Reviewed by
Austin Haspany , Intermediate , from Texas

Price Paid
$500.00 at e-bay

Summary
This is my number one choice of a camera to do the video recording I need. The features on this camera will blow you away. I have the job of recording and editing movies. For my church and school, and this camera has never failed me. If you can find a good deal on this camera ($600 is a good deal) then buy it! If you are looking for a camera that is reliable then I highly recommend the Sharp VL-AX1U.

Strengths
It's picture quality, sound, zoom mic, size(this is a very small camera), features, i-link, optical 23x zoom, 1.33 mega pixel, colour view finder, SD card, and I could go on.

Weaknesses
The only thing that disappointed me about this camera is, when you are recording and you go to still mode you have to stop recording in order to unfreeze the still.

Similar Products Used
sony DCR-TRV950, Sharp vl-mc500u, sharp vl-nz55u, and others (but i forgot the names)

Reviewed by
Consumer 1234 , Intermediate

Price Paid
$850.00 at half.com

Summary
My assessment of the Sharp VL-AX1U is nothing short of impressive.

Excellent video quality, sound and design makes this camera as good as a camcorder as you can get in this class. The biggest draw back of this camera is its availability. Also, technical support from Sharp is unknown.

If you are able to get hold of one…snag it.


Look and Feel
Right out of the box, the camera feels like a quality made camera. The camera looks good, feels nice and is solid. Form follows function. The buttons are easy to access and intuitive. You can start right up without reading the manual. One item that could be better improved was the power switch that moves between on/off and camera/video. The rotating knob had a safety on it, like other cameras, but seems to kind of tiny and could be stronger… real minor thing but notable. The camera has two buttons to take stills with, depending on how you want to take a picture and what your comfort. The three inch LCD view finder is extremely crisp and accurate.


Other reviews:

http://www.camuser.co.uk/reviews/Camcorders/Sharp/SharpVL-AX1H.php

Strengths
What I liked:
· Solid look and feel
· Good Optical Zoom
· Large 3 inch LCD viewer
· Great video and audio
· Excellent value

Weaknesses
What I didn't like:
· No Firewire with camcorder
· No USB connection
· No Infrared feature for pure night shooting.

Similar Products Used
Canon and Sony

Customer Service
unkown