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Hi. My name is Andrew Fawcett. Disoriented is my personal blog about cocktails, food, and random stuff I like. By day, I'm a program manager. By night, I explore Seattle and fight crime.

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Sunday
May172009

Flip Mino HD: Bootleg-friendly

DateSunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:57AM

There's a constant arms race between concert security and concert-goers when it comes to recording. Most venues have a no-recording policy. Reading between the lines, this really means "No camcorders or professional equipment, but digital cameras and cell phones are OK." This has led to a phenomenon where everyone in the crowd holds up their camera throughout the whole show. The iPhone has replaced the lighter.

Which brings me to the Flip Mino HD. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it works for recording concerts.

  • The Flip looks more like a cell phone than a camera. Unlike a camcorder, security doesn't get suspicious. I got padded down before entering the venue and security didn't raise an eyebrow.
  • The audio didn't distort (much). Rock concerts are obscenely loud and the cheap mic on my digital camera distorts, making video clips useless. The Flip did an decent job.
  • It records in 720p high definition. The quality is great for such a small device.

 

That said, there are a few thing which could be improved.

  • Add the ability to turn off the screen while recording. Not only would it save battery life, it's less conspicuous.
  • Remove the red light. Nothing says "I'm recording" more than a red light. Short of desoldering it yourself, there's no way to disable it.
  • There's no stabilization. The Flip is so lightweight that any little hand movement will produce shaky video.

 

 

Comment7 Comments

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  • Response
    Response: flip ultrahd camcorder 120 minutes black
    at flip ultrahd camcorder 120 minutes black on November 27, 2009
    I have found that if the camera is to big I normally do not bring it along as much and end up not filming. I like the pocket sized HD cams

Reader Comments (7)

Sometimes it's really that simple, isn't it? I feel a little stupid for not thinking of this myself/earlier, though.

August 29, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterFelix-Tiez

nice, I picked up a Mino HD a while ago and am constantly impressed with it's quality. Obviously you need a tripod, or a dampener if you want crisp vid, but it does a great job. I made a video for work the other day using it (2, but only one's live)

http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/voice-controlled-poker

It will never be as crisp as a high-end pro cam, but for the price and size I'm blown away.

It doesn't deal with blown out light so well, and super loud sound (obv). I recorded this at Coachella, outdoor concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znHzNylx7bA

I'll be recording songs at a concert on Saturday as well, we'll see how those turn out, I'll see if I can get the lead singer to take the camera from me for some filming.

-Sean Lind

September 17, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterSean Lind

very interesting video ... thanks for sharing ??

good blog

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