Sharp Viewcam VL-Z3U Mini DV Camcorder

Pros: Small size, Mini-DV, excellent design, swivel design, good picture quality in good lighting, price.
Cons: Poor picture quality in bad lighting, hard to use light modes, horrible still photo function.

So your thinking about buying a mini-dv camcorder are you? Well I was there too, my daughter is comming up on one year of age and I wanted to have a camcorder small enough to pull it out and use a lot more than our clunky oversized 8mm. How it worked ...

Pros: Good video quality, easy to use, small.
Cons: Still camera quality is poor. Batteries don't remain charged and ready.

I bought this DV camera over a year ago and it is still going strong. Check out the specs if you want all that information; make sure you are informed about what's out there and what you really want/need. As with any purchase, your best protection from ...

Pros: good video capture quality
Cons: almost non existent photo capture quality

I have an old 1.3 mp camera and it takes pictures 500% better than this thing does, at highest res I ...

Pros: CG Silicon flip out viewer & picture quality are excellent.
Cons: Missing still flash.

Forget about all the technical stuff and focus on the important reason why you buy a camcorder and t ...

Pros: A real neat camera for the money. Great features & versatile
Cons: Expect you may eventually have problems with DEW Indicator. Be handy with Soldering.

This is such a dandy little instrument when it's working properly. Be cautious though, the camera has a DEW Indicator which shuts the camera down completely if there is excess moisture present in the mechanism. Only one problem, there is a defect in many ...

Pros: too many to list
Cons: can't think of any

I'm not stephen spielberg so I didn't want to spend money on a camera that I didn't need. I work at a very large electronic store and I knew that I wanted mini dv but they were all way too expensive. I saw the sharp VL-Z3U and immediately loved the price. I checked it out and it did everything I needed. Its still camera capability itsn't the greatest but if thats what your buying a camcorder for than you need to look at cameras instead. The 3U's low light ability was the only downfall I read about prior to buying it but once I got it and learned to tweak the controls its not that bad. I bought this camcorder to video tape my 15 month old son doing all the things that kids do and this is by far the best camera for that. this camera is great but if you just can't live without a color view finder and a remote than I suggest the 5U.

Pros: Really small and compact. Easy to carry, operate and priced very reasonable.
Cons: Low light performance; as are most camcorders in this category.

The size of the VL-Z3U is what caught my attention first and I started looking at the features secondly. It has all the features that I was looking for in a small camcorder and more. The price was a real bonus. Some of the most popular camcorders in the same feature category cost twice as much as the VL-Z3U. I have been using it now for about two weeks and am very pleased with the performance; with the exception of the low light limitations such as a dimly lit room. That is a minor draw back however and can be remedied by turning on more lights or adding more light. The 10X zoom is more than adequate for the video that I shoot. The screen display is quite striking and really looks good even in the bright sun. The battery is quite adequate for a one hour tape using the screen display. I bought a spare battery for those times when away from a charging source and shooting more than one tape. The audio and video works great and I have edited a short piece and transferred it to SVCD and played on my DVD player.

Pros: Small size, swivel-design, great picture quality in good lighting
Cons: Not the greatest camcorder for low light conditions.

I just bought this Camcorder last weekend and have to say that I'm loving it... the 16:9 widescreen mode looks so professional when you're looking at it. Also, I've always liked the Sony brand, but after my "bad experience" with their DVD player, I thought of giving Sharp a try... I have had Sharp products earlier too but not something that's over $200. Comparable Sony camcorders only had about 160x Digital Zoom whereas this has 500 (not that anything is visible at that zoom level).

I love the swivel design which makes it really ergonomic to use... I would definitely recommend this product... its worth every dollar...

Pros: Size, price, features, battery life, integrated still camera, SD/MMC card support, picture/video quality, warranty
Cons: hmm, none.

When I got this camera, I couldn't believe it! This is the smallest MiniDV camera I've ever seen. I really like the LCD (you can see it in direct sunlight), the picture quality is beyond belief. The best thing of all, is the company who makes it and the warranty they provide! I bought this camera used on eBay, and about 3 weeks after I got it, the dew indicator wouldn't go away. To make a long story short, I sent the camera to Sharp's authorized service center, they couldn't fix it, so Sharp sent me a brand new camera! I would recommend this camera to anyone!

Pros: Versetility,(still & video) size,ease of operation
Cons: none that I can think of

I took my Sharp VLZ3U to Hawaii and took both still pictures, and video. I took a lot of still pictures off of my video tape, too. One camera did a wonderful job. I would recommend this camera to anyone. It is small and easy to operate, and priced right.

Pros: im taking it back and buying something better.
Cons: i like(d) sharp and will probably overlook future products.

I thought since this camera had firewire and usb that i could transfer my video to my pc. Not the case! You can transfer the grainy pics taken on the memory card to your pc.Other than that its not a bad camera. Depends on wants and needs and the size of your pocket book.