RIP Flip Cameras, but SRSLY
Posted: April 12, 2011 Filed under: Tech 44 CommentsDear everyone on the internet,
Stop freaking out about Cisco killing off the Flip camera line. Granted it makes me sad to hear 550 people losing their jobs but the Flip camera has been a terrible product for a long time. The quality was meh for 720p, they didn’t have image stabilization and when they did it was bad stabilization that made people nauseous, AND even when they ran ad campaigns on YouTube half of those YouTubers filmed those videos with a superior camera.
Also the Slide HD…….retarded.
So lets compare. The Ultra HD starts at $129.99 and the Slide HD is $229.99.
To start, Sony Bloggies and “camcorders” of this price range suuuuck donkey balls. But a fun fact is digital cameras shoot very nice HD footage in a very tiny body. Anyone who says otherwise is an uppity douchebag looking to feel superior. Canon Powershots (Please make sure the one you buy also shoots in 720p) ranging from $129 to $230 are a much superior product. Many people have informed me that Sony has digital cameras that shoot 720p (CyberShots), but I don’t have personal experience with Sony products in this price range so I can not comment on those.
Now if you have some extra cash and want something this small, YOU CAN NOT GO WRONG WITH A Canon Powershot S95 ($399). This is easily one of the best cameras you can find for under $400. It is a budget vloggers dream.
I personally use a Sony NEX-5 ($649) because it comes with interchangeable lenses (a wide angle comes in the box, which is important because you’ll be holding it close to your face), has a relatively small body, and shoots in 1080p AVCHD which plops right into Final Cut without converting. Once again this is perfect for my personal needs. I need something that fits into my pocket, shoots on SD cards, has 1080p quality, my fingers won’t accidentally cover the in cam mics, and plays well with lots of file types w/o converting because I post vlogs every day.
Main point: Flip’s are dead. This is not a sponsored post, but now that I think about it I should have made affiliate links :-p. This is my personal preference and opinion. Hope it helped.
Sincerely,
PhillyD
SourceFed 
Hey look! It’s Sisqo!
The flip was always a terrible camera. No external storage OR optical zoom? #happy
Couldnt have said it better myself bro.
Hey Phil I’m not that big on picture quality but I always thought the Flip did a pretty good job at recording live music and having good sound quality when compared to many other cameras I’ve used.
Can you recommend a small camcorder that’s at least 720p and has a great mic for recording live music?
I personally don’t think the Flip has good audio, but if you think it did the cameras I mentioned here would be on par.
Are you kidding me? The flip Ultra HD has a great mic, as witnessed in this video:
you can hear everything..Granted it does suppress some of the audio, its still great!
Try the sony bloggie works great for me at 1080p
filmed with a 1st gen flip
trash on it for daytime blogging and whatnot that you use it for, but they are/were club/concert beasts because of their low light abilities and they dont go all out of whack with autofocus nonsense due to flashing lights/strobes.
also…
*shrug*
I absolutely agree with you. The Flips have sucked for a long time. And I believe if you don’t make quality products, don’t complain when you get shut down. Great post Phil. It was awesome meeting you in NYC a few days ago.
Headed out to get me one of those Sony NEX-5’s. Not because I plan to start doing youtube stuff (which I am), but just because it looks cool.
I got a Sony bloggie. I don’t mind it, then again, I don’t really use it that much, or need to pay any extra for extra quality
I have a Canon Powershot and I love it! It’s good quality, easy to use, and a good price. It’s cute and convenient as well.
There’s no way the Sony nex camera fits in your pocket. While it may be a smaller-ish dumb-downed DSLR, it’s still big with a lens.
The camera lens pops out of my pocket so….make sure you have the cap on when you go to the bathroom otherwise people think you are taking dick pics. But ultimately it fits and is comfy….unless you wear skinny jeans, which ummmm I mean its cool or whatever…but….ya man.
Yes flips seamed like a bad idea from the get-go. The sony NEX-5 looks spiffy. At least better than my Daguerreotype camer-obscura.
Crazy shiz yo!
Hey Phil,
I was wondering what you though of the iPod Touch camera… I’m thinking of buying one (not only for the camera obviously) and its sort of in that price range as well… plus it uploads directly to youtube from iMovie
It’s not very good, especially in low light and on the front facing cameras. Dont even mention stills, HORRIBLE. The iPhone 4 camera is much better for video recording an stills.
I disagree with your evaluation of the flips for the last couple years have been the best thing going for under $200.00 they may not shoot 1080P but they do a pretty damn good job at 720P and lets not forget it hadn’t been that long since Flip was the only game in town for true 720P video. true the canon’s are better cameras but that as with anything else is what you get with the higher pricetag too. If anyone has used Canon cameras at all before they would know that they are superior but that superiority does come at a price. so it’s really all whatever your budget allows for.
Well like I said there are $130-230 replacements via Canon that are superior to Flips of the same price.
Hay I totally agree with u Phil but I’m trying to post things on you tube with a good sound quality what should u use cuz ur sound quality is the shit oh and love the show dude
if your looking to di anything in a studio or home setting alays go for an external mic port and something cheap and easy like a shotgun mic. for vlogging or quick thinks any decent actual camera now shoots good HD footage and has decent built in mics however sometimes you will get camera noise pickups on them. all of the cameras he listed are great and if your looking cheaper even go ahead and look for factory refurbished versions of the same, that sually knocks alot off.
lol @ sisqo
I have a Flip camera, and say that while it captures great color and contrast, I regret buying it for not having external storage, only a mini HDMI port for video output, and a very gimmicky USB flip-out. I don’t care for in-camera image stabilization: it could be done in editing. It’s decent, but I’ll soon be super-upgrading to a DSLR.
funny,all the youtubers would always give this brand of cameras away for viewer giveaways and junk…anyway,i don’t have any experience with it,but i USED to own a sony bloggie,which was OK for on-the-go sort of thing,but lagged a whole bunch,but the still pictures were good.I find that my sony handycam is what i need (1080p baby!)
The flip was a pretty bad camera, it even wasn’t the best in it’s pricerange (Kodak zi8, eh?). It was just popular because of excellent marketing. Plus, I doubt that the alternatives you mentioned are going to be a good choice after as little as a year because te smartphone market is getting closer and closer to replacing digital cameras.
I have a zi8 and think its great.Especially for the price.
I was always dubious about cheap HD cams. All HD was not created equal and I’ve seen some pretty awful footage. My first cam for vlogging was an SD camera with a built in hard drive. Gave decent footage with good light and was very handy as it had long battery life and ~6hrs memory.
Recently I upgraded to an EOS 60D and I absolutely love it. Out of my price range sure but I’ve never regretted a purchase less.
Lol I see what you did there, Phil. I’m glad I didn’t buy a Flip. I really wanted a Hello Kitty one. But then I have nothing to use it for.
I personally have a yellow and white Flip camera. I actually love it–I don’t need much, and I actually like simplicity. Fancy bells and whistles and great resolution and whatnot don’t really matter to me. My Flip does just what I need it to do, and it does a good enough job to keep me happy. If I wanted to do more with it, then I would get a better one, sure, but for now, my Flip camera and I have a good relationship.
Phil,
You said you use the Sony NEX-5, I’m assuming this is just for Vloging, could you please share with us what you shoot PDS etc. on? 🙂
he uses a Canon DSLR, i think its the 7D
I have the Sony Bloggy Touch, it works well for what I need. The most prominent negative with it is the horrid low light quality. You must have good lighting (preferably natural daylight), otherwise everything looks “old cellphone camera” grainy. Other than that, the quality is very good (provided with the correct lighting). Even though it is 1080p, the 720p @ 60 frames per second is the smoothest video outcome. Stills are decent as well, but my Droid X is slightly better.
With using a camera instead of a Flip/Sony Bloggie, how do you know you are recording yourself when you don’t have a front facing screen?
it takes some practice but you get the hang of it
Sweet. I’ve been looking for a new affordable but awesome point & shoot camera. Hello Canon S95.
I have a Canon IXUS 220HS Kinda decent for the price tag.. £160-170 and you get full 1080p 24fps. Stills are pretty okay too.
Phil you should look into the Kodak Zi8 it’s just over a $100 and is supports full 1080p
Here is a video of me in a plane, you can see the 720p from the camera
http://www.youtube.com/user/prshredder000#p/u/8/69rP8h7IfTk
sorry here is the video!
well i got a flip on ebay for 40 bucks.the flip does what is was suppose too.shoot youtube videos.i havent seen any youtube videos over 2 hours long yet.as for memory how about the apple crap out there,you cant add memory to their products or change the battery yourself.if you want great video buy an imax camera
Does anyone know anything about kodak playsports? I might get one.
the Kodak Playsport is a superior camera for the same price.
Shoots 1080p HD video
Waterproof up to 10 feet
and is just as small as the flip
[…] RIP Flip Cameras, but SRSLY (via SourceFed) Posted: April 19, 2011 | Author: matty959 | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment » Dear everyone on the internet, Stop freaking out about Cisco killing off the Flip camera line. Granted it makes me sad to hear 550 people losing their jobs but the Flip camera has been a terrible product for a long time. The quality was meh for 720p, they didn't have image stabilization and when they did it was bad stabilization that made people nauseous, AND even when they ran ad campaigns on YouTube half of those YouTubers filmed those vide … Read More […]
So, Phil, what camera do you use for the Philip De Franco shows on sxephil? Is it the Sony NEX-5 or do you use a Canon DSLR, like a 60D or 550D?