From Sampler to Sower

I’ve you’ve been reading youth ministry tech blogs or listening to many youth ministry twitters, you’ve probably come across talk about the digital camcorders from Flip, including the fan favorite Flip Mino (and Flip Mino HD).  At least I have. And so this morning I set off for Indy, in part to drop by Best Buy and check out this thing they call the Mino.

We’re getting ready for a new series at Water’s Edge called My Brand New Life which we hope will not only challenge students spiritually, but also unleash their creative side. One of the aspects of the series I’m most excited about will hopefully send them out into their world with camera phones to capture pictures and video that demonstrate what they’re learning.  Of course, not every student has a camera phone.  That’s why I wanted to check out the Mino.  At less than $150 a camera, I figured wouldn’t mind loaning one out to a trusted teen each week to enable them to take part in the video challenge.

When I arrived at Best Buy I was greeted just inside the door by an end cap display featuring their Insignia digital camcorders.  They are the same concept as the Flip, just from Best Buy’s discount brand.  The upside that caught my attention – $99 per camera. And the price was the same for both the SD and HD models.  But of course the skeptic in me wondered what’s the catch?

I looked into them, compared them with the Flip Mino, and bought a couple.  Here’s why:

Obviously, my first point of comparison was video resolution. Both the Flip and Insignia cameras shoot at the same resolution.  Standard Definition models shoot at 640×480, HD models shoot at “720p” or 1280×720.  Both brands shoot H.264 AVI videos.  The Insignia SD optics have an f3.2 aperture, whereas the Flip Mino has a f2.4 aperture. That means the Mino is probably slightly better in low light environments, the Insignia has a slightly better depth of field.  Personally, as long as there’s enough light to get away with it, I prefer shooting video with the smaller aperture.   Of course, all those words probably mean nothing compared to some sample video to compare, so here you go.

First a sample video I shot with my new Insignia:

And here’s a video from the Flip Mino, that  I didn’t shoot:

My second point of comparison was storage capacity. The Flip Mino comes with 2GB of flash memory built in.  The Flip Mino HD comes with 4GB.  The Insignia models come with 64MB.  Not much, and therein may lie the price difference.  However, all four models support SDHC cards to supplement the camera’s memory, and with Best Buy selling Sandisk VideoHD 4GB SDHC cards for $12.99 a card I could buy an Insignia, double the Flip SD Mino’s built in memory, and still pay less than the Mino.

The third point of comparison, design. And I’m not talking about the customizable skins the Mino offers.  I’m talking about product design.  Both models are about the same size.  However, it’s about there that their design similarity ends.  The Flip’s lens is on the profile (think the wide flat side, like the front cover of a book).  The screen and controls are on the back, opposite the lens.  The controls are nice and big, and designed (I expect) to resemble an iPod’s controls. Finally, the flip gets it’s name from the fact that it has a built in USB jack that flips out so you can plug it directly into your computer’s USB 2.0 port.

The Insignia, however, has the lens on what would be the spine of the book.  The controls are much smaller than the Mino and located opposite the lens.  That makes them, at least I imagine, a little harder to use than the Mino.  (I haven’t actually had the opportunity to shoot with a Mino.)  Furthermore, the Insignia doesn’t have a built in USB jack.  Instead you have to use a USB cable (included) to connect it to your computer.

However, the Insignia makes up for any inconvenience with a larger display (2.4″ to 1.5″ on the SD models).  What’s more, the screen flips out, and rotates 270 degrees.  That means you can rotate it around to see yourself as you film yourself, should you so choose.  If you wanted to design a feature to flip out on a camcorder so you could name it the Flip, I’d choose screen over USB jack any day.

Other differences I noticed. The Insignia felt heftier to me.  Don’t know for sure if that was just my imagination or reality, but it felt sturdier in my hands.  The Insignia is also powered by 2 AA batteries, rather than built in rechargeable like the Flip.  The Insignia has far more video controls (white balance and exposure controls, for example).  The Insignia doesn’t have the software for editing and direct links to Youtube or email like the Flip.

Like I said, all considered I went with the Insignia.  I like it better, and it cost far less.  $99 for your choice of SD or HD at Best Buy right now.