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iPod Nano with video via apple.com
Apple released an updated line of iPod products last week, with many new features and specs. One of the more interesting updates to the iPod line was the addition of a video camera to the iPod Nano. How is this useful to people shooting online video? It’s similar to the Ultra line of cameras offered by Flip. These are cameras that are perfect for people who want to capture everyday moments for their blogs, citizen journalists who happen to be in the right place at the right time to capture breaking events, or people who film pranks gone wrong - or right - for uploading to viral video sites like YouTube, etc. Any production more serious than that and you might want to move into a different class of camera, unless you’re making a specific aesthetic choice.
Flip Ultra
So, what to choose, what to choose? It depends on your needs. First, there are the immediate functions of the devices. The Nano is still first and foremost a music player. The Flip line are meant as dedicated cameras. Both the iPod Nano and the Flip Ultra are standard definition cameras and live in the same price point. At $149.00, the Nano has 8 GB of available memory, and the Flip Ultra has 4 GB. Unless you are using the Nano strictly as a camera and not as a music player, you won’t have the full 8 GB available to you. Neither is particularly robust in low light situations, so don’t go planning on using them to shoot that zombie epic that you’ve been thinking about.
Again, your individual needs here dictate your choice. Already have an iPod or iPhone (pre-3Gs) and just need a small form factor portable video camera? Flip Ultra would do you well. Looking for a new music player in addition to a (very) small form factor camcorder? iPod Nano. Fan of design and pretty exterior colors? Nano. Enjoy a USB key that shoots out of the side of the device to connect it to a computer and make you feel like you have a Bond gadget? Flip.
Both are good cameras for everyday shooting and if your video needs are simple, then both will work. For example, either would be fine if you were at a music awards ceremony and an eccentric artist decided to take the stage to let people know just what he thought. Nano or Flip, you’ll capture the moment just fine to share with your friends, family, or whoever your audience is.
Have a particular favorite camera that you use to capture everyday moments on video? Share it in the comment section and mention why you like it!
Comments
Have a particular favorite camera that you use to capture everyday moments on video? Share it in the comment section and mention why you like it!
Great article! How many videos do you think you could actually create with 4MB of space? I've used the flip and it is pretty darn handy to have in the moment. I'm interested to see what the Nano's interface is like.
According to specs, the Nano sounds like it holds about an hour of video per GB. So, 8 hours based on the model presented in the article.
On the other hand, the Flip specs out at 120 min. of video recording time for the 4GB model. This is because the Flip uses a beefier recording codec, coming in at 4 Mbps (Megabits per second) versus the Nano's 1.5 Mbps.
Will you see a difference in the video quality? Depends on a couple of things, the first of which is what kind of screen you watch it on. I feel like watching it on your computer, either camera would be fine. TV? You might start to see the quality difference between the two based on the size of your screen.
You would also start to see this difference in Mbps when you record in low light situations, where the examples I've seen have the Flip handling better than the Nano.
Although, the Nano does have the very cool sounding "cyborg" video effect mode. See it at www.apple.com/ipodnano/features/video-camera.html
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