Hitachi DZ-GX3200A DV Camcorder

Hitachi GX3200A - Save your $$$

By jayhawk_94  Apr 8, 2007 | 1 out of 1 found this Hitachi DZ-GX3200A review helpful

Pros: Widescreen, direct mini DV writing, ease of use

Cons: Low light quality, poor digital stills, battery life, writing Mini DVs

I bought the Hitachi GX3200A based on the reviews and recommendations of the Consumer Reports guide and I have to say that I'm extremely disappointed with this camera. First - battery life - once charged the battery works well for the next day o...r two. However, try to charge the battery a week ahead of time, and then pull it out to catch a great moment in action, only to be disappointed that the battery is dead. Keep in mind, this is even with storing the battery not connected to the camera! Second - low light quality - again, another major disappointment. I've tried on multiple occasions to do indoor filming - and unless you have every bulb on in a room, the camera won't pick up diddly. It ruined our Christmas morning filming - just a bunch of dark images. Third - Digital still images - worthless - poor quality and resolution. I thought I would kill 2 birds with 1 stone here - and save the amount of electronic junk I have to haul around. Good thing I took my digital camera with me as a test/backup on the first outing. Fourth - mini DVD feature - this was a huge plus for me - writing straight to a DVD to play in your DVD player for home movies. This is my first experience with a DVD camera that writes to mini-DVD and if this is the standard in the technology out there, then save your money and go with something tried and true. Again, another major disappointment. I've tried all types and brands of media. I burn countless DVDs and CDs all the time, so I know what I'm doing when it comes to selecting media. However, with this camera, every DVD so far has resulted in some type of "freeze" or "pause" within the DVD after it has been finalized. It creates a horrendous noise when it hits during playback in your DVD player and it also locks up your DVD player (even on a PC). Furthermore, it ends up making it virtually impossible to copy the DVD without re-authoring the DVD and excluding the bad break points within it. If you ask me, the device should be recalled for this defect. Save your money and prevent the future loss of once in a lifetime moments that you want to capture. Pick another product. Read more Less