I own several devices for recording and playing digital videos: a Flip MinoHD, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 16.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom with 2.7-Inch LCD (Black), a Palm Pixi smartphone and an older Sony miniDV tape camcorder (disclosure: the Flip and Panasonic cameras were Vine freebies) and now this Philips Qvida camcorder, also from Vine. They all have their optimal uses: the Flip is good for casual at-home or near-home videos since it has no card slot for additional memory; the Lumix is good for traveling since it does have a card slot and can be recharged by AC, but has no zoom; the Sony is good for taping TV shows, and the phone, also zoomless, is good for quick on-the-fly videos like a celebrity sighting on the street.Where does that put the Philips? Pretty much like a Flip with a card slot, larger and more versatile screen and a choice of video resolutions full 1080p HD, "sports" 720p HD or standard def. It also has features like snapshot mode, dual recording (recording HD and SD at the same time handy if you need to email or upload a video, since the HD files are huge), 3 second pre-recording and onboard editing (you can trim the beginning or end of the video).
What I liked:
The large flip screen is very versatile; you can flip it out and turn it 90 degrees counterclockwise for recording someone else, turn it another 90 degrees and flip it flat against the body for video viewing, or turn it 90 degrees clockwise for recording yourself, like for a blog or YouTube rant.
The screen tells you if you're recording in full HD, SHD or SD, and how much time you have remaining.
The batteries seem to last awhile, and the unit automatically turns on when opened, and shuts off after a few seconds when closed.
You can take snapshots or videos with a flip of a switch.
The video trimming and pre-recording features work well.
The HD videos look great on my HD TV (but see below).
Sound is very good, whether played back on TV, the computer, the camera or YouTube.
What could be improved:
The touch screen, as others have noted, can be hinky, and there's no alternate button control.
Touch screen menus can be confusing and hard to control.
The record/zoom control is poorly designed; three separate buttons would have been much better.
Controls in general can be hard to figure out without downloading and studying the user manual. I discovered, after a few weeks, that playback volume is controlled with the zoom switch.
Snapshots tend to be blurry.
No cover for the lens means it can easily be scratched.
"Wide" isn't very wide; you'll need to step way back to film a group (a shortcoming for the Flip as well)
What you need to consider before buying:
A lot of computers choke on HD videos if they don't have a fast processor or suitable video card. If you can't play HD videos from YouTube then you'll probably have problems with these HD videos. I can only play HD videos on my 1080p HDTV, not on any of my computers. (That's where the dual recording comes in handy)
You'll need to buy a micro SD card to record anything, and you'll need a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable to link the camera to your HDTV unless it has a USB input.
Edited and updated 4/17: The dual recording DOES work! The dual videos didn't appear on the camera's screen, but when I plugged it into the TV, the dual videos appeared. I also added a 4th star because I've really gotten to like this camera, and have pretty much retired the Flip. The full HD videos I took of outdoor activities on a sunny day, look spectacular on a big-screen HDTV! If they could tweak the controls (starting with that record/zoom switch) and make them more intuitive, this would be a winner.
Note: For some reason, the description of this product currently says that the camcorder has 4x optical zoom. It doesn't have optical zoom at all. It has 5x DIGITAL zoom.
What's good:
+ This takes pretty good video at up to 1080p resolution. The anti-shake feature seems to work pretty well, and the fold out screen is handy for taking video from weird angles, like holding the camera above your head to get a shot from the middle of a crowd.
+ The camera is very compact and comes with a carry bag. It's light enough that you could drop it in your bag and forget it.
+ I like the 3 second feature. Basically, if you have it set and have the unit on, then it keeps a constant 3 second buffer. When you hit record, the unit uses that buffer to start your recording 3 seconds before you actually hit the button. This isn't always helpful -you need to have the unit on and your shot framed or else you will get either nothing or 3 seconds of your shoes, but when you're tracking something and waiting for the right shot, it's kind of cool.
What could be better:
As I said, the touch screen feature is forgettable. I didn't find it any easier to use than button based menus from other cameras.
While the still photo feature is handy, I thought the color balance on still photos looked a little washed out. This wouldn't be my first choice for still photos -in a pinch, I would probably just use my phone, even with less resolution.
I didn't have problems with my hand covering the lens or flash like some reviewers, but do have one major design gripe. The record button is placed right in the middle of the zoom in/out rocker. This has caused me to stop recording more than once when I tried to zoom in or out but accidentally touched the record button.
This doesn't have replaceable batteries, so if the built in rechargeable battery runs out, you're done for the day. It recharges through a pop-out male usb plug, which wouldn't be my preference. If you have a laptop, the unit sits right on your desk next to your laptop while recharging, but if you want to recharge from a power adapter or a tower computer, either you have to have the whole unit dangling out in space, which will probably break your usb port sooner or later, or you need to buy a male to female USB cord. I have about a million male/male, but am not crazy about buying one more cord for my cord menagerie.
Lastly, the on-board memory is so small as to be useless. You will need a microSD card to do more than test it.
Conclusion: IMHO, this is a little too much for a throwaway videocam, but not quite enough for a serious family camera. If you want something for casual videos, I recommend you use your phone or buy something more basic, like the Philips CAM110BL/37. If you want a camera to preserve family memories, I would consider the next step up to a Sony HDR-CX160 High-Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black), which has the same quality high def video with much better zoom.Nothing against the seller but the manufacturer is misleading you on this one. This camera provides 1080p videos but NOT 1080p quality videos. In other words, just because the videos are 1080p in dimensions does not mean that it was recorded that way. It's no different then if you wer eto take a video from your iphone and then use video conversion software to enlarge the video to 1080p instead of 720. (It's like taking silly putty and pressing it on a comic strip, then stretching it out, then telling people that the comic strip was that big.)
The USB connector that pops out at the bottom will now NOT stay back in so I am forever with a camera that has this stupid little USB thingy sticking out the bottom. Which means that now it won't even go into the little felt case that comes with it all of the way.
I thought that it's sideways grip might be a good thing but nah. By holding it that way, when you move your thumb to press a button, it tends to want to slip off the palm. So you don't really have a free hand when using this. Even more difficult if you are left handed like me.
BUY A MICRO SDHC or you only get about 8 seconds of HD video! Don't say I didn't warn you.
BUY A USB EXTENSION or otherwise, try sticking this thing in a USB port while hanging in mid air (unless you have a laptop or a USB hub that is laying flat) Luckily, I had a spare cord laying around.
I didn't give it just 1 star because overall, it's worth the $70. If you pay that much or less, you're ok. If it's listed as more, keep shopping. There are far better ones that cost just a little more.
SIZE: If you can't tell how big this is by eye or by reading the specs, it's the same size as an iphone but about 2 and a half times thicker.I consider this product good for taking photos on the day, but it's not good for photos at night, even with a flash, not enough lighting.I could invest more for the picture quality I'm looking for. But it's okay for day to day used for the price I paid for. I will still recomend this product to all my friends.
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