As I have mentioned before, I check woot.com about every day to see what sorts of things they have that I can’t live without . The other day, they had a Flip video cam on sale for $79.99. That’s somewhere around half what one would usually pay. Awhile back, D.A. wrote a post over at Farm Natters where she recommended the camera. So, woot + recommendation = “it’s cheap and you can’t live without it”.
There are a couple of really nice features about the Flip cam:
-It is very small and easily fits in my pocket.
-It uses AA batteries which I like since my previous camera is out
of commission with a bad (and expensive to replace) battery.
-It has a slick little usb connector so I can connect it straight to
my computer to download the videos.
-It takes really nice video and audio, especially for $79.99.
There are a couple of things that aren’t so nice, but are absolutely acceptable to me for the price:
-It has a slick little usb connector so I can connect it straight to
my computer. That’s a plus but the connector is hard-line
connected to the camera (read: it is not flexible so hangs by
the connector. It seems like it could break if I let go of it as I
download videos).
-It records only one hour of video at a time. I am not too torn up about that as there is little worth recording that is that long I think.
-It only has 2x zoom
I just received it yesterday and it is, as D.A. puts it “hella fun” to use. I took a bunch of silly videos including the ones below. I’d say it is even worth paying full price for one of these cameras if you need something quick and easy to grab quick videos of the kids doing fun stuff or the goat climbing on the roof of your new car, etc.
Note: If you have trouble viewing these videos, please let me know. Emily said she couldn’t view them without an upgrade to her software.
Hmm. I have been wanting some other video camera.Our old one does those mini vhs.
I don’t know if I could get an entire baseball game on there. Lily is playing this spring and I need to capture the moment! She may end up playing in the dirt and picking flowers but still.
Nice. Sounds like a great deal too! Now some recharageable batteries and your set to go 🙂
Loretta – Probably wouldn’t get a full game on it. The company does have other versions which record longer (but cost more). Also, anytime you stop the recording, it makes a different video file. You can piece them back together easy enough in MS Movie Maker but just fyi…
Erica – that’s what I was thinking…I have been eyeing a solar recharger too so that would make it perfect!
Great deal! I think I will check out woot.com to see if they have a deal on digital cameras(since I’m still old school, have no digital cameras).
Man. I looked at these the other day. Thats an awesome deal! Wish I Check the woot.
Hey Warren,
This comment has nothing to do with your little toy. I’m happy for ya…I can barely turn on my computer without problems so I’ll shy away from any more techie stuff. Anyway, I wanted to respond to your comment on Chiots Run about the bees. That’s really interesting about your lack of dandelions. Just one more question answered about WV. I took a bee course last year to learn what little they know about Colony Collapse Disorder and one of the interesting things that I learned was that CCD is not affecting WV as it is in other states. You probably already knew this but they think it because of all the trees and not as much pesticides, herbicides, etc. being used in WV. One more reason to LOVE WV!
YD – there’s good and bad about woot…it only doe s1 item a day so you need to check it daily to really get to the best deals.
MM – I am pretty happy with it…and with everything I have ever got on woot.
CC – folks here say that since we are not much of an ag state, we don’t get the exposure to insecticides and herbicides. I think we lose bees here but not at the rate of some of the big ag states. Anyhow, another plus for WV for sure!
Glad you’re having fun with it! I agree with your con assessment of the USB connector; it is a bit unnerving.
These look fun, but I recently got a really nice Canon digital camera that will also record in movie mode (with sound), and will hold as much as whatever size SD card is in the camera…I’m thinking that might do me for a while. But, I will envy you and live vicariously – that is an awesome price!
I was able to watch all three!! Great resolution, I have to say. Here are my specific comments on the vids:
1) Loved the first one…got to hear *the* Warren’s voice (you sound like you should be a radio announcer – very soothing!)
2) I noticed in the second video how gentle your son is with your daughter. In my house, the “slam down” would’ve been much more intense. lol
3) What struck me about the third is that your son is growing. 🙂 His jammy pant legs are at the same level as my son, Aidan’s…I can’t stop that boy from growing! (He measured in at 5′ 11″ 3/4 at his dr. appt last week! Eeek!)
Fun new toy for you!
d.a. – I was at the Circuit City going out of business sale this weekend and saw they had flip phone usb extension cords (not on sale) so apparently it has been a problem. I will have to find some no-name knock-offs I guess.
ETW – I was debating getting a new camera with that option as our current camera is old and irritating. I love this deal though so I’ll have to keep my current camera a bit longer
F_dk – my mom always said I had a face for radio! Isaac is typically pretty gentle with Abigail…more than my brother and I ever were. He is growing too…I can’t keep enough food in the house and he’s only 9!