Two weeks after I bought it the camera will not play back what I record. The only way I know it actually captured anything is that it will play back if you hit play and fast forward. This means that I can not get what I have recorded off the MiniDV tape and I can not show anyone what I have recorded! Until it stopped working the camera was awesome, especially for the price.

Like many others here, my camera also suddenly stopped working one day. I've had the camera exactly 2 years and have taped about 16 hours total. I also have taken very good care of it - never been dropped or damaged in any way. The Sharp-recommended repair facility wanted $40 just to look at it. I opted to send it to a facility that does free estimates... just learned it will cost $225 to fix the power source. Even though the repair shop will guarantee everything for 6 mos, we will likely spend a little extra just to buy a newer, better camera.

I purchased this camera in August of 2002 and have taken very good care of it. I have only used for aprox. 8 hours of recording. I powered on the camera, finished the tape that was currently in the recorder, and it suddenly powered off. I had noticed the battery was fully charged when I was recording so I knew it wasn't a battery issue. We then found there was no way to manually eject the tape since it is a motorized ejection process. We contact Sharp who suggested to remove the battery and reseat (which we had already tried) and if that did not help then it would have to be sent to a service center for $$$'s. The quality is very disappoining considering the camcorder was used so little and was always taken care of. We eventually took the camcorder apart ourselves destroying it just to salvage the video tape inside since it is more cost effective to purchase a new recorder than to send $$$'s to repair a junk camcorder.

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.

I too bought this camera because I was told that it was the top of the line and used my tax money to buy this for my girls. After a few months of ownership you could no longer watch what you taped. I have never dropped or damaged the camera in any way shape or form. So I took it back to the store that I bought it from and was told that I needed to send it to the manuefacturer to be looked at. Of course that was not free. I am a single mother and can not afford to just go out and buy another one or pay all the money that the company wants to fix it. I bought this camera because my oldest daughter is very athletic and does Bull Riding. Now I have a $300.00 camera that just sits around collecting dust that is of absolutely no use. It will record but you can not play it back. If you want to watch what you recorded you have to hit play and fast forward all at the same time. What I do not understand is why has the company not issued a recall on this particular product. I wonder has anyone ever thought about a lawsuit? If not then someone should. Because after reading so many reviews, there seems to be quite a lot just like my bad experience.

I purchased this camcorder from ebay just in time for a trip to Florida 3 years ago. It worked wonderfully everywhere we went and it was great to be able to play back our adventures later at our room. I just had a baby and it has proven itself once again as a good quality and versatile camera. It is comfortable to use for longer periods of filming, since it has a large screen to look at instead of a viewfinder. It also has a high quality picture and I have "captured" many wonerful still pictures off the video I downloaded onto my computer. I would reccomend it to anyone looking for a high quality low cost camera!

I own a professional camcorder, a Canon XH-A1. I was looking for a day to day camcorder, when I came across this Sharp VL-NZ50, prior to this, I bought a couple of viewcam 8mm thru Ebay,and I was so surprised how stable my walking shots had become while holding the camera with 2 hands. I bought a stabilizer from B and H for my XH-A1 and I was hoping I get the same stability, I now can hold my Canon with 2 hands and I get amazing walking shots. I therefore started looking for a Sharp viewcam that is mini-DV, I found it VL-NZ50. This camera has better resolution than an XL1 and other non High Def camcorder out there. I love this camcorder. I now just use my Canon for paid gigs like Weddings, etc. I even used my sharp as a second camcorder, I just sharpen the clips on post. Highly recommended.