Sharp VL-MC500H

The Sharp VL-MC500H is an unusual-looking beast. It might at first appear a little on the bulky side, but many will find its rotating body and lens housing extremely useful - particularly if you are trying to film something over the top of a large crowd, for example. This is also helped by the camcorder's generous 3in LCD screen.

It's a matter of taste, though, and others may be put off by the camera's brick-like aesthetic.

Picture quality is very clear and crisp when shooting footage to DV tapes and the VL-MC500H also has plenty to offer to stills photographers, too. Its 1.3 megapixel capabilities mean that the camera can reach a very respectable maximum resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels, compared to the run-of-the-mill DV cam's top resolution of 1024 x 768. Stills can also be stored separately on the 8MB SD memory card provided.An input/output-enabled FireWire socket, such as those included on the Sharp VL-MC500H, can drastically improve your camera's PC compatibility and increase your editing capabilities.

For instance, anyone interested in setting up a desktop editing suite around their DV camcorder and PC will benefit from being able to not only transfer raw footage from camera to computer, but also master the finished movie back to DV after it has been edited.

On top of this, the VL-MC500H makes the thoughtful additions of a 16:9 widescreen filming mode and a built-in flash.

Sharp 0800 262 958
www.sharp.co.uk