i purchased this item 1 year ago. Basically as soon as the 1 year warranty was up my camera began turning on, but shutting right back off. My camera like the others on this page also, came on with a "DEW" warning. I have made several attempts to have Sharp try and fix this problem to which they have basically told me they won't/can't do anything to help me. Trust me when I say I will NEVER buy another Sharp camcorder/camera after the way i was treated on this one. PS. I had only used the camera approx. 5 times...this was clearly a poor choice on my behalf that I will be sure not to make again!

br /DO NOT BUY ANY SHARP PRODUCTS.
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br /I unfortunately own a Sharp VL-Z3U camcorder which has been rendered useless by an ongoing DEW error (I store the camcorder in my family room and live in Michigan - not humid enough to justify this problem).
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br /After speaking with Sharp's customer relations, they informed me they no longer make camcorders and can do NOTHING for me. They obviously stopped making camcorders because they were not good at it. The cust rep was also VERY RUDE to me and sealed my decision to NEVER BUY ANOTHER SHARP PRODUCT AGAIN.
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br /My Sony camcorder still works after several years - I just bought the Sharp to upgrade to digital tapes (it died in only 16 months).

I bought VL-Z5U model, and I am very pleased with its performance so far. It has cyristal clear LCD. Even in very low light conditions, it produces very quality videos. However, do not try to capture an image in total darkness because the camcorder does not have a nightshot feature for recording in total darkness. The gain-up feature for low light conditions works very well to brighten the objects. In very quiet environments, the camcorder does not record any disturbing motor noise. There is no need to say anything about the compact and stylish design. Comparing with other brands with the similar class such as sony, panasonic etc., the price is cheaper. The only drawback I found is its relatively shorter battery life. Since the battery snaps under the LCD, which makes the camcorder more compact, there is no possibility to use a bigger size battery with a higher capacity. However, an additional battery solves the problem easily. If you are searching for an camcorder with this price range, do not hesitate to go with Sharp.

After owning the viewcam for about a year, I started to get a dew error that renders the camera useless...and there's nothing you can do. Sharp says to leave the camera door open for 2 hours and then try again. You can leave it open for 100 hours in the desert sun and you'll still get a dew error. EVERYONE that I speak to that has purchased this camera has the same problem. DON'T BUY IT.

I bought one of these cameras and it worked great at first. But a week or 2 after the warranty expried, I started getting a DEW detection error. It would go away occasionally but always comes back. Sharp wanted $140 to try to fix it. After a serach of the web I found others who were having the same type of problem. I would certainly steer away from this product.

Now it has started giving me E007 error. Google does not give any answers to this error code.
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br /In the past it had also given me intermittant dew error.
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br /I had it with Sharp Electronics. My first TV broke. Sharp VCR, broke. Now Sharp Camdorder, broke.
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br /Amazon also stiffed me with the $100 promised rebate on this camcorder.
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br /All in all, a very expensive $350 mistake :-(
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br /I am not going to buy any more tape based camcorders.
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br /- Vikas

If not for the DEW function I would give the camera five stars. Unfortunately when the DEW signal comes on there is no camera and there is no override for this sensor. We wouldn't anticipate a problem with moisture living in Arizona but it's been nothing but problems after the first year. Our first dew warning came when we tried to record our sons first preschool Christmas play - we have no video of that or several other events like birthday parties, visits from family, stunts on the trampoline... I'm counting my blessing that we're just out the cost of new camera because I have been sure my husband would land in the ER with an anger induced stroke on those occasions! The only time the DEW function seemed to go away was during the hot humid summer we spent in the Southeast. Go figure.

I purchased a new Sharp VLZ-5U in January. The camera is very ergonomically designed and relatively easy to use. Auto-focus is consistent, playback and record controls are well layed out, and overall image quality is reasonable. Low light image quality is very grainy, but this is common in many comparably cameras. Camera fades to white instead of black, which I can't stand, and you can't turn off.pMy biggest gripe is that the camera developed a mechanical ticking sound during playback and record after about 4 months that is loud enough to record on the tape at an annoyingly high level. The sound depends strongly on what position the camera is held, but is unfortunately worst when held in the normal video shooting position. I tried different tapes, retensioning the tapes, and checked online for solutions, all to no avail. pI finally sent the camera to one of Sharp's recommended warranty centers (Sharp does not accept the cameras back directly, so you MUST use one of thier 3rd-party providers for warranty service) including a detailed description of the problem, only to find that Sharp's warranty is one year on parts but only 90 days on labor. They wanted $172.50 flat rate before even looking at the camera (even if the repair took only 5 minutes!), and they only warranty the repair for 90 days. pI also have reservations about servicing these cameras in non-factory conditions; I have this nagging feeling that once a camera like this needs major work it will never be the same...pGiven the problem that this camera developed early on, the high and inflexible service costs, and unacceptably short warranty perion on both the original camera and rework, I am going to junk the VLZ-5U, give a vote of no confidence to Sharp camcorders, and buy a Canon or Sony.

After searching for a digital camcorder for the past month I decided that the Sharp VLZ5U was the best value for my money. While alot of the other camcorders focused on adding features such as nightshot or speacial effects I found the benefits of sharp's swivel grip and high clarity screen to be the most useful. I originally went to the electronics stores looking for the camcorder with the most features for the least price. I was happy that the saleman convienced me otherwise. Now that I have it I can't put it down, which makes happier that I bought one of the smaller units on the market. I would recomend this product to anyone who is looking for a mid-range camcorder.

We got this camera a few months ago and never used until we finally had some special occassions to record. We were able to record two and on my daughter's 8th birthday party it came up with the DEW error and we tried very hard to get it back to normal. We left the cassette door open for days and no change. Do not buy this camera, it will take away from your special occassion when you least expect it. This electronic device is not worthy. I gave it one star because there isn't a lower rating.

this camcorder is pure garbage, i purchased brand new from circuit city , only used it 4 or 5 times also , i now get the dew message, i tried everything from putting it into bags , airing it outside in dry weather, using blow dryer, using little sacks of silicia then placing the camcorder in a bag to dry it out, nothing works !!!!!
br /called sharp customer service got the run around. finally i have given up, this piece of electronics should never have been sold, some one needs to file a class action lawsuit given the 80+ posts i have read all detailing the same thing " identical " problems" !!!!!!

This camcorder seems to work fairly well doing its main task (recording video), but mine seems to have a few bugs. I'm not sure if something is wrong with it or that's just the way it is. When trying to set options in the menu, the menu will sometimes disappear without warning. I've checked to make sure I'm not accidently hitting any button to make it disappear and so far it looks like it does it on its own. I've also had the unit say the memory card is full when trying to take a still image and the card has maybe 1MB of 8MB used when I plug it into the computer to download (also it says on the screen I have about 48 or so images worth of space left). brOne thing that really annoys me right now is trying to get the DV (IEEE1394) port to work with my PC. When I plug the unit into my PC it doesn't detect the device in any way (doesn't show up under connected hardware). It also does the same thing on my Powerbook G4. brI called Sharp's tech support and the person I talked to said they don't support that port and wouldn't offer any other advice on it. I don't understand how you put a port on a device and don't support it. I later find out that this camcorder isn't on the list of supported camcorders for iMovies (the Mac software) right now and I can't find any support under Ulead's software either. So is there support for this port on this camcorder anywhere?

I've had this camera for a couple of years now-- it's zoom function leaves something to be desired, and I'd recommend NOT zooming during a shot. In fact, for adequate depth of field you're better off not zooming at all.
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br /Otherwise, it is easy to use, and I haven't had the dew indicator problems that others have had.
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br /So, all in all, I'd say if you can get it for a modest enough price and just want a basic camcorder, it's not a bad deal.

I have had all the different brands of all kinds of electronics. After a review, a test and having alot of family and friends view my films nobody had any thing to say but "That Was Great". Easy to use, excellent battery location, No problems or regrets, I guess for all the cameras that were sold if only a few have negative comments thats pretty good. And I live in a rainy climate, and no "DEW" message, or any other have ever popped up. For the price, size, functions and final results. TV hook up or to computer. I give it a Thumbs Up with out hesitation.

I had a sharp viewcam before, the vlnz100 and it was the worst piece of electronics I have ever owned. After a year I couldnt take it anymore and called sharp corporate who helped me by sending me this new camera the VLZ5u. So far this camera has been great. Super small design which I love, takes good video, decent still pics. I use it along with my Apple iMac computer and the iMovie program to create great professional style movies. As one of the other reviews says, the camera is not on the official Apple list of supported cameras, but I have had no problem yet with it. All and all, a good buy!