Rating: 
Summary: Cheap' O cheap!
Review: Did I say cheap?
You get less than what you paid for this camcorder.
I bought it because it was going to cost $... after rebate. Now I know why it is so cheap.This thing is nothing more than a fancy webcam with firewire and usb connections that records on DV tapes. Believe me, all you get is webcam quality capture on DV tapes.
The native resolution of the capture I bet is 352 x 240 (which is the same as VCD). You will not get DVD quality capture (720 x 480) with this camcorder. I have Adobe premiere 6.5 and used it to do live capture. This is how you see the full capability of the camcorder capture. If you record on tape, the manufacturer could say or you might believe that the issue is with the tape. So, doing live capture to your computer hard drive is the best way to test the camcorder. I did a series of capture 4:3 and 16:9 (widescreen) at DV settings of 720 x 480. The movies were awful as if I was using a netcam. In fact, this camcorder only takes slightly better picture than my netcam. This camcorder is meant for capturing movies for TV (since most TVs display at 320 x 240). It is not meant for high resolution capture. The movies looked barely OK on my TV, but just awful on my computers when viewed at full screen. The movies looked Ok if viewed in a small window on the computer just like they do on the TV. However, when you maximize the movies to full screen, you realize that they were captured at low resolutions. I spend two hours going through the settings and manual thinking that the camera was set for low resolution movie capture and that I could change it. That was not the case. For one, you have no option to change the resolution at which movies are captured. Two, the resolution you get is the camcorder's native and maximum resolution. The still picture of this camecorder as you might expect by now is just as awful. The maximum resolution for the pictures is 320 x 240 just about like the movie capture resolution. Finally the camera is cheaply constructed. My advice: skip this piece of .... I gave it two stars because it was cheap otherwise that would have been a zero star.
Rating:
Summary: Firewire Non-Support
Review: I just got off the phone with Sharp myself to see if the prior rating was valid or not. He sure was. In effect, they are not going to guarantee that you can even transfer your video to your PC. The Firewire might work, it might not...they won't be responsible if it doesn't. The tech told me that my best bet would be to buy a 3rd party software which could get the job done....only it wouldn't be transferred digitally. What a crock!
Rating: 
Summary: Works well
Review: I think this is a good value for money. User-friendly and having lots of features. Digital pics are pretty okay considering it's just a camcorder. Can somebody tell me whether I can download the digital pics to Win NT system? It's not working for me on NT. More.....I've been using it for almost a week now. I have nothing to complain about it. Last night, I downloaded some digital pics to another PC. Some photos were really outstanding, some were okay. Video recording too is pretty good. The best part is that everything is so easy to use. I think I'll buy one more for my parents!!
Go for it.
Rating:
Summary: Good MiniDV...... for just [$$], U expect more???
Review: For [more$$] bucks, I might be disspointed. But for only [$$], I would say it is a very good baby. The Video is good but absolutely better than my old Hi8. The Sound is super. I did transfer the video to my computer via the Fireware. You just plug it in the port on your pc. Windows(I am using WinXP Pro) will found the minidv and install it automatically, no driver needed. Then just open your video editing software and click Capture, and put your DV in VCR mode, then play the video using DV. You will see the video in your pc...
Rating:
Summary: No Sharp support for firewire
Review: The firewire connection does not work when connecting to a pc. I have tried on 3 different pc's w/ different cables. When contacting Sharp technical support, they said that they DO NOT support firewire connections to pc.
They said the only thing the firewire port was intented for was to connect to another miniDV device. I also ran into problems when trying to get the camera serviced. Would not recommend Sharp as a company to buy from.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Value!
Review: The Sharp VLNZ100U is a great value! the video quality is very good and it has all the hook-ups for transfering to a computer or a vcr. the still picture quality is not that great but it is a nice bonus feature. the unit comes with an 8MB media card which is perfect for grabbing a couple of still images. the only thing i wish the unit came with was the I-link (fire-wire) cable. it did however include the cable to hook up to a vcr and a usb cable for tranfsering pics to the computer. so far it has been a great choice, its small and easy to use.
Rating:
Summary: A Bargain MiniDV Camera
Review: The very small size, low price and large 3" LCD first attracted me to this camera. The video quality seems about the same as a HI8 and the pictures in still mode are only fair (VGA quality). The USB and 1394 interfaces are very easy to use. The camera has many features and special effects and is easy to operate. All things considered, this is a good camera at a bargain price.
Rating: 
Summary: Go away from this trouble
Review: I had horrible time with this camcorder.
It has a lot of advanced features but very easy to broken The service center is only available at NY and CA, costs much more money to repair than buy it. Don't spend your money on trouble.
Rating:
Summary: Highly underrated camcorder
Review: ... I have agonized for several months about which mini dv to get, and will sleep easy tonight! Low light shots are great, and unlike what I read earlier, I can transfer my old analog vhs-c tapes to digital. I'll probably buy a table top tripod and use it as a pistol grip. After years with my Hitachi, I'm having a tough time finding the right place for my hands with this tiny camcorder. Should be a joy to travel with, though, as I'm a frequent flyer.
Rating:
Summary: very good product for the money
Review: Got this item for Christmas and I love it...I love the versatility and the simplistic style of use. In my opinion, for [the price] you can not buy both a camcorder and digital camera anywhere, it is usually one or the other...This product is an Excellent buy!
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