Flip Video Flip MinoHD

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (4.5)
The Pure Digital Flip MinoHD features a new sensor and processor, and the specs indicate that we should see some improved low light sensitivity and a difference in auto exposure and white balance (not explicitly stated as an improvement, but it's nice to hope).

We shot the Mino and the MinoHD side-by-side to see if we could spot the difference and did not. All the auto adjustments are quite good, and should suffice for most shooting conditions.

Overall Manual Control (0.25)
The manual controls on the Flip MinoHD are, well... they're absent. That's the charm, at least for technophobes and people who are simply tired of not understanding how to operate their electronic gizmos. There is no menu in which to get lost, and no manual controls except for a 2x digital zoom.

Different touch-sensitive areas light up, depending on which mode you're in.

Zoom (2.0)
The new MinoHD has one strange and fairly significant downgrade. You can no longer use the 2x digital unless you are actively recording. Yes, for some reason, if the camcorder is in standby mode, you cannot zoom. Hit the record button, begin capturing, then zoom. We're hoping this is perhaps a faulty model that was shipped to us for review, but probably not.

Zoom Power Ratio (0.0)
The Flip MinoHD has a fixed lens, meaning there are no moving parts for auto focusing or for an optical zoom. It does include a 2x digital zoom, but be aware that digitally zooming is inherently destructive to your image quality, as it literally makes each pixel appear larger, thus reducing sharpness.

Focus (0.0)
There is no manual focus on the Pure Digital Flip MinoHD. All focus is automatic.

Exposure & Aperture (0.0)
There is no manual exposure or aperture control on the Pure Digital Flip MinoHD. This is automatic, as well.

Shutter Speed (0.0)
The Pure Digital Flip MinoHD has no manual shutter control.

White Balance (0.0)
There is no manual white balance on the Pure Digital Flip MinoHD. 

Gain (0.0)
There is no manual gain control on the Pure Digital Flip MinoHD. Sorry. 

Other Manual Controls (0.0)
There are no other manual controls. For an explanation of its best features, go back a page and read up on its Editing tools.