For great video you need a couple of things: a good lens and high video resolution. The Sharp VL-WD255U provides both. The standard MiniDV format offers sparkling video resolution (just compare it to the "low-tech" VHS-C), and a powerful 26x optical zoom. The optical zoom is augmented by the 780x digital zoom and digital image stabilization, but both come at the expense of a little resolution, so use with caution.
For those interested in still pictures, the VL-WD255U comes with the capability to record digital images onto either a MiniDV tape or SmartMedia card (not included). The camcorder comes equipped with four autoexposure modes that help make sure all your camera settings are correct. A 16:9 mode lets you shoot video in the same aspect ratio as feature films. The VL-WD255U comes equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and remote control.
1 "Eject the Cassette" message, Sharp not very helpful...
I bought at the end of 2001, and I too have been getting these "eject the cassette" messages! I just didn't know how common this was until I started looking for a replacement camcorder just today, and happened to see mine (this one) and thought I would just check out the reviews, and was just SHOCKED to see how many others have had this same problem. I probably have used this camcorder a total of about 2 (yes, two) hours in the past 3-1/2 years, and have been getting the "eject the cassette" message for at least a year, I have to use a new tape each time I record, and cannot use the tape again (even to Play it), it tells me to "Eject the Cassette"--won't let me do ANYTHING. Sharp has not been helpful at all, continually referring me to 'my closest athorized servicer'. The closest place that will service it is in California, and I have to pay $55 just for them to 'assess' what the problem is. I have not found anyone in Arizona that can repair them, since they (an authorized Sharp servicer here) said when Sharp came out with these, they did not have a training program for repair shops to learn how to repair them. DO NOT BUY THIS CAMCORDER!!! Again, I am just shocked to read all these other reviews that sound IDENTICAL to the problems I have been experiencing practically since the camcorder was out of warranty, figures.
2 Please don't buy this piece of Junk...
I bought this in summer of 2001, it worked fine for a year and then it started giving garbled play back, Eject tape and eating tape.
I wish I had these reviews before I bought this junk. This is my first and last Sharp product and sharp was not helpful at all when I explained what was happening. Please don't waste your money on this piece of Junk.
Thanks
3 Sharp VLWD255U - AVOID!!!
I bought this camcorder in November of 2001. In the first year I only used it a handful of times and got several "Eject The Cassette" messages. I didn't think much of it because it would work some of the time. After the warranty expired, the "Eject The Cassette" message appeared every time I used it for record or play regardless of what tape (new or used) I put in it. The last straw was when I took it to the Long Beach Gran Prix and it didn't work at all. In addition, the digital camera feature is so low quality that the pictures are not even worth emailing. Very grainy, little color. So, in summary, I have a non-working camcorder that is garbage or needs costly repair after one year. I wouldn't have given this such as harsh review if this was an isolated problem but after doing some research I found this "Eject The Cassette" issue is very common in Sharp camcorders. Unacceptable.
4 Horrible Got 2 both broke within 1/2 year
This the worst. Eats up tape. I smell class action lawsuit, but its not worth it b/c it was so cheap.
5 eats tapes; breaks
I get the "eject the cassette" message as well, and Sharp is EXTREMELY unhelpful. I'd say it works without eating tape only about 50% of the time. Pathetic. Absolutely unacceptable.
I won't buy other Sharp products in the future either.
6 Piece of crap
Same problem. After two year I brought this (even I didn't use it so often, about 10 hours total in the past two years), got the same "eject the cassette" problem. I'd never, never brought another Sharp product, period...
7 The price isn't right if it breaks and costs $379 to fix!
I'm sitting here with the repair estimate for my Sharp in front of me from the one authorized repair facility on the West Coast: "Need to replace drum assembly." Balance due (if I opt to fix it): $378.88. I had to pay a nonrefundable $40 for the estimate, and NO, I'm not going to fix this thing when I can buy something comparable brand new for just a little more.
I thought I got a great deal about 2 years ago when I got this and a tripod, case, cables, etc. as a very low-cost holiday promotional bundle. I've used it mostly at demonstrations as a legal observer, and I enjoyed the feature set ("Cat Eye" night vision, image stabilizer, still mode) which is the only reason I'm giving this 2 stars instead of 1. I'll have to pay a bit more to get those same features in my next camera, but I, like the others here, won't be buying a Sharp ever again. Getting a more respected and widely-used brand like a Canon will expand the range of available repair shops, too, if/when my next camera needs some TLC. (Sharp has one in So. Cal., Texas, and New York -- that's it!)
I wish these reviews had been here before I bought it.
8 Bad deal
I used the camera for about a year when the screen scrambling problem arrived. It's the same problem alluded to by many others. Repair facility charges $256. I bought this product because I wanted a digital camcorder for not much money - to get my feet wet. Luckily, I was able to get some footage before it croaked. I would not buy this product or any other camcorder from Sharp. It's not worth it.
9 Take Heed
I have had the camera for 2 years and I have gotten the eject the cassette problem. It worked fine until Dec' 03.
10 DON'T BUY IT
I don't write reviews, but since I'm here shopping for a new camcorder, I would relate my past experience with this model, if for no other reason than to make me feel better.
I bought this unit over a year ago and should have paid more attention to the other reviewers. At that time there were more positives than negatives and the price was right (bought direct from Amazon). I figured that since I would use the unit so infrequently (birthdays, etc.) I wouldn't use it enough to have the problems that were showing up after significant use by some of the other reviewers. Big mistake.
This thing eats tapes like crazy and it now sitting on my desk gathering dust until I can find a use for a camcorder other than taping things. I didn't realize until reading the more recent reviews that the problem has something to do with the tape being near the end, but that fits my experience. It records well enough on one tape straight through, but if you stop/start a lot or even, dare I say it, "rewind", count on the tape getting chewed to pieces.
Based on the number of reviews that say the same thing, i.e., the mechanism controlling the way the tape is fed over the head is defective, the product is defective and should be recalled. I wish us all lots of luck with that.
Don't buy it, it's not worth the gamble, even at half the current listed price. I have no recommendations for a substitution, just read the reviews and discount any, good or bad, that sound like they were written by an excited person. (it's a camcorder for goodness sake, not the holy grail).
This is my first and last product made by SHARP.
11 Garbage after 10 tapes and being repaired
I got this camera as a gift after the birth of our first child. I used it for about 8 months during which time we recorded 10 tapes. Every time we used a new high quality tape. Then one day the picture scrambled and I couldn't record anything. I contacted Sharp and they sent me to one of their repair centers where I paid a lot of money for service (parts were still under warranty). I was told the whole head assembly had to be replaced. Now after another 4 tapes the same thing has happened again. I wrote another email to the same Sharp customer service rep but she hasn't even bothered to answer my email. I suppose because the warranty has run out. I did get an email back from the service center offering to fix the camera again. Of course, they said it would be much more expensive because the warranty had run out. DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA. I won't ever buy another Sharp product.
12 Heartbreaking
DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA! While it would seem that some who have purchased this camera have been perfectly satisfied, there are too many of us who have experienced similar problems with this camera for me to think that my own bad experience was just a fluke. The high picture and sound quality that this camera seemed to yield at first deteriorated almost immediately to jagged, non-uniform, highly pixelated, lagging video, with broken, staticky sound. The poorness of my videos was very irregular, causing me to think that perhaps if I used different tapes, perhaps if I ran a head cleaner, perhaps if I used a different playback deck, etc., etc., I might end up being able to salvage the video I had recorded--or at least, avoid the same problems in the future. It should be noted that I had never used a digital video camera before, and had very limited experience with non-digital video. My lack of experience, combined with the irregularity of the poor quality of the videos I was shooting, caused me to think that it was me doing something wrong. By the time I called Sharp for service on this camera, the labor warranty had run out, and although replacement parts would still be covered, I would be responsible for a minimum labor charge of approx. $[$$]. I was angry and in no position to be able to pay this amount. Several months later, by the time I decided just to bite the bullet and do it, my parts warranty was also up, and it was going to cost me more to repair this camera (a defective drum, among other things, was the main culprit) than just to buy a replacement. My husband and I received this camera as a gift (I actually picked it out, thinking it was a good bargain) after the birth of our first child. It is heartbreaking for me to watch the broken-up video fragments that we ended up with over the course that time: first steps, first words, so many special times that we'll never get back, and none of the home movies that we had hoped for. Please, save yourself the heartbreak, and buy a better camera. If you decide to take the gamble, and you do buy this camera, BE ON THE LOOKOUT! At the first sign of problems, contact Sharp and demand that this camera be repaired. Be aware, though, that other customers have had this camera repaired, only to have the same problem crop up later. And eventually, your warranty will run out.
13 Good camera
Year and a half old. Still works after 20 hours of use. Very slight pixillation at times on Fuji tape; obviously during recording stage. Less problem (almost none) using Panasonic tape. I tend to do repetitive edits in the camera while shooting; so it is probably "my fault." Good as DVD quality in good light. The still photos are only good for internet, not prints. Excellent purchase for [the money}, obviously the 'bad' cameras out there (and there are some) have received a disproportionate response here.
14 Sharp VLWD255U Camcorder A Great Buy!
The Sharp VLWD255U has a lot of great features. The 26x zoom is incredible. Few camcorders offer both a color view finder and color eye piece. Standard RCA connections and cables are included, as well as an S-video jack and an IEEE (firewire) port for video capture and editing on a PC. The camera comes with a very useful remote control and the whole package is very small, light weight, and has good battery life. Best of all, it is easy to use. Even my wife could use it without any instruction.
I have used this camera mostly for editing video on my PC. Because this camera is a true digital (not Hi-8 or Digital 8) the transfer quality is very good. While there are not a lot of editing features built in to the camera, like most people, I prefer to do my editing with the software. I have also used this camera as a web cam which works really well.
I really like having the still pictures on the media card. This format makes it easy to find the still pictures rather than searching the tape for them. The digital stills are not the same quality as you would see on a digital still camera, but are good for web pictures and other projects of that quality. For high resolution stills, buy a digital still camera. Transfer of stills to the computer is slow over the serial port, but that is my only complaint.
Overall, I love this camera and got it for a great price on Amazon. It is easily the best purchase I have made online.
15 Worked great for a year
Bought it in Jan '03, never really used it much until the last 4-5 months as I began filming some autocrosses and car races. Got about 4 hours of tape recorded and then one day on the way to the biggest race of the year, all newly recorded video is scrambled. Playback is ok on previously recorded tapes, but no matter what, it will not record on any type of tape I use (Fuji, Sony, or Panasonic). Looks similar to what a satelite TV looks like when its loosing signal.
And the highlight to this is it only comes with a one year warranty, so who knows how much its going to now cost me to fix it. I may just eat the cost and buy a different one.
Image quality was decent, sound was great, never had a problem with jammed tapes, battery life [needs improvement], firewire capability was flawless, but the horrible reliability is just not worth it. I wish I had spent the extra money and bought something I could trust.
16 Very disappointed
I bought it in Nov 2001. It has been used very little and already doesn't work. It won't record at all. I would like to send it back.
17 Not Worth It!
Bought this camcorder for Christmas 2001, just before the birth of my daughter. Almost immediately, a pixel went out on the LCD screen. Within two months, the tape got caught in the camera and I kept getting the message, "Eject the Cassette." I had to send the camera to a service center in upstate New York. I got it back a few weeks later. Worked for a little while, before receiving the message, "Eject the Cassette." I ran a head cleaner, but to no avail. I have never been able to use a full Mini DV tape without getting that message. I tried Mini DV tapes by Panasonic, Maxell, and Sony. None seem to work. The camera is way too unreliable. I've missed too many precious moments. Also, the quality of the video transferred to a VHS tape is very poor. Do yourself a huge favor and buy another camera. Not worth the trouble and the wasted money.
18 I saw the warnings, ended up with broken camera like others
Like many others, I was attracted to this video camera because of a very attractive price, in light of the options. I read all the dire warnings that many had problems, but like many times, was persuaded on price alone. It was a terrible mistake. The camera, less than one year after purchasing, broke. It broke during the birth of our second child. No images of this irreplaceable moment. I am so upset. Don't make my mistake. Don't shrug off our warnings. This camera is or will be nothing but trouble. I should have learned along time ago that you get what you pay for. I learned this lesson the hardest way you could.
19 My Sharp camera
I originally got this camera to take pictures of my new baby. It has been really dependable and we have gotten some wonderful digitals of our baby. This is a great starter camera!
20 Sharp digital combo Camcorder
The capability of still and video photography is reaaly cool and convenient. Picture quality is good for a basic camera. All functions on the camera are good except for the ON/OFF switch button, which is small for my large hands and fingers.
21 Met or exceeded my expectations
I reviewed a large number of MDV cameras in Nov. 2001. I wanted the digital capability of uploading snaps and video where I had no previous capability. I didn't want to spend the $1,400 bucks for the other MDV brands. I saw this Sharp advertised with the rebate and couldn't believe my eyes. Why not? Cheaper than the analog Sony I bought in 1994. My Sharp came quickly and has been very useful in fairly rugged terrain, stuck in a backpack and works beautifully. I don't take a lot of video so I may be easy the tape mechanisms.
22 Problem with the tape.
I brought this Camcorder last year. I see that the tape is getting struck once it reaches end of the cassete.
23 El Cheapo & poor quality
This camcorder eats up tape. When it doesn't eatup the tape, it leaves some sort of imprint/smudging on the tape that renders it useless.
The resolution in photo mode is okay if the photo was taken in good light.
Also, Sharp has extremely limited Factory authorized service Centers. I am in Virginia & the nearest one is 300 miles away!!
24 Good picture, poor sound
After buying this camera to use with a computer for editing it was a dream. Everything that you need. The 250 though doesn't have the flash rom. The problem with it though is the sound. The 450 and higher models all come with a boom mic that picks up sound as you Zoom. IT's truly amazing. After being sold the 250, being told it was the same as the 450, we were very dissapointed. Our main frustration is that the optional Microphone isn't available, or VERY difficult to aquire. And to tell the truth a waste of investment without it. You get all abmient sounds clearly, but the people right in front of the camera you can barely hear, for the great sound of a car passing by or the wind, or...If youre after a camera buy the 450. Or stick with a company that has better after sales service.
25 Great
I really like this camcorder. The optical zoom is really good. I also like the fact that you can put a smartmedia card in it and take still pictures. A 64 MB card can hold over 500 pictures on the finest setting and over 800 on the lowest setting. The only problems I have with this camera is that you can't take still pictures while recording, and it doesn't record in 0 lux with infrared. For the price I paid though, I got more than I expected, especially after the rebate.
26 Great 1st DV !
Dear Readers; I have had this DV for a month now, and have read the good reviews & bad one's too. My input is, most of them are on the money, an are trueful witch is way cool. I give it a thumbs up!
If you get it read the do's & dont's. As for the tape proublm, heat
will give you a trouble & get the heads dirty, just don't use it outside when it's too hot or humid, get high quailty tape, an keep the heads clean. Use
common sence, treat it good, an you'll love it. I'll keep working
with it, let you know in a couple of months how it holds up.
All the features work, transfers to my computer smooth, an works great as a live cam for the Web. If you have any doubts read all the reviews carefully! If your good with electroic gear, you'll Love it! Sincerely, Vicky F.
27 Great Camera - Bad Company
I love this camera, the features are great and the video quality is awesome. The best part was the price! Unfortunately, after several months of use, the video playback started to come in all broken up. The camera tells you to clean the videoheads, but even after cleaning, the playback still doesn't work. My brother-in-law and a friend both have the same camera and the same thing happened to them. If you want to take a chance, go for it, I'm sure you'll love the camera, but you may be better off buying a Sony
28 Srini
Hi Guys, I bought this last year after doing a lot of research on camcarders. I have been using this every alternate day to shoot our new born baby. The picture quality is too good, and exceptional ZOOM. Only thing is I bought this for [money] at AMAZON. After that a lot of my friends tried to get at the same rate, but they never got it. But paying 100 bucks more is not a waste, so my friends bought this [for more]. If you really want MINIDV, one don't think about other models... You can blindly believe Sharp..
29 color flicker
After a few months, the camcorder developed a color flicker when receiving analog input.
30 color flicker
After a few months, the camcorder developed a color flicker when receiving analog input.
31 Don't Do It
Amazon was great! They sent me three of these, and the last one worked for around 6 months.
As for the camera - don't buy it. We were on camera number two when our first child was born. I took a lot of shots at the hospital, and the heads appear to have been dirty. Even though it was brand new! Camera number one liked to eat tapes.
Number three has bad heads after six months of use. This wouldn't be so bad except that I NEED the camera this week, and the nearest service center (according to sharp) is 750 miles away. The warrenty won't cover the fix, and the cost of repair is over half what I paid for the camera itself.
Low light recording is grainy. Outdoors looks great - when it works.
You get what you pay for!
32 Don't Buy this one
Nothing but trouble. Sent to repair shop 3 tmes in 7 months. Sharp even replaced first camera. Both only lasted 80-90 days before eating tapes. Sharp does not back up their product either. I would recommend a JVC.
33 So far so good!
I received the camcorder 3 days after I ordered it....wow that's fast. I have just tried to record with it today. If the things works as explained...it was a deal. Quite a deal!! I'll buy from them again.
34 nice for basic recording
I am thirteen years old and use this camera frequently, although the digital stills are not of a respectable quality, the lens is great, (26x optical, and 780x digital zoom) buy this camera....For this to be a great camcorder you need to clean the heads once in a while. Thank you.
35 Great item for the price
Not the best camcorder ever made, but can't be beat for the price! For my purposes, (home videos for the grandparents) it's a great camera. Have no major gripes with the video portion of the camera, but the still shot is very grainy and does not take low light pictures well at all...overall, very happy with my purchase and maybe will just buy a digital camera for the stills.
36 average
this camera is good for the price but not much better, i was able to get it on sell which made it worth it.
good video footage, very poor stills, and a good microphone, nice zoom and other features.
37 Very Disappointed in this camera......Broke twice!
I put alot of hours of research in before buying a digital camcorder, I found that this camcorder with all the features and the cost at the time was a great buy. I bought this as a Christmas gift for my husband, we had just had our third child and wanted to get an upgrade from our VHS camcorder. After about two weeks using the camera the tapes were getting eaten up by the camera. We called Sharp and we were told to send the camera to a nearby dealer, which we did, the eject mechanism and the tape holder had to be replaced, it was covered under warranty but the fact that two weeks of taping was ruined was very disheartening. It took about a month and a half to get the camera back which meant that our baby was growing and we weren't getting any footage. Now today almost 4 months since the repair the camera ATE ANOTHER TAPE, again the company has us sending it in for repairs. Our baby is 7 months old now and we have absolutely no video to speak of. I am soo frustated and there is no way to replace the camera or get my money back at this point and no way to replace the tapes! Buyer Beware and don't purchase this camera!!
38 Number of Features but not so reliable
I have been using this product for about 6 months now.
With resolution of 460000 - the quality of picture particularly in low light is not so great.
It already broke once while watching the playback - the view suddently turned blue - without any error message. I don't know how exactly it will get fixed -...
In the process I had to deal with Sharp Customer Service - and the least I can say is - its horrible. You will feel lucky to get some useful information/help out of them.
The digital still picture using smartmedia is useless because of low resolution offered - you can barely recognize the face.
Overall, I will say instead of going for a low priced Digital Cam from Sharp go for a Hi-8 from more reliable manufacturer.
39 Sharp does not stand behind product
I bought this camera as a Christmas gift. It was used 3 or 4 times and upon playback, the picture was unclear & showed "pixels". Sharpe said that the 90 day warranty on labor had expired but the warranty still covered parts. I shipped to the closest service location and the authorized service center fixed it. They shipped it back to me just in time for a summer vacation. It worked one day, and now it is doing the same thing again. I have shipped it back. Sharp says they use the industry standard warranty of 90 days on labor and they are sorry it isn't working. Amazon says that they are only the go between, so I have to deal with Sharp Company. I may have saved a few dollars buying through Amazon but I would gladly pay the extra cost to have a person I could speak to in person who wanted to keep my business.
40 Worst consumer experience I've ever had.
This lemon broke after 4 months and only 1.5 hours of use. I got a lot of lip service from Sharp customer service, both over the phone and in standard form letter e-mail responses. Even though the camera was only physically used for an hour and a half, I had it for four months which put me just outside the warranty for labor -- the parts were still covered. Big deal, I still had to pay for shipping to one of only 3 authorized service centers in the US (OH). It cost me ... in labor and shipping fees and it came back in EXACTLY the same condition it was sent -- BROKEN. After a furious long distance call to the OH service center, I was asked to pack it up and they would issue a call tag to have it returned to the center. That was a week ago and UPS still hasn't come to pick up the camera. So I don't expect to have a working camera anytime soon. Even when it does come back, I don't have any great expectations for the life span of this piece of junk. Do yourself a favor and spend a little more for a Sony. I will never purchase another Sharp product again.
41 Best ofer for price
I'm amazed by quality of video it gives. For $[money] ( actually I got back $[money] in mail in rebate), it's worth price Ihave paid. Digital photos are not very great but they are ofcourse accessory only.
42 Great value ...
I purchased this camera 6 months ago (early December '01). I have used it quite often. It's light weight and small size don't make it a chore to take it with me wherever I go with my family. Video quality is more than acceptable. Stills are so-so but good enough to e-mail pictures to friends and family. Better still photo definition would be great, but we still enjoy it a lot. PRACTICAL is the key word here.
... I imagine that many folks have found it to be a good value and have spread the word.
43 Can't beat it for the price
I bought the camera back in December and took it to Costa Rica. It took beautiful shots of the landscape and the video has excellent capabilities.
It appears to have one consistant negative, and that is the tape recording. When I transferred onto VHS the resolution turned way ugly and the sound became very distorted. I recall at one point in our trip that the "Dew" light came on b/c I went from a cool airconditioned van to the humid outdoor several times. It screwed it up, and wouldn't let me record for an hour or so. However, in SLC I have had no such problems and the conversion to VHS hasn't been a problem.
In short the camera is not too resilient in HUMID locations.
44 You get what you pay for
I've had the camcorder for 2 months, quality is OK (far from great) except the stills, which are useless. Have playback problems in LP mode. Using the zoom mic as it is pics up a lot of noise from the drive. Zoom speed is difficult to control. Still no rebate check from Sharp. Will very likely evade Sharp products in the future.
45 bad support
Sharp's product support is terrible. The web site is nearly useless. I will not buy from them again.
46 Don't do it--Buyers Beware!!!!
I am very disappointed in the performance of this camera. Buyers BEWARE!! After recording only two dv tapes in six months documenting my newborn son's first months at home, I decided to transfer the footage to VHS. Upon rewinding the tapes, an error message of Eject the tape flashed upon the screen. I ejected this tape and tried the other one. Again this message flashed across the screen. Upon further inspection, I found that the camcorder had mangled both of these tapes--mind you Panasonic tapes--. Now, I am stuck with a piece of junk and ruined tapes of my child's first months of life. I can honestly say that I will not be buying any other Sharp products...
47 BE SMART---Avoid this camera!
My husband purchased this camera in spite of reading some negative reviews. After 1 hour of recording the camera now eats the cassettes. We have not been able to get their service department on the phone to see where to send it. From what we have read, that will just be the beginning of our problems .We also were supposed to get a [money] rebate. It is now 12 weeks later and still no check.
48 So Far, So Good
... After 1.5 months we are still delighted . . . great deal on a super little camera. I took the time to clean the heads before first use and bought "more expensive" tapes (can't remember at the moment the brand) to head off the problems. For us we have had no difficulties with playback at all. Time will tell, but for our fairly casual use, we are thrilled.
49 Disappointment
I am very disappointed with this purchase. We have had this camera less than 4 months, it has probably been used a total of ten times and it is already broken. I didn't expect it to last forever, but I hoped for more than a 4 month life-span! I do not recommend this product or any other product made by sharp. Buyers beware!
50 Get 3x what you pay for + it'a great camera at any price
I read all the reviews before getting this camera. And here is my review. I got it to start a collection of our new Baby Boy and it's perfect for that. Fits well in hand, easy to control. Great picture. The still shots are as good as any camera for that resolution. The zoom and the lense is clean and good. The built in mike picks up well. Night recording is great. Low light recording is ok, but with gamma adj. it's not bad. The remote works well. And the on board menu is NOT hard to use. Just need to spen a minute to understand how it works - like most things in life:) I only use the best panasonic tapes ( master tapes) no dirty head problems - use good tapes no problems - use bad tapes expect trouble. Over all it's a great little camera - the stills are good off teh smart media and the video is as good as any DV. The Digital zoom is good for about 50X. Autofocus is very quick and works well. What's bad? battery life. It could be better - but with the money you save get a couple of extra batteries:) I just ordered 2 3 hr batteries ...- so no problem. ... Oh one more thing all the control buttons are easy to reach and feels good. out/in terminals are well hidden and works well.
51 Rocky at first- now I love it!!
Before i read any reviews i used this camera with a TDK tape (it was alot chaeper than other brands) and i was a little worried. I experienced the same pixelation others have mentioned. After reading through almost all of the reviews i cleaned the heads (the cleaner was only ten bucks) and they were filthy from the TDK tape. I bought a premium grade sony tape- which is the lower end of sony's tapes; and now the camera works flawlessly! i have been verry impressed and have been making VCDs for all of my family. Definately the best deal i've seen yet.
52 Got a good one
After reading some of the reviews, I guess I lucked out because I have not had problem one with this camera. It has performed flawlessly since day one. Some of the reviewers claim that this camera is too big physically, but it's really not that big. It is true that the menus are a little hard to navigate, but the more you use it the better. The only thing that this techie has found lacking is a microphone line in. They went through the trouble of adding line inputs so you can make copies from other sources, but failed to include a microphone line in so you could use a better mic. No biggie. This camera has alot of features for the money. The camera has still image capability, but at web quality only which is fine. It's not a digital still camera. It's silly to expect a video camera to have high quality still image capability @ 30 frames per second.
53 Probably a good camera but...
I bought this camera new as a Christmas gift and the recepient used it 4 times before it started having playback problems (displaying pixels). The camera had been treated with care so the problem was not from abuse. Parts warranty is 1 year but labor is only 90 days. Sent it to an authorized dealer and the labor to fix it was [a lot of] dollars + shipping cost both ways. So much for saving money by buying through [the internet]. To add insult to injury, Sharp never responded to email inquiries (although their web site says that is the way to get a quick response) and their customer service representative basically said they were following the standard 90 day warrranty, so too bad. I will not buy any other Sharp products.
54 Good value at this price
I have been using this product since December, 2001. The picture quality is pretty good for a camera in this price range and certainly better than that of analog cameras, the still picture quality is not very good.
I've seen many reviews complaining about the dirty heads problem and here are a few tips to avoid them:
- Pay the extra [money] and get a Tape rewinder, DO NOT rewind the tape in the camcorder.
- I use only Panasonic brand tapes, I had the dirty heads problem when I used SONY tapes, but it has not reappeared since.
- If you are not going to use the camera for a few days, remove the tape and store it in it's cover VERTICALLY.
These may seem to be hassles you have to deal with, but I still think they are worth it considering the price you will be paying for this camera.
55 Excellent price, not so excellent camera
The price for the Sharp digital camera was excellent. I don't think that you can get a DIGITAL camera for much less. However, you get what you pay for.
The camcorder doesn't come with a light to get better picture quality. The quality without the light is fine but could be better. That is, unless I'm not using the features correctly.
I have experienced similar problems with pixelating and bad tapes. I too have a very important event on tape and can't even watch the whole thing because of pixelating. It's a cool camera to have if you don't use it much but for the everyday user you might want to go ahead and shell out a few more bucks to get a better quality camcorder. I'm already considering dumping this one and going for a higher quality one.
One reviewer suggested getting a dry head cleaning tape. That may be a possible solution. The question is, "Why do you have to clean it after only using it 3 times?" This shows the not so good quality of the camera. I recommend to everyone to not be a cheapskate, like myself, and spend your hard earned money on a camera that's worth it.
56 Not quite sure yet
I bought this unit in November '01. Trouble is, the first time I used it was Christmas, and all worked fine. After getting some new tapes, my troubles began. The picture quality is fine, no lines like others have experienced. The trouble is sound. The sound now gets progressively worse and spotty as you get further into the tape. I might try another tape before asking a "dealer". I knew I shouldn't have been so cheap. At today's price without a rebate, it's basically junk.
The upside is having Firewire and a Mac. I basically tossed the software and cables in the box for storage. The Mac comes standard with Firewire and iMovie, so I needed none of the usual Pee-Cee assortment.
57 DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT!
I got this camcorder for Christmas, and it worked good at first. A few days after using it, it became a piece of junk! I would record something and then go to watch it, and it wouldn't play! Sometimes it was just the sound that wouldn't play, but most of the time the picture just went crazy! There were boxes all over it and lines going through it and everything! I have a very important event recorded on a tape and I can not even watch it now. I do not recommend buying this product or anything else made by Sharp!
58 Great For the Price
I have used almost all features including night vision without any issues. I have had no problems with playback after moderate use for a few months.
The still picture resolution is low, but is good enough to put on a web site for sharing. I would not print any pictures to keep. I bought a 64M card and a reader to get around the serial download issue.
The optical zoom is great, but you will need a tripod because the stabilization only goes so far. The digital zoom will probably not be used. After about 50x, things get shaky even with a tripod.
Overall, great for the money.
59 Sharp Digital Camcorder
It's a nice camra for the low price... I know I have alot of
fun for it. The picture is nothing compared to some of the other
camras, but this is digital, and the price was awesome.... I can't complain. I like this camra for home videos and the idea
you can edit them on the computer is a great plus!
60 Anand Venkatachalapathy
Like others said, I didn't find much negative things.
Positive things:
1. the digital Still mode photos is good when I took in sunlight, the photo quality is better (640/480)and it's emailable quality
2. The video and sound quality is good. When I downloaded the video to my computer, it looked crisp and clear
3. Battery life time is really good
4. The zoom factors: I would say it is very good when you use tripod or with strong hands. I tried zooming the Las Vegas from the top of Strasphere tower, I was amazed of zooming capabilities.
Negative things:
1. Rewind Hell: Never ever rewind the tape using this camcoder. it destroys the video or audio or tape itself. Instead buy a Mini-dV rewinder ...
2. Little heavy. I cann't hold for long time.
3. I still haven't got the rebate as mentioned in Amazon.
I would recommend this camcoder, good alternative to Sony.
61 waiting forever for my camcorder could be repaired at shop
I want to give zero star if it is allowed. This is a followup review I wrote about the camcorder. First one was posted in Decemebr or January.
Like most other people who bought the camcorder because of the claimed rich features..., I ran into the problem after 30 days. The screen started to be full of stripes, colored or black/white after about 10 minutes of replaying. After talking to Sharp rep, I shipped it to an authroized repair shop in cleveland (I live in Chicago) paying the shipping costs myself in early February. I clled the shop last Friday and they told me that they're still waiting for the drum assemply part from Sharp. (I read that someone else wrote that his camcorder is waiting for a part as well.) And they told me that they last contacted Sharp on 2/25 and Sharp didn't tell them when the part is going to come. They haven't heard from Sharp since then.
Another bad experience I had with Sharp product is with its boom box product. I bought a 3-DC changer box at Sam's Club and ended up returning in 2 weeks because CD didn't play occasionally. That's it for me with Sharp brand. I swear that I won't buy any Sharp in my life!
If you're seriously thinking about buying any Sharp product, please read all the reviews on this board and ask people around about their experience, and then see if you still want to by it or not......If I had done so, it would have helped!
62 More fixes for pixelation problems
As many previous reviewers have said, " I was worried about the camera based on the review, but for that price, I'll try it anyway." Well, I've had it several weeks now and at first it worked great. Last weekend, I taped about 40 minutes, played back the final few minutes and it looked great. Two days later, I taped for a minute or two and found that the replay had some serious pixelating. At that point, I tried to copy the previous 40 minutes of tape to VHS tape and found that as the tape went on the pixelation became worse. The only thing that I had done differently was leave the tape in the camera. So, I fast-forwarded to the end, then rewound the tape completely. I then replayed the 40 minute segment and the two minute segment and found that the video was perfect with no pixelation. Use good tape and be sure the tape is tight in the camera and it should give you excellent results. Good luck!!
63 Possible fix for mentioned problems
I was a little wary after having seen all the reviews--particularly those that mentioned the pixelation problems--but I decided to give it a try anyway...Can't beat the price, right?
Sure enough, I was getting big time pixel problems on playback. However, those problems are now solved due to one (or perhaps both) of the solutions that I attempted.
First, I threw away my first blank tape--a [poor] miniDV from [local store].
Second, I bought a dry head tape cleaner. Mind you, the camera did not TELL me that the heads were dirty, and I had only used it twice so I didn't THINK that the heads were dirty, but since then, I have had no problems.
Obviously, this is not the fix for everyone, but it may be worth spending an extra few bucks to see if that is indeed the problem.
Other than those two things, the camera has been a joy to use. I've just started editing via Firewire, and it is pretty darned cool.
64 Buyer Beware!
I wasn't going to write a review on this product - I just don't normally take the time to do this - but I feel I should warn potential buyers.
As with many others, after very little use of this camcorder I have run into problems. I only briefly tested the product upon receipt & it seemed to work fine. A few weeks later I used the camera over Christmas & the "dirty head syndrome" began which rendered the camera completely inoperable. Unfortunately, this was about day 45 of my ownership of the camera & my Amazon return window had expired.
I still have the one year parts & labor waranty but that involves dealing with Sharp directly. They instructed me to an authorized repair center in Cleveland (I live in St. Louis) in which I am responsible for shipping expenses both ways. Not happy, but thought I could deal with this.
Today is February 26th & still no camcorder. The service center has had my camera since January 9th & has been waiting for a backordered part from Sharp (I guess they can't keep up with production of parts to handle all of the repairs!).
I have spoken with Sharp several times & they have been of no further assistance while the service center can only wait for the backorder. No indication when the part will be available & I leave for Hawaii in 2 weeks. I guess we will not have video from this trip.
Buyer Beware!
65 A great starter cam
I haven't played around with this enough to really have a say, but its easy to use, the computer hook up's come with this, and the software is easy to use.
I am happy with the quality of the sound, picture, and features of this product.
66 You get what you pay for
It was exciting when I read the tech. specifications, features and price of this camcorder. It is a little bit disappointing after I bought it. Basically I got wheat I paid for.
1. Image stabilization is probably the worst among all the digital camcorders. Thus, 26X optical zoom has little use unless you have extrememly hands like mine, or a tripod.
2. Digital still image is a joke. Original I thought I could use this one as a camcorder and an email-quality digital camera. Turned out, the quality of still pic. is extremely bad, not even for email quality. A digital camera with similar CCD Mega Pixel can produce much more crisp pictures.
3. Other features are rich.
4. The quality of pic. and sound is good.
5. an analog camcorder with CCD display probably would cost about the same. However, an anolog one has lower resolution, can not have digital still image and pic. stabilization features. I this sense, this would be a good buy. However, It is a waste of my money, because this is not what I was looking for. I'd rather to pay extra few hundreds bucks to get a better one.
Conclusion: Comparing to an anolog camcorder that has the same price range, this is a very good buy. Comparing to other digital camcorders that fall into the same category, this is a poorly made product.
67 I'm happy ......
I bought this unit for my daughter DESPITE all of the negative postings here - people either seem to love this camera for the price and features, or, hate it for it's propensity for malfunction.
My daughter had been working on a number of video projects using her school's loaner unit (a professional or, at least, "semi-" professional grade Sony). She got hooked and asked for one for Xmas - my research on the web, manufacturer sites, shopping 'bots, reviews, etc. convinced me that this was not happening - I couldn't find a Mini DV for less than $... that had the features she would need (my dad had purchased a cheap ($...!) Panasonic last year and was sorely disappointed). A unit comparable to the Sony she had been using was over $....
Imagine my delight while browsing Amazon to stumble upon this unit for $... - before rebate!
Then, after reading the reviews about malfunctions I was less sanguine, but, having purchased many items from Amazon in the past I knew I could count on their customer service. So I bit the bullet, ordered the unit and it arrived (as promised) the day before Christmas - it worked flawlessly out of the box (I had to make a quick trip to ... for blank tapes and a Smartmedia Card).
I had to read the manual cover to cover to get the thing set up, but when Ruth opened it Christmas morning she looked over the controls for three seconds, started recording and has yet to even glance at the manual - yet understands and operates ALL of the functions (yeah, it's a good school). That camera has been in nearly constant use since then - in all climates (Cancun, Mexico - on the beach, upstate NY in the dead of winter, indoors, outdoors) and operates flawlessly.
She tranfers the images to the Mac at school for editing and has produced some very high quality work. We have yet to purchase a firewire card for her PC because my research indicates her PC setup is not optimum for video editing. I'm currently searching for a second hard drive (everybody recommends that DV be transferred to a drive separate from the drive running the editing software) and some more RAM. I'm hesitating to go that expense as she has access to the school's Mac for now and she's off to college in the fall and will need a laptop, and be retiring her PC. So, now I'm looking for a laptop with a firewire port - the Sony units seem to be the only ones with a built in firewire port.
In summary, after reading the reviews here, I would never have purchased this unit from another vendor, but fortunately Amazon DID have the lowest price. I would (and have) purchased items from Amazon even when they are NOT the lowest price, simply for the quality of their service. I'm happy with the unit - don't be dissuaded by the negative reviews - if the unit isn't "right", trust that Amazon will do the their best to correct the situation. Do NOT, however, purchase from another vendor without checking them out at ....
68 Just a big headache!
Sounds like it has a lot of features for the money. It would be great if it worked. After 15 minutes of filming, it says the heads need cleaned, it won't record and the 15 minutes I did manage to get playback at such an awful quality, it isn't worth watching. The 800 number for service is a joke and the nearest "authorized service center" is listed as 954 miles from me. You don't even get close to what you pay for with this one!
69 Stay Away....JUNK!!
[I have received] my second camera...The second camera lasted a bit longer than the first... about 30 minutes before the same issues came up (pixelation, lines, no sound). I went against my better judgement to purchase a brand such as Sharp and I have learned my lesson - back it goes.
70 Caveat Emptor
I bought this camera a while back, tried to convince myself I liked it for a week, finally returned it. The picture quality was fine when there weren't little pixelated ghosts running through it. Also, every time I did a basic slow sideways pan, I got a warbly, underwater kind of effect. I tried auto and manual focus, turning on and off the DIS, but the defects were clearly inherent. I don't know what to make of those reviewers who laud this camera--Perhaps they had better luck of the draw--but I'd say save your coffee money for two weeks and buy something a bit sturdier.
71 avoid it
terrible picture quality and dang eject tape message has made me very unhappy. Unfortunately, Sharp is tough to deal w/ and Amozon can't help after 30 days.
72 ...Very Good, Sharp Camcorder Very Bad
Just as others said....while using my first tape, this camcorder gave me a message saying video head is clogged and requires cleaning....So, don't get attracted by the main-in rebate. It is not worth it.
73 great service from amazon, shame of sharp
This camera worked great at the begining, but just as what others said, problems like pixelation, blank spots across the screen.
and started getting worse during playback. obviously there is a serious design problem with the VL-WD255U based upon many user's similar complaints.
But the amazon service is really great, they send me the replacement right after i called them in express package. Thanks
I hope this time i am not so bad luck, otherwise i will turn to sony.
74 Nice price, But...
The camera is easy to use and I had no problems recording indoor in different light levels. Playback is another story. The first 20 minutes of a TDK tape played fine; good sound, good picture. Then random 'tiling' or mozaic-type lines began to run across the screen and the sound was lost during that effect. The camera wasn't being jerked around as I was only taping children opening presents. This was a big disappointment because of the large family gathering for the holidays. I'll try a different tape at my sister-in-law's baby shower, and if it happens again, it's going back. Maybe I can trade up for a panasonic?...
75 Heads get dirty fast, unable to view tape
The head seems to get dirty when one views a tape for more than 20 minutes. I cleaned the head once and when it became dirty again before it finished even one tape, I returned it. Don't waste your time on this camera, you will only be disappointed.
76 Heads dirty fast
The camcorder heads become dirty very quickly upon viewing a recorded tape and need to be cleaned. Once cleaned, they dirty after about 20 minutes of viewing a recorded tape. The other features are fine, but what good are they with dirty heads?
77 Please do not buy this item!
The price is too good to be true! I had the same problem as many others. After taking video just once, on playback, the picture went bad and I got a small red x which apparently meant the heads were dirty. I literally had 10 minutes of video on the tape! After reading other reviews, I packed back up and returned it!
78 Beware!
Unfortunately I have the same story as many buyers. Bought this product due to the high number of features for the price and had to send it back. Distortion, tape eating, etc, all in just 2 tapes and one week.
I read several reviews on this site and others that were quite good before purchasing it, but I too believe there must be some kind of quality issue with this camera.
Maybe you'll get lucky........but I'm not taking the chance again on a Sharp. I'm spending a little more and buying another brand.
79 If it comes back in stock, dont buy it.
Yes it has good features for the price, but... Cheaply put together and poor quality results. Mine broke after only one week, I had to pay shipping for repair and they have had it for 7 days (waiting for parts!).
Save your money and get a good brand...
80 I'm really Happy with this guy...
I'm a new users in view cam. I bought it from Amazon.com, after a few weeks of research on Viewcam. Comparing other product's price over the features it carry. I really enjoy using it, simple to use, easy to learn and this is really a great bargin!
81 I would NOT recommend it.
Like most other people, the price attracted me to this item. It was the cheapest mini DV camcorder with the features that I wanted. I used it to video tape my sons first Christmas and was extremely disappointed when I replayed the footage. The picture was no viewable. It was so bad that even the sound was affected. I returned it for a new one and no better. I am done with this product.
82 It was good for a week...
I bought this camera based on the fact that the price was great for the features. I had owned an 8mm Sharp Viewcam and never experienced any problems so I thought I would be ok buying another Sharp.
I used it to tape my daughter's first Christmas and it seemed to work fine. I went to hook it up to my television later to watch it and it kept telling me to eject the tape. The manual said this was due to a defective cassette so just to see I bought a new cassette to check. I put a brand new cassette and presto! Nada, zero, zip...still said to eject the tape. So off to return it went.
I wished I saw more of the bad comments about this camera before I purchased it. Now I have a Mini DV cassette with my daughter's Christmas on it that I can't watch!
83 So far so good but, this was the third one!!
... I've never cared much for any Sharp products as I felt they were cheaply made. I like the camcorder but The FIRST TWO camcorders had bad pixels on the swing out lcd screen, and looking back, the low light pictures on the first one was quite bad compared to the one I now have. So their quality control must not be all that great. I've also seen them ... for sale refurbished, that's probably not a good sign either. Looking at other brands of camcorders ... ...I guess any brand has bad products. But, some worse than others and my impression of sharp products being cheaply made still holds true. ... The menu is so-so, I don't like having to go through it everytime just to select the fade option as it's only active for one fade in/fade out. If you hit pause and start recording again the fade effect has to be chosen from the menu again. I bought the pyro 1394 DV firewire card. I have windows ME, a 400mhz dell and it captures DV just fine. You can also control the camcorder from the software. I haven't tried to record it back to the camcorder yet. The zoom works great, and like any digital zoom it eventually pixilates, but it's 26x optical zoom and made by Canon sounded good to me and looks great. So yes I like the camcorder and hope it lasts.
84 Good Customer Service...Bad Product!
The price was something that I could not ignore. ...after a mail in rebate...but after using it I realized why it is so cheep. The first camera had playback and video head problems. So I had it replaced...no problem. Amazon was very good at helping me. It also was giving me the same problems. I am now awaitng the new replacement...hopefully this one works fine. If not...I'm getting my money back and will settle for nothing less then Sony. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY ON THIS CAMCORDER!
85 Amazon Good, Camera Awful
We have tried three of these cameras, having to return each of them. Each did an adequate job recording, the problem is with the playback. Out of the three we tried, each played back a very distorted picture with no sound. Amazon customer service was excellent in each case and took care of us - its just that the camera is really a piece of junk. Save your time and money and look for another brand!
86 Great camara for the money
I didn't want to spend a grand on a MiniDV camara as I only use if for simple family outings. I saw the price on the SHARP ... and I needed to replace a my old camara which was lost. It seemed ideal that I could get a miniDV for less than I paid for my lost analog camara back in 1994. The improved clarity and the ability to upload to my PC to make VCDs is fantastic. I only wish I could get better resolution for still shots but you get what you pay for.
87 Very nice digital camera
I'm a 14 year old kid who loves filming. I wanted to buy a digital cam so my friends and i could edit the videos we made. I looked at this cam for about a mounth. I researched it, read the reviews. I scepticly bought it because there were do many people saying it had defects. I figured I would try it and i could always send it back. I got the camera and played with it a little while and loved it. I use it one the ski slope making movies with my friends. We also make a funny movie call dumbass (spinoff of jackass). It's GREAT, and with the price it was a great bargin. I have had only a few problems with play back, It got pixily and the horizontal lines. All i did to fix it was take the tape out, blow on the tape then blow inside the machine and take the battey out. I let it sit for an hour and it has worked fine since. I asked someone about the playback problems, they said it was just from a change in temp. in the cam, he also said it happend to his analog also. It is a great cam and i highly reccomnd it for amature filmers. Good luck, buy this product.
88 Not reliable enough.
I bought this Sharp Camcorder tempted by the price and customers' reviews, but am rather disappointed. The first one broke down two weeks after I received it: the cassette compartment wouldn't open and I lost my first tape. I was anxious to get a replacement quickly, and was very grateful to amazon.com for a fast replacement. But I wish I hadn't kept it. The pixelization often appears in LP; fortunately, so far the tapes recorded in SP are fine. I copy them on regular video tapes in order not to lose my film again.
89 Not reliable enough.
I bought this Sharp Camcorder tempted by the price and customers' reviews, but am rather disappointed. The first one broke down two weeks after I received it: the cassette compartment wouldn't open and I lost my first tape. I was anxious to get a replacement quickly, and was very grateful to amazon.com for a fast replacement. But I wish I hadn't kept it. The pixelization often appears in LP; fortunately, so far the tapes recorded in SP are fine. I copy them on regular video tapes in order not to lose my film again.
90 Sharp digital camcorder
The first time I ordered it, it was defective and a pain to try and return, then the replacement took too long.
91 This camcorder stinks but Amazon.com customer service A+
I have had to return two of these for most of the reasons that others have stated. Heads, Pixels, eating tapes, poor quality recording, etc. I don't care what this thing sells for, if it continues to malfunction and becomes unreliable what good is it?[...]
92 You Get What You Pay For!!! But Amazon Bailed Me Out!!!
My experience was not different than the other bad ones. The camera just died on me - taking important scenes while on a carriage ride in Central Park. But I didn't know that it died - it appeared to be taking the pictures.
Yes it works great with IMOVIE and yes the features are amazing for the money - but I just got my replacement, yes I'm trying another, but it's already having the same problems.
Amazon was awesome when I returned the first one and I guarantee you that I will do lots more business with them just by the great treatment. I just have to find one I can afford....hhhhmmm how about that Panasonic
Thanks Amazon and close but no cigar for Sharp
93 You Get What You Pay For
Before you purchase this camera you need to evaluate what exactly you would want it for. If you are the next Stanley Kubrick making one camera films in your backyard then, I suggest picking up a Sony, as those are unbelievable products. If you are like me, using it for the occasional school project that would be better on video then, this is for you. This camera is by no means bad, it just lacks quality. It is no where near as compact as the Sony and Cannon models but, it is not too awkward to hold. The Zoom on this camera is unbelievable, unless you are a stalker who video tapes people through their windows, you will never need the 780x zoom but it is good to have. The LCD screen is decent size although not that big. Overall, if you don't have 1,500 dollars to buy a Sony, this is for you.
94 oh, please ,,
OK, I have read all the techno-wana-be's reviews. Just ignore most of them.If you are some kinda ego-techno-jerk, you shouldnt be here! go spend two grand on a sony and be on your merry way, and don't bother the rest of us!
But, if you are a normal working American like me, you will love this camera! Now, I hate junk as much as anyone, but i know a good deal when i see one. This thing works perfect. But make sure you buy a bigger battery. I don't need to say any more.
You should buy this camera. FARLEY SAY'S SO!
95 Lots of features...no problems with any defects though...
I have to say that I have used this camera off and on since Christmas and I have yet to experience any of the glitches that other people have been talking about. This is a great camera if you just take the time to sit down and read through the manual, also experiment with it and see how everthing works. I have to admit the reason I bought this camera was to use it for digital editing on the computer, but with the cost of DV software, it is difficult to get all the right components together for the camera to be effectively used to edit on the computer. I would recommend this camera only for those who are really serious about buying a DV camcorder. Another really cool feature is the SmartMedia card for still pictures. Not really a high quality picture, but it still does the job. Overall, a good buy.
96 Don't get sucked in
This camera stinks. Right from the first time I used it: pixelation, blank spots, bars across the screen. Horrible. Back it goes. I'll go for the canon or sony instead.
Do not waste your time.
97 Sharp needs more product validation
Worked great, I was very happy for about 30 minutes recording time. After this, started getting progressively worse problems with pixelization during playback. At the price I hate to return it but will need to, it is totally unacceptable. Too bad, it was acceptable before (although not the sturdiest unit in the world). Sharp needs to work on their product validation -- obviously there is either a design or a manufacturing problem with the VL-WD255U based upon my and other people's similar complaints.
98 Below expected quality at a very good price.
Forget what the specs say - how many times zoom this camera,..etc. You'll find the picture quatity to be no more different than a fairly good analog model. Picture quality is grainy under all condition.
The night vision feature is pretty neat, but so far I have hardly have a chance to use (other than to sneak up to my son's bed room to take a shot of him sleeping).
The software is so so. They basically allow you to download the shots you have taken as picture files into the computer. I have not tried the SV Card link. Again picture quality is marginal, nothing close to the 1MB digital camera I have. In fact the quality of the graphic file is below that of the lowest setting on my 1MB Kodak. So if you are thinking of using this camcorder as a digital camera, do not expect too much. The software interface is fairly easy, but is clumsy like hell. Basically you have to look at the LCD in the camcorder for the shots that you want, press a buttom when you see a shot that you like and it slowly download into the computer. Opps press too fast,...wait for it to finish loading (no cancelation possible), and retry. I am somewhat disappionted that you can't download the tape as movie files into your computer.
Overall, I am fairly satisfied with this camera largely due to the fact that the camera is so cheap. Given a chance to shop for a digital camcorder again, I'll probably choose something with a little better picture quality.
99 You get what you pay for
When I first handled the camera my first impression was that it was not built for durability. It felt too fragile and sensitive. I charged the battery and tried it out immediately and was really dissapointed that there was a big red X in the middle of the viewer which meant a dirty head. I unloaded the film and battery and reloaded them again to see if it was going to go away. The red X dissapeared and it started to tape fine. I placed it in pauses and then back to taping mode and there it was again. I'm sure the tape was ok and the video machine was brand new. Its either the head came dirty from the factory or my machine is defective. The still feature works great and works flawlessly.
100 Camera is TERRIBLE but Amazon.com has FANTASTIC support!
The camera was great....for about three hours. When it came down to replaying the footage that I recorded, I found that it was horrible and pixelated and had weird buzzing sounds. I called customer service at Amazon and they were great, taking it back with no problem and apologizing that it was defective. I am not going to get another one of these cameras but I will certainly be doing business with Amazon again. Top notch customer service! There is a reason why Amazon is the Top Dog in this business.
