Dear Colin

Just saw your message and realised that you've had the same problem as myself. I'm toying with the idea to buy the Sharp VL-AX1 but cannot find any dealers in Switzerland to either supply it or to demonstrate it. It's possible to buy on-line from Germany at the price of about USD 1,000.--, but without seeing or being able to try the model first I'm a little unsure.

The main thing which attracted me to the Sharpo VL-AX1 is the 23X optical zoom plus the external zoom microphone.

Would appreciate to have your comments, advice and experiences with this model. Please advise.

Best wishes

Ken