sMiLe :) Your on Candid Camera!

Let me start by saying I didn't actually buy this camera. But I did get it for Christmas. Ever since 1995 when my son was born I had a video camera but that one I had was a VHS size camera. No small tapes, nothing like that. I didn't complain then, because at the time, you don't turn down something you won right?

So the first video camera I had was something that was won. So I couldn't complain at all... and honestly I never had any problems with it or how it recorded things. Until my trip to Norway in March of 1999. Wouldn't you know that at a time like that my battery wouldn't hold the charge. I could only record if I was plugged in... After coming home I found it wasn't anything to do with the battery, it was the charger. It can't be replaced because the camera isn't even made anymore...

...now to get to the story at hand. I was going to be barrowing someones camera to be able to video my sons Christmas this year. We were going away for that weekend, and the video camera I was going to barrow would be there waiting for me. Well to my surprise when I arrived there I was given a Christmas gift early from my boyfriend. He insisted I open it early. I was refusing to open it early until finally I did...

NOW once I opened the gift I found out why he insisted I open it before Christmas day. I wasn't barrowing anyones video camera at all. My boyfriend bought me the Sharp Viewcam for Christmas. I've been a video taping fool all over again. Sorry but my camera is not this exact model number that is listed here, I am writing my review under the "Sharp Viewcam VL-AH50U" only because the model number I have isn't listed. But this is the most simular one that epinions has listed. The model number of the camera I have is VL-A45U.

What I love about this camera is that there is no little eye thing you have to look through, and you don't have to squint and keep one eye shut while you video tape. This has a miniature tv screen right on the back of the camera, and you just move the camera to what you want to record. You don't have to rest it on your shoulder, you don't have to look through a little space or any such thing. It records and plays back in full color and with sound too.

This camera has a zoom feature that is just unbelievable. I still can't get over the fact that I could be in another room and zoom in so far into a different room enough to see something small on the wall in a completely different room. This is something I wasn't used to being able to do. Not only that, but with my old video camera when I was zooming in to something, things were blurry while it was zooming... NOT with this camera. Things stay pretty clear the whole time you zoom in or out.

This camera came with an adaptor that plugs into your camera and then your tv, you never have to take the tape out in order to watch it on your tv. You just plug in, and press play on your camera, so it also works as a video player too. To charge the battery, you don't have to take it out of the camera either, you just plug the charger into an outlet and then plug the other end into your camera and you are charging. It's really a simple camera to use which for me it almost has to be simple ;)

This review maybe isn't as technical as it should be, but I am not good with technical terms etc... the only thing I do know is how great this camera works, and how easy it is to use. If you are a person who likes to video tape things, and want something simple and easy to use that is also small and compact, then I would suggest this camera. I love it. And believe me, it was a GREAT Christmas gift.

(Thanks Butch, now you'll be on video... LOL)