Camcorder Reviews

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Purchased this Camcorder in January 2003. Did lots of research on comparable Panasonic and Sony models - was totally confused, finally went with the Optura Xi. Am very very happy - yes, it is bigger than the very small models. But I find it very comfortable to work with. The optical stabilizer is great - even video from a moving boat looks good. Another surprise - even though they say you won't use the still camera much on a video camcorder - I found myself using it all the time, so I was happy I had the 2 megapixels on the Optura. Not as high quality as my digital still camera - but great for web and viewing on the laptop screen. As a recent switcher from PCs to Mac - I have also been delighted with the ease of connectivity and use with my new PowerBook.

Emerson evc1595 multisystem video converter My relatives boughtby
last14th to17 april 2003. i you send me in india as 25 february 2004.so Emerson evc1595 multisystem video converter is fail.so
i want to replayes Or Repare to My Emerson evc1595 multisystem video converter.i have Emerson evc1595 multisystem video converter in india.so palese you above this meter. this Product is in india in gujart.

Don't confuse this for the analog converters that sell for $100. I have tried all kinds of converters but this one does the job! The analog converters produce jumpy video. The only way to get rid of the jumpiness is to use the vertical hold of your TV set - the same TV set you used to watch Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, I should add!!! None of the TV sets manufactured over the last 20 years come with a vertical hold. In other words, don't waste your money. Spend a few extra bucks and get the right equipment for the job!

I bought one of these in 1999, through Amazon, and it has been a true performer! When I got assigned to Romania we debated buying a smaller screen multi-systen TV (at great cost) or taking our nice, new, 31" GE (NTSC) set and converting it. I just bought this converter and purchased a Philips VCR locally to act as my cable tuner (PAL). If you have a TV with audio/composite video in jacks, this will enable you to convert and view literally any video format with no problem. The image is sharp and clear, and it comes with plug in transformers for both 110V and 220V operation. It can be used with big-screen TVs of all types, and can output a NTSC or PAL signal for your television. A wonderful alternative to expensive multi-system sets, and as a side benefit you can use it to tranfer tapes from PAL to NTSC and vice versa!

A great camera with many wonderful features. The manual is chocked full of information, all except the most important feature: Format your disc before recording!!!! From the get-go with DVD-R, it prompted me to format the disc. But with DVD-Ram, It did not tell me to format the disc at the start. I took movies of my trip to Europe and was able to view them back through the finder/display. However, when I got to the end of the disc, I was prompted with a notice to "format the disc now" and that all video will be lost if I do format!! I couldn't believe I had to lose all my Europe footage all because I did not format the disc BEFORE I started recording. London Eye - gone! Meusse-Argonne Cemetary in France - gone! Hitachi could not help me. Again, great camera but Format first!!!

My wife bought me this camera for Christmas. After experiencing video cameras for the better part of 2 decades (remember the gigantic, tv-camera-looking VHS cameras?!), I am elated that technology has come to this. So refreshingly simple, and so integral to one's peace-of-mind in knowing that the clips will endure until our sun burns-out (hope my descendants hang-on to my dear, recorded memories!). I find myself using the RAM disks more, since I can transfer the individual clips to my computer, and edit or arrange as I see fit; the -R disks are a 1-shot deal----what you tape is what you finalize at the end is what you watch on your DVD player. But even those are handy, if you want to simply move seamlessly from taking the disk out of the camera and straight into the DVD player. And even with the -R disks, you'll still get "menu chapter points" on the finished product---separated by each start and stop of the recording, and by date of the recording session. I find the quality great---even the "standard" quality (lowest setting) was great, when we recorded a gig that my band played at (low-light conditions and all). The RAM is great because you can record over and over and over---just buy 1 or 2 $20 disks, and if you transfer to computer, and thence to regular DVD disk, you don't need to buy too many additional. The only real problem has been stocking-up on some of these blank mini-disks----all the cold, unfriendly mega stores (circuit city, best buy, compUSA) always seem to be out, or low on supply. I resorted to ordering them from a company on-line.

this camcorder is phenominal. i was skeptical about buying something other than sony but i'm glad the hitachi salesman told me why this camera is better. let me explain.

sony dvd cameras are on there first generation (they are just coming to the market). This hitachi camera is a third generation model. this basically means that what consumers didnt like in the past has been implemented into the newer models. anyway, the price is a steal if you ask me. you can buy a digital camera for a few hundred bucks or you can spend a little more and get this wonderful toy.

okay now the nitty gritty. this camera can take pictures onto sd memory cars or onto dvd-r disc themselves. you can insert dvd-r media into this camera, record your movie, finalize it and then pop it into a dvd player to watch it all in a few minutes. talk about convient. you can also upload your movies to a PC and do special effects or whatever, then copy it back to the camera so you do not need a dvd burner on your computer!

The camera is very light weight and very portable. It is such a breeze to use. you can record a bunch of different shots and easily replay them on your camera. its like changing tracks on a cd player vs a tape player (other cameras) where you must fast foward or rewind to find the right scene. Its almost instant on this camera.

I bought this camera so i could take videos of my family and mail it back home to relatives so they can just pop it into there dvd players and enjoy! it does the above wonderfully. Keep in mind what you are getting when you buy this camcorder. You are getting THE LATEST in technology at an affordable price, it has a digital camera function (so to speak), dvd recording for very crisp pictures and sound, very small and portable for travelling and basically all the features you want in a camcorder. Did i mention it has a color view finder? This is very useful when trying to determine what to focus the camera on, if you arent using the color swivel screen of course.

i would recommend this camera to all of my friends, relatives and all of you! the picture quality is remarkable, dolby digital sound (awesome) and its just a great camera. Never again will i buy a sony camcorder while these are on the market :) dont waste your money on other crappy camcorders, get this!

I bought this camcorder and I took it home and tested it before I wrapped it. ... ..
Why I was unhappy:

1st.. The night alive feature is a total scam.. There is such a strobe effect due to the slow shutter speed.. Your targets have to be totally still or it is so distored.. And it does not work in total darkness.. (like said)

2nd.. the video interface S-Video had pixel distortion when veiwed throw TV..

3rd.. Don't be fooled by the still picture.. The resolution is down right crummy.. And will not capture movement well..

finally.. Digital zoom is nothing more than a sales pitch..
Optical zoom is were it is at for quality..
With Digital.. All it is doing is blowing up the pixels..
Very much like viewing a pdf file (Adobe) What happens when you magnify a picture?? It looks [bad].. So, stick to a quality optical zoom and don't be fooled by a hugh digital zoom..

I forgot the digital EIS is [bad] too.. Optical EIS is much more stable..

On the good side.. very nice design.. And great optical close ups.. ...

I bought this model after I have done quite sometime researching for this range of camcorders. This one was picked because it provides the most of the features for the money. Also, because I don't care much for the still picture quality since digital camera is what you should get if you are in for still pictures. In term of video quality, this one offers the same par with a much higher cost models. I have used it for over 9 months now, and over all, I'm very happy with it. Here some not quite good features that I observed:
1) Like other reviewers, still pictures are not that good. In good light condition, they are ok but it seems to be a little too white and not have very good details. In lower light condition, it is just too dull. However, again, if you are for still pictures, go for the digital camera. Otherwise, it's ok for the web but it could be better.
2) It does not automatically position itself to where you were left off the last time you video so you have to manually do that yourself everytime. Sometimes it takes the spontanuity out of you.
3) The light is not enough if you video someone 6-7 feet out. But then don't all the built in lights are like that!

Again, overall, I'm a satisfied customer...

My husband and I bought this camcorder to make short films for competition and we were very happy with it. The picture quality is excellent both indoors and out. The sound is good but it tends to pick up a lot of echo in large indoor spaces. It doesn't eat up battery power (which was a concern) and is very easy to use. The night-alive feature was a disappointment though... as the others have said it makes your subjects blurry and appear in slow motion. Overall, we love this camera and are very pleased with its performance.

First of all, I love the camera when it works. Short on features and not digital quality, but top of the line picture quality for 8mm. Has clear, white whites and sharp picture. It's also very easy to use.

However, after just 4 months of use, the camera started not keeping a charge. I discovered the problem to be that the camera would go into play mode on it's own from the off position and drain the battery. (Switch remains locked in the off position, but camera is on and able to play tapes)I was also unable to charge the battery for the same reason.(Battery will not charge while in play mode even though plugged in)

The Sony warranty had expired (They have a very short warranty period) but I had purchased an extended warranty so my camera was relpaced.

Now, my replacement camera is exibiting the same problem. I would greatly discourage buying this camera... this problem renders the camera virtually useless.

I have discovered this is a known problem on other Sony Handycams...

I bought this camera 3 months ago. It's great to have it 2nd-hand... It is easy to use, stable, small enough to carry with convenience. I have focussed on the mid-noon sun with maximum exposure and everything turned dark after that but after a few hours of rest, it could work properly like before. One thing I don't like is that you need a tripod when in closest zoom-in because you can never have steady hands to keep the picture not shaking. It does not have an LCD so you have to keep your eye on the color viewfinder. However, it's worth what it is. With [the money spent], I can't expect to get any greater camera. So it's a good job for less and I am happy with it. If you have more money, better buy a more modern model which has LCD for example.

I needed to record my classes for certification. I couldn't wait for one to become available in the media center.

I found the Sony CCD-TR517 to be nice to my checking account and nice to me. I found it easy to set up and use.

The instructions manual is very user friendly.

I bought one of these quite some time ago to use with my SLRs (Canon T90s) and it turned out it was totally useless for them. It was way to wobbly so I ended up buying a Bogen tripod and ball head for around [$$$]. This tripod went into the closet until lately when we bought a DV JVC camcorder and for it this tripod works very well. The camcorder is light enough for the tripod to hold it steady enough. The fluid head is a bit of a joke (not really fluid), but it works for what we use it for. And the bubble level is a nice detail. You cannot put many pounds on this and don't expect to take razor sharp pictures on long exposures. But it's an inexpensive alternative for smaller digital cameras and camcorders. It's lightweight and easy to carry.

It's been a long time since I used a tripod but I managed to get it set up without reading the instructions. There are no instructions so save the box for helpful hints. Tripod is fit for my purpose: mostly indoor use planned. It is hard to get it truely static when pressing shutter release on Minolta Dimage X. I was also horizontally challenged - the base has a little level that is below (BELOW) the camera pad. I would not take this on a rugged outdoor adventure with many uneven surfaces (They will need to make a titaniium one to get it this light but durable; start saving now.) I would not use it around kids, old folks, crowds, or any combination of these because your expensive electonic gizmo is going to going to fly thru the air with the greatest of ease. A nylon or tyvek travel case would be a helpful item.

This is a pretty decent tripod, for the price. However, don't be misled by the "fluid effect head." That's why I happened to buy this particular tripod, and it turns out that I already owned one!

I had purchased a tripod made by Ambico which was almost identical about 14 months prior to this purchase. At the place where I bought it, it cost me around 20 bucks. I had decided to get a different tripod because the fluid effect head wasn't nearly fluid enough for me. When this one finally came, I compared the two, and my old one worked just as good as this one.

If you're looking for a cheap tripod that gives you great bang for your buck, then this tripod is for you. If, however, you're looking for a tripod that truly is fluid, look somewhere else. Oh. And if you're going to get this tripod, shop around a bit. You might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere.

PROS: Timely Hitachi support response to all 4 of my emails. CONS: Impossible to edit/transfer w/ leading software, Limited edit/media transfer with bundled Ulead Movie Factory SE. OPINION: Buy for top quality recording of 30 min. DVD-R/DVD-RAM with playback limited to use of camera cabled to PC or TV. If you want to do anything more, the software is not available to help you without 3rd party program to convert .vob files to MPEG2 (which most software programs can import).

SPECIFICS: No easy way to do burn to VCD. After 3 weeks of patience, 4 bundled software programs, 5 downloaded demo versions, and 3 purchased programs I have 2 poor quality VCDs and one AVI upload. All leading software (Pinnacle, Ulead Movie 2, DVD Movie Factory, Power DVD, Instant Write, Video Explosion) requires a Firewire connection to "capture" directly from the camcorder. Hitachi does not make a Firewire cable to the camera- only a "PC Kit" wire connection via USB. Hitachi support said the ONLY software capable of grecognizingh the camera is the bundled Ulead Movie Factory SE (not the full featured, powerful version). The output is VERY poor. Final results on 3 different files had dropped frames, loss of audio in some frames, and loss of quality (fuzziness). The process was time consuming. First, connect & transfer the files via USB. The process of powering, accessing the disc, safe connection to PC, and reading the files took about 5 minutes (another 5 to reverse the process using "safe disabling of hardware feature"). Then was 40 minutes to transfer a 30 min side onto my Dell Pentium 4. I then launched the bundled program and imported the file (another 20-30 minutes depending on file size.) Once I was interrupted and used the save command. A mistake. None of my efforts were saved. I had to start over with importing the file (20 more minutes) and reconstructing the product. The software default is DVD (not VCD) and it cannot be changed. Once I forgot to manually select this on the first screen and I had to start my project again from the beginning. The SE version comes with NO user manual and no help screen in the program. I am headed back to return everything and await the next generation with smooth software capture interface.

I'm currently own this particular model. I truly enjoy using my DVD cam and find it very appealing, but I'm overly regret ever buying the particular brand name. My main criticism comes from not being able to located Hitachi PC kit for this particular model and it has prevented me from making my own DVD videos. Therefore, for the money spends on the particular brand it's a total lost--Thanks Hitacti for your excellent! Overall, If you're not interested in using your PC to make DVD home movies, then perhaps it's right for you.

Just a note for people who buy this camera. Takes great images and easy to use however if you plan on importing your video to your PC, you won't be able to edit it with any normal video software. The ONLY program that currently is able to edit the .VRO files that this uses is ULEAD personal edition. This adds... to the price of the camera.

I had MAJOR problems with this camcorder. Upon first use, it taped, then proceeded to chew up the video I'd made of my cousin's wedding. I wouldn't complain so much if this had happened far later than after purchasing it, or if I'd used the wrong kind of tapes, or what-have-you, but the cassette loading compartment is very "sticky", won't release the tape very easily, and obviously the camcorder in general would prefer to consume your memories rather than preserve them for you!

I wanted a reliable, simple to use, high quality camcorder at a good price and the Sharp VLAH150 so far has met all my criteria. You can't go wrong buying this camcorder.

My wife and I looked at many camcorders and she instantly liked this one. I asked her why and she said the design(non-flip 3" screen) and the main reason was that there wasn't a million buttons all over it. Buttons scare the average person. Once we started using it she told me thats why she would not use our old one. This model is very simple and gives new meaning to 'point and shoot'. Personally I like lots of features and boy, does this camera have features! Letterbox recording, black and white, sepia, strobe, photo shot, pic-in-pic, awesome zoom. All this and lots more!! You can't beat it for the price (...).

I would give it three and a half stars.
Showing an indoor and outdoor movies from this camera on a 27 inch TV I didn't hear complaints about the image quality, but I should note the cons and pros.

Cons: this is not a high-end model. The image quality is worse, than from Sony. The indoor picture is grainy (the less light - the more grainy) and darker, than from Sony. Viewfinder is tiny and very blurry. It gets crisp only if you are 3 inches away from the camera. You will have to use only the LCD. Half of a second after you zoom in, the picture is blurry, untill the camera focuses. You notice barrel distortion at wide angle on the picture. The colors seem to be colder and less rich than they are indeed. When a source of bright light is in the picture together with darker areas, Sony performs better.

Pros: The outdoor image quality and indoor with sufficient light is, well, acseptable. Small size and weight - you can always take it with you. It has 10 times optical zoom and a 2.5 inch LCD screen for viewing what you are filming. Less expensive than many other brands and models.

First of all let me clear that I purchased this camera only because of its price (below $[price]) and I am going to use it only for some fun. If you are considering a camera for any serious work think twice. And if you are willing to spend $[price] +, you will be better off with other brands.

Now let me share my experiences of my VL Z1U with you. I own this since last 2 weeks and I am extremely happy with this purchase. Camera is super compact and its swivel grip is just brilliant. One remarkable feature to notice is, its super sharp LCD, no other camera can match it. Picture quality (movie) is amazing, very rich and vivid colors. Zoom is effortless (but stay clear from the so called Digital Zoom). Digital Image Stabilization works. For casual use (outdoor / brightly lit indoor shooting for family and kid or travel) this is very good pick (remember the price thing I mentioned earlier!)

However everything is not that good. This camera is good only for outdoor and bright light conditions. Indoor shooting with low light is just useless. No Infrared (0 Lux) shooting available. Still picture quality is poor and it is better not to use it. And this is true in case of many other Camcorders, better equip yourself with a decent Digital Camera and use this camcorder only for movie purpose; you can't have both things in one. The menu system is awkward and difficult to use. But soon you get used to it. Battery life could be a problem, as it last only for an hour or so and you need to keep a spare battery. No big size battery available. Battery charges in camera only (a stand alone, external charger (and replacement battery) is available on ebay)

Overall it is a good camera, provide you get it under $[price].

Hope this helps, have a great day.

PROS - 1. This is a good buy in this price range.
2. Video quality is very good.
3. Light weight and handy.

CONS - 1. Donot have still capability as there are no SD/MMC
memory attachment.
2. Does not have a USB port. Instead it has a firewire
port. So U need to buy the hardware.

I purchased a new Sharp VLZ-5U in January. The camera is very ergonomically designed and relatively easy to use. Auto-focus is consistent, playback and record controls are well layed out, and overall image quality is reasonable. Low light image quality is very grainy, but this is common in many comparably cameras. Camera fades to white instead of black, which I can't stand, and you can't turn off.

My biggest gripe is that the camera developed a mechanical ticking sound during playback and record after about 4 months that is loud enough to record on the tape at an annoyingly high level. The sound depends strongly on what position the camera is held, but is unfortunately worst when held in the normal video shooting position. I tried different tapes, retensioning the tapes, and checked online for solutions, all to no avail.

I finally sent the camera to one of Sharp's recommended warranty centers (Sharp does not accept the cameras back directly, so you MUST use one of thier 3rd-party providers for warranty service) including a detailed description of the problem, only to find that Sharp's warranty is one year on parts but only 90 days on labor. They wanted $172.50 flat rate before even looking at the camera (even if the repair took only 5 minutes!), and they only warranty the repair for 90 days.

I also have reservations about servicing these cameras in non-factory conditions; I have this nagging feeling that once a camera like this needs major work it will never be the same...

Given the problem that this camera developed early on, the high and inflexible service costs, and unacceptably short warranty perion on both the original camera and rework, I am going to junk the VLZ-5U, give a vote of no confidence to Sharp camcorders, and buy a Canon or Sony.

This camcorder seems to work fairly well doing its main task (recording video), but mine seems to have a few bugs. I'm not sure if something is wrong with it or that's just the way it is. When trying to set options in the menu, the menu will sometimes disappear without warning. I've checked to make sure I'm not accidently hitting any button to make it disappear and so far it looks like it does it on its own. I've also had the unit say the memory card is full when trying to take a still image and the card has maybe 1MB of 8MB used when I plug it into the computer to download (also it says on the screen I have about 48 or so images worth of space left).
One thing that really annoys me right now is trying to get the DV (IEEE1394) port to work with my PC. When I plug the unit into my PC it doesn't detect the device in any way (doesn't show up under connected hardware). It also does the same thing on my Powerbook G4.
I called Sharp's tech support and the person I talked to said they don't support that port and wouldn't offer any other advice on it. I don't understand how you put a port on a device and don't support it. I later find out that this camcorder isn't on the list of supported camcorders for iMovies (the Mac software) right now and I can't find any support under Ulead's software either. So is there support for this port on this camcorder anywhere?

I had a sharp viewcam before, the vlnz100 and it was the worst piece of electronics I have ever owned. After a year I couldnt take it anymore and called sharp corporate who helped me by sending me this new camera the VLZ5u. So far this camera has been great. Super small design which I love, takes good video, decent still pics. I use it along with my Apple iMac computer and the iMovie program to create great professional style movies. As one of the other reviews says, the camera is not on the official Apple list of supported cameras, but I have had no problem yet with it. All and all, a good buy!