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Sharp VLNZ105U MiniDV Compact Digital Viewcam w/3" Color LCD, MMC/SD Memory Card Slot & USB Interface

Sharp VLNZ105U MiniDV Compact Digital Viewcam w/3" Color LCD, MMC/SD Memory Card Slot & USB Interface

List Price: $749.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Most bang for the buck
Review: ... Where else can you find a camcorder with features like DV, digital camera w/ memory slot, 3 inch screen, and remote control. The small size is also great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great cam! Great deal. A lot of fun...
Review: A week or so ago I was reading reviews like you are doing right now about a ton of camcorders including this one and after reading so many positive reviews and seeing that the deal (which was actually 279 when I got it) could not be matched by any other I decided to get this camera.

Well it's been 3 days with my new cam and what can I say? I made a great purchase! This thing is great. Great audio, great video, lots of features. It's even good with stills. Good enough to make me forget about buying another digital camera. With the 8MB card shipped together with it, you can take 50 pictures with the "fine" setting, which is actually great quality. (Not if you want very high resolution and huge images, but for me this is even better since it saves me the time to shrink those huge digital cam jpegs)

The battery lasted very little at my first try, which scared me at first, but after the second re-charge its life is more than an hour with a lot of zooming that I do. You may still consider buying an extra battery with higher capacity. I just ordered one with 4x capacity of the one that is shipped.

Also make sure to order a lot of MiniDV tapes as this thing will turn you into a video enthusiast even if you're not one and you'll find yourself recording everything you see...

Did I say that it is really small and easily carried around too?

It has a bunch of effects, the fade in/out stuff, auto and manual focusing etc.. All the standard things and a couple of extras here and there. Remote comes in handy when playing back.

You may also want to get a case. I suggest a sony handycam case. Fits quite well and there's still room for cables, tapes etc.

Oh don't forget to get a DV-firewire cable too so that if you have firewire on your PC/Mac you can edit your video and make really cool professional-looking productions.

I know I'm suggesting a lot of side things with this, but trust me, once you get your hands on this thing you will want to use it to the fullest.

This thing is a wonder! I'm in the process of recording every little aspect of my last two weeks in college with it, and I know I will love these shots in the future. Take it to parties, pubs, to the library... It's not too much bigger than a regular 35mm camera so no need to carry a huge bag around when you don't need the accessories.

It's amazing! This camera would actually be worth every penny of it's list price ...and now you can get it for [less]. Jump on the deal!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: No good for Final Cut Pro No S-Video
Review: Although this camera has analog input it has no S-Video support. So the higher resolution is wasted in some situations. Also this camera does not have video output when there is input from Firewire as in most digitla editing systems. If you want a cheap usable camera, it's okay. If you want to integrate it into a firewire editing system or have an S-Video capable monitor, look elsewhere.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Worth the current price with rebate
Review: At the current price, if you're willing to get okay color saturation, not the greatest lighting (the camera is readily confused by light and dark areas), and good (not great) resolution, the camera is a good deal. For occasional recreational use it's fine.

My main purpose for getting this camera (I got the 155U, which comes with an extra battery) was to send signals from a video astronomy CCD camera to the miniDV camcorder and then via firewire to my PC for frame processing. This camcorder records the images sent to it very well and I doubt that other than getting a dedicated digital recorder (they cost about $1K), a more [costly] camcorder would have mattered. So for that purpose I am immensely happy with the camcorder. In the same way, one can transfer your old videos to this camcorder and get very nice transfers.

Overall, very much recommended with the caveats I noted in the first paragraph.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't pass this one up!
Review: At this price this is a great buy! I have been looking for a digital camcorder for a while now but didn't want to spend a lot because we already have several camcorders and they are all quickly outdated in the current world of technology. When I saw the price (and the rebate) for this camera I was skeptical but I took a chance! The camera arrived in four days with super saver shipping. I was ready to roll- almost! I hadn't purchased a dv tape as the arrival date listed for my purchase was a week away. Note that this camera does not come with a tape- you must purchase one for it. It does however include a very low capacity card for still photos.

The camcorder is surprisingly small and easy to handle. It is about the size of my current SLR camera and weighs considerably less. I had neglected to purchase a camera bag but it fit into a padded make up bag and was easy to take along.

The instructions are very simple to follow. I attached the battery and plugged the camera into an outlet to begin charging. I then went out to purchase a tape (available at local stores). By the time I returned the battery was finished charging. The dials are easy to use and clearly marked. After convincing my kids to allow me to video tape them at play I was ready to view my work.

The playback on the camera includes sound although it is a bit soft. The picture is clear and the screen of sufficient size to allow for enjoyable viewing. I then tried playing it on my TV. It was a sinch to set up, play back and to transfer to VCR tapes. The sound was loud and clear. I was able to quckly send a copy to my parents in Florida. I reccommend plugging the camera in for play back as it will save the battery. This is also easy to do.

As others have stated the still pictures are good for viewing as a slide show or emailing, but they're not photo quality. This is not what I purchaseed this camcorder for so the stills are just a fun bonus.

Now came the tough part (for me). Viewing it on my computer. Thankfully my older son was home from college and again we accomplished this with ease. The instructions and mechanics are quite clear. I have not done any editting, but I rarely edit my video as I like to save it all. So far I'm really pleased with this purchase.

This is a great deal and a great camera. Though I can't yet comment on durability the previous Sharp products I've purchased have been great. I do suggest purchasing an additional battery and extra tapes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Easy to use
Review: Based on the price and reviews I read it looked like a good product to start with until the mini-DVD price comes down. Well to my surpise and delight this camera works great. Picture is real good on tape and VERY easy to use. Great camera for sports and family events. I recommend it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Maximum utility, minimum bulk
Review: For my purpose, videotaping in 3 separate offices, this is the perfect camera. I combined it with a 3.5" display from audiovox and the whole outfit is at home in my briefcase. If I could just find a tripod that was as small and portable I'd have the perfect setup.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great quality
Review: Got this when it first came out 8 months ago and paid much more than what Amazon is offering for right now. :p But it's been a great camcorder. The holding position is not traditional as you can tell from the picture, but it's easy to get used to, and actually gives you more stable images than the one-hand variety. Great image quality and built to last. I don't use special effects, but they are there if you need them. (Don't over do them!) I just can't believe how cheap it has become. Definitely get this one!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: qiang wu
Review: I am a Chinese, in pass the mail order's way in Michigan on March 12, in your place address for purchasing first set SHARP DV, now I already return toing China, but SHARP DV however badly, needing fixing, but I can't again go to the United Statesing, pleasing telling my this problem-solving way? if can mailing you fix, pleasing telling me mailing.
Please accept our thanks for the trouble you have taken.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW!! What a great buy!
Review: I bought this little puppy for our trip to Disney World this summer because I wanted decent digital camera/camcorder that wouldn't cost as much as the trip to Walt Disney World ...
I played with this many times to get real familar with the functionality and I am very pleased that I got everything I wanted:

1. Ability to store images on a SD card. I have several SD cards (1- 256 mb, and 2-128 mb). By using my 256 MB SD Card, I can take up to 1,200 pics at Fine quality, the best the camera offers. Also, since the camera accepts a SD card it gives me the option to popout the SD from the Sharp ViewCam and insert into my Pocket PC Phone (i.e. handheld) thus allowing me to email my pics anytime anyplace directly from my device. Now how cool is that!

2. Create digital videos and delete scenes before downloading to PC.

3. I wanted something compact, light and easy to use. After a couple minutes out of the box I was able to create a test movie and pics within a few minitues.

4. The most important as mentioned already was value. The $$$ rebate was definetly an incentive to buying it but I may have done so without it.


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