Sharp VL-H860U Hi8 Viewcam Camcorder

Rating:
Summary: The Best Value I Have Found
Review: Easy to use, light weight, and great features. Perfect for first time users and still challenging for the pros.

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Summary: superb picture quality easy to use for the whole family
Review: I could not find a better camera for the money on the market. I have just finished a week long cruise with all lighting conditions. exceptional pictures. The stabilization mode works well.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent choice!!!!!
Review: I don't have this exact model; mine's a tad older but with the 4" screen rather than the 3" screen. On the whole, I am extremely pleased with my Sharp camcorder. The unusual design approach that Sharp takes makes it easy to record people naturally, and allows the one doing the recording to make eye contact with those who are being videotaped -- great for recording children!! The features are rich, and the unit offers lots of capabilities - I like fade in/out and digital stabilization. It's easy to hook-up to a VCR for playback (look for VCR's with front panel jacks). The sound and pictures are terrific. So far, after one year of heavy use, no problems at all using my Sharp camcorder. One last thing, the standard battery really does last 2hrs playback, about 45min record time. A good idea: record children's selections on 8mm tape and play them in travel settings, like in an airplane or in a car.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding quality in a hi8 cam-camera.
Review: I just purchased the latest model VL-H875U I absouletly love it. This is the first of its type I have purchased over the old 5 lb quasar VHS format cam camera I have owned since the late 1980s. The ease of learning to use it was simplicity in itself. I would highly recomend it to anyone interested in this type of photography. Hi 8 excells all others.

Rating:
Summary: Good Deal From Amazon.Com
Review: I ordered it from Amazon and it came in 2 days (with 2 day air UPS option). This is a very functional camcorders and well-priced for a Hi-8 unit. It lacks the touch-sensitive screen found on the higher-end Sharp units, using rather small clikc-type buttons across the bottom of the screen. The Electronic Image Stabilization seems to only work welll when you are zoomed in on high-contrast shapes. That enables it to lock in and stabilize the image. Stabilization does not seem to work at all on general scenes lacking these characteristics. Compared with my own Sony, the image sensitivity does not seem as good, even in a normally lit room. Without bright lights on, the colors seem faded and without saturation. A good all around Hi-8 unit for the price, but maybe not for a lot of inside use.

Rating:
Summary: great quality, easy to operate
Review: I prefer the big LCD screen of the Viewcam to the camcorders with a viewfinder. The design is born out of practicality. The Viewcam also has a host of convenient extra features; some of which I don't use, but are nice to have. I was also surprised by how clear the audio was.

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Summary: Nice but???
Review: I puchased the Sharp and found it easy to use but disapointing in low light and indoor situations with slow auto focus and color shifting. I finally replaced it with a Sony TRV66 which is quite a bit more expensive but performs much better all round.

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: I will be buying a camcorder within the next month. I got sold on the viewcam by talking to an owner of a pawn shop in Jacksonville Fl. He gave me the idea to put the camera on a tripod to hold it up above crowds. No more shots of the back of someone's head at an event. He was at a race in the pit and held it over the mechanics' shoulders and got an up-close view of what was going on. He actually sold the tape to ESPN.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding product and Amazon customer service!
Review: This camcorder is an absolute delight to use. But even more important is Amazon's customer service. The first one I purchased malfunctioned within 15 days of receipt -- after contacting Amazon, they shipped a replacement to me within 3 days!! Not only did I save $$ (Circuit City and the Good Guys were almost $90 more in price) but the excellent service alone is an important selling point.