Camcorder Reviews

I bought this product because it was cheapes, but then I saw another MiniDV camera from Canon (ZR60) which was only slightly costlier than this camera but had far more features and made this camera look completely inadequate.

Following are the cons of this camera:
1. No viewfinder. If you want to waste your battery, this camera ensures it by having no options besides LCD.

2. No cover for LCD. Can be easily scratched etc.

3. Big big cons for me: Not ergonomic, no good way to hold this camera. No strap on handle

4. No AV-DV conversion. Bad if you want to record your TV or old VHS tapes onto MiniDV

5. This was the problem I faced but ejector mechanism of this camera does not work reliably. Gave me lots of problem.

Do yourself a favor, buy some Canon or Sony camcorder.

The DV camcorder market finally hit my price point at ~$$$(After rebate) in this product. . . Does it have all the bells and whistles? No. Does it perform as advertised? Pretty much -- if you take the time to read the manual and consider its' limitations. It does best in favorable lighting, but does have features that compensate for sub-optimal lighting conditions (generally found indoors). No night/low light mode, and the better the lighting, the better the colors. The lack of a viewfinder (unit has LCD panel only) has yet to be a hindrance -- although I haven't tried it outside in full sun/glare yet either. The resolution is good; the case design and user interface is different than all other camcorders I've owned, but easy to adapt to; the IEEE 1394 connection works flawlessly in Win XP (with appropriate video editing software -- not included, firewire cable -- not included) in both directions. It has the standard special video effects (sepia, B&W, etc), a still feature that records a frame onto the DV tape as long as the button is active (no semiconductor removable memory -- remember this is an entry level unit). Spare high capacity batteries can be found online for <$$ delivered. Bottom line, used correctly this is a very good value at around $$$ (after incentive pricing). . .

I bought this camcorder one month ago just for my holiday tour. This is a nice item considering its price. The image is sharp. The voice recorder is really nice. It can record even some remote voices. Easy to use.

The con is there is no cover for the LCD. I suggest you to buy a bag for this camcorder.

This is a great camcorder for beginners and professionals at a good price! I recommend this camcorder to all ages. I love making movies with my friends! And its a great gift for any occasion! So I recommend buying this camcorder!!!

I actually got this camcorder 2 1/2 years ago as my first camcorder in anticipation of the coming birth of our first child. It offered a lot of great features for the price, and I thought the 3" viewscreen right on the camcorder was a big improvement over viewfinders and pop-out screens.

And lo and behold, when we got it, it worked exactly as we thought and we got some great memories.

But then the lens cap broke. And it started to jam tapes regularly. And put dots and speckles into some recordings. And after 3 months of use my battery wouldn't recharge anymore. I brought it in for a repair and a replacement lens cap/battery, but 9 months later all 3 problems happened again.

The first repair was under warranty, I paid for the 2nd one. But last month was really it. My sister, who lives 400 miles away from me, had twins around the same time our son was born and we went up to visit them for their 2nd birthday. My wife took (or I should say tried to take) an hour of video of me playing with all 3 boys and another 2 hours of video of all of us going to the zoo together. Well, you know what, nothing came out, because THE TAPE WAS JAMMED AGAIN! Only this time, the camcorder did not give me any message warning me of this during her attempted recording, so we thought all was fine.

So today, 2 weeks before our 2nd child is due, I threw in the towel and bought a Samsung DV camcorder. Cest la vie....I have 2 Sharp TV's that work great (one is almost 20 years old!) so I don't know if I simply got a "lemon" or if their camcorder standards are just lax compared to their other electronics.

I just got my new Sharp VL-AH50U camcorder. I'm excited by the picture quality and the great 400x digital zoom. The camcorder is absolutely worth the money. I would recommend this product if...

Well ... if you don't care about stereo recording/playback, and if you don't mind that the camcorder has no external input recording, then go ahead!

This camcorder includes amazing features like : great digital effects, picture-in-picture mode, easy navigation with on-screen menu and (as I said before), an astonishing 400x digital zoom (16x optical) to spy at your neighbors.

Combine this camcorder with a USB video input (like the affordable Dazzle Photo/Video Maker) and you can make digital pictures and videos out of your recordings.

If you are not considering buying a digital camcorder, then this one is for you!

I am very pleased with my Sharp VLAH50U camcorder. It had many more features than advertised and the price was the best I could find anywhere with the free shipping. It shipped the next day and arrived in good condition. This is my first camcorder and I am looking forward to using it this Christmas.

This versatile camcorder uses the Hi-8 tapes which is backwardly
compatible and makes most sense for routine use (baseball outings
camping etc). The large LCD screen and the rechargable lithium
batteries with audio are its major plusses. It has no firewire
capability and hence cannot be sent out for rapid display outside.
Overall, a sturdy, compact product from Sharp.

I'm pleased with the camcorder so far. For the price, it has some nice features. The 3.5" LCD is nice and provides an excellent picture. The camera is easy to use and the menus are fairly intuitive. The one complaint I have so far is that there is not a dedicated button/switch for the digital image stabilization. You must navigate through the on-screen menus to find the DIS and toggle it on/off. This is inconvenient and cumbersome while recording. So much so that I think I'll probably never use it. But for what I plan to use the camera for, it works great and is a very good value.

This is a great camcorder light, compact and useful. The zoom function and pip are definite attractions.

I had MAJOR problems with this camcorder. Upon first use, it taped, then proceeded to chew up the video I'd made of my cousin's wedding. I wouldn't complain so much if this had happened far later than after purchasing it, or if I'd used the wrong kind of tapes, or what-have-you, but the cassette loading compartment is very "sticky", won't release the tape very easily, and obviously the camcorder in general would prefer to consume your memories rather than preserve them for you!

I wanted a reliable, simple to use, high quality camcorder at a good price and the Sharp VLAH150 so far has met all my criteria. You can't go wrong buying this camcorder.

My wife and I looked at many camcorders and she instantly liked this one. I asked her why and she said the design(non-flip 3" screen) and the main reason was that there wasn't a million buttons all over it. Buttons scare the average person. Once we started using it she told me thats why she would not use our old one. This model is very simple and gives new meaning to 'point and shoot'. Personally I like lots of features and boy, does this camera have features! Letterbox recording, black and white, sepia, strobe, photo shot, pic-in-pic, awesome zoom. All this and lots more!! You can't beat it for the price (...).

LOve the product, but need extra battery pack
None was available in selection
Why?

This is the best HI8 cam I ever had, dont miss it...

After a while of searching for a camera, I finally found this one. A friend of mine has it, and I have seen her use it. I bought it and am very pleased with how easy it is to use and how much fun I can have with it. This is truly a great camera.

This camcorder is one of the best. Not bulky and very portable. The zoom feature is great for getting those sunsets with all details. The only obstical is not having a tape that fits directly into the VCR instead of plugging your camera in to record on the VCR. This does not come or can you get an adaptor for the 8mm tape. Overall it's an exceptional product.

I just purchased this camcorder. It's a great camcorder for a low price. You get a 3" lcd screen, great sound, and it's light. It doesn't have image stabilization but it really doesn't make a difference. When I bought the camcorder from Best Buy, I compared it to a camcorder with image stabilization and they are about the same. Unless you are running after someone with the camcorder in your hand, then all of your videos should be smooth. I also read someone else's comment on this camcorder and they stated that when you zoom in on something, the image shakes violently. I've had no problems with zooming. It has a custom titler, self recording, and 180 degree tiltling. It is a really nice camcorder.

This is the Best camcorder I have ever owned,
it has none of the problems
I had with the JVC DV camcorder I previously owned.

This has a 26X zoom lens,
a Zoom Mic, Gama brightness enhancement,
Digital Zoom and Pan in Playback,
Analog video input, Real RCA Jacks on the camcorder itself,
Digital Still camera on smartmedia cards
(it's not the best digital still camera, but it's not bad).
3" LCD Screen,

Super Cat eye for recording in the dark
(OK it's monochrome, but you can actually
record in total darkness within 10')

It's Very Easy too use once you get used
to the unusual menu system.

I've had no problems with it,
it works great!!!!!!

The only complaint I have about it,
is the size, it's a little too large,
especially compared to the Tiny JVC's,
but on the other hand I've found it much more durable!
I haven't had to clean the recording heads
all the time Like on the JVC.

As with all digital camcorders,
I suggest you buy an extended warranty,
these things have a tendency to break,
My JVC broke 3 times in 5 years,
and it cost about [$$$] to repair them,
so an extended warranty is a must!

The other thing I would suggest
is always use Panasonic LP tapes,
because a lot of people have complained
about problems with Sony tapes on the VL-WD450U.