Lori Grunin,
Senior Editor
November 14, 2008
Call them mini camcorders, call them straight-to-Web wonders, call them whatever. They don't really have a name. They're cheap, compact, one-trick video ponies, but if all you want to do is quickly shoot and upload your life's most embarrassing, amusing, or engaging moments, that's what these models are designed to do. The software necessary for playback and upload comes loaded on the devices so that you can share your masterpieces from any machine, though they don't all operate so ideally on Macs.
With low-resolution VGA video and some hoop-jumping required to actually edit the files in real video-editing software, though, you may want to consider some alternatives, like a plain old budget camcorders or a digital camera with a decent movie-capture mode.
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| Product name | ||||||
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| Price | $229.00 to $229.99 | $79.95 to $100.82 | $155.99 to $179.99 | $91.19 to $99.99 | $169.99 to $185.99 | $127.04 to $149.99 |
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| Review date | November 14, 2008 | June 05, 2008 | June 09, 2008 | June 16, 2008 | July 28, 2008 | October 02, 2007 |
| The Bottom Line | While it has its flaws and is a bit expensive, the ultrasimple Flip Video MinoHD produces impressive video for a camcorder of its size. | While its video quality doesn't quite measure up to some of its competitors, there are enough pluses to make the Creative Vado Pocket Cam a worthy contender in the mini camcorder market. | Despite some minor flaws, Pure Digital's Flip Video Mino is the best mini camcorder for straight-to-Web video currently available--but it also costs more, and it can't match the features of a video-savvy point-and-shoot camera. | RCA's Small Wonder Pocket EZ205 has some significant advantages over its competitors--but it has a lot more drawbacks. | While bigger than most of its competitors and high priced for a mini camcorder, the Kodak Zi6's attractive design and decent video quality adequately compensate for some usability drawbacks. | With improved video quality, a slightly trimmer design, and upgraded software package, the Flip Video Ultra is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the emerging low-end digital camcorder category. |
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| Features | ||||||
| Lens aperture |
F/2.4 |
Info unavailable |
F/2.4 |
Info unavailable |
F/2.8 |
F/2.4 |
| Flash type | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Built-in |
Info unavailable |
| Media type |
Flash card |
Info unavailable |
Flash card |
Flash card |
Flash card |
Flash card |
| Optical zoom | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
2x |
Info unavailable |
| Optical sensor type |
CMOS |
Info unavailable |
CMOS |
Info unavailable |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Video input type |
Camcorder |
Info unavailable |
Camcorder |
Camcorder |
Camcorder |
Camcorder |
| Digital zoom |
2 x |
Info unavailable |
2 x |
Info unavailable |
2 x |
2 x |
| Battery technology |
Lithium ion |
Info unavailable |
Rechargeable Lithium ion |
Info unavailable |
Alkaline |
Alkaline |
| Battery included qty |
1 |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
2 |
| Weight |
3.3 oz |
Info unavailable |
3.3 oz |
Info unavailable |
3.8 oz |
Info unavailable |
| Optical sensor size |
1/4.5" |
Info unavailable |
1/4" |
Info unavailable |
1/4.5" |
1/4 in |
| Effective sensor resolution | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
1.6 megapixels |
5.6 megapixels |
| Service & support type | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
1 year parts and labor warranty |
1 year warranty |
Info unavailable |
| Manual focus |
Focus free |
Info unavailable |
Focus free |
Info unavailable |
Focus free |
Automatic |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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