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Sharp VLWD255U MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5'' Viewscreen, Smart Media Slot and Built-in Digital Still Mode

Sharp VLWD255U MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5'' Viewscreen, Smart Media Slot and Built-in Digital Still Mode

List Price: $849.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rocky at first- now I love it!!
Review: 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Got a good one
Review: 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.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Probably a good camera but...
Review: 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good value at this price
Review: 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent price, not so excellent camera
Review: 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.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not quite sure yet
Review: 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.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT!
Review: 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!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great For the Price
Review: 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sharp Digital Camcorder
Review: 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!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Anand Venkatachalapathy
Review: 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.


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