I've had an old Flip Ultra for a few years now and just got a new Flip Mino. Both are fun and easy to use. Both the picture and sound are fairly comparable, meaning both are surprisingly good for such a handy and small camcorder. It's not professional quality, but for a video intended for friends and family, it's just perfect. The Mino fits better in your pocket and has a few features like "delete all" and a timestamp that I missed on the Ultra. Thought I wouldn't like it as I like the idea of having batteries on hand just in case - as it turns out the Mino runs for several hours on a single charge which is more than enough for a day's worth of use. You just need to remember to charge it after using it for a while. Zoom is out of the question (digital zoom is useless as it only enlarges the image and loses valuable resolution), but Flip really does challenge you to rethink how you capture your images. Hold it close to your shoulder and go for it - to pick up people, just point it and talk to them as usual and the picture and sound are excellent. With it always handy, you can pull out, zoom in, and capture the action in a snap. I know there are other cameras that are slightly cheaper and have roughly the same specs - I still prefer the Flip. for its sheer simplicity. If I want a more challenging shoot I bring a fancier camera, but for a basic camera you really can't beat the Flip.