4" LCD. Great, but not in Chicago.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great picture, sound indoors, 4", options

Cons: Horrible wind sound.

Author's Review
Received it as a wedding gift a year ago. Love the 4" Screen, and the coolness factor of the swivel. The title feature wears off quickly, with no font selection. The zoom works well, but gets pretty choppy if you're moving. Which brings me to the Image Stabliser. It works, but at a sacrifice of quality. I'm noticed that even without it on, the picture isn't too shaky.

As far as the picture goes, it's first rate. No complaints at all. It's the best thing you're going to find, short of a full broadcast quality camera. There's a million settings for low light, silhouette, and on, and on.

The sound quality is a mixed bag. If there is no wind, it's great. The one mic can pick up sound very clearly, with no static or distortion. The problem occurs if you ever get outside on a windy day. I went to Aruba for my honeymoon, and when we were on the north shore, you can't hear any talking at all on the tape. Just roaring wind. Which brings up a minor shortfall; there's no jack for an external mic.

As a whole though, my Broadcasting class Prof said he was extremely surprised with the overall quality of the pic and sound. Again though, the part he saw was indoor footage. The outdoor shots are fine, just no wind!


As far as extras, the wires they give you all work nicely, and the charger is really quick. A smudge on Sharp is that they only include the small battery, that only 1/2 fills the space, but you can buy a longer lasting one for more.