Filmmaking Amateur | Flip Mino HD vs Panasonic DVX100A (Day Nine)

by Scott U
(Georgia, USA)

Like all great documentary filmmakers (ha ha), I now have a Flip video camera. It arrived in the mail today. To be specific, it's a Flip Mino HD. It's very small. I like that.

Lately, I've been shooting with a Panasonic DVX100A (yes, tapes). It's certainly not as big as the stuff I used to shoot with back in my TV days, but the camera is still a little large when compared to the well-performing cameras today. I like a small camera. But I love great video.

I am unsure at this point what kind of video quality I'll get from the Flip. And the image quality from the Panasonic has not been stellar -- at least not compared to all the awesome HD footage that's out there right now.

As you can tell, I am not shooting on the latest and greatest of cameras. But that does not matter. What matters is the story. (At least that's what I keep telling myself.) But it's true. A good story does not have to have IMAX footage. So, I'm hoping that my new little Flip camera can bring in some decent to good footage with decent to good audio so that I can use its small size to get into some more intimate moments with those that I interview or follow.

Anyway, I'd love to tell you how the two cameras look side by side, but I can't do that just yet. I'm downloading footage from the Flip and the Panasonic right now. Let me swing around and edit a quick video and I'll share it with you so you can see for yourself how the Flip Mino HD compares to the Panasonic DVX100A.

(pause for quick editing)

Ok. I've swung back. I'm amazed. Really. The Flip Mino has much more life in its video. The audio picks up more "air" causing a little bit more of a hiss, but it's not bad. I've been shooting with the Panasonic, in part because it WAS the only video camera I had. But now that I have a choice, I know the Flip is going to be used a ton. I still may have to bring the Panasonic out to get audio for interviews (that'll be a pain later in editing). But I'll take the extra effort there to have a much better picture. Have a look for yourself.

What do you think? Can you tell the difference between the Flip Mino and the DVX100a footage? Share your thoughts below.

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