In a head-to-head fight between the Kodak Playsport Zx5 and The Flip MinoHD there really is no contest. The Zx5 is the clear winner hands down. It’s true that the MinoHD is a good pocket camcorder, even by today’s standards. But Flip just hasn’t kept up with the competition. This is why…
Despite being a third-generation model, the MinoHD only provides 720p recording. The recording speed is 60 fps (frames per second), so the video quality is pretty good, no doubt. But the new Zx5 offers 720p recording at 30fps and 60fps, along with high-quality Full HD (1080p). For the truly space conscious, there’s even a WVGA setup. However, inexpensive 32GB SDHC cards make this unnecessary except in emergencies.
To make the situation worse, the Flip MinoHD has no expansion slot. Approximately 2 minutes of video take up 170 megabytes of space. The internal flash has a capacity of 8 GB (actual storage a little less, of course). By comparison, the Zx5 can store up to 32GB on an SDHC card before needing to be loaded or removed. It also offers 128 MB of internal space.
How much does that matter in real life? Well, even at 1080p settings, the Playsport Zx5 has 10 hours of video. Imagine yourself on vacation in the mountains or on some tropical island. Many places have Internet access, but these pocket camcorders are not wireless. Record some wild stuff and you need to make sure you can get a wired connection. It’s no good if your model contains only two hours of your masterpieces, like the Flip.
There’s another feature the MinoHD lacks: a digital still camera. If you connect to your PC or Mac, you can extract individual frames from your video. Unfortunately, the quality isn’t quite as good as a still, and who wants to go that extra mile anyway? The Zx5 sports a stellar 5MP camera. It sure isn’t as quiet as top-tier digital SLRs. But just as good or better than your average smartphone, hands down.
The Flip is really simple to operate. Uploading to YouTube or Facebook is idiot proof. Now, the Kodak Playsport is too. Connect the Zx5 to your PC, press the button and select your location. They upload to YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and many more, including any email address you want.
The MinoHD offers a compact and lightweight case: just 3.94″ high x 1.97″ wide x 0.63″ thick and just 4.1 ounces. But the Zx5 is only slightly larger and heavier: 4 .4″ tall x 2.3″ wide x 0.7″ thick and 4.4 oz. Not much difference. Better yet, the Zx5’s casing is resistant to water, dust and shock.