I saw an advert today for The Flip which is billing itself as ‘The World’s Simplest Video Camera’. Well of course this is all marketing hype par excellence.
The basic features of “The Flip” are very similar to another tiny video camera… which of course I bought a year or more ago… called The Traveler DV-5040.
Ok the form factor of the Traveler is slightly bulkier but it comes with a 2″ flip out screen, can act as an MP3/MP4 player, can take stills with it’s 5Mp lens, and has a 1- 8 times digital zoom. The real winning factors though are threefold:
1. Flexibility: whilst the Flip must be connected directly to a PC through a USB port to download the pictures, the Traveler uses SD cards. This means the Traveler is **far** more flexible in use because you can carry a pocketful of cards to take movies whilst the Flip only has its inbuilt storage and must be emptied before more can be taken
2. Macro: the Traveler has a ‘close up’ facility to allow you to adjust the focus to take small objects near at hand.
3. Price: The nearest equivalent Flip model (not that the specs it comes anywhere close) costs US$180. I bought my Traveler at the local Aldi for AU$100… less than half the price.
Game, set match to Traveler I think.
If the manufacturers of The Flip ever produce a model with an optical zoom and an SD card facility I might look again but for now… nah… I’ll leave it thanks. The Traveler DV-5040 will do me for now.
The Eclectic Interweb 