Rating: 
Summary: Looks Good but Poor Quality
Review: I bought this camera for the trip to Europe. The whole idea was trying to find something small for under...By holdding it, this camera feel perfectly small. All control buttons seems logical and user friendly. The monitor is bright and clear. The camera egonomic is exellent ( fit perfectly in my palm). The camera use the Digital Video recording system, so I just assume that the picture quality is exellent. That all the good things, but here the downfall. This camera has the worst picture quality I of all the camcorders I have ever own, the image stablelizer is useless, download to the computer was the nightmare . The kits came with the USB cable but you can use it to download still photos only (no memory card is supplied). To download video to the computer you have to use the firewire cable and Video capture software (not suplying with the kits). Not a lot of choice, I use the old fashion way to dubb to my VHS tape using the VCR. The result is...my old Sony analog camcorder has better picture quality than that thing. I sold my Sony TRV720 to get this thing , well bad mistake!!! It would be a great deal if this camera had the Sony brain and picture quality. Well make your wise decision...
Rating: 
Summary: One Terrific Camcorder!
Review: I can honestly say that this Sharp VLZ3U Camcorder is the best purchase I've ever made as far as electronics goes. This is my third mini DV camcorder. The first two were a Sony and JVC. I didn't use the first two very often due to the fact that they were complicated. Not only is it totally user friendly (my 11 & 12 year old kids figured the basics out in a couple of minutes) but the picture clarity and audio are amazing! I purchased it only a month ago and we've already brought it on three weekend trips. It's very compact size is definitely a plus. It fits very comfortably in the palm of your hand. Battery life is above average. Haven't played with the digital still picture feature yet but happy to know it's there. The camera twists every which way for all those hard to shoot angles. If you're looking for a camcorder to use at all your family's life events, this is definitely it!
Rating: 
Summary: good bang for the buck.
Review: I have only owned this camcorder for two days, however there's so few reviews, I thought I'd post one. I used to have my own video production company many years ago (wedding videos and such), so I'm somewhat experienced with videocams. First of all, I bought this as a small and cheap cam. It fits the bill. I decided to go for the vlz3u over the vlz1u because I wanted the 16 bit sound, and the ability to digitize old vhs footage straight in. I didn't get the 5zu because it was more money, and i heard that black and white viewfinders are more accurate than color. All told, I think it would have been better to go for the color viewfinder of the 5zu, and to get the remote control as well. At first I found the camera and manual a little on the complicated side. However, after a little while, the camera modes and menus became more and more intuitive. This camera has a lot of features. A few things to remember is you have to pull out the viewfinder or else you can't see anything through it (thought my viewfinder was broken). Also, when you play back tapes, the lcd monitor has to be pulled out in order to hear sound. ie if you only view the tape through the viewfinder, no audio. The Sharp customer service rep I called at their tech support line had less of a clue of how the camera worked than me. I think he only had the manual in front of him, and no camera. One feature that is totally useless is the digital stabilization which is automatically turned on in automatic mode. At first I thought the camera had a really bad picture until I turned off the stabilization. The video is average to good, depending on the amount of light. This is definately not a low light camera. Bright outdoors, or well lit indoors. The LCD monitor is gorgeous, really high quality like a top quality laptop screen. Ergonomically, the camera feels like it should fit a smaller hand than mine. It kinda sits in my hand like a firm lump of hamburger. The little switch used to change the camera to various modes is hard to use. The rest of the camera, including installing the battery, installing the tape, etc is very intuitive. Another feature is the timecode. This camera allows you to record the timecode out, which is great if you want to give somebody a copy of their tape, and then they pick out the frames they want included in and out of their edits. I plan to do a little video editing of other people's work, and "striping" output is key. This camera does it. All in all, a very capable little bucket. Loses some points on the low light performance, ergonimic handholding, and the mode button. But gains points in that it packs a lot of features that you will really appreciate should you choose to explore the manual and try things out. Definitely a budget camcorder for the tech afficionado!
Rating:
Summary: Good value for the price
Review: I really like this camcorder and if you want to start shooting some family videos, trying your hand at digital editing or replacing that 5 pound vhs unit you bought 10 years ago, I highly recommend this camcorder for good results with low wallet impact. Yes, the low light performance is fair to poor. Yes, the image stabilization is mediocre and the still pictures aren't megapixel quality (they're not bad though), but what a fun camera to shoot and edit with! It's light, easy to use and delivers darn good quality with enough light in both DV and stills.
Pros: Small and light, easy to use, decent pic quality (in good light), firewire port for editing full motion video on your PC, FUN!. Cons: Poor low light performance, fair image stabilization, no SD memory card, firewire cable, or editing software included.
Rating:
Summary: Good camcorder, good value!
Review: Just bought this and used it for a trip to Asia; fit perfectly inside a fanny pack. I chose this for its small size, the light weight, low price and the LCD screen. I didn't want anything fancy, but rather something easy to use since I'm not a techie. Video picture quality is very good, photo quality is OK but remember that this is a digital video camcorder and not a digital camera. However, I liked that it could take both video and stills - it made it easy to carry on vacation. LCD screen is terrific - very clear and bright. Controls are easy to use. The battery is inside the camera so it doesn't add extra bulk to the camera. Also, if it's hooked up to a tripod you don't have to take it off the tripod to change the battery or the tape. Bought the camcorder right here at Amazon - best price + $50 rebate, best service - got it delivered for free within 5 days and didn't have to pay any sales tax. Pros - small size, price, LCD screen, easy to use. Best feature for me is its small size and light weight; simply put, if it's easy to carry then I'm more likely to take videos. Cons - image stabilization, especially when zooming in, is almost non-existent. Also, it makes strange, cheap sounding noises when ejecting and re-installing the tape but that's just nitpicking. Overall, if you're looking for a good basic camcorder to shoot family videos it can't be beat. Good features at a good price = good value. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Good camcorder, good value!
Review: Just bought this and used it for a trip to Asia; fit perfectly inside a fanny pack. I chose this for its small size, the light weight, low price and the LCD screen. I didn't want anything fancy, but rather something easy to use since I'm not a techie. Video picture quality is very good, photo quality is OK but remember that this is a digital video camcorder and not a digital camera. However, I liked that it could take both video and stills - it made it easy to carry on vacation. LCD screen is terrific - very clear and bright. Controls are easy to use. The battery is inside the camera so it doesn't add extra bulk to the camera. Also, if it's hooked up to a tripod you don't have to take it off the tripod to change the battery or the tape. Bought the camcorder right here at Amazon - best price + $50 rebate, best service - got it delivered for free within 5 days and didn't have to pay any sales tax. Pros - small size, price, LCD screen, easy to use. Best feature for me is its small size and light weight; simply put, if it's easy to carry then I'm more likely to take videos. Cons - image stabilization, especially when zooming in, is almost non-existent. Also, it makes strange, cheap sounding noises when ejecting and re-installing the tape but that's just nitpicking. Overall, if you're looking for a good basic camcorder to shoot family videos it can't be beat. Good features at a good price = good value. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: once you get the hang of it
Review: once you get the hang of it, it (EZ to use and fun the little extra stuf made it fun to mack junk movie with friends ( good for what it is)
Rating: 
Summary: Indoor quality is disappointing
Review: The Sharp VLZ3u works fine outdoor, but it is disappointing for indoor use. The small size is the only reason that I am keeping it.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Camcorder !!!!
Review: This camcorder is the best one if u consider the price and picture quality outdoors ...indoors not all that a great camcorder but definitely does the job....am more than happy with mine and highly recommend to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Good camcorder for beginners
Review: This camcorder is very good for the beginners. It is easy to operate and the picture quality is good although sometimes in little light the picture quality is not good enough. The still picture quality is not good but considering that I bought it for shooting so I have no grudges. Very good deal for the price.
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