Hitachi DZ-GX3300A Camcorder Review

Comparison
Sony DCR-DVD405
These camcorders are similar on paper, but you only need pick up and hold them to begin to understand why we feel the advantage rests squarely with the Sony DVD405. The Hitachi simply feels like a cheaply made product, while the Sony is a pleasure to handle. Both share a 1/3” CCD imager, a 2.7” LCD, and a 10x optical zoom. The Hitachi does add a microphone in jack and the ability to record to DVD-RAM, but these are negligible additions to the plus column. Neither camcorder excels in overall manual control, but the Hitachi comes up shorter by virtue of its terrible handling and performance.

The starkest contrast between these two camcorders may be in their ease of use. Sony has a well-deserved reputation for producing camcorders that are exceptionally easy to use, partly because of their extensive use of touch screens. The DVD405 is no exception, and it is a much more user-friendly camcorder than the Hitachi, which suffers from poorly placed buttons, marginally functional manual controls, and slower menu access. The Hitachi may have an MSRP $100 below the Sony, but, given the steep difference in quality and performance, there is no good reason to choose the DZ-GX3300 over the DVD405.

Panasonic VDR-D300
The Panasonic VDR-D300 offers the Hitachi even stiffer competition, and racked up the highest scores of any camcorder in this comparison, albeit at a higher price - $1000 vs. $800 for the DZ-GX3300. As one might expect, the most obvious difference between the Hitachi and the Panasonic is in manual control features, an area in which Panasonic leads the consumer camcorder industry. The most vital manual controls on the Hitachi – focus and exposure – are nearly useless due to their poor placement and interface. The Panasonic’s manual controls are easier to use and notably include shutter speed and gain, which the DZ-GX3300 lacks.

The Panasonic also boasts a stunningly sharp picture, though its color depth and saturation is on the dull side. In terms of handling and feel, the Hitachi feels like a second-tier product.

Canon DC40
Before we reviewed the DZ-GX3300, we thought a comparison between the Hitachi and the Canon DC40 would be close. In fact the Hitachi retails for $100 less ($799 vs. $899 MSRP), includes a microphone jack which is absent on the Canon, and can record in an additional DVD format – DVD-RAM. The Canon also suffers from a closed battery design, precluding the use of a longer-life battery.

In other respects, the Canon scores higher, with better video performance, more manual features, and much better controls and button placement than the Hitachi. Controls that are conveniently placed make it more likely that you’ll take advantage of features that can improve your video image, and that fact seems to have been lost on Hitachi’s engineers, who located vital controls out of sight in the LCD cavity. We can’t recommend the Canon DC40 more highly than other camcorders in this comparison, but for brand loyalists it’s a solid choice. It is also a much better bet than the DZ-GX3300, which suffers from the fatal design flaws referenced throughout this review.

JVC GZ-MG37
Comparing the JVC GZ-MG37 to the Hitachi DZ-GX3300 is a matter of weighing the lesser of two evils: Terrible video quality in a hard disk drive (HDD) camcorder vs. cheap feel and poor handling in a DVD camcorder. But it makes sense to note that each of these camcorders has an MSRP of $800 and that neither of them is worth the price.

The differences between these camcorders are notable, the most obvious of which is recording format. The GZ-MG37 is an HDD camcorder, which means it is highly convenient, because you don’t need to worry about having a blank disc at the ready. On the other hand, you need to make sure that you are constantly deleting clips from the drive, which holds up to seven hours of video at the highest quality setting. There is no DVD loading door on the GZ-MG37, as the camcorder is completely self-contained, and it boasts true widescreen, which the Hitachi does not. In terms of ease of use, the JVC is truly simple, but it falls short of the Hitachi in terms of available manual controls.

The Hitachi has a larger CCD--1/3” vs. 1/6”--allowing it to outperform the JVC in terms of video quality, but it is just not an easy camcorder to handle. As we’ve noted extensively, the user interface design of the Hitachi is terrible, rendering its most vital manual controls practically useless. We recommend buying neither of these camcorders. Look for any of the models above and you’ll avoid the contrasting pitfalls of both the JVC GZ-MG37 and the Hitachi DZ-GX3300.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters (2.0)
For the point and shooter – someone who never intends to utilize the horrid manual features of the Hitachi DZ-GX3300 – this camcorder would be a dubious purchase. There are DVD camcorders out there that can do everything this one can better, without the drawbacks of plastic construction.

Budget Consumers (1.0)
For its price, this camcorder is a very poor purchase. A true budget consumer could purchase a highly serviceable MiniDV camcorder, such as the Canon ZR500, for a mere $300. For penny pinchers who insist on a DVD camcorder, the Panasonic VDR-D100 is a much better value – for $500, you get a camcorder that does the basics well rather than the DZ-GX3300 which is problematic from every perspective.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid (1.0)
The DZ-GX3300 produced stills that are extremely drab and under-saturated, while its compression produced unsightly artifacts. While the maximum resolution of this camcorder’s stills is a respectable 3.1 megapixels, they don’t stand up in comparison to those from other similarly priced DVD camcorders.

Gadget Freaks (2.0)
Gadget freaks who insist on having a camcorder that can record in an impressive array of DVD formats (DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R and DVD+RW) may find this camcorder of interest, but that is the DZ-GX3300’s only major draw over other DVD camcorders.

Manual Control Freaks (1.0)
The DZ-GX3300 does offer some manual controls, but they’re simply terribly conceived.

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists (0.5)
The DZ-GX3300 offers nothing for the Professional or serious hobbyist other than an example of what not to look for in a camcorder. As such, it is an interesting camcorder to test drive; in many ways, it is a worst-case scenario for shooters who like to squeeze as much performance out of their equipment as possible.

Conclusion
While the DZ-GX3300 might be the best that Hitachi has to offer, it is easily the worst high-end DVD camcorder we’ve seen this year. We wracked our brains trying to figure out why someone might want to buy this camcorder, and we came up empty. It is not easy to use. It is not particularly cheap, and its image quality does not match the price. It offers few manual controls, and the value of multi-format DVD compatibility is questionable, at best. Every other camcorder we compared it to bested it by a long shot.

Despite the intrigue of the question, we didn’t come here to explain why Hitachi made such a product. We can only try to steer you away from a bad purchase. Consider yourselves warned.