wires!) → cut, mount, insert titles and music (without copying files to computer, without leaving the program that comes with the device) → show to the world .

In my opinion, so much better! And all this - for about $ 200, in HD with a resolution of 720p and 30 frames per second.

A device called Flip UltraHD is the latest model in the Flip family, and the second HD camera from this company. Its size is like that of a plump cell phone, the weight is corresponding. Well, first things first.

Briefly about the main thing

Competitors

Unpacking

It turned out to be the cheapest to order a camera from a local Amazon.

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The box on the outside resembles something ...

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Inside is another box.

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I realized that it reminds me. IPhone / iPod touch!

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Inside is a simple instruction, a bag and the camera itself with a string.

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There is a HDMI output, but there is no cable included, you need to buy separately.

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As promised, the camera fits easily in the palm of your hand and is quite comfortable to hold, despite the fairly decent weight (170 grams).

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Included are proprietary AA batteries, so another plus of this device is that you can use regular batteries. The batteries charge when connected to a computer via USB.

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In the nearest electronics store, I bought a small tripod. A minor problem is that the tripod mount is not centered, so you have to tinker a bit with the legs.

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Interface

This camera is very simple! There is a power button on the side, a joystick for moving between videos in playback mode (left-right) and a volume control (up-down) on the front, a PLAY button on the left and a video delete button on the right. Well, and the big red button, guess why.

And that's not right!

Just kidding, of course, the red button is a recording, but it performs another function - if you hold it for the first second after it is turned on, you can adjust the time, the interface language, the sound of the keys and the red light of the recording. This is very convenient, because with such a pocket camera, which is always with you, it is possible to record something that cannot be recorded, etc., and the red light that is turned off will be useful.

Connection and software

As you can see in the photo above, on the left side of the Flip UltraHD, the USB connector is pulled out. When you first connect the camera to the computer, the user is prompted to install the Flip Share program, but nothing prevents to pick up files manually.

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The packaging is similar to the iPhone, and the interface of the program is on iTunes, but there is nothing wrong with this, except for a similar slowdown (Windows version at least), but only occasionally. Most of the time the program is very convenient to use. You can work with files without copying them to a computer, and working is the following:

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A very handy feature is to save the frame in a separate graphic file. Conveniently, because Flip does not know how to photograph, and HD-video, as a rule, I would like to make out pictures.

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On the installation should be said separately. All that is required of us is to put the necessary video files in the right order, add text at the beginning and at the end, add music to the background (there are some simple themes in the set; background music can be put on par with the sound of the video, louder or quieter) and all!

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Each video individually can be cut into pieces and saved into separate files (see the small scissors in the lower right corner of each video clip?)

All files, including finished films, are saved to “private secure storage”, and you can save them to another location using File-> Save to Computer, but in fact the files are just in my videos / flipshare data / videos in mp4 format.

Test

For the test, I made a small video about my Friday and Saturday, mounted it in FlipShare and used the music from the kit. Horrible shaking shots immediately strike the eyes. Yes, the big problem with this device is the lack of at least some decent image stabilization. Therefore, it is best to keep the camera in a stable position. Or move it smoothly.



Youtube did quite well, but the original quality is still higher. So that…

findings

In relative terms, considering the cost of the camera and its dimensions, I have only one conclusion - excellent! Excellent picture quality, user-friendly interface, instant download (about 1-2 seconds). But in the absolute, the final, there are problems. It's easier to go the usual way and point out the pros and cons.

pros:

minuses:

The last point for me personally does not really matter, so in Flip I see only one minus - stabilization. But in general - I am very pleased with the purchase and if you are thinking about purchasing a pocket camera, my advice is to take Flip!

Original on podkastim.ru

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/62421/

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