Home > Consumer Reviews > Sharp VLSD20U Digital ViewCam with 3" Color LCD Screen

This Sharp camcorder is easy to use and takes great video. I researched camcorders for a few months before purchasing this camera. It is inexpensive for a digital camcorder. When transferring the tape to VHS you lose very little clarity. My recommendation is to buy this camera if you are in the market for camcorder that takes great video and is easy to use.

My sharp camcorder is a little small to handle there is no place to hold it without having a problem using a fuction. Picture and sound are good. Camera is some what hard to keep steady when filming. I could't order a extra battery from Amazon.com they do not carry them when i did find one it was $80.00. that takes the edge off the good price. If i could i would send it back and buy another model of sharp camcorder.

My wife and I were having our first child. My father-in-law said I should have a digital camera and a video camera. I wanted a product that would combine the two (...). I didn't know much about them when I started my hunt. I was aimed at the Sharp product from the start because of its style, no viewfinder, a simple LCD screen acts as viewfinder and monitor, also I liked how the screen and camera can twist 270 degrees from each other. Here are some things I really liked: mini-DV format; 660,000 pixel CCD, this is very important for the image size; manual control of focusing, color, etc.; ability to shoot single images (9 or 16 in group) at 1/10 second separation for fast moving sports; digital image stabilization; ability to brighten forground objects against a bright background; ease of use if you read the instruction manual; and availability of Sharp developed software and cable for image transfer to the computer. A few tradeoffs: basic battery is short lived, longer life battery is available, and AC/DC adapter provided and charging is quick; slight motor hum/whine that is picked up by microphone when recording, not serious problem because the frequency is such that any voice or other sound will cover it up and if you do not think about it you will probably not hear it; and I could not find it in any store and had to purchase over the internet (this turned out very easy and great). Conclusion, buy this camcorder and the software, for the features and the money you cannot lose. P.S.: be careful not to compare pixels in camcorder to digital camera, a $150 digital camera, 1.3 mega pixel will beat a $700 camcorder, 0.7 mega pixel. An important question to ask is what resolution will the camcorder create images at for sending on the internet? An average I found was 640 x 480, about 0.3 mega pixel.

I researched for about 2 months and this was the best deal on a digital camcorder out there. Takes great video and is incredibly east to use. Only issue - you will need to buy software for this item to do any video editing.

I love this little camera. It's ease of use, huge LCD, compact & light weight features are all items that make this camera great! I hate viewfinders, I also hate the buttons of most cameras being on the side of the camera, where I can't read them unless I move the camera around. This camera's buttons are right under the screen where you need them. You never need to use a monitor with the 3" color LCD. I also own a very high end Hi8 camera (Canon L1)which is way too complicated for me to enjoy all the features. I love this camera.