Idiot-Proof? (Sharp Viewcam VL-A10)

Name: leviathan

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Product:	Sharp Viewcam VL-A10
Date:	10/04/01 (690 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Any plonker can use it.

Disadvantages: Have yet to find many.

See I am the original technophobe..Show me the latest DVD player, or Digi-Whatsit, and I have two responses either stare open-mouthed like a landed fish, or run like hell.. I can’t help it.. It’s an age thing..
Well that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it.

So the reaction of my family , to the news that I was about to purchase a Camcorder, was perhaps understandable, and derisory..Yet at the same time I could see their minds working.. Mum will never get the hang of it, so it will save us buying one..Hah! Little did they know.

The Sharp VL-A10H Liquid Crystal Display Camcorder was made just for techno-idiots like me..Light-weight, simple to load , and re-charge, all I need to do is point the thing in the general direction of whatever I want to film, and the A10 virtually does the rest. Well perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration, but with built-in auto-focus, and only one button to push it seems that simple..

Supplied with battery pack, AC adaptor, power cord, infrared remote control, audio/video cable, lithium battery ,shoulder strap, lens cap, sun hood, and batteries to power the remote, all you need is an 8mm film cassette and off you go..( Well I did once my daughter had shown me how to put in the battery pack, cassette, lithium battery, and had plugged in the charger).

Now little escapes my ‘artist bent’. Birds that have been feeding happily undisturbed in my garden for years, are now subjected to detailed filming. The dog can’t even have a good scratch without it being ‘recorded’ for posterity, and cries of “ get that bloody camera out of my face” can be heard emanating from my abode day and night. But do I care? Not likely. I switch to power zoom control, which can highlight a zit at 20 yards..

Those criticisms I have, may seem like nit-picking, but the battery pack does take 3 hours to charge, and then only runs for 1 hour 40 minutes. ( I a
m going to buy the larger one which may take 6 hours to charge, but will give me 3 ½ hours of filming or playback time) and the cassette compartment is very slow opening and closing.. Also I would have happily paid a little more to have a carrying case included with the initial purchase.

And I must confess I have yet to connect my Sharp to the VCR, as I refuse to face further derision by asking the kids, to show me how..I will work out which ‘scart lead’ (is that how you spell it) goes into which socket if I have to wait until hell freezes over..

Just for you Elffy. The playback quality is just great..I wasn't impressed at first, but that was because I hadn't fitted the sun guard before filming, and without it, the colour seemed very intense on the playback..However sound quality is really excellent..Probably too good, as it picks up EVERY sound, so you have to be careful if like me you sometimes use colourful language when 'your subject' isn't behaving as it should..
But I can say the playback on this Sharp is far better than that on my Dad's Panasonic, and his camcorder cost a lot more than mine..

Summary: