6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
a decent entry-level Hi-8 Viewcam if you get it cheap enough
Date of Review: Jun 11, 2003
The Bottom Line: Decent enough if you can get it cheap but you may want to wait until fully digital video cameras come down in price.
Sharp VL-AH151U Viewcam website: http://sharp-usa.com/products/ModelLanding/0,1058,801,00.html
more pros: dual picture (picture-in-picture), still image "snap" mode
more cons: not fully digital (just some zoom), no external battery charger or car adaptor, no case, lens cover isn't corded, special effects don't work in playback ("VCR") mode, max volume not loud enough, no S-video connector, digital image stabilization isn't that great
This is my first camcorder ever and, as usual, the price is what influenced the purchase the most. Also, as usual, Fry's Electronics (http://outpost.com/) is where I got it (in the offline store not the website) in 5/03 for $177 originally and then $150 a couple days later. (Fry's is sneaky about their ads but if you're observant you can sometimes get an even better deal as I did and get a price-refund adjustment.)
Case Design
The Viewcam is relatively light yet feels fairly solid and sturdy except for the swivel mount wiggles laterally (side-to-side) a bit too much so it could break off (or at least loosen over time)--particularly if the 2 parts (LCD screen/tape player and lens/battery casing) are perpendicular (--|). Also, if the tape player cover isn't pulled out far enough it will catch the automated rising tape dispenser frame and possibly break the cover, damage the motor, or something.
Accessories
The accessories are outrageously expensive. $25 for a plastic flip-up cover ("sun hood") to protect the LCD screen and reduce glare (which doesn't get reduced much, if any, anyway due to the screen's built-in anti-glare ("low-reflective") technology (or something). Sharp, through its partner website, SmarterMall (http://sharp.smartermall.com/product.asp?sku=1953312), sells the extended battery pack (BT-H32U) for $73 but I found it for $63 elsewhere and imitation ones (Lanmar, Radio Shack, etc) for as low as $40. I ended up getting the Radio Shack $60 5000mAh (400 less than the others, losing about 10-15 minutes) because I was in a hurry and the on-line place I ordered another imitation battery from (http://www.batterycarts.com/) was out of stock even though their website wasn't updated as such, so I cancelled it.
Batteries
Typing of batteries, the one included with the Viewcam only lasts ~1.5 hours (95 minutes according to the manual) but that's if you don't zoom, use tape player (rewind, fast-forward, etc), or change tapes (due to the powered tape ejector). It lasts more like half that, ~47 minutes. The larger "extended" battery lasts twice as long. The battery can only be charged in the Viewcam, so forget using it for the 3 and 6 hours (respectively) needed to charge the different-type batteries. And Sharp doesn't have an external charger for their Viewcams so you're stuck shelling out $40 from Radio Shack for one that can. Sharp doesn't even sell a car adaptor cord to charge it in a vehicle. When charging, a red light indicates the battery is charging while a green light indicates the battery is charged. Unfortunately, the battery continues to charge so don't forget about it!
Functions
The volume control takes too long to increase/decrease but the thumb slider (which also doubles as the zoom control) is convienently located. The max volume could be louder.
The special ("picture") effects (black & white, sepia, solari, stretch, slim, and negative--strobe too but it's in a different menu option for some reason) are cool but only happen during live camera and recording mode--not playback. But, apparently, some camcorders only do it during recording so this Viewcam is at least better than those.
The counter option is inconvienently located in the second menu option list, requiring 3 buttons to be pressed before toggling/resetting the counter.
The gamma function increases the incoming brightness, which you'll need because there is no built-in (or connector for a) light.
"Quick review" allows quickly reviewing (hence the name) the last 5 seconds of recorded video while recording (in "Camera" mode) without having to manually stop recording, change to "VCR" mode, rewind, play, stop, switch back to "Camera" mode, and resume recording.
The remote control can control recording, zooming, rewinding, playing, fast-forwarding, stopping, slowing, and volume. The "slow" function isn't possible on the Viewcam itself--and the tape player shows horizontal line bands, akin to a 2-head VHS VCR but recording to a 4-head VHS VCR solves this problem.
Hi-8 vs. Digital
One thing that concerned me with this Viewcam--and all non-digital camcorders--is that they AREN'T digital which means getting the video into a computer requires a video capture card or a video card with a video-in jack (which most don't have). It's not THAT big a deal but it is another inconvienence I'll have to deal with down the road. But, for the price, I'm satisfied with this older-style technology...for now.
