Hitachi DZ-GX3300A First Impressions Camcorder Review

by James Murray
Published on Jan 19, 2006 3:00 PM

Intro
 Performance
Format Tour
Auto / Manual Controls Still Features
Handling and Use Audio / Playback / Connectivity
Other Features Comparisons / Conclusion


Last year Hitachi set itself apart from the rest of the market by providing some of the best video performance from a low end DVD camcorder. Hitachi was the first to manufacturer a DVD camcorder, and it is the first in line once again in presenting a DVD camcorder capable of recording in all four popular formats: DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM. The Hitachi DZ-GX3300A is equipped with a huge 1/3-inch 3.3MP CCD, active (hot) accessory shoe, built-in flash, a new sleeker body design, and a $799 MSRP.

The camera emphasizes automatic control; navigation controls are small and placed in a less than functional arrangement. The camcorder has a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD with true 16:9 recording. It also has a 0.2-inch 200K electronic color viewfinder. Overall, the DZ-GX3300A promises a lot, though the competition in the DVD market is getting stiffer each year, and we expect most manufacturers will be hard-pressed to top Sony’s DCR-DVD505.






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