I bought this little camcorder as a Christmas present for my cousin. She is a dog breeder and wanted an inexpensive, uncomplicated way to make digital videos of her available puppies, that could easily be posted on YouTube and her own website. After her own research, she concluded that the Flip Video Ultra Series would fit her needs, and she subsequently put it on her Christmas list.

While spending Christmas with her and her family, I saw first-hand that this little camera does the job it’s advertised as being able to do: It makes decent-quality, digital videos that can then easily be uploaded to YouTube and other video-sharing sites, and, using the software included with the camera, can be shared privately via email with family, friends (and in my cousin’s case, interested clients for her puppies). This little camera plugs directly into your computer’s USB port.

With adequate lighting (either outdoors or indoors) the image quality is unexpectedly good and the motion of the video is smooth. There is no built-in lighting for the camera itself, so you really have no other option if the lighting is less than ideal. If the light level is very low, it does get hurky-jerky, as we found out while shooting some video during an outing of midnight bowling. It ends up looking more like a slide-show.

Using the included editing software, you can edit together several separate video sessions into one continuous movie, adding music and title cards, before you upload it to the internet. You have the option of using Flip’s included music clips or using your own. You can layer the music over the recorded sound of the video or have it replace the “background” sound completely. You can also capture individual frames to use as still shots.

Included with the camera are a carrying/storage pouch, a wrist lanyard and connecting cables so you can watch your videos on your television. There is a 2X digital zoom. The viewfinder/preview screen is fairly large for such a small camera.

Available accessories (sold separately) are a flexible table-top tripod and a soft pouch/carrying case.

On the downside, there is no detailed instruction manual included with the camera (but you can go to the company’s website for support and guidance). One word of advice: Go to the FlipVideo website for the latest software before you attempt to do anything with your videos, or you may think something’s not working the way it should. My cousin and I found this out right off the bat.

All in all, it’s a great little camcorder for the price.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 118
Recommended for: Home and Families - Keep Memories of Family Vacations