5 comments about Panasonic HDC-HS250-K Hard Drive High Definition Camcorder (Black).

1. I bought this camcorder primarily to videotape my daughter's gymnastics meets. I have recorded two so far and the video quality for those is excellent. The lighting in both cases was bright flourescent lighting like you would find in a high school gymnasium. I made a brief test video in my kitchen at night with just one light on and it wasn't so great. I don't know if this would be a great camcorder for birthday parties and that sort of thing. For that you would be better off getting a camera with 720 HD like the Panasonic DMC-FZ35 for less than half the price. It takes great video in a variety of lighting, but it cannot handle some of the very fast action of gymnastics without blurring. But that's another review!
   
   Pros:
   
   - Very large (120gb) built-in hard drive.
   - Available SD/SDHC memory card slot.
   - Great video in bright indoor or outdoor light - the same video quality as the HDC-HS300 that costs over $1000.
   - Very easy to use - my 8-year-old was taking pictures and videos and playing them back with no instructions.
   - Video is very easy to import to iMovie '09 on my iMac - I just attach it using the included usb cable and a window comes up allowing me to choose the clips I want to import.
   - The image stabilization works well - smooth footage without a tripod.
   - Zoom is very smooth and adequate.
   - Great price if you can get it for under 600 dollars.
   - Display shows how much battery life (in minutes) and how much recording time is remaining.
   
   Cons:
   
   - Lacks an electronic viewfinder and an external microphone jack - to get those you need the HDC-H300.
   - Probably not great for low light indoors.
   - The battery charger/AC adapter are a bit strange but you can live with it - you have to remove the battery to put in the AC/Adapter but the battery will not charge while you are using the adapter.
   - Battery life is not very long (about 90 minutes) and extra batteries are pricey - this is the case for most HD camcorders.
   - Like probably every HD camcorder, the included software is not so great (although I don't need it for my iMac) and you will have to invest in expensive software to edit the video using a Windows PC.
   
   I researched extensively and for my needs this is by far the best camcorder for the price. It would also be great for videotaping any sports, including indoor sports like basketball.
   
   Update: I've been using it for about two months now. When recording indoors (convention centers, gymnasiums, etc.) the video has good resolution, but often a strange color cast, especially at the start of recording. I don't know if other cameras would be better in this kind of light with subjects that are far away.



2. Excellent picture quality 1080 p tons of features, but make sure you pick up the camera kit. It includes the extra battery and you save dollars.
   You wont be disapointed.



3. This is a good Camcorder for the Price. Quality of recording indoors is not that great. Quality of recording outdoors is Great.
   Did not yet have an issue with Battery.



4. This product works great. Good enough zoom and picture quality is great with good lighting. I like the software to burn dvds that comes with it as well. I would recommend this product to any of my friends.



5. I bought this camcorder for my father, after some extensive research on camcorders this one seemed to be the best bang for the buck. I was considering some Sonys and Cannons, but in the end this Panasonic beat the rest in terms of price and features. For comparison, my aunt bought the Sony camcorder I was considering, and I am glad I didn't go with Sony. The UI was dreadful compared to the Panasonic, and the video quality was noticeably worse. Overall I am extremely satisfied with my purchase.

5 comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom.

1. First I would say that the camera itself is excellent. However, there is one major downside to it and that is that the software that comes with it is absolutely horrible and cannot be used. Read the other reviews on the software topic and see for yourself. In fact, the manual doesn't even tell you how to upload the videos-I figured it out from reading reviews here on Amazon. The only way around the limited software is to buy another software editing program which has an added cost. Keep that in mind when you compare cost and features of other HD Camcorders. If you ever plan to edit video or put your videos on a DVD, which I would say includes about 99.9% of users, then don't buy this camera unless you meet all 3 of the following criteria: you have some other editing software, you are certain it will work with the MTS file format that this camera uses and you want to constantly tinker with settings and software to get this to come out in HD.



2. I read all the reviews for this camera before getting one and I just wanted to confirm that the relatively bad image quality with low light is ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
   I wouldn't say that it's horrible, but I compared the quality with a movie taken with my very cheap Flip Mineo (the old basic model, not the HD) and it was pretty much the same. I don't know if competitor cameras at the same price point have the same problem though (I checked the specs for sensor, aperture and all that and they seemed equal or worse to this one) but it's definitely not something that I would consider HD.
   Everything else is pretty good.



3. It works really great, but is a little grainy in low light, so I just purchesed the bigger light. It takes really good pictures and flash works good too! Very happy with battery life, have not needed my back up battery the last 10 times I used it.



4. VERY pleased with the camera but as much of virtues have been extolled elseware I will concentrate on software. The included Pixela software is rubbish and does not merit inclusion on your hard disk. After much searhing I have at last found good use for my Nero-9. It works magnificently.
   1. copy your camcorder files (they have a .MTs extension)from your SD memory on to your hard disc.
   2. In Nero, in 'Create and Edit' select the 'Author, Edit and Capture Video' option and from there, select 'Make Movie' option. Import your file into the 'My Media Files' box. If you want to join several of you camcorder files into ONE whole movie then select them all into 'My media files in the correct order.
   3. Highlight each required in the reverse order and click the '+' button to place it into lower strip. Then click 'Next'.
   4. Now select 'Export Movie' and now you can select which standard (MPEG-2, AVI etc) which you require.
   5. Also click 'Configure' to select the other characteristics of the file that you require.
   
   I wanted an MPEG-2 file so I chose the following 'Custom' Options.
   a) Aspect Ratio - 16:9
   b) Size - User Defined - Width 1920 Height - 1072
   c) Video Quality - Maximum
   d) Encoder quality fine tuning - 100
   e) Audio Format - LPCM
   I arrived at these values by quite a bit of experimentation but try finding your own preferences.
   Now click 'OK' and then remember to click 'browse' and choose your prefered folder and file name for the resulting file. Finally click' Export.
   I got a file about 1% larger than the original and as far as I could estimate, the quality
   was as good as the original. I was HIGHLY delighted with Nero. I hope these suggestions help others.



5. I bought this camera a few months ago and have been very impressed with the vivid clarity it captures. Canon packed a very powerful camera in a small package. The menu functions are intuitive and a breaze to use. The instruction manual is simple and straight forward. The camera is ready to go out of the box. I do recomend adjusting the factory settings.
   
   As other reviewers have said I also use the FXP cinema setting at 24 fps with a 32gb class 4 sd card to capture up to 4 and half hours of video in true 1080p. I recomend using a class 4 sd card, any lower class and you will run into stuter problems. I haven't had any issues with class 4 or 6 but, anything beyound that and you'll run into problems. The camera will not recognize the sandisk extreme cards so don't waste your time or money. I recomend purchasing cards from SanDisk, the other companies sd cards have issues and are completely unreliable, sandisk has never given me problems and when your are shooting weddings and special events for clients the last thing you want is a problems.
   
   For file transfering I use an internal floppy drive/sd card reader so I haven't had to install any of the software included with the camera. I don't recommend installing it either. I use sony vegas pro and I have no problems loading the sd card directly, editing my footage, and burning to DVD or Blu-ray.
   The camera does come with a royalty free music CD for home movie editing. The CD includes music from famous composers such as Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" as well as some original mood music. This is a nice touch for people just getting started with video editing.
   
   I recomend this camera for the casual consumer looking to move up to HD techonology, as a back up for a videographer, the student wanting to start shooting ideas in HD, a youtube poster, and any one else in between. Canon has benifitted the conmusumer with this introductory HD camera at an affordable price. Kudos!

1 comments about Canon VIXIA HF R100 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder.

1. Camera seems fine and works well, but I was expecting 2 memory slots not 1, so I was disapointed since it was discribed as dual memory. Couple other negatives; you need a mini to HDMI cord (not provided) to play on your HDTV; the LCD screen not as clear as the comparable Sony.
   
   That said, I am keeping the camera, because so far the performance of the camera is outstanding and I would recommend it for an entry level HD camcorder. The picture quality is outstanding and it is really easy to use. I have not played with the software, but I can say that you can only view the HD movies in the program provided. Again the movie quality is great!

5 comments about Kodak PlaySport HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL.

1. Well I thought this camcorder would be just like Zi8 with improved features. But after trying it with some indoor and outdoor test shots it becomes apparent that the white balance is way off. White walls look blue-ish and there's no way to adjust it. If I turn H2O mode on it becomes too red. Just take a look at this comparison video and you'll know what I'm talking about: youtube(dot)com/watch?v=ihxsDM3EwLs&feature=channel
   It would be better if the software that came with it has color temperature adjustment feature, but sadly it's not included. Hope a firmware upgrade comes out soon to fix the issue.
   
   Low light videos are a lot grainier than I had expected. I'm starting to wonder if my Playsport really is the one used for these awesome videos: youtube(dot)com/user/666evlgrl
   
   Other than these two disappointments, the camera seems pretty solid and impressive.



2. Just opened the camera from the box. Easy to use buttons, just charge the battery and you are good. I put in an 8gb card and it will record 2.5 hrs of 720p quality video or 1.5 hrs of 1080p. Has increased saturation setting as well as B&W. Image quilt was excellent with the 5mp camera built in. Picture printed as well as a 12meg pixel camera on a 4x6 and even 5x7. Waterproof is the key reason I purchased this camera and it did not let me down. Buy yours now because I think these are going to sell fast and be sold out everywhere soon.



3. I was pleased when this camcorder shipped early, right size, right price and easy to use. Indoor video is bit grainy, outdoor is great. It comes with a charger in the box and is a lot handier than most.



4. The video quality is very good. I connected the playsport directly to my HDTV and the quality was really good, it looked like it was shot with a $500 camera.
   I haven't tried it underwater yet.
   The editing software that comes with this is very good and very easy to use. It keeps all my movie clips nicely organized in folders. It's easy to trim, slow down, speed up video, add text, add songs, etc.
   The only thing I miss is the macro feature but this device makes up for it with the video quality (better than Zi8) and being waterproof.



5. I've only had the Playsport for a day but I can say so far it is great. Took about two hours to charge with the wall outlet adapter. I took some test clips of my kids and they came out very nice using 720 at 30fps. The low light video did come out a bit grainy but that is to be expected in a camera at this price level. I haven't taken any outside footage yet but I would assume it would look great. The software is very easy to use and I had a minute to play with that. I also viewed the video directly on my TV using the included HDMI cable and it looked great. Fot the price this camera is hard to beat.

5 comments about Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Raspberry).

1. THIS IS THE WORST CAMERA OF ANY KIND EVER -- IF YOU WANT TO QUICKLY CAPTURE MEANINGFUL AND IMPORTANT SHOTS. Upon each and every start-up of the camera the user is forced to choose the picture quality/mode before the camera will begin recording; with the same exact action, the user is then required to use the thumb joystick to start the recording, which, if you try this, will likely result in a 50% success rate of getting the camera recording.....in any mode But you won't know it until the next time you wanna record. Sounds confusing, it is! I missed a number of what I thought were great recordings of whales only to find out the camera was NOT recording.
   
   THIS IS THE WORST CAMERA EVER TO USE IN ANY KIND OF DAYLIGHT!!!!! The screen becomes invisible with gray glare. You cannot see what you are shooting from ANY angle, even if you try shielding the screen with your hand as you also try to focus on the shot and, god forbid, Kodak, enjoy the moment. My KODAK Zi8 is now at the bottom of Puget Sound, with the fishies. WHERE WILL YOU DISPOSE OF YOURS??????? Man, I'm pissed-off!!!!



2. So glad I didn't get a flip camera!
   I love this little camera. It's as small as a blackberry (maybe a inch bigger) fits in a pocket and isn't bulky.
   I was leary being a mac user to purchase this but it works flawlessly. You just flip out the usb plug (also takes a memory card) and upload your videos, then you can save it to your computer, upload to facebook. flickr, you tube, mobileme, email. The quality is really good and it is easy to hold the camera securely getting no shakes on video.



3. First off this thing was sold out almost everywhere for a long time. I almost opted out for the other competitor, Flip. I'm happy that I waited and it was worth it.
   
   Don't expect this camera to be a 3k, 10k, 50k and 100k+ camera that delivers the nice HD picture when you watch a program on TV. If you do you're going to set yourself up for disappointment. The Kodak Zi8 is a good camera for 179.00 and the picture quality is great. I would suggest to shoot things in the 720p 60fps picture. It's very easy to use and is very simple. I call it "The Quick Video Camera" because that's what it is. A quick camera that is small enough to put in your pocket and quick enough to grab and start shooting. This camera does beats out a lot of the other video cams below 3k dollars. If you really want a good camera you might as well just buy something 3k and above.
   
   Oh and for those who complain about the ZOOM function being to slow and going in sections. All you have to do is hold down that button and it will zoom smoothly.



4. At first, I wasn't so thrilled with it. I ran into a problem where my SD card apparently wasn't fast enough to handle recording in HD modes. It would record for 2-3 seconds and stop. I finally took a guess that it was indeed my card and switched to a spare SDHC card that I had around. That fixed that problem....whew!
   Now for the recording. At first, it was a little disappointing. I started testing the camera around 7pm and the light was minimal. My first impressions were not so good. Low light shooting on this camera is not the best in the world. It's acceptable but certainly not impressive.
   This morning I decided to give it another go. Am I glad I did! The video quality I am getting from this little Zi8 is VERY Impressive indeed! With the right amount of light you can't ask for better HD video quality from something under $200. It's quite unbelievable how much video taking power one can have in there hands for so little money these days. Colors are vivid and accurate. Sound quality is quite good from the built in mic as well.
   I would suggest giving this camera a try for sure. Set your expectations accordingly. I think a lot of hype has been given to this camera since it was first released and possibly too much expectation has resulted from this hype. Keep in mind what you paid and what you're actually shooting video with and I think you'll be just as thrilled as I am with it.
   
   Make sure you have a good quality SDHC card!



5. I own it, use it, love it. Amazing video, display, macro, ease of use, playback, speed..everything about it is awesome, except two things:
   1) it's pretty big
   2) Kodak just released the Kodak PlaySport which is the same thing, but much smaller, waterproof, drop proof, and $50 cheaper [it's $149]....
   
   so there's no sense buying this.
   
   The only two differences that I know of:
   1) The Zi8 has a switch that allows you to go to macro for ultra close-ups [inches away]...the playsport doesn't.
   2) The Zi8 has the ability to plus in an enternal stereo mic or lavalier.

5 comments about Flip MinoHD Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Brushed Metal) NEWEST MODEL.

1. it's really easy in use, very functional
   a tiny useful object.
   I always carry it with me.



2. This is a wonderful little camera. It is small and compact, and delivers. I was pretty surprised as to the results, as it delivers a nice image.



3. This camera is very inexpensive. It works fine so far, but the video doesn't turn out very well when the camera is moving. This includes when I am moving slowly and about as smoothly as I can. The video looks jerky.
   
   I bought it to take video from a tripod, so it works for me, but if you plan on this camera being the camera you take with you on vacations or sporting events, I think you will be disappointed.



4. great small video camera - low light ability is superior - would buy it again and reccommend it with confidence



5. Purchased this unit new in Fall 2009. Today it stopped working at all and after a call with Flipvideo Tech Support and a troubleshooting walkthrough they notified me that the unit will only be replaced within 90 days of purchase. 90 days, folks. I now own a small paperweight. Does that inspire confidence? Should you think about buying a different product? Yes, I'd recommend you look elsewhere for this kind of money.
   
   When the item still worked, I will note that the ergonomics are a bit poor. The playback buttons on the rear are so sensitive to the slightest brush of your fingers that during normal handling you will find yourself backing out of commands (i.e., delete video, playback, fforward) that you didn't intend to send. Compact, but very clumsy to use.

5 comments about Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Black).

1. LOVE this camcorder! I took it to the Olympics and I got everything! So easy to use. The only downfall that I noticed was the button to turn it on and off is not protected. So the camcorder could easily get accidentaly turned on while being stored. Great quality picture and all you need to do is plug it into your computer and the software loads automatically. Super easy for anyone to use!



2. This was a gift to my son's girlfriend. I had her open it christmas eve and she immediately turned it on and had it filming our family in minutes. She had never seen them before and has hardly put it down since. I was amazed at the quality of the footage half expecting it to come out jittery, but the stability is remarkable. It connects right to her mac and unloads automatic



3. This is a great little camera. Very easy to use, very easy to carry along and my daughter loved it for the short time she used it. If fell off her desk, not a tall desk, not onto a concrete floor mind you, onto her rug... and it stopped working. It's extremely fragile. Otherwise it was great.



4. After scanning all of the numerous "positive" Customer Reviews pertaining to the Flip Ultra, there's only one thing left for me to add: "Buy this item or forever be disadvantaged!"



5. This is a great product. It is easy to use. You can set up channels on the internet and post your videos to these channels - it takes seconds to set up a channel. You decide who you want to have access to the videos. It's great. Also, if you do a lot of presentations, the Flip Video Recorder is great to record yourself and critique yourself. I had a major presentation to do, I taped myself several times. I was able to correct many things, improve my presentation, and it went off without a hitch!

5 comments about Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (White).

1. Overall, very fun and easy to use. I suggest buying the following items though.
   
   1) an extension USB cord
   2) better carrying case than what it comes with
   3) the AC adapter as it takes me about 2 hours for it to charge on my computer
   4) the videos are in mp4 format, so you might need to buy a converter software; I did for about $29.



2. I really love this little camera. My niece stationed over in Okinawa has one and sends videos of the baby all the time., so I inquired of her to see if she "loves" it and
   she did., so I bought one. We have an Alaskan Cruise coming up in May and I am going to take along. I love my investment.



3. FLIP is a FLOP! Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes
   As modern parents on the go we had a scheduling conflict this weekend. My husband was with our youngest at a hockey tournament and I was with our oldest at the State Wrestling Finals. Because of the seating at the arenas and fast motion of the players, he took the Canon Camcorder. A week before the meet, we ordered the Flip UltraHD Camcorder so I can video our sons wrestling matches.
   We charged the OEM battery for 24 hours before using it. We recorded a couple minutes to get a feel for how it works. The camera is basically very simple to use. When you're used to a professional grade video recorder it almost seems too simple.
   We packed it up for the weekend with all of the optional accessories, carry case, rubber sleeve, additional rechargeable NiMH batteries (Just in case....) I even brought the laptop so I can use the USB port to charge the unit between matches.
   I was able to video his first match which lasted all of three minutes. When getting ready for the second match, I pressed the power button to get the correct visual setting and nothing! No power it was dead! Not only was I upset that a brand new camera was dead, I also missed recording the last four matches of his Junior Wrestling Career! Memories gone!!!
   Sunday night I sent an email to tech support explaining the situation in detail. I got the standard email, "Did you charge the battery fully?... What type of port did you plug it into, press the power and red buttons at the same time...." It was still dead as a door nail! They were not very helpful.
   I got tired of the email chain with Tier 1 tech support. So, I called Tech Support instead. That was just as comical as the emails. He notified me that I had a 30 day Warranty. I quickly checked the website where it clearly stated that the Warranty is 90 days. Keep in mind they only warranty their products for 90 days, I don't think they have much trust in their products with a 90 day warranty! It's sad when Tech support has no idea the Warranty of the products. I also had to push them hard for an RMA.
   I now have the RMA and the unit is going back. After losing the memories of my child's last wrestling tournament forever, I'm not sure I can trust FLIP with any more of my family's precious memories. I've been a long time Canon customer and feel bad that I strayed from the family. We have 20 years of footage shot on Canon cameras it's time to go back! Just because the camera is inexpensive doesn't mean your footage is unimportant.



4. I bought this camera with the idea of emailing short videos to friends and family, as the literature suggests it's designed to do.
   
   Well, upon engaging the "Email" function, I find that little works. I cannot send a video (it just sits there dumb) and cannot access or add email addresses to it.
   
   OK, I sign up with customer service and after filling out all the forms I receive an email back that contains no answer but suggests that I call them, which I do.
   
   Upon reaching a customer service rep, which went quite quickly, it turns out that not only do they not have my correct name connected with my case number (it was someone else's name entirely) but they have my phone number with numbers transposed and none of the information I had originally filled out and sent. Huh?
   
   The bottom line is that my problem is caused by a single letter domain; in my case [...]. Their system cannot account for a single letter domain. So it was originally suggested that I find a new domain...like I'll find a new ISP just to allow this camera's software to function correctly, right?
   
   I responded as calmly as I could (while blood was boiling out my ears) and after a few minutes pause the customer service rep came back with the statement from a supervisor that they are working on this problem. I don't know how many people before me complained, but q.com is a pretty common domain in Arizona and I can't believe I'm the first one to complain. So how long have they been working on it? I couldn't get an answer to that question.
   
   Another problem with this software is that it buries the videos somewhere and, I guess, changes the file name, as I can't find them anywhere. I don't like not having control over files on my computer, but the lame excuse goven by "Flip" is that they don't want the customer to inadvertently delete or corrupt the videos. Please spare me.
   
   The screen is very difficult to see in bright daylight, but I suppose that's just something to get used to when one purchases a cheap camera. Another real problem is plugging this into a USB port on my computer...it hangs and connection is intermittent. The company is clever enough to sell a three-pack of USB extensions, however. Like one would need three, right? It should've come with the camera to begin with. I'm going to Frys to find *one* at a reasonable price.
   
   Bottom line...I'm sorry I wasted my money on this thing and the optional "goodies" I purchased separately. Once again, done in by advertising and cheap Asian crap.



5. My company bought a similar model for employees. I played with one for a few minutes and decided to buy one for myself. Better than any video camera that I have owned in past and much, much lower in cost. Performs perfectly and the video is sharp as a nail. Great for general video, not for macro.

5 comments about Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black).

1. Overall, very fun and easy to use. I suggest buying the following items though.
   
   1) an extension USB cord
   2) better carrying case than what it comes with
   3) the AC adapter as it takes me about 2 hours for it to charge on my computer
   4) the videos are in mp4 format, so you might need to buy a converter software; I did for about $29.



2. I really love this little camera. My niece stationed over in Okinawa has one and sends videos of the baby all the time., so I inquired of her to see if she "loves" it and
   she did., so I bought one. We have an Alaskan Cruise coming up in May and I am going to take along. I love my investment.



3. FLIP is a FLOP! Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes
   As modern parents on the go we had a scheduling conflict this weekend. My husband was with our youngest at a hockey tournament and I was with our oldest at the State Wrestling Finals. Because of the seating at the arenas and fast motion of the players, he took the Canon Camcorder. A week before the meet, we ordered the Flip UltraHD Camcorder so I can video our sons wrestling matches.
   We charged the OEM battery for 24 hours before using it. We recorded a couple minutes to get a feel for how it works. The camera is basically very simple to use. When you're used to a professional grade video recorder it almost seems too simple.
   We packed it up for the weekend with all of the optional accessories, carry case, rubber sleeve, additional rechargeable NiMH batteries (Just in case....) I even brought the laptop so I can use the USB port to charge the unit between matches.
   I was able to video his first match which lasted all of three minutes. When getting ready for the second match, I pressed the power button to get the correct visual setting and nothing! No power it was dead! Not only was I upset that a brand new camera was dead, I also missed recording the last four matches of his Junior Wrestling Career! Memories gone!!!
   Sunday night I sent an email to tech support explaining the situation in detail. I got the standard email, "Did you charge the battery fully?... What type of port did you plug it into, press the power and red buttons at the same time...." It was still dead as a door nail! They were not very helpful.
   I got tired of the email chain with Tier 1 tech support. So, I called Tech Support instead. That was just as comical as the emails. He notified me that I had a 30 day Warranty. I quickly checked the website where it clearly stated that the Warranty is 90 days. Keep in mind they only warranty their products for 90 days, I don't think they have much trust in their products with a 90 day warranty! It's sad when Tech support has no idea the Warranty of the products. I also had to push them hard for an RMA.
   I now have the RMA and the unit is going back. After losing the memories of my child's last wrestling tournament forever, I'm not sure I can trust FLIP with any more of my family's precious memories. I've been a long time Canon customer and feel bad that I strayed from the family. We have 20 years of footage shot on Canon cameras it's time to go back! Just because the camera is inexpensive doesn't mean your footage is unimportant.



4. I bought this camera with the idea of emailing short videos to friends and family, as the literature suggests it's designed to do.
   
   Well, upon engaging the "Email" function, I find that little works. I cannot send a video (it just sits there dumb) and cannot access or add email addresses to it.
   
   OK, I sign up with customer service and after filling out all the forms I receive an email back that contains no answer but suggests that I call them, which I do.
   
   Upon reaching a customer service rep, which went quite quickly, it turns out that not only do they not have my correct name connected with my case number (it was someone else's name entirely) but they have my phone number with numbers transposed and none of the information I had originally filled out and sent. Huh?
   
   The bottom line is that my problem is caused by a single letter domain; in my case [...]. Their system cannot account for a single letter domain. So it was originally suggested that I find a new domain...like I'll find a new ISP just to allow this camera's software to function correctly, right?
   
   I responded as calmly as I could (while blood was boiling out my ears) and after a few minutes pause the customer service rep came back with the statement from a supervisor that they are working on this problem. I don't know how many people before me complained, but q.com is a pretty common domain in Arizona and I can't believe I'm the first one to complain. So how long have they been working on it? I couldn't get an answer to that question.
   
   Another problem with this software is that it buries the videos somewhere and, I guess, changes the file name, as I can't find them anywhere. I don't like not having control over files on my computer, but the lame excuse goven by "Flip" is that they don't want the customer to inadvertently delete or corrupt the videos. Please spare me.
   
   The screen is very difficult to see in bright daylight, but I suppose that's just something to get used to when one purchases a cheap camera. Another real problem is plugging this into a USB port on my computer...it hangs and connection is intermittent. The company is clever enough to sell a three-pack of USB extensions, however. Like one would need three, right? It should've come with the camera to begin with. I'm going to Frys to find *one* at a reasonable price.
   
   Bottom line...I'm sorry I wasted my money on this thing and the optional "goodies" I purchased separately. Once again, done in by advertising and cheap Asian crap.



5. My company bought a similar model for employees. I played with one for a few minutes and decided to buy one for myself. Better than any video camera that I have owned in past and much, much lower in cost. Performs perfectly and the video is sharp as a nail. Great for general video, not for macro.