Digital-Camcorder Reviews

I ordered a Dual Battery Charger but received a single batery charger. However the single battery charger had a plug in adapter for a car cigarette lighter. This pleased me. Since this extra compensated me for getting the wrong thing

We bought it so that we could charge 2 batteries at once for the holidays and vactions. We have no complaints and my wife is putting it to good use with the new camera.

Compact, small, super-easy to use; small enough footprint; efficient. In retrospect, something that should've been "standard" with any Sony Cybershot camera. Hooking up my camera to an AC charger is too cumbersome and a pain. This device is so straight forward, with two "pockets" to insert batteries, that having one go dead on you while you're on the road shouldn't happen.

Well worth the price and less cumbersome than the TWO power cords that come with your Sony digital camera (one from your wall to the the charger, the other from the charger to your camera).

With this gizmo, you have just ONE cord. It runs from the wall to the charger. That's it. I always worry about charging my camera from the wall because there isn't enough clearance for the wire and the back panel to your camera. The result is your camera, during charging, is pushed upward at a funny angle, on one edge because the flimsy door panel to access the input jacks is flush bottom. This door feels it could break at the slightest mis-directed touch.

No such worries anymore.

Overall I was dissapointed in this camera. The description is not thorough enough. 1.3 Megapixels is for STILL images, and the images are decent but there is no flash so limited when lighting is bad. Video modes are 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120. Probably my biggest dissapointment was that the best video mode, 640x480, only shoots at 8 frames per second, which is very choppy and fuzzy. The other two modes shoot at 15 frames per second, which is a little better but they are small screen sizes. Audio is pretty good. If this was my first digital camera ever I would probably think its ok, but I was looking for an upgrade to the video capabilities of my current digital still camera, and this was not it. I will probably give it to some 10 year old as a gift or to a friend who has never had a digital camera.

I wanted an entirely digital (i.e. no tape) camcorder in order to try out the technology. We're not "camcorder people," so the idea of dropping several hundred dollars on a video camera (Mini-DV, Hi-8, Digital-8, or what have you) wasn't attractive. Surprisingly, there are not a lot of straight-to-memory-card camcorders out there! I thought the Sipix DV100 was exactly what we were looking for.

The other reviews are right. It's sturdy, very small, and it does just what it advertises. It's true that the shutter button is a bit awkwardly located, but a) you only hit it once to start recording, and b) you can brace your thumb against the left side of the camera to make reaching the button easier. The lack of any type of flash makes recording a challenge. The AUTO white balance feature, while a plus, doesn't always compensate, particularly indoors. Outdoors, though, I have no complaints. Resolution is exactly what I expected: 15fps (with a 256Mb SanDisk SD card) at 320x240, and 8fps at 640x480. The microphone does a decent job of picking up sound, most especially for the camera operator (not so much for the subjects). The ability to connect to a TV is great for immediately sharing the results of your recordings, and the USB connection is as fast as I expected. Finally, battery life is tremendous! Whereas my Sony Cybershot still camera drains batteries like there's no tomorrow, this little camcorder is still running on its original batteries after at least 20 minutes of recording, several downloads, and several TV "productions." I realize that this is due in large part to the lack of a flash, but it's still a nice bonus.

The only reason I'd give it 4 rather than 5 stars is the lack of an AC power source. Battery life is great, but it'd be nice to not have to run on batteries every single time you use the camera.

Oh, yeah...you get about 35 minutes of recording at 320x240 on a 256Mb SanDisk SD card.

When I started my family, I bought an 8mm camera. I can probably count the number of times I used it on one hand in the five years I've owned it. It was bulky, needed frequent recharging, and frankly, after a while, I would forget to bring it out. I was looking for something small, digital, and of course inexepensive. I gave the SiPix a shot. I love this little camera. I can take it everywhere and it's very simple to use. The software is also simple, but it doesn't have alot of features. If buying this camera, it is a MUST to purchase a memory stick, at LEAST 256 MB or you can't record video for more than a couple of minutes. Also, there is no flash, so only outside or in lit areas. I was dissapointed that there was no flash or lighting options, and battery life (2 AAs) doesn't last as long as I like (but longer than the 8mm NiMH, how sad). Overall, this camera had performed how I expected it to for the cost. The quality is not the best, but decent, and it works great to record little moments on family trips and the kid's activities. If you are looking for portable, digital, and an inexpensive camera to start with; and can live with "ok" quality, this is the camera to buy. Especially since it's a great starter camera if you're not sure you want to upgrade to digital camcorders because of price. The money you spend on this camera is worth "experimenting" in the digital world, before you upgrade to the "big dogs"

I had high hopes about this camcorder. It was cute, lightweight, the 1.3Megapixel CCD and everything appeared to be great. But once I shot the video and reviewed it on my TV. ***TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT***. What can be more important than video quality? It just sucks big time. My old Panasonic VHS camcorder has better video quality. Also, the camera picked up extremely high motor noise when ambient sound level was low or silent. NOT a good design. I read several reaviews prior to buying to camcorder and I must agree that WAIT for the next revision. Video is extremely NOT SHARP!!!

I teach video productions and I've tried many camcorders. I like the Sharp's ability to rotate the body of the camera with my hand and still be able to get good shots at various angles without putting my wrist in traction. The drawbacks I've found are the lack of an external mic input (which isn't usually a requirement for most family videos) and a small button to control tape playback. This is a problem with us fat thumbed people. I would recommend buying an additional battery since there isn't an external charger available. Other than that, I think the camera has excellent video quality and a nice compact body yet still large enough for larger hands to operate without problem.

This is the first camcorder I've owned, though not the first I've used. I'm very happy with my purchase. I think it has excellent video quality, much better than others in a comparable price range. It does have a compact battery (for a reason), and hence a shorter recording time. I have recorded for over an hour straight with one battery. But you can purchase extra batteries if necessary (I bought one on ebay for $20).
It has tons of features and options, more than I will probably use. The manual provided is extremely helpful in guiding you through the many features. I was recording within 10 minutes of opening the box.
I have read negative reviews regarding the on screen menus, the manual, still images; let me just say that I have not had any problems with any of those. I find the menu EASY to navigate. And the manual explains everything. I read it from front to back without ANY confusion. It does not have an index in the back, but it has a table of contents at the beginning if you'd rather just browse. I have not seen a CAMCORDER that has better still images than this one. I have seen better pictures from a digital CAMERA. I suspect some people may not have the patience, or interest, in learning how to utilize all of the features that may yield the best quality images. Or, perhaps they're just used to a different product.
Some of the most commonly used features like playback on TV, downloading to PC, editing, I think are easy to use and just plain fun!
Anyway, I must emphasize that the overall quality of this camcorder is great. Every product is different, we pick and choose. I use mine for recording life's little (and big) events.
If you're still comparing camcorders, be sure to consider this one.