I have used my iPhone 3GS (Engadget’s review) a lot for both stills and video recording, but I have been looking for a separate camcorder as a firstime father as well as a teacher. I had Flip Mino (first gen), and was rather happy with it, until I lost it/misplaced it. That’s why I invested, perhaps rather hastily, but nonetheless, in a new Flip Mino HD (Chrome Ed) (Wired’s review). Not surprisingly it is a big difference in video quality as depicted in my shots here:
(Sound has been removed in an editing program in the latter.)
The ease of transfer of photos and videos from the iPhone wirelessly to YouTube, Mobile Me or email gives it an edge compared to the Flip, but the Flip on the other hand has an upperhand when it comes to video quality with resolution of 1280 x 720 compared to the iPhone’s 3 megapixel camera.
A quick comparison of cons and pros:
Flip Mino HD
Pros
- Arm with the USB plug
- High Quality video
- 60 minutes of recording time
- Charges on connection to PC
- Easy and simple navigation
- Simple zoom
- Very good sound
- Very decent playback
- Easy transfer and works well with iMovie 09
- Possibility to take stills from videos
Cons
- No wireless transfer
- Limited space 4GB (60 minutes)
- No editing possibilities
iPhone 3GS
Pros
- Simple touch-based zoom
- On-the-go editing
- Wireless transfer to Mobile Me and YouTube
- Reasonable capture in daylight
- Possibility to email/MMS
- Good playback
- Okay sound capture
Cons
- Limited capture to good lighting
- Plenty of space (16 GB along with all the other data on an iPhone…)
- Limited zoom
Conclusion
All this said, I find that the two devices compliment each other. I always have the iPhone with me, and for the most part I capture photos and stills, not video, but if I do it does the job. The Flip is great to take along for occasions such as birthday parties, family gathering, babyswimming, student performances etc. The biggest problem is all the video data which amounts when one captures more and more. This is why I actually find the limit of 60 minutes on the Flip as a good kind of limitation. It helps me not capturing a 3-hour long childrens’ party.
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