Flip killer or no threat? Opinions are varied on whether or not Apple’s new iPhone 3G S video capability spells doom for the popular Flip video camcorders.
In the wake of the new iPhone release last week, on TechCrunch Michael Arrington sounded the death knell for Flip in his post Flip has little chance in an iPhone world.
In Vancouver, tech blogger and photographer Tris Hussey is not so quick to write off the Flip camcorders which set a new standard for pocket video when they first launched and have raised the bar again with their latest HD entrants, the Flip Mino HD and the Flip Ultra HD.
Wrote Arrington: “The Flip still costs less than the iPhone, and the transition will be gradual. But most everyone carries a phone anyway.
“And within a couple of years video will be as ubiquitous on those phones as photos are today. Flip won’t have a chance”
Not so, says Hussey.
“As much as TechCrunch is on the mark on many tech topics, Michael Arrington is way off the mark on this one,” he wrote on the Future Shop blog where he is a contributor.
Just as people don’t give up their point-and-shoot cameras just because they have a camera on their cell phones, they won’t give up on the Flip says Hussey to use the iPhone as their only pocket video device.
“The two devices serve different niches. While there might be overlap between the two, the niches are separate. When you get an iPhone you're not buying it for the video camera (at least I hope you're not), you're buying a phone. The video camera is a bonus,” he wrote.
“The video it takes is okay, not great though and not HD at all. The Flip Camera is a video camera. That's it. Nothing else. The video it takes is great, even in the previous versions the video was very good, and getting the videos online is easy.
“Sure you need a computer to do this. No you can't live stream with it (which I really would like to be able to do actually), however you aren't buying it do to that you're buying it as a simple video camera.”
By comparison, live streaming video will be the last killer feature on the iPhone coming up against the Flip, according to Arrington.
I took both the iPhone 3G S and the Flip Mino HD to Vancouver’s False Creek last weekend and did some impromptu side-by-side video shooting. I put together similar clips – at some times I shot with one and then with the other and at others I juggled a camcorder in each hand.
What I liked best about the iPhone: I could instantly do a rough edit and post online.
Here's a clip from False Creek foray that I edited on the phone and uploaded to YouTube.
What I noticed most it was missing: No zoom. While the Mino HD with a two times digital zoom isn’t t pro material, it did bring the heron and the boats a little closer in the shot.
Here's Flip Mino HD video from the same time that I edited with the Flipshare software and posted to YouTube, adding Flipshare's music.
Both have advantages. I agree with Tris. I carry both a point-and-shoot camera and take photos on my iPhone. No doubt I’ll do the same with the iPhone 3G S and the Flip Mino HD.
A bus driving running a red light? Straight to YouTube.
A news event that I could send straight to The Vancouver Sun web site? iPhone wins hands down – unless of course I'm carrying my LG netbook with a USB modem and can take a few minutes to edit and shoot a Flip video to our web editors.
Vacation video, videos for my blog or catching my dog’s funny antics on the beach? For those, I’d rather take the time to edit them on my computer and post them. Plus for my do-it-yourself blog videos, I somestimes use a tripod, not an option with the iPhone.
Here is video from the same time - you'll notice it was an overcast day in Vancouver - taken with the iPhone 3G S and edited on my computer so you can see a comparison of the video clips from the two camcorders.
Convenience: I usually have my iPhone in my pocket, even when it’s just walking the dog or heading out to yoga. Not so for the Flip although I will put it in my pocket when I’m skiing and sailing and it’s usually in my purse when I’m working.
Ease of use: Both devices pass my first test: You don’t have to read the manual to use them. In the case of the iPhone, it doesn’t even come with one in the box. I figured out how to shoot video, edit it and upload it just by tapping around on the touch screen until I got the functions I needed. With the Flip, the onboard buttons are pretty much self-explanatory and once you plug it into your computer, it walks you through the steps to edit and upload your video.
Size: both are pocket size. At 135 grams the iPhone outweighs the Flip Mino HD which is 94 grams but the difference is so slight, it’s not like you’ll notice. At 115.5 mm long by 62.1 mm wide the iPhone’s dimensions are also slightly bigger than the Flip Mino. That’s only a problem if it falls out of your pocket when you get into the car – a hazard of carrying an unsecured iPhone. I worry about landing hard on my iPhone when I'm skiing, somehow the Flip feels a bit more robust although I am hoping to put neither to the extreme skiing test.
HD: I don’t usually put my videos on my TV but when I get around to watching them on anything other than my computer or YouTube, the 1280 x 720 high definition video will make a difference. The iPhone is 640 by 480.
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