I just received and wrote an Amazon.com review for the Flip MinoHD 2nd generation camcorder. Here is my review.

Flip MinoHD 2nd Generation

This camcorder is meant to be used on the go, to capture fun or spontaneous moments, and share the videos with friends and family. I wouldn’t bother using it to record a school play or a religious ceremony, but it sure would be fun to have at a party, wedding reception, or on vacation. A full-sized, and more expensive, handheld video camera is likely to have a better lens, more features (like image stabilization), and should produce generally higher-quality videos. That said, who wants to lug around a full-size camcorder? The Flip offers a pocketable alternative, and promises easy shooting (there are few controls or features to worry about) and easy sharing (the included software makes it easy to upload videos to YouTube). It’s closest competition, in my opinion, is the iPod nano. The main advantage of the Flip MinoHD over the iPod nano is that the Flip records at an HD resolution (720p), while the iPod nano records at VGA resolution (640×480). I have found that this device takes better quality videos than my Droid phone.

Benefits

  • Very easy to use. (This is a huge selling point. This camera helps you point and shoot videos without much of a learning curve.)
  • Small, pocketable size.
  • 2 hours of recording time.
  • HDTV quality superior to that of the iPod nano, iPhone 3GS video cameras.
  • Records H.264 video with AAC audio, which is a very capable and widely supported codec combination.
  • Included FlipShare software offers Windows and Mac OS X compatibility.
  • FlipShare makes simple edits, such as trimming, and uploading to YouTube very easy.
  • HDMI output, to view videos immediately on an HDTV.


Drawbacks

  • Does not perform well in low-light conditions.
  • No image stabilization. Definitely use a tripod, even a mini-tripod!
  • Not the best image quality, but totally acceptable for the size and price range.
  • Simple recording features–you can’t pause and resume a recording.
  • No memory card slot (you’re stuck with the original capacity).
  • Does not come with an HDMI cable. If you wish to connect this device to your TV, you have to purchase a cable to do it.
  • Does not double as a still camera. (Though you can grab stills using the FlipShare software, you probably wouldn’t want to use this camera to produce still images.)


The Bottom Line

This is a great camera for simple shooting. Image quality is acceptable in many conditions, except low light. I highly recommend buying a mini-tripod to stabilze the camera whenever possible. The included software is excellent. This is my favorite video recorder now, mainly due to its ease of use and its pocketability. Recording, editing, and sharing are so easy, I no longer have an excuse to not take videos.