Hitachi DZHS300A DVD Hybrid Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom and 8GB Hard Disc Drive
Hitachi has combined the convenience of the DVD camcorder and the capacity of a hard disk drive. The result is the DZ-HS300, the very first camcorder that delivers the best of both worlds in a hybrid design that will make shooting, editing and sharing a whole new experience.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Reliable and good feature but brook in less than a year
Reliable and good feature but brook in less than a year; I bought the camera at the end of 2007; and the inside transistor got burn, according to the warranty Tech, but it’s fixable….. maybe I had a bad apple??
1 Star Don’t know what I was thinking………should have returned it.
I’m a Mac user and had been used to transferring from my friend’s camera into my Mac using IMovieHD and IDVD. Not being savvy about this format, I had no idea that I was buying something that wouldn’t work with my Mac. The software that comes with this is really strange. I took the camera with me to Niagara Falls. The zoom really brings objects in, but the shake is terrible. Also, it seemed like I was constantly running out of battery time. When I got home and tried to download into my Mac programs, I was very disappointed to find that I couldn’t do it. I was able to copy from the hard drive onto a disc in my DVD recorder, but after reading the confusing instructions that came with the camera, I gave up on trying to do any editing. I have no idea how to get this into a program so that I can edit and add music, etc. Overall, I rarely use this camera. I’m really sorry I bought it and feel dumb for not returning it immediately.
4 Stars File Format
I just started messin around with the camera and found if you change the extension of the movie file to mpeg/mpg you can view the file without any software conversion. Just upload the movie file from the camcorder HD to your computer HD change the extension and it should work. Overall the camcorder is a nice camera.
5 Stars ONE OF A KIND, digital video and burn right to a DVD? What else do you need?
Tired of mini dv recordings that I can’t copy to a dvd without taking to a specialty shop. NOW I don’t have to. I can record to hard drive and edit later to a dvd RIGHT ON THE CAMERA! What else do you need?
3 Stars Three Stars
PROS
+ Insane zoom (1200x digital) Who needs binoculars when you have THIS?
+ Hybrid storage feature (Built in 8GB HDD, Mini DVD, SD card) <-- Makes things very flexible.
+ Pretty Small and Attractive design
+ Dubbing from HDD to Mini DVD!
+ Records in Stereo
+ Inexpensive!
CONS
- The auto focus will freak out if you zoom too much or if it’s dark and then you pass a bright light source. I don’t recommend for night recording because of this. But during the day it’s almost perfect.
- If you lose the software, you are pretty much screwed because the only way to access your data in the correct format is to purchase the software or pirate the software. If you just drag and drop you will have to convert .vro to mpeg2 (which is a nuisance and silly) but none the less a free and legal work around…
- It records in Mpeg2. Outdated much?
- You can’t dub without having the battery ADAPTER attached. It just won’t let you. I lost mine…
- The battery Life is laughable (though it may be because my battery is getting worn).
CONCLUSION
It is the best starter digital camcorder anyone can buy. Hence “Starter”. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for their first camcorder or for someone who wants a cheap way to record a road trip or vacation. Which is what I did and it does it job. Except at night in the city. Extreme dark + Extreme light is as confusing to the auto focus as a badger is to algebra. I know I’ve already said that once, but I just want everyone to understand where it lacks. There’s no reason to rate this any less than 3 (average) stars because it really is a decent camera.
