Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(79)

 

 

To be honest, I knew nothing about digital video cameras... I'd done the research, and knew what features I wanted, but that was about it. The VLWD255U camera was a shot in the dark, but I've been very pleasantly suprised. The feature-to-price ratio was very impressive. This camera takes MiniDV video and stills on SmartMedia flash memory cards. It has gamma adjustment for low light condition, and a "cat's eye" mode for night shots. There are RCA, serial, and iLink outs and several included effects/transitions. The quality was very good and the ease of use surprised me. The only shortcomings was no attached light and no flash memory included. Other than that, it has proven to be an excellent choice and will be well used!

Whenever I buy any piece of electronics, I typically do quite a bit of research. This camcorder is new on the market. If you look for other reviews, Amazon has the most ratings for it. Consumer reports recently rated this as the lowest of the digital camcorders but better than any other analog camcorder. This is fairly obvious as picture quality is based on CCD units and more expensive digital start at 660K, analog is below 300K. I believe sharp is the only one with 460K, hence the middle of the road rating. Anyway, when I was looking for a camcorder for my newborn son, I did not want to spend a lot of money. I was intent on buying a Canon or Sony analog, until I found this Sharp on Amazon. For the price of an analog, I have a digital camera! In other words, I do not even need to upgrade later if I want to store images on my computer. While the picture may not be on par with other digital camcorders, it is substantially improved over any other typical camcorder. Of note, price comparison is based on Sharp's current (dollar amount) rebate.
Now the unit itself is manageable with one hand. Image Stabilization is noticeable and effective. Its zoom range, both optical and digital, is the most powerful of any digital cam. Of note, the lens is made by Canon. While such magnification suffers at the high end, it's still there and usable with a tripod. It's packed with features similar to high end cams and not present on high end analog cams: smartmedia slot, image stabilization, cat eye illumination. Misgivings: PCMIA connection to computer to download smart media (doesn't matter to me), cumbersome menus and dial, lack of S-Video and IEEE1394 cables.
All in all, as I mentioned, the best bang for the buck...so long as the rebate exists.

First, I have actually BOUGHT this camera. (...) I am VERY pleased with this camera. For 350 dollars you can't ask for anything more. Plus, it DOES include the battery pack, it DOES include serial cable for computer, it DOES include RCA cables, it DOES include charging station, and it does include docking bay. Also, most people dont need a boom mic (you can buy one) but this unit comes standard with built in 16 bit stereo sound. I bought a 64 meg smartmedia card here at amazon for next to nothing. The stills it takes are about 1 megapixel...nothing great..but not BAD either. The video and sound is excellent, manual figures are great..and the effects are fun to play with..including 16:9 widescreen. Buy it! You will be happy.

This is my first camcorder, so I really have no basis for comparison. I can say that it's quite easy to use. The zoom capabilities are pretty awesome. The picture quality is very good. I really like the feature of taking stills and saving to a memory card (not included, bummer) or video-recording and freezing a frame for a pic too. The included software is easy to use for downloading your pics to a PC. Battery life is pretty good. All in all, a very good buy. It's great fun to play with.

I,too, was suckered into buying this camcorder by the (...) rebate. I mean, how can you resist owning a brand new digital camcorder for less than ($$$), right? Well, maybe after my review, you will realize that it is not such a great deal after all. First of all, the picture quality is AWFUL-it is more grainy than the desert! Maybe it's because it only has 460,00 pixels. A S-VHS has 400,000 pixels so it is BARELY better than a good VHS camcorder. I actually compared it to footage shot with my 7+ year-old Panasonic Palmcorder and I could not tell the difference! Why own a digital camera if no one can tell it has digital picture? Second of all, I experienced technical problems within 2 hours of using it!!! It kept jamming my brand new Sony miniDV tapes. Obviously, there is something inherently wrong about their tape mechanism as MANY people have reported similar problems. I became utterly terrified to rewind the tape, afraid, it would eat another $10 tape. Luckily for me, I can still return it to Amazon and not have to deal with Sharp (whose customer service seems awful, judging by other people's comments). I am upgrading to the Panasonic PVDV-51. Sure, it's (...) more but with the (...) rebate, it still comes in at under ($$$). More importantly, it boasts 680,000 pixels! Plus, Panasonic makes great, RELIABLE camcorders. This is the one I should have bought in the first place if I had not been sidetracked by the (...) rebate from Sharp. I realize now that it's well worth the extra $100 for a MUCH higher quality picture, and proven reliability. This sure beats being terrified to use your camcorder in fear of breaking it with one touch of a button. Sharp-You can take your (...) rebate, I'm sticking with Panasonic.

I was scared by one of the review that said this one is "a bare bones package". After I got it, I found out everything I needed is in the package. Software, Cables, 3 different kinds of batteries, power adapter and charger, DC coupler, etc. I don't care about the 8MB smartmedia, I have plenty of them. So, this is a rather completed package.
It is not as bulky as I expected, and it is rather stylish. I think I am going to love it.

Let me start out by saying that I,too, had reservations about this camera after reading some of the criticisms of it on this board. But I decided to take a chance, and boy, am I glad I did! Let me also admit that my first, brand new Sony miniDV was also ruined. I got the now infamous "Eject the Cassette" Error Message. BUT I DO NOT BLAME THE CAMCORDER!!!! I blame it on user error. That first day, I must have re-recorded segments AT LEAST a dozen times! You see, I mistakeningly thought that miniDV tapes were indestructible. A 15-minute web search revealed otherwise! Due to its tiny size, it is in fact, the most fragile form of tape out there. Most users recommend you do not record over it more than 2-3 times. Again, due to its tiny size, the tape mechanism is fragile too-you do need a "gentle touch" putting in the cassette. I would strongly advise that everyone read their manual very carefully! With the Sharp camcorder, you have to be careful not to push down on the tape mechanism while it is automatically retracting. But I have a feeling that again, has more to do with the nature of miniDV than Sharp. Check out this post on a popular camcorder forum:

"Wonder if anyone had trouble rewinding miniDV tapes with the *FAMOUS NAME BRAND* camcorder? The problem I'm having is that my camcorder eats the tape during rewind. During the start of the rewind, it ran quietly for a few seconds and then it started making a little racket as if a high spinning wheel vibrating off of a shaft if you know what I mean. It ate the first one few months ago and recently ate 2 in a row. Anyone know anything about this and what caused it and is it a common recurring problem among miniDV camcorders?"

The way I see it, if you are serious about owning a digital camcorder, then you have to take extra care of your camera. But for me, it's well worth it for the added features. By the way, if you do get that error message, just mail your tape back to the tape manufacturer BUT DO NOT insist on putting it back in-you will most likely void your warranty. Simply remove the "destroyed" tape, and put in another (new) miniDV tape. I have since recorded/viewed 3 additional tapes without any problems! While I am sure that most of the complaints posted here are totally legitimate, I do think a lot of it has to do with the delicate nature of digital camcorders in general.

Now, let me tell you what I LOVE about this camera:
1. It's the most affordable DIGITAL camcorder available-I want to be able to edit my videos on my computer and also preserve the initial high quality of the tape when I make copies for my family and friends. The more copies you make with other kinds of tapes, the quality diminishes with each subsequent taping. NOT with digital recording!
2. While I admit, the layout of the buttons could have been better, it suits me just fine. How often do you really want to use the fade button anyway? The button that IS conveniently placed however are the White Balance Button, and the Auto Focus On/off. There was one shot with my daughter where the picture quality was very grainy. After reading the manual, I realized it was because I was taping her lying on a rug that had a lot of small, repititive patterns. As soon as I switched to manual focus (as suggested), it was 100x better!
3. My favorite feature is the zoom. I had a shot where my baby's face was a mere 2 inches from the camera and it was crystal clear!!!
4. I also love having a LCD monitor and a remote! I was able to put the camera on the side rail of the crib (it's very wide), point the LCD towards us, and use the remote to shoot my baby playing in her crib with the mobile, with my beaming face next to her!
5. I appreciate the AC Adaptor that you can easily use to view your home movie on the tv without draining the precious battery.
6. The menu is LOADED with features-for an opening shot, I did a cool MOSAIC panning of the nursery.

In conclusion, I am very pleased, and impressed with my camcorder. Once again, please read the manual before you use this or any digital camcorder-it is a very different beast. The Sharp camcorder is loaded with features found in high-end digital camcorders 3x its price-I honestly think if you took advantage of half of the feautures, you'd have an amazing home video. Finally, as to why it is so cheap, it's mainly due to the fact that as picture quality goes, it is not nearly as good as $1000+ digital cameras. But for someone like me, who's upgrading from a VHS-C that felt like a hundred pounds, it's a much welcomed improvement all around. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Just picked up the VL-WD255U and have perused just about all of its many features. This unit, albeit nothing fancy in the looks department is a virtual steal (at (dollar amount) w/rebate and a free tripod + case) for the analog-to-digital-video conversion capability alone. You can EASILY transfer you analog VHS/8mm tapes to DV thus creating a perfect digital copy of your tapes via either RCA connectors (input AND output)or S-VHS. Best of all, the firewire connection allows limitless pc editing potential. Good luck trying to find a lower price on any DV camera that has this capability.

If you never owned a camcorder before and you don't have a lot of money to spend, then I highly recommend this camera. It took me about a day of trial and error to learn all the features.

First off the digital stills that the camera takes is not that bad. I bought a 32 meg SmartMedia card, and on the best resolution setting, I can get around 200+ pictures on the card. The pictures at the best setting can range from 90-120K. The clarity isn't perfect, but if you keep a steady hand and use good lighting the pictures are tolerable.

As for the video: The picture looks just fine too me. The 16x by 9x letterbox is nice if you own or plan to buy a widescreen television soon. The sound is superb. I was very impressed with the sound from the camera.

You can't beat this price. Don't let the other reviews fool you. This is a great first camcorder.

NOTE: This camera has S-Video output, but no cable is included. It also has the Cat Eyes feature. I don't know if I would ever use it.

I did a lot of research in looking for a camcorder. I knew I wanted DV because of superior picture quality especially when editing on a PC.

It comes with all the basics, battery, charger, AC adapter, lens cap w/leash, remote control, RCA cables, and serial cable. Missing are a Firewire IEEE-1394 cable--this may be included with your firewire board though, S-video cable and SmartMedia card.

Digital Still photo quality is decent for web work but I wouldn't print larger than a 4 x 6 picture. You can write digital stills to the tape. However, using a SmartMedia card records them faster.

I found the camera easy to use. Video quality is excellent thanks in part to a Canon lens. The optical zoom is fantastic 26x is more than enough for most people's needs. Digital zoom doesn't do much for you.

Overall, it's a good value especially if you take advantage of the rebate and free accessory kit.