Sharp Viewcams have always been linked with home movies as far back as I can remember. So what’s the hurry, why should we rush out and buy this new offering? The bottom line: You will possibly not find a smaller and more useful camcorder in the Sharp range or any other, for that matter.
The ... Read review
Camcorder - Optical Zoom: 10 - Digital Zoom: 700x - Weight: 0.5 kg - Flash memory: SD Memory Card - Supported Media Type: Mini DV - Viewfinder: without Viewfinder
Advantages: Comfortable to use, excellent output, packed with features Disadvantages: Dodgy menu buttons, below average battery life
Sharp Viewcams have always been linked with home movies as far back as I can remember. So what’s the hurry, why should we rush out and buy this new offering? The bottom line: You will possibly not find a smaller and more useful camcorder in the Sharp range or any other, for that matter.
The Z series is, according to Sharp, is their newest range in Digital Camcorders and incorporates cutting edge technology in a very small, light weight ... ...average battery life – fortunately Sharp have included 2 as standard.
Right, now that’s off my chest… down to what this camera has to offer. Ladies and gentlemen you are reading a review of one of the most comfortable and easy to use cameras I have ever used so far in all my time as a gadget freak!
ERGONOMICS AND LOOKS
A slight plasticity feel to the body but feels tough and well constructed with the Sharp logo ... more
Sharp Viewcams have always been linked with home movies as far back as I can remember. So what’s the hurry, why should we rush out and buy this new offering? The bottom line: You will possibly not find a smaller and more useful camcorder in the Sharp range or any other, for that matter.
The Z series is, according to Sharp, is their newest range in Digital Camcorders and incorporates cutting edge technology in a very small, light weight chassis.... swivel-tilt hand grip, fold out view screen, DV In/Out, 10x Optical Zoom/500x Digital, Digital Camera facility, Mini DV media, the list is almost endless.
Unfortunately I am a bit of a pessimist, so in true pessimistic form lets get the flaws out the way first, it makes for better reading later on (if your still with me!):
- Forget about the advertised digital zoom (up to 500x) beyond 200x because it is relatively useless, everything goes blurry and the colour saturation bottoms out. - To operate the menus is self explanatory but the method isn’t: you activate the menu with the Display key then use the circular button next to it to scroll up and down and to change settings… all well and good? No, the action does not feel positive, at all, and you have to double check with every press that your selection has registered. Also, to select and save an item you have to press the centre of the circular button down (easier said than done as you frequently end up pressing an arrow button, changing a selection and doing it again – quite infuriating sometimes). - The Digital Image Stabilisation (DIS) does add a small amount of graininess to the output, and used in low light seriously degrades the picture quality – this is overcome by turning Back Light Compensation on, using a tripod and turning DIS off. - The optical viewfinder is untiltable and only pulls out horizontally, fortunately you do have an LCD screen. - Below average battery life – fortunately Sharp have included 2 as standard.
Right, now that’s off my chest… down to what this camera has to offer. Ladies and gentlemen you are reading a review of one of the most comfortable and easy to use cameras I have ever used so far in all my time as a gadget freak!
ERGONOMICS AND LOOKS A slight plasticity feel to the body but feels tough and well constructed with the Sharp logo embossed on the side. The thumb controls are very easily accessible just where your thumb should be after placing your hand in the strap: a button to switch between the SD media card picture recorder and the Mini DV media cassette, a button to switch the camera to standby to conserve battery power and finally the all-in-one play/record rotator switch with the play/pause button in the middle. It’s very ergonomically designed and the buttons/switches do not clutter up what little room there is – a pleasure to use from the moment you turn it on.
On top you have another three buttons/sliders: the cassette release button which works by lightly flicking the switch forward and opening the compartment manually, the camera then takes over and ejects the tape in a really cool way… You also have the manual photo button, which can be used with both the Mini DV tapes and the Memory Card and finally the Widescreen/Telephoto zoom selector to operate with your first/second finger – this reacts very smoothly.
THE PORTS? USB port for transferring pictures from memory card to your PC/MAC Headphone socket for listening to your home movies during recording and playback DV port (iLink)(IEE1394) for transferring video to and from the camcorder pre and post editing AV port for viewing your movies on a TV or transferring footage to video Secure Digital/Multimedia card port is located on the bottom for Digital stills.
BATTERY LIFE? About an hour of constant filming per Li-Ion battery – two are included in with it - if you use the LCD screen constantly. Lithium Ion batteries have the added advantage that they have no “memory” so you can recharge them at any time and have no battery degradation. The battery fits neatly into the small recess under the LCD so there are no bulky batteries sticking out… pretty neat!
THE RECORDING? I found it a pleasure to work with this camcorder simply due to the fact it was VERY comfortable. The adjustable swivel/tilt mechanism of 225 degrees on the hand grip/tape storage unit is such a simple idea but it makes the your life and wrist so much more cosy when filming for a long time. It outputs at 800,000 CCD pixels and viewing the image on the CG Silicone LCD screen is possible due to this marvellous technology. You can use either the LCD screen or the colour viewfinder to frame up your images/subjects and both do a more than adequate job.
THE MENU SYSTEM Quick access to the Back Light Compensation/Gain function for illuminating your subject when they have light behind them (children’s plays, meetings, etc…), Fade in/out function for professional cueing and ending, Scene menus to create that perfect ambience and adjust the white balance and shutter speed just right, Auto Manual Focus, Manual settings when you want to take over
Above are the quick select settings and are the only things you will really use frequently, everything else is to set the camera up initially:
*****RECORDING: 16:9 format, SP/LP, Zoom settings, DIS on/off, Wind compensation on/off Audio mode 16/12 bit
*****PLAYBACK: Rotate video during playback by 90 degrees Stereo/mono Analogue to Digital Conversion Timecode S-Video In LCD Settings
THE PLAYBACK Whether on your home TV using the S-Video/RGB Connectors included, on the camera’s LCD/Colour Viewfinder or on your computer via Firewire the output is excellent. The colours are vibrant under most conditions and pixellation is kept to a minimum due to the camera’s advanced processors.
OTHER FEATURES: This has an analogue to digital converter built in so you can transfer old VCR footage onto Mini DV and then burn it to DVD or your hard drive easily and quickly… I have already done this and it works a treat! Beautiful! Interchangeable lenses are also available for the filming of sunsets and other special scenes, and it takes standard industry fittings (just screw off the front bezel). This sucker comes with its very own credit card sized IR remote control for playing back your movies from the comfort of your armchair, or record start/stop when away from the camera.
THE MANUAL Very comprehensive and covers every aspect of how to set up and get the most from your investment.
PERSONAL TIPS: - Buy a decent video editing suite to make the most out of your home movies such a Videowave, Pinnacle or similar. - A tripod is an essential for low light and professional quality home movies as it allows you to turn off the Digital Image Stabilisation for crystal clear shots. - Purchase a decent camcorder bag to protect your investment. - A huge stack of Mini DV tapes is also essential and so is the SD/Multimedia cards. - Finally think about purchasing a iEEE1394 Firewire card and cable for your computer for real hardcore movie editing, there are a huge range in Currys, Comet, PC World, Dixons and other places on the internet.
CONCLUSION All in all a camera well worth the money, it handles well and suffers only a few niggles but other than these I would definitely recommend to others… Should you require a better picture output however opt to spend a bit more cash and purchase the Sharp VL-Z8H – essentially the same camcorder but with 1.33Megapixel output, I have upgraded and have never looked back since!
THE FINAL WORD I look forward to receiving any comments you guys may have...
With digital technology, less means more. And there can be no finer demonstration of this than the Sharp ViewCam range, more compact, more advanced and more user-friendly than ever including superlative picture quality and quick and easy PC connection. PRODUCT FEATURES: Compact & Lightweight Digital Viewcam Z; Digital Viewcam Featuring Free-Angle Swivel Grip and 2.5" LCD (CG Silicon); Free-Angle Swivel Grip (225°); 2.5" High Transmissive Advanced System LCD Monitor (CG Silicon); Clip-in Battery Fits Neatly Inside Camera's Body; 800K CCD Pixels; 500x Digital Zoom (10x Optical Zoom); DV-IN function lets you retransfer edited video from your PC to tape.; SD Card/MultiMediaCard Slot for Digital Still Camera Function; 8MB SD Card Supplied; Colour Viewfinder; USB PC Connection Terminal; i.LINK Digital Terminal.
