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Sharp Viewcam VL-AH50U Hi-8 Analog CamcorderTiny buttons drive you nuts? Try a touch screen! Who needs a standard squint 'n' peek viewfinder when Sharp's Viewcam design...
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Tiny buttons drive you nuts? Try a touch screen! Who needs a standard squint 'n' peek viewfinder when Sharp's Viewcam design offers a 3-inch color LCD screen that swivels 270 degrees? Without the camera stuck in your face, you can easily see what's going on around you, shoot over crowds or even point the camera back at yourself. ??The VL-AH50U's controls put exposure settings, a titling option and special effects literally at your fingertips. And don't worry about fingerprints or smudges: Finger oils don't stick to the LCD's special coating. The LCD is a special "low reflective" model for use in daylight. The 16x optical zoom is among the best for capturing far-away scenes.
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18 Reviews from Shopping.com
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"Sharp"-er than Sony
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Pros: Very sturdy
Cons: None
When our Sony 8mm camcorder broke down, for the 10th time, we finally decided to buy a new one. Especially since the Christmas holiday was upon us, we didn't want to miss any of the memories. My husband and I went out and researched all the available camcorders that are out there and finally settled on this Sharp 8mm, hi-8 camcorder.
This is an incredible camera. It does quite a few more things than our old 8mm camera did. But first of all, the thing that drew us to it was it's tough looking build. It didn't have one of those flimsy little flip windows (viewfinders) that all the new cameras have. Those are neat but I knew one of those wouldn't last in our house for a week! This ones viewfinder window is right on the back of the whole camera and very sturdy as well as being in color. I also liked how it feels in my hands and how it is so easy to use.
The zoom is great. It is twice what our old camera was. The video is very clear and sharp. The Hi-8 being much nicer and sharper than regular 8mm tape. You do have to buy special Hi-8 tapes but they are only about $5 more and worth it.
Another great point of this camera is its playback with sound. I had never seen a camcorder do this until now. I didn't even know it was available. It is so nice to be able to show someone a short little clip, with sound, right from the camcorder and not have to hook it all up. Very nice.
The hook up is very easy and the cord comes with the camera, as I think they do with all camcorders. It also comes with a remote of it's own. The camera also has all the usual items like date stamp and option captions. Something it has extra is it's picture in picture option. I have not totally figured out why you would want this but what it does is have the big screen with the main picture and a very small screen, on the bottom right, of another view. Like I said, I am not sure what this would be used for but it looks interesting.
All in all, this is proving to be a great camera although we havn't had it for very long yet. I will let you know after another five years goes by as to whether or not it can stand up to the test of time.
God Bless and Happy New Year!
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