'SHOOT' At sight

Priyanka Joshi, Mumbai
Business Standard
Web-friendly camcorders, a fast-emerging category, give you easy recording, easy playback and even easier uploading to your computer and video-sharing websites. It’s no surprise to see premier league players such as Sony making a fresh beginning in the affordable camcorder category. Pure Digital’s Flip (the brand is now owned by Cisco), which has a healthy share of the sub-Rs 10,000 camcorder market, has kindled consumer interest by making an incredibly easy-to-use camcorder that facilitates simple video uploads to YouTube, MySpace and similar sites.

Flip Mino HD, which measures 4 x 2 x 0.6 inches and connects to the PC via a flip-out USB plug, is an ultra-compact and hassle-free camcorder. It’s quite clear that Flip Mino is targeted at those who want to casually shoot video without getting frustrated with innumerable settings, memory cards and cables.

The tiny display screen, which is just 1.5 inches, can take time to get adjusted to. The Flip Mino HD records in 720p 16:9 aspect ratio video, so it is capable of recording very highly-detailed images. The device features power button, TV out, flip out USB connector, record button and two-three playback buttons. It would have been nice (given that the device is HD) with an HDMI output for direct connection to a TV. The camcorder's speakers sit on either side of the screen and give a decent playback audio quality. To cope with the higher-resolution video, the Flip Mino comes with a built-in memory of 4 GB (there’s no memory card slot to add more memory). The camcorder’s software suite resides onboard. Hence, installation starts automatically whenever you plug the Mino HD into your PC. A very easy interface, the software will not eat up resources on your PC.

What stands out is its rechargeable battery that charges while connected to the USB2 port on your computer. The battery offers about two hours of HD recording and we found it taking just under three hours to charge from zero to full.

If you’re looking for a really small video camera that can fit in your pocket and handle high definition video, then at Rs 11,000 (approximately), the Flip Mino HD won’t disappoint you.

The Sony MHC-CM1 Webbie HD camcorder can record high definition (HD) MP4 video and 5 megapixel still images. This lightweight and ultra-compact gizmo also comes with a pre-installed software that helps pre-select video and images in the camcorder and directly upload them to a PC. This camcorder has 12 MB internal memory, so even without a memory stick, you can record images and short video clips. And, with a 16 GB memory stick (sold separately), you can record up to 8.5 hours of HD video footage or thousands of photos. Owing to the Webbie’s traditional camcorder design — a longer, horizontal shape — it has the distinct advantage of an optical zoom, extending out to 5x. Ultra-compact camcorders such as the Flip rely on digital zoom, which can distort the picture and are best avoided. The Webbie also records 5-megapixel still photos, although it lacks flash. But surprisingly, there’s an integrated LED video light that lets you record in dark light situations.