DON'T BUY THIS, JUST DON'T!
Written: Nov 18 '02
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Pros: Price and features
Cons: UNRELIABLE
The Bottom Line: Do yourself a favor and by something else, this camcorder is not worth the money, trouble, or heartache.
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| par19's Full Review: Sharp VL-WD450U Mini DV Camcorder |
I purchased this camcorder over a year ago. I have used 4 Maxell Mini DVC since the purchase. Two of those tapes had less than 10 minutes of record time before I started getting the infamous red "X" and the "EJECT THE CASSETTE". Of course the last time this happened, I was on vacation visiting far away family and the camcorder completely froze.
I returned this product to the service center of Best Buy. It was out for 6 weeks for repair, covered under warrantee. However, I didn't have my camera for another important event--my son's first birthday party. Finally, my camera was returned to me, and I was informed the drum housing was completely replaced.
In addition, there was a note attached to the camera from the Sharp Manufacturer's repair center that told me to ONLY USE SHARP tapes. I have not seen a SHARP brand tape, and the salesperson at Best Buy hadn't heard of one either. I can't find online them or at Sharp-usa.com. I've emailed their customer support, and was given two different suppliers to call. Neither one had a Sharp MiniDV tape. The second of the Sharp recommended suppliers told me his stock for this camcorder was a JVC 30 minute tape that retailed at $18.99. That's half as much tape, for twice as much money.
From what I've researched on the internet, others have had luck with Panasonic or JVC tapes. Since the instruction manual and a Sharp representative told me to use Mini DV tapes with "ME", that's what I bought. "ME" stands for metal evaporate. I purchased a Fuji ME tape and was able to record for 40 minutes over a nine day period before the camcorder locked up and gave me the "EJECT" warning again.
My camcorder was out for repair for 6 weeks the first time. I missed several important events and now with the same recurring problem, I can only imagine I will be with out my camcorder for the holidays too.
The camcorder is easy to use and the features are fine for me--BUT DUE TO THE UNRELIABILTY, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FORGOING THIS CAMCORDER NO MATTER WHAT THE PRICE.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 629.99
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Epinions.com ID:
par19
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Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 3 members
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