Rating: 
Summary: 5 Stars for Amazon, -10 for the camcorder and Sharp support
Review: Amazon Rocks. The camcorder stinks. I wasn't going to post a review since I saw that there were already so many, but then I started reading some of them and the praise that some of the lucky consumers were giving it. I had to comment at that point. I too have had many issues with this camcorder. I used the camcorder for a few minutes when I first got it and it worked fine, so I figured all was well- WRONG. My wife and I started recording our first Christmas with our 1 year old son and were so happy that we would get all of the big day on film. Didn't happen. After about an hour and a half(all presents were opened and the best stuff had past) I went back to turn off the camcorder and it was off. I figured that the batteries had died, but they hadn't. As soon as I turned it back on it had the same flashing warning that everyone else has talked about. After rewinding the tape I realized that it had only recorded a few minutes of the occasion and the rest was just a bunch of nothing. What a disappointment. Sharp support didn't have a clue, but Amazon glady took it back. This camera is bad for almost everybody. It would be unwise to buy this camera unless you plan on spending a great deal of time shipping it back.
Rating: 
Summary: BANG 4 the BUCK
Review: This is a great camcorder. Point blank! I brought it for my wife for Christmas. This being her first camcorder, she was a little intimidated by all the features and buttons, but once she tried it out she loved it! After playing around for an hour or so, she was on herr way to making great movies. The Menu take a little getting use to but other then that it's a great buy. The picture is great, the sound is great, and for this price, with the tripod, bag and cleaning kit. you cant get a better camcorder for (or near) this price. This cam is perfect for the fist time digital user or the experinced.
Rating:
Summary: Pixel problem
Review: Well when I read these reviews in December no one really bad mouthed it now it appears everyone is having similar problems. After playing about 15 minutes of video back mine started losing sound and the picture had pixelization and stripping. I exchanged it for a new one and had the exact same problem. I hope it is not the tape it is muching other wise I have lost my christmas video and two other tapes trying to figure out if it is the tape or not. I have a friend however that bought his a month earlier and he has had no problems. Go figure. I am packaging my up now for a full refund.
Rating: 
Summary: POWERFUL DIGITAL CAMERA AT A GREAT DEAL !
Review: I bought this camera in December 2001. It Took a lot of time to find a digital camcorder and it was the best deal for me. Camera is easy to operate and has many great features : 26x canon optical zoom lens with a great HIGH MAGNIFICATION 1:1 MACRO, manual white balance for best colors at night, excellent Image stabilization at 780x, Smartmedia for photos, best of all : firewire or RCA for video in and out ; you can TRANSFERT YOUR OLD VIDEOS or RECORD your favorite TV channel on mini DV cassette with this camcorder !
Video is excellent, even in low light, and there is an integrated "cat-eye" mode for night shots. Battery last from 90 to 120 minutes depending your use of zoom and LCD monitor. Don't forget to buy the USEFUL Delkin DDREADER-14 USB Reader for SmartMedia to transfert photos to your PC.
Rating: 
Summary: Just right...don't get your hopes too high
Review: I just got my camcorder the other day and as I had so much reviews to read, I somewhat knew what to check. as discussed I went thru the manual to make sure I dont break anything... well after that I would like to share the following:
* The body and the switches feel like plastic or low-end,
unless you're careful they might break
* Anythng after 70 in the digital zoom is blurred
* Weak with low light as pictures get blurry
* There was a green spot on the LCD which I guess is a blown
pixel as earlier mentioned by another reviewer
* Menu was not that hard to use
* Clear video using auto focus
* Digital photo is good enough for basic users
* Slow download of photos to PC using serial
So far it still works well but I'm planning to use it for longer spans to check the pixelation some had earlier mentioned as well as the head getting dirty situation when you leave a dv tape inside and finally the tape eating. Still checking and will let you all know if I have to return it, so far good for starters and you get what you pay for!
Rating:
Summary: Great deal, work great with Apple's iMovie
Review: I have had a high-end Sony 8mm camcorder for several years and hardly use it. Its a great camera, but editing and saving movies is too much of a pain. I had been waiting for a good deal on a DV camera so I could use it with iMovie and this was it! Using iMovie with the camera couldn't be simpler. Now I'm having tons of fun creating movies with fades, titles and effects and sending them to relatives on CD. DV editing is the most fun I've had with my computer in years! I spent some time comparing the Sharp camcorder to the Sony. The Sony definitely has more of a quality feel about it and seems to be sturdier. The image quality between the two looked identical when played back through a 27" TV. Low-light characteristics were a bit better on the Sony, but not that much. The Sony Night-shot feature has an illuminator while the Sharp does not, but the Sharp's Cat's Eye feature worked well in all but the darkest areas. Some of the controls on the Sony were more conveniently located, but others were better on the Sharp. The LCD in the eypiece-viewfinder was better lit and had more true color on the Sony. Looking at a snowy scene, the Sharp viewfinder had a distinctly blue cast which did not come out on the recorded video. Overall, the Sony is certainly a better camera. But the Sharp is a WHOLE lot cheaper, has more features than I'll ever use, and above all it has the Firewire connection which makes taking videos and making movies a blast! Its a winner!
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Up!
Review: I spent lots of time researching camcorders before I made a purchase, and when I made a list of all the features I was looking for this was the only one that had them all. I was very hesitant to purchase it, however, after I read some of the reviews here. I ordered it with plans to ship it right back if I had any problems with it at all. I have to say that so far I am very happy with the product. The price is right, and it has everything that I need. I have followed the manual's instructions exactly, and I haven't gotten any error messages or strange sounds. I wanted a basic digital camcorder that I could use to record my children, and that is what the Sharp is. It's not the most technically advanced digital camcorder available, but it has all the features I want, and is very easy to use. The picture is crystal clear compared to my 10 year old JVC VHS-C, and it feels very small and light compared to the old one. The one thing I am less than thrilled with is the mic quality, but I plan to purchase an add-on zoom mic which I hope will help with that. The existing microphone picks up lots of ambient noise, and the sound seems to be a bit muted. The Sharp comes with all the cables you need, and I like the fact that it takes still digital images. I haven't taken any on the media card yet, but the ones I've taken on the tape are not high quality images. They certainly suit my purposes of sending them to grandparents via e-mail. If you're looking for a digital camcorder but can't afford one of those over $500, I'd recommend this one!
Rating:
Summary: Great camera, but no support from Sharp
Review: Ive been using this camera for a couple of months and it works just fine. Image stabilization is very good, and captured video looks very good. Doesnt work too well under low light conditions, even with the gamma and Cats Eye functions. The bad thing is, ever since my dog chewd up the pc cable and the remote control, Ive had a hard time looking for replacements, and support from Sharp is just BAD. Apparently, they dont have replacements so you must buy a whole kit to get the lousy cable.
Four stars for the camera, -5 for Sharp support.
Rating:
Summary: Can I give zero stars?
Review: My wife and her sisters wanted to give their mother a camcorder for Christmas. Being the electronics buff in the family, I volunteered to find the best deal. Well, I found the best price. But unfortunately, I also found the worst camera. I received the first unit and left it in the box until just before our Christmas gathering. I then charged the battery and learned the basics so she could use the camera at Christmas. Everything went well until we played back the tape. Just as others have stated, the image was digitized/choppy and there was little or no sound. What a disappointment! Within a couple of days I made an attempt to do some research on Sharp's website to see if there were any suggested solutions or troubleshooting methods I could use. Waste of time. Their website is useless for anything beyond shopping. I then contacted Amazon and their service was top-notch. They responded to my e-mail immediately and shipped my replacement the same day. Thank you, Amazon, for making this easy. I just received the replacement and got it ready. The first 15 minutes of playback from the Christmas tape was good. I was so exicted that this was a good unit. Well, as you can imagine, shortly after that the unit crapped out again - digitized image and no sound. I even recorded some more and played it back, grasping for that last bit of hope, but no luck. This is what I have determined. My tape is good. The camera records correctly. However, the camera's playback hardware, components, whatever, is bad. I think they manufactured a bad batch of these and shipped them anyway. Maybe that is what the $100 rebate is for. Oh well, maybe next time. I am looking for another mini-dv at the moment, actually, anything besides a Sharp. Personally, I am sticking with my Sony TRV-103. Two years old and not a glitch. Not a single problem. I have always believed, and still believe, you get what you pay for.
Rating:
Summary: I Came, I Saw, I Bought, I Tried, I Liked!
Review: I bought my camera in mid November. I had been looking for about a year for a replacement for my JVC VHS-C. The features I was looking for (cheap price and firewire connector) made the Sharp a suitable candidate. There were not nearly as many reviews back then but they, like now, were mixed. I read them all, took a deep breath and ordered one. The first thing I noticed when I received the camera was the extensiveness of the instructions that accompanied it in the box. My advice is to read them at least to the extent to which you can comprehend the basic functionality of the camera (installing the battery and loading a tape). The tape mechanism is a little delicate in these miniDVs (versus my old VHS-C) so don't try to force anything. I took the advice of another reviewer and bought a rewinder too. I used the camera at Thanksgiving, my daughter's school chorus recital (right before Christmas) as well as Xmas day. Worked fine. Best part was the 26X zoom. It was fun to take pictures of the 76 kids in the chorus and then being able to tighten up on a shot of my daughter (that feature even impressed her!). All this from one of the seats farthest from the stage. I did not notice any problems with the picture quality (although I am not one to judge coming from an analog background). One other thing that was nice was the lithium ion battery which is very small but lasts quite some time. I was so impressed, I bought another on the internet ...
I am so happy with the new camera that I sold my VHS-C to a relative. I have not used the firewire but moving images through the cables to a VCR is really easy to do. I have not used the still function (as I have 2 digital cameras - a Sony FD-73 and a new Kodak) nor did I buy it for that function but I don't mind it being there. The controls on the camera are small for my hands and the on switch takes a little getting used to. Again, I bought this camera for the price and for the firewire. The firewire is yet untested but the price sure has been and it has a earned a place in my book of "internet bargains."
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