It struck us that the perfect compact DV camera would be the Flip Ultra crossed with the HD-capable MinoHD. Looks like Flip Video – now owned by Cisco – thought the same as us and released the Flip Ultra HD.

The UltraHD is based on the same chunky frame as the Ultra, but with a slap of MinoHD colour – we actually think the paintjob looks awkward – and the video produced is so similar to our test footage from the MinoHD that we wouldn't be surprised if the company used the same sensor.

The quality of the 720p video is generally good – and looks great on the bigger, high-res viewfinder display on the rear – and though you might like to give the colours a bit of a kick in iMovie and some light areas can get a bit blown-out, we're impressed.

Audio also seems much richer than both the Ultra and MinoHD, although audio seems to be an afterthought, plus there's no port for an external mic. The 8GB capacity – double that of the Β£164 MinoHD – gets you two hours of recording.

It comes with a set of NiMH rechargeable cells that charge when it's connected over USB, but you can opt for disposables. It's brilliantly easy to use, and the pop-out USB cable makes it easy to transfer files.

It records in H.264, so you can import directly into modern versions of iMovie. Just as well, since the (otherwise brilliant) Mac and PC-editing software preloaded on the camera doesn't upload HD video to YouTube, while iMovie will.

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