Pure Digital Flip MinoHD Camcorder Review

This simplicity is the through line for the entire Flip Series since its beginnings in the unremarkable CVS One-Time Use camcorder. The public has responded strongly, helped along by the Pure Digital marketing department's habit of putting its products in the hands of influential celebrities. Recently, other manufacturers have attempted their own knock-offs of the Flip, but Pure Digital has managed to stay ahead of the curve by designing ever-sleeker, ever-simpler camcorders. 

Handling (4.75)
The Pure Digital Flip MinoHD is extremely slender, and will fit comfortably in the palm of anyone used to handling a cell phone. It eschews a traditional camcorder grip, and is instead grasped at the bottom in a fist, held along the sides, or gripped two-handed in a Game Boy fashion with fingers in the front and thumbs in the back. Because the body is so slender and the plastic is so smooth, we highly recommend attaching the wrist strap. It would be a shame to drop your new camcorder off the deck of your cruise ship or into the campfire.

The Flip MinoHD in hand is quite comfortable, but we recommend using the wrist strap.

All interface with the camcorder takes place on the back of the Flip MinoHD. The big, honking red button is clearly indicated as the record button – even neophytes will figure that one out. Circling the record button are a series of touch-sensitive areas that activate various functions. We really like this design, so thoroughly integrated into the Flip's entire ethos: Technophobes fear too many buttons, but touch areas... those aren't buttons, right? Of course, they function exactly the same way, but they seem to say "I'm here, but I'm friendly and I'll stay out of your way unless you need me."

Menu (6.5)
The Flip MinoHD has no menu. Instead, there are a few simple tasks that the camcorder performs. It records video (obviously), and two of the touch-sensitive "buttons" can perform a 2x digital zoom. The camcorder can also switch to playback mode, and the left and right direction buttons are used to scroll through your clips. That's it.

Portability (10.5)
The Pure Digital Flip MinoHD is damn small for a camcorder, smaller even than a lot of the ultra-portables trying to hone in on the market. Many camcorders may call themselves pocket-sized, but the Flip Mino and MinoHD are two of the rare exceptions where that is not an exaggeration. It's no larger than most candy bar-style cell phones.

The MinoHD weighs only 93.5 grams (3.3 ounces) and measures 100 x 50 x 16 mm (3.94 x 1.97 x 0.63 inches), exactly the same dimensions as the standard definition Mino. The overall portability is mitigated only by the fact that the battery and memory are internal and non-removable. That means that if the battery dies or if you run out of recording space, you must have a computer nearby to recharge and dump footage onto.

The Flip MinoHD LCD, cropped with letterbox bars, loses useful screen area.		The standard definition Flip Mino makes better use of the screen.

LCD and Viewfinder (2.0)
The Flip MinoHD has a 1.5-inch LCD with a resolution of 69,696 pixels. That was small but acceptable for the standard definition Mino, which recorded in a 4:3 aspect ratio. But the MinoHD records in a widescreen (16x9) format, like all HD video. Rather than fitting the MinoHD with a larger screen, Pure Digital simply laid black letterbox bars across the top and bottom. So your already small screen loses an additional 20-25% to nothing more than black space. We don't expect people to be relying too much on LCD for critical shooting decisions (after all, if the shot is out of focus, you don't even have the means to fix it). But we hope future models address this. 

Battery Life (9.3)
The Flip MinoHD has a sealed internal battery. Like an iPod, it cannot be removed or replaced. All charging takes place through the USB connection. This certainly limits your options for charging on the road, so be forewarned.

We tested the battery for duration by shooting continuously until the battery died. Ultimately, we found it to last 93 minutes and 23 second (1hour, 33 minutes, and 23 seconds).