NEW YORK (Bloomberg) — People notice when you get the job done fast and charge a low price. The Flip video camcorder took that formula and came up with an easy-to-use, sub-$200 camcorder that makes shooting video and posting on YouTube a snap. Now Kodak wants a piece of the action.

Eastman Kodak Company, based in Rochester, New York, began selling its Zi6 Pocket Video Camera this month. I tested it against the Flip Mino, which came out in June and is the third member of the Flip family of camcorders made by Pure Digital Technologies. The San Francisco-based company's Flip Ultra model became the best-selling camcorder in June, according to market-research firm NPD Group.

Kodak's Zi6 copies the basic elements of the Flip and goes a step further with the ability to record in high definition 1280- by-720-pixel format at 60 frames per second. The Flip camcorder tops out at 640 by 480 pixels at 30 fps. In my tests both indoors and outdoors, the Mino produced adequate-quality videos and good sound, while the Zi6's higher resolution yielded smoother, sharper results. Colors looked a little more vibrant, too.

The Zi6 also offers a little more versatility. It allows you to record videos in high definition at 60 or 30 fps, at VGA resolution (640 by 480 pixels) as well as capture still images. It also has macro mode for shooting close-ups. The Flip offers only VGA mode, which isn't great for viewing on a high-definition flat screen, but is good enough for YouTube and e-mails.

Part of what made Flip camcorders so popular is the no-brainer functionality. Shoot up to an hour's worth of video, thanks to the integrated 2 gigabytes of storage. Plug it into your computer's USB port. Share your video clips via e-mail or post them at Web sites such as YouTube.

With the Flip Mino, you can also post on AOL and MySpaceTV. Within 20 minutes, I published a short clip on YouTube with no hassles. A lengthier video will take longer to upload.

The Kodak Zi6 follows a similar method, but overall it isn't as handy as the Flip. Out of the box, I was able to record just 2 minutes of HD-quality content on the camcorder's tiny 30 megabytes of available internal storage. To squeeze in more video, you can lower the resolution to VGA, but that defeats the purpose of having an HD camcorder.

The Zi6 does have a SecureDigital memory card slot. You should buy the highest capacity card you can afford, because HD files are large. On Amazon.com, a 2 gigabyte SecureDigital High Capacity, or SDHC, card costs about $15, a 16GB is about $48, and a 32GB is about $130. Adding a memory card to the Zi6 effectively raises its price from $180 to $195 at minimum. The Mino costs $180 with 2 gigs of memory.

Mac users may be turned off by the Kodak software's lack of support for Apple Inc.'s operating system. You can still plug in the Zi6 to a Mac and have it recognised as an external drive, then drag-and-drop video files and manipulate them with Apple's iMovie software.

Battery life on the Kodak wasn't great. Its rechargeable AAs barely lasted an hour, while the Flip Mino, which uses a non-removable battery, chugged along for almost 4 hours. In a pinch, you can use standard AAs on the Kodak while the other pair recharges. I found the Mino's USB-charging format more convenient, but it would be a problem without a computer nearby.

If you value compact size and slick looks, the Flip Mino is the way to go. It's roughly the size of deck of playing cards, and is smaller and lighter than its siblings and the Kodak. The Zi6 measures 4.5 by 2.5 inches, and is just under an inch thick. The Mino is also very light at 3.3 ounces, compared with the Zi6's 4.1 ounces. The Mino was easier to hold; the Kodak was too wide for my taste.

Sleek Looks

The Mino looks sleeker, too, compared with older models and the Kodak. It has flat, illuminated touch controls and one red button for record. It's also equipped with rewind and fast-forward functions that its siblings lack.

Pure Digital placed the switchblade-style USB jack at the top of the device instead of at the side (as on the original Flip and the Flip Ultra) to make the Mino more space-efficient when it's plugged in to a laptop. Unfortunately, the USB jack on the side of the Kodak camcorder may block access to other ports on your machine.

One tradeoff on the Flip is its tiny 1.5-inch screen. The Kodak's is larger at 2.4 inches, although images sometimes looked grainy. Both LCDs held up nicely in bright settings, with images fairly visible in direct sunlight.

Whether to go for the Flip Mino or the Kodak Zi6 depends on your priorities. The Flip is very simple, has enough storage for average use, and looks sleek. Image quality could be better, though. The Kodak offers smooth videos, but you have to be willing to forgive its shortcomings.

Pure Digital Technologies Flip Mino $180 Rating: 7/10 http://www.theflip.com

Kodak Zi6 Pocket Video Camera $180 Rating: 6/10 http://www.kodak.com

(Grace Aquino is a columnist for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are her own.)