Home > Consumer Reviews > Sharp VLNZ50U MiniDV Compact Digital Viewcam with 3" Color LCD Screen

After several months of research, I decided on this camera, for basically two reasons: Size - it's slightly larger than a film camera, weighing no more than one; Design - the motor is away from the microphone, allowing less motor-noise in recordings.

The biggest swaying factor was the two-hands operation. As any expert consumer-camcorder user can tell you, no optical/digital image stabilization can compensate for the "fumbling" you get at high zoom factors when shooting one-handedly. The so-called "one-hand" cameras aren't really one-handed if you want a clean shoot when you have to make do without a tripod, since you'll be applying your second hand to the left/under side of the camera for added support. Having used various other MiniDV cameras (Sony HandyCams, JVC's, and Canon's), I discovered that it was easier to use a product that is originally designed for 2-handed operation. I've used the camera for a while now, and I am very satisfied with the stability of the video I get, even while zooming and walking simultaneously.

This product does have a "Still" function, however, no way to save it to any removable or internal memory, so if you want to copy them over to a computer, you would have to import it via Firewire after it is recorded to tape. Even at that, the DV-25 format restricts the picture to a low-enough quality that they're not work keeping.

A hint to people considering getting a camera with still functions: get an[inexpensive] 640x480 camera ... from [a local store] - this will do the job better than the still functions on most consumer-grade DV camcorders; if budget allows, a decent 2MP+ camera would allow you to take printable photos.

As a sidenote, looking on Sharp-USA's site, I couldn't find the CCD pixel count, but I have found some indication on the Internet that this camera has a 420K CCD. This is fine for a DV-25 camera, but this also means that digital zoom obviously gets blocky and distorted easily.

Note to the person with the I.Link issue: I.Link is Sony's trademark for a 4-pin IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port. If you want to use your VAIO with this camera, what you would need is just any 4-pin to 4-pin Firewire cable, and use the DVGate software to import the video. Otherwise, if you have a Macintosh or a 6-pin Firewire port, you should get a 4-pin to 6-pin cable. I have tried it with both Mac OS X and Windows XP so far and both results have been very pleasing.

The only down-side I can bring up is the lack of remote, need for an extra cylindrical tripod-attachment as provided (can't use the lock-in pin on the detachable attachment if you have the batteries installed on certain tripods), somewhat [inexpensive] construction (plastic looks flimsy in part), and non-intuitive manual focus (have to open up menu - 4 keypresses, and use buttons to focus instead of any kind of sliders). Of course, this is a very inexpensive camera and consumer-grade at that; finding manual rotary focal lens controls would almost be rare.

All-in-all, the price makes up for what it doesn't have, and I find that this camera does everything I need to do for both semi-professional and home-consumer usage.

Cheap does not mean bad. After an extensive review, I chose this camera because it provides the best value for the money, and it has the key elements what you should look in a new camera:
Format: MiniDV
Very compact and stylish, in order to be able to carry it to Disneyland or Six Flags and go to all attractions without problem (it fits in a regular camera case), Standard 10X Optical Zoom.
Backlight and record buttons are very handy, which make the camera easy to operate.
I gave it 4 stars because a major drawback: You can not convert your Old VHS videos to MiniDV, instead you have to borrow a camera from a friend or buy a firewire card for your PC with analog inputs.
USB Streaming included on the model NZ100 simply does not worth the price difference, because for less than that money you can buy the firewire card for the PC. The only input available is from another camcorder via firewire cable, in order to make digital copies of your MiniDV Videos.
The NZ50 although has a very nice standard features, like the 270º rotating lens, Effects like sepia, BW, widescreen mode and audio dubbing, that other cameras that cost a few bucks more do not have.
For me it is not important to capture low resolution still images in a camcorder (although this camera can, but it is in tape), color viewfinder (it is supposed that you buy a camera with LCD in order to use it) and other built-in features, because for the money saved buying this cheap camera, you can buy an extra battery (Energizer 730: money), a Firewire card with cable (Adaptec 4300: money), a tripod (money) and a good 2 Mega pixel Camera (not even the money dollar digital camcorders have that resolution, and you can have one good 2 mega pixel camera for less than money), and have a complete good solution for the actual digital era without expending too much.

I have had this camera for a year and it is has served me well. It takes great video and I have been able to copy and edit the video on my PC to produce playable VCD's.
Operationally, holding the camera is a bit awkward, and I found it hard to go from a viewfinder to using the screen for framing the shot.
Unfortunately just after the warranty finished, it would not switch on! The batteries/adaptor checked out OK. A search on the internet has shown this to be a common problem, so I wouldn't recommend anyone purchasing what appears to be a flaky design.

I bought this camera and used it a few times. I think I filled a total of 6 tapes with video. I also used the still picture option a few times. I was pleased with the camera until one day I pulled the camera out to use it and it wouldn't turn on. Initially I thought that the battery was dead and that maybe the charger cord had a short in it or something and wasn't charging the battery, which has a very short operating time. I've always taken good care of the camera and when not in use I kept it in a padded camera bag. So I put the camera away and made a mental note to test the charger which I did a few days later. The charger tested fine and when I pulled the camera out to investigate further, it turned on and worked fine. About a month later I took the cam out to film my 5 year old play soccer and the camera was dead again. Apparently for good this time. I can't even eject the tape thats inside. Also, while I was inspecting the camera, I noticed that something was rattling around inside the camera. Therefore I opened the cassette door and turned the camera upside down, and two very tiny screws fell out of the camera into my hand. The screws are about the size of those used in eyeglass frames, very small, and I have no idea as to how they became unscrewed, or where they were located. Needless to say I am very disappointed. All of this conveniently occured after the measly 90 day warranty expired. I took the camera to a local electronics repair shop (Sharp only has 2 or 3 service centers in the whole US) who told me that Sharp is not very cooperative in releasing service manuals for their products and that this repair will cost me [$$$] because he will have to buy the manuals. Sharp wants even more money than that to repair it. Right now I could buy a brand new one for [$$$]. I am now an ex-customer of Sharp products and I'm telling everybody I know who's even considering purchasing a Sharp product about my experience.

After waiting a year for the price of digital camcorders to come down, I finally decided to jump in and purchased this Sharp. I was originally drawn to this camcorder by the price. And even though it doesn't offer any "bells and whistles", it's still priced at least ($$$) less than a comparably equiped competitor. So far, it's performed well for me. It makes good-looking home movies with great sound, and that is all I was basically looking for. I'm more into ease-of-use and convienience rather than knobs, buttons, and gadgets. One of the camcorder's greatest features is the compact size. It's only slightly larger than my digital camera and I can carry it with me anywhere in my jacket pocket. One of the reasons I always dreaded taking my old 8mm camcorder with me is becuase it was like dragging a suitcase around. Oh, and one other thing. Before owning this camcorder, I never understood the rationale for a "two-handed" model...Now, I'll never go back. I'm anxious to see how it performs when transferring movies to a DVD burner, but now I'm waiting for the price of those to come down!