The Sharp VL-NZ50... A marvelous work of technology...

Author's Rating:

Pros: Intense Zoom, Quality Capture, Good Playback, can Hook up to the PC.

Cons: Maybe a little too much zoom? Unless you are sightseeing...

The Bottom Line: 
MUST BUY. Best electronics purchase I've ever recieved. Lol... But yes, buy it if you wanna start out with a quality piece of equiptment.

Author's Review
Hello again, moderately long time no see... I've got a review for you all today, about the Sharp ViewCam VL-NZ50 Digital Camcorder. I recently recieved this camera as gift from the holidays, and it led me to great things.

Let's start off with the basics, is this camcorder small? Is it easy to use? Is it packed with loads of useful, creative features? Does it have a smooth, elegant design? A large view screen? Intense zoom? A built in VCR? Yes, my fellow readers, it has all of these things. This Sharp Viewcam is one that has it all.

Let's go thru each one of these, for starters, we'll start with its size. I'll put it this way, I'm simply amazed. How, do they manage to pack all of this camcorder, into this camcorder? A very large display, a Mini DV slot, a ton of features? It's just stunning, when my friends saw I can quote them saying "Damn, that's so small." Yet, not too small. Buttons aren't so close together that you're pressing multiples at once, and small enough that it can easily and comfortably fit into a hoodie pocket, and even a right or left side coat pocket. Clearly a good choice if you're looking for size.

Next, is this cam easy to use? Well, is Robert DeNiro an actor? Yes. Yes, he is. There's a simple VCR/Off/Camera toggler on the side, which is easy to use, and locks into place when switched to 'Off,' thus preventing unwanted battery loss. To unlock it, you press in a button on the same circular dial, and move it up (to Camera) or down (to VCR). When you're using the cam, there's a easy 'Still' button, by pressing this you take a picture, and I have to say, pictures come out very nice. As well as this, there is an easy 'Record' button, press to toggle on or off. What else you ask? Well, it has a built in Fade effect, which is enabled by the simple press of a button. Most of the camera's features are used by simple buttons. Now, the most complex thing about it, is it's on-screen menu. Which, by the way, I've never had trouble with using it once... Simply use the 'Play,' 'Fast Forward,' 'Pause,' and 'Rewind' buttons to scroll thru it's vast load of options. From Digital Zoom, to Video Effects, it has it all.

Now on to Features, some of the Features it includes are 3-Different Types of Gamma. Gamma is a way of brightening up a darker image, and creating a more visible shot taken in the dark. I use this feature a lot actually, since some movies do require nighttime shots, and the Sharp VL-NZ50U has proven better over many other camcorders I've used. Another feature it has, is a 300x Zoom, which let me tell ya, is A TON OF ZOOM. I can zoom approximately 3 blocks away and see a person as i would 5 - 10 feet away from them. This cam also has a variety of Video Effects, such as Black & White, Sepia Tone, Solari, Nega, and Blue. There are also Scene's you can choose. Such as, if you were recording at a party, or dusk, you just choose that scene, and the cam will produce a better image for that situation. Other Scene's are: Sport, sunlight, dusk, and party. Other features are Tape Speeds, LP or SP. Determining whether you want quality or more tape time.

Onto it's design, I must say, it is quite comfortable, I could hold it for no reason at all. Provides a good grip, while remaining a comfortable feel in your hand. A 180 degree rotational end of the camera provides an easy to get the best view of the LCD screen, and catch the angle you want. Also, if you were recording yourself, just rotate it 180 degrees, and you can see yourself in the LCD and be assured you are capturing the parts of you that you want to.

The LCD screen on the Viewcam, is simply MONSTROUS. It's an exact 3" in width, and approximately 1.5" - 2" in heighth. This provides a hearty viewing of what you are capturing, and a much better playback view. An optional crosshair, for the capture of middle aligned video is toggable from a simple up-down switch by the record button. And if you were wondering, no the crosshair does not show up on the tape afterwards.

As I mentioned about the Zoom earlier, it's really intense. We're talking 10x normal zoom, and a whoppin' 300x digital zoom! That's 3 blocks! And I see someone as I would 5 to 10 feet from them! It's purely fantastic. Although, I must admit, I'd never need to do this while filming a production, as the microphone does not pic up 3 blocks aways worth of conversation.

About the mic though... I'd say, it's the same as your average video camera, it'll pick up the average volume of a voice pretty smoothly about 10 to 15 feet away. If you need to, just use a IEEE 1394 cord, (firewire) to hook it up to your PC, download the Microsoft Movie Maker from www.microsoft.com, which is free by the way, and is extremely easy to use, and is moderately powerful. From there, you can just turn up the audio volume, pretty nifty I'd say.

Onto the built-in VCR. Yes, it is a built in VCR. With all the standard VCR controls, play, FF, Rewind, Stop, and Pause. Nothing really special or indifferent with the VCR from any other cam's VCR. You can also turn up the volume, using the same buttons used for the zoom. That's right, when you're in camera mode, it's Zoom, in VCR mode, it's volume! Shifty nifty! Kinda...

Overall, my readers, I'd definately recommend buying this Camera for you or for a sibling, or a friend. It hooks up nicely, and just like any other FireWire cam does to the PC, Although, if I recall, you do need to purchase an IEEE 1394 cord, as well as a FireWire port. Easily found in any CompUSA/BestBuy/Circuit City or any electronic store.