Best Pocket Video Camera - Kodak vs Flip

When choosing the best pocket video camera you have three choices of great pocket video cameras that lead the market.

Firstly there are two pocket video cameras by Flip, the Flip Ultra HD and the Flip Mino HD. There are a few differences between them which I detail later in the article. The flip camera which is the best for you very much depends on what you are looking for in a pocket video camera. The Mino is smaller than the ultra (half as thick; .63 inches vs 1.25 inches) so will fit in your pocket very nicely. The Ultra is cheaper so may be better value for money even though it's slightly bigger..

Finally there's Kodak's answer to the Flip, the Kodak Zi8. This has just been released in September 2009. This has a lot of additional features that the Flip cameras don't including a jack for an external microphones and the ability to add extra memory if needed.

Read comparisons between the three cameras and decide which is the best pocket video camera for you.

The latest generation of the Flip Mino HD is a slimmest pocket video camera on the market and will fit nicely in your pocket or purse. It has 2 hours of record time and produces incredible HD video, even in low-light situations. It's extremely easy to use, power on and press a record button and shoot your video. It has a USB arm so you can directly put it into your PC or Mac to download video. There's a 2 inch anti-glare video screen which will allow you to watch the video on the camera. It also comes with flipshare software allowing you to email videos, edit individual clips, make custom movies, capture still-image snapshots, and upload video to MySpace, YouTube and other sharing sites

Some of the complaints of the Mino HD include buttons which are too sensitive and reviews have highlighed that the Ultra HD has slightly better picture quality and color although the differences are marginal.

In summary, if maximum portability and sleekness is high on your list - this is the slimmest camera on the market, will fit perfectly in your pocket and is the best choice for you.

 The Flip Ultra HD is bigger than the Mino and comes with many of the same features including 2 hours of record time, ease of use, a USB arm and flipshare software.

The advantages it has over the MIno are that the controls are not as sensitive, it's less easy to delete videos accidently. Also, being bigger may be a plus for some people who prefer products which are larger as they are easier to hold and handle. It's less expensive than the Mino HD which may explain why it sells slightly better on Amazon.

Kodak's Zi8 has a lot of extra features in addition to Flip cameras.

Firstly, it has four modes of video setting. The maximum resolution is 1080 p but it also has a standard mode which is good enough for posting on Youtube and allows you to put more video into the memory.

There's also an option of shooting video at a standard frame rate of 30 frames per second or at 60 frames per second for sharper images of fast-moving objects.

You can also use the Zi8 as a snapshot camera which you can't do with flip. It also has image stabilization as you find on big camcorders. There's a jack where you can put external microphones for better sound quality and you can add additional memory which you can't do with the flip. It also has 4X zoom compared to Flips 2x digital zoom.

You do have to buy your own SD memory card whereas the Flip has 8 gigabytes of inbuilt memory. Obviously this is an extra cost but it means you can record for a long period of time. This is definitely the best option if you need a video pocket camera that records for longer.

In conclusion, if you're looking for extra features for a video pocket camera and need to add extra memory the Kodak Zi8 is the best pocket video camera for you.