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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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Well, ok, I'm really biased here, but it is a good camcorder
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Pros: Good value for the $$, cheap tapes
Cons: 8mm technology becoming outdated
The Bottom Line:
Good for an inexpensive camcorder. Well built and worth the money.
Background
This camcorder was not mine, but my parents'. They bought it several years ago, and I used it a lot up until Feb 2000 (at which point I bought a Canon GL-1 Digital Camcorder)
Picture quality
The picture quality of this camcorder is quite good
- where there is a lot of light
- when you compare it to other 8mm camcorders
For dated recording technology, the image is very clear and free of excess noise. I took this video camera to Hawaii and it performed well at the time.
Sound
Unfortunately, the audio is only mono, and that's not good. It sounds messed up when playing back through a stereo TV... sound only coming from one side... what's up with that?
Of course the coolest feature of the cam is the big LCD screen that you use to watch the action with. It was the first camcorder I believe to have this big LCD feature and rotatable lens. This rotatable lens allows you to have the LCD at a stationary angle while you follow the action with a simple turn of the wrist.
We've had this cam for about 2 years and have never had any problems with it. I even dropped it one time, and it still works. Built pretty good.
The other positive for this type of camcorder, is that the 8mm tapes are very inexpensive ($4 for 120 minutes). Especially when compared to miniDV which cost $7 for 60 minutes. It can also record up to 2 hours of continuous footage.
Conclusions
I really have a difficult time recommonding anything less than a 3-ccd digital camcorder now that I've been using one for almost a year. BUT, not everyone wants to spend $2500 for one of those, SO, if you want an inexpensive camcorder that will be cost effective and provide you with a decent image, then this is the one for you.
If you're looking to get a little more hi-tech, then make sure and check out the following links:
Canon GL1:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-6974-73C4CC2-393D76D4-prod5
Sony VX2000:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-3FD3-100E2821-3A024307-prod2
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