Flip Video Ultra

The Flip Video Ultra is an inexpensive plug-and-play camcorder whose focus is on simplicity and ease of use. The Ultra is the new and improved version of the Flip Video from Pure Digital. The Flip Video Ultra has no tapes, discs or memory cards; all video is stored on its built-in flash memory. Transferring your videos to your PC is simplified as well: 1) there are no cables; simply plug in the flip-out USB adapter to your PC, 2) there isn't any software or drivers to install; once the Ultra is connected to your USB port, built-in software loaded in memory on the camera allows you to transfer your videos.

Where to Buy

Flip Video Ultra Black
MSRP$149.00
Release date September, 2007
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Pros & Cons22
Reviews13
Details
Buy It10
Competitors13
Comments6
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
12 reviews
61
negative
mixed
positive
8 positive
0 mixed
4 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
No software to install - built-in software is loaded in memory on the camera itself
+9agreedisagree

•
Built-in USB arm, so you don't need other cables
+9agreedisagree

•
Easy to transfer videos to your PC and share on YouTube and email
+8agreedisagree

•
Very light, weighs little more than a deck of cards.
+7agreedisagree

•
So simple to use even a small child can use it.
+7agreedisagree

•
Compact - fits in your pocket
+6agreedisagree

•
Inexpensive - 1GB model retails for $150
+5agreedisagree

•
Uses standard AA batteries
+4agreedisagree

•
Uses MPEG4 compression
+2agreedisagree

•
Cheap!!
+2agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
No way to upgrade memory capacity
+6agreedisagree

•
No cap or cover to protect the lens when not in use.
+6agreedisagree

•
Video quality is decent but not great
+4agreedisagree

•
The record button is small and centered in between other buttons. Pressing the record button with your thumb often results in pressing other buttons.
+1agreedisagree

•
VGA only resolution, not full NTSC or PAL,
+1agreedisagree

•
No HD
+1agreedisagree

•
Uses outdated AVI format
+1agreedisagree

•
Low resolution screen makes it hard to judge quality of take.
+1agreedisagree

•
No re-chargable batteries
0agreedisagree

•
Strange color availability exclusive to Walmart
-1agreedisagree

•
"Playback failed" errors
-1agreedisagree

•
buggy software that does not give even an easy option to save videos
-2agreedisagree


13 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Features

  • video: 640 x 480, 30 fps, 4:3 CMOS sensor, MPEG-2
  • colors:
    • 2GB - white, black, orange, pink
    • 1GB - white, black, lime green*, pink*
  • 1.5" LCD screen, speaker, microphone, tripod mount
  • swiveling USB arm to connect to computer
  • uses standard AA batteries
  • built-in software: organizer, mailer, publisher (to YouTube, AOL, etc.), editor
  • get your Flip Videos transferred to DVD at 9,400 photo/pharmacy locations in the US
  • 2X zoom
  • Dimensions: 4.125" x 2.25" 1.25"
  • Weight: 4.9 oz.

* only available at Walmart starting November 2007

The Ultra is available in 5 color options (black, white, orange, lime green, and pink) and two capacities (1 GB for $149, 2 GB for $179). The most notable improvements over the previous generation are the simplification of the publishing of video to video sites like YouTube and AOL, and increase video recording quality.

The Ultra was release in September 2007 and is available from many online retailers as well as in stores. Pure Digital has an exclusive deal with Walmart to provide exclusive color options beginning in November 2007. Consider the Aiptek GO-HD priced at under $300 for similar functionality but with HD recording (1280 x 720, 30 fps) with upgradeable SD memory.

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This report was started September 21, 2007 at 12:17 pm by Erik
with the last edit occurring Today, 6:46 PM by deelan
This page has been viewed 9022 times, with 175 edits by 19 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Flip Video Ultra (second generation) | Pink - 4GB

• Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Pink)

• Ultra 4GB Flash Drive Camcorder - Pink

UPC: 892684000397

EAN: 892684000397

MPN: U1120P

Flip Video Ultra (second generation) | Yellow - 4GB

• Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Yellow)

• Ultra 4GB Flash Drive Camcorder - Yellow

UPC: 892684000380

EAN: 892684000380

MPN: U1120Y

Flip Video Ultra (second generation) | Black - 4GB

• Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Black)

• Ultra 4GB Flash Drive Camcorder - Black

UPC: 892684000373

EAN: 892684000373

MPN: U1120B

Flip Video Ultra (second generation) | White - 4GB

• Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (White)

• Ultra 4GB Flash Drive Camcorder - White

UPC: 892684000359

EAN: 892684000359

MPN: U1120W

Flip Video Ultra

• Flip Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (Black)

• Pure Digital Flip Video Ultra 60 Minute Black

UPC: 092684000438

EAN: 092684000438

MPN: F260B

Competitors

Flip Video Ultra is ranked 8th among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Camcorders »
Flip Video Mino

Flip Video Mino

MSRP  $179.99    Released  June, 2008
Pros
  • Compact design
  • Very lightweight
  • Improved battery life
Cons
  • Doesn't record HD
  • Not much video quality improvement over standard digital camera videos
  • More expensive than the Ultra
ProSCORE
4 reviews
70
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Flip Video Ultra 0% vs. vote Flip Video Mino 100%
Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD700

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD700

MSRP  $600.00    Released  October, 2007
Pros
  • 720p recording in MPEG-4 AVH/H.264 format
  • Good price for its features
  • Included cradle has many output options including HDMI
  • Improved compression means more recording on a single SD card
Cons
  • Lens is a very small diameter and is only X5. Same lens as used to be on HD2 would fare much better.
  • Could do with a faster lens.
ProSCORE
4 reviews
89
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Flip Video Ultra 0% vs. vote Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD700 100%
Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1010

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1010

MSRP  $799.99    Released  July, 2008
Pros
  • HDMI output
  • Improved bitrate to 14 mbps; up from 12 mbps in the HD-1000
  • Face detection feature
Cons
  • poor image stabilization
  • Because of its light weight, video gets shaky when zoomed to 10x.
  • expensive for the average consumer
ProSCORE
7 reviews
77
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Flip Video Ultra 0% vs. vote Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1010 100%
Panasonic HDC-SD9

Panasonic HDC-SD9

MSRP  $799.95    Released  March, 2008
Pros
  • 3CCD recording
  • Very small and lightweight
  • HDMI output
  • Capable of recording FullHD 1080p @ 24 fps
  • 58 hours record time on 32 GB SDHC memory card
ProSCORE
3 reviews
100
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Flip Video Ultra 0% vs. vote Panasonic HDC-SD9 100%
Creative Vado VF0570

Creative Vado VF0570

MSRP  $99.00    Released  May, 2008
Pros
  • Great value for the price
  • Lightweight
  • Easy to transfer to your computer
Cons
  • No extended memory option
  • No optical zoom
  • No Mac software
ProSCORE
8 reviews
62
Vote! (3 votes)
vote Flip Video Ultra 33% vs. vote Creative Vado VF0570 67%
Aiptek GO-HD

Aiptek GO-HD

MSRP  $299.00    Released  May, 2007
Pros
  • Inexpensive HD camcorder
  • Very compact
  • HD recording - 1280 x 720 @ 30 fps
Cons
  • No built-in memory
  • Doesn't include built-in memory or an SD card
  • fits palm poorly
ProSCORE
5 reviews
72
Vote! (4 votes)
vote Flip Video Ultra 50% vs. vote Aiptek GO-HD 50%
Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1000

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1000

MSRP  $1,000.00    Released  September, 2007
Pros
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Includes cradle with many output options including HDMI
  • Decent battery life and recording times
Cons
  • 1080i only - no 1080p
  • Still image quality is not that sharp
  • Slow autofocus
ProSCORE
18 reviews
57
Vote! (2 votes)
vote Flip Video Ultra 50% vs. vote Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1000 50%
Aiptek A-HD 720p

Aiptek A-HD 720p

MSRP  $129.00    Released  August, 2007
Pros
  • Hundreds of dollars less than competition
  • Strong flash
  • Video capture is actually pretty decent
Cons
  • No optical zoom
  • Annoying placement of record button
  • Records at 30 fps
ProSCORE
4 reviews
62
Vote! (2 votes)
vote Flip Video Ultra 50% vs. vote Aiptek A-HD 720p 50%
Creative Vado HD

Creative Vado HD

MSRP  $229.99    Released  December, 2008
Pros
  • affordable price
  • full 720p high definition video
  • 8GB of built in capacity
  • easy to use, upload or playback
Cons
  • no expansion slots for further memory
  • no optical zoom
ProSCORE
2 reviews
83
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Flip Video Ultra   vs. vote Creative Vado HD  
Vado HD 3rd-Gen

Vado HD 3rd-Gen

MSRP  $179.99    Released  December, 2009
Pros
  • records video and still images in 720p high definition resolution
  • attractive quality aesthetic
  • available in 5 colours
Cons
  • no optical zoom
  • relatively unchanged from the previous generation offering
  • half the internal capacity of the previous generation product (4GB down from 8GB)
ProSCORE
1 review
64
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Flip Video Ultra   vs. vote Vado HD 3rd-Gen  
Kodak Zi6

Kodak Zi6

MSRP  $179.99    Released  September, 2008
Pros
  • Very well priced
  • Takes SDHC cards (cheap, and high capacity)
  • Uses AA batteries - can be replaced on-the-go, rechargeable
Cons
  • Very poor low light capabilities
  • No wind noise cancellation
  • No microphone input
ProSCORE
4 reviews
62
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Flip Video Ultra   vs. vote Kodak Zi6  
RCA Small Wonder EZ201

RCA Small Wonder EZ201

MSRP  $100.00    Released  September, 2004
ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Flip Video Ultra 100% vs. vote RCA Small Wonder EZ201 0%
Flip Video

Flip Video

MSRP  $119.00    Released  May, 2007
Pros
  • Cheap video camera (512 MB: $119, 1GB: $149)
  • Small, lightweight (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3", 4.8 oz.)
  • Very simple to use. Minimalist design
  • Seemlessly and simply upload videos to YouTube
Cons
  • Poor video quality (mobile phone < Flip Video < MiniDv)
  • USB may be awkward to connect to your computer
ProSCORE
2 reviews
67
Vote! (4 votes)
vote Flip Video Ultra 100% vs. vote Flip Video 0%

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Comments

1.  avatar bferman said:

You can buy the Flip Ultra as Best Buy as well in both 1gb and 2gb varieties, but it only comes in White at that store.

This video camera is solid state and has no moving parts. My 4 year old even shoots video with it.
Sep 24, 2007 9:48am
2.  avatar Erik said:

Oprah's getting in on the YouTube sensation. She had Steve Chen and Chad Hurley on her YouTube special episode today. Oprah used the Flip Video Ultra to make some videos.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVssEHODO5M

She's got a new Oprah channel. It's kind of annoying that embedding is disabled and comments are heavily moderated, though. Baby steps, Oprah. Baby steps.
Nov 06, 2007 7:03pm
3.  avatar molawlor said:

IF YOU HAVE A MAC!! Please be aware, the camera crashes my finder every time I connect it in whatever account I use. The updater hangs every time I attempt to run it. You can't access new or old software to reinstall at the website. Total POS. Don't waste your money. I'm taking mine back at first opportunity.

No I am not an idiot who can't handle plug-and-play. I have 2 Apple hardware certifications.
Nov 24, 2007 11:20am
4.  avatar molawlor said:

Oh, and I forgot to mention that after the updater failed one time, it popped up a window that advised me to do a manual update and provided a dead link. Nice.
Nov 24, 2007 11:22am
5.  avatar bo3b said:

Works fine on my Mac. I don't have an Apple hardware certification but I've been a Mac owner for many years.
Jul 06, 2008 9:16am
6.  avatar DamienT98 said:

I love my flip. I managed to get one from Circuit City in their closing down sale for only $100. But i'd pay double for it, it is worth every penny. The nice thing is, the file it films in will go straight into Windows movie maker and Youtube.. so no need to have file converters.

I used mine recently in a car accident, another car hit me and my flip happened to be in my pocket, the handy size it is. I got the damage on film and the guy saying sorry and admitting fault. It is a useful thing to have!
Mar 02, 2009 2:19am
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

bo3b

avatar
July 6, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • No software to install - built-in software is loaded in memory on the camera itself
  • Built-in USB arm, so you don't need other cables
  • Easy to transfer videos to your PC and share on YouTube and email
  • So simple to use even a small child can use it.

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"Works fine on my Mac. I don't have an Apple hardware certification but I've been a Mac owner for many years."

Competitors

bo3b prefers Flip Video Mino over Flip Video Ultra
bo3b prefers Flip Video Ultra over Aiptek GO-HD
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

mavs41

avatar
April 21, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
33
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
2 cons

Pros

  • No software to install - built-in software is loaded in memory on the camera itself

Cons

  • No cap or cover to protect the lens when not in use.
  • Video quality is decent but not great

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

DamienT98

avatar
March 2, 2009
ProSCORE
83
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
2 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it

Pros

  • No software to install - built-in software is loaded in memory on the camera itself
  • Built-in USB arm, so you don't need other cables
  • Easy to transfer videos to your PC and share on YouTube and email
  • Very light, weighs little more than a deck of cards.
  • So simple to use even a small child can use it.
  • Compact - fits in your pocket
  • Inexpensive - 1GB model retails for $150
  • Uses standard AA batteries
  • Uses MPEG4 compression
  • Cheap!!

Cons

  • No way to upgrade memory capacity
  • No cap or cover to protect the lens when not in use.

Comments

"I love my flip. I managed to get one from Circuit City in their closing down sale for only $100. But i'd pay double for it, it is worth every penny. The nice thing is, the file it films in will go straight into Windows movie maker and Youtube.. so no need to have file converters.

I used mine recently in a car accident, another car hit me and my flip happened to be in my pocket, the handy size it is. I got the damage on film and the guy saying sorry and admitting fault. It is a useful thing to have!"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No
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