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

Rating:
Summary: I would NOT recommend it.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: It was good for a week...
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: So far so good but, this was the third one!!
Review: ... 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.

Rating:
Summary: Good Customer Service...Bad Product!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Amazon Good, Camera Awful
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Great camara for the money
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Very nice digital camera
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Not reliable enough.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Sharp digital camcorder
Review: The first time I ordered it, it was defective and a pain to try and return, then the replacement took too long.

Rating:
Summary: This camcorder stinks but Amazon.com customer service A+
Review: 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?[...]