Hitachi DZ-HS300A Camcorder Review

Sony DCR-SR40 (Review, Specs, $469.79)
The Sony DCR-SR40 ($500 MSRP) is easier to use than most hard drive camcorders of its ilk. Just a quick gander at its barren body will leave you wondering, “Where have all the buttons gone to?” The SR40 gives you 30GB of storage, and that’s about it. Its video quality suffers through its 1/6” CCD with 680 gross pixels, and its manual controls are on the brink of extinction. The HS300A is in the same boat. It has similarly dreadful video quality. The HS300A’s only advantages are its SD card slot, additional manual controls, and on-the-fly dubbing to DVD. But here’s the kicker: The Hitachi DZ-HS300A (Review, Specs, $0) has a maximum hard drive capacity of 8GB. That’s 110 minutes in Xtra mode—and believe me, you’ll need Xtra mode. Hmm—more recording space or more features? In all honesty, an additional $100 is not that steep for the wealth of features the HS300A provides over the SR40. Just be prepared to bring along an industrial-size satchel filled with back-up DVDs and a small laptop for longer shoot days.

Sony DCR-DVD205 (Review, Specs, $384.99)
With a bigger 1/5.5” CCD, the Sony DCR-DVD205 ($600 MSRP) produces a better image than Hitachi’s low-end 1/6” imager. However, the DVD205’s 12x optical zoom doesn't quite have the kick of the HS300A’s 20x optical zoom—nothing to get your knickers in a twist, though. The DVD205 is more simplified and easier to use—despite the touch screen menu—than the HS300A (just try navigating though the image control buttons in the LCD cavity while you’re trying to shoot). The HS300A does have a hot shoe and lens thread for lens attachments, though. If you’re gung-ho in your quest for a DVD-only camcorder, then I’d opt for the DVD205. If you’d like more recording options and don’t care as much about video quality, go with an HS300A.

Panasonic VDR-D200 (Review, Specs, $324.99)
The folks at Panasonic are pros when it comes to ergonomically innovative camcorder design. The VDR-D200 ($599 MSRP) is no exception. Its comfortable rear-mounted joystick allows for full menu navigation while looking into the EVF. That’s great news for your battery. In addition, Panasonic leads the pack in the manual control department. All the essentials are present, (white balance, shutter, exposure, etc.) and more. The HS300A has a clunky design that requires a few additional hoops to leap through, and you might and up hitting your head on a couple. The buttons are placed oddly on the left side and in the LCD cavity, and as a result, navigating through the menu is a royal pain. Both camcorders produce similar video quality and lame 640 x 480 stills. The Hitachi gives you a hard drive and a SD slot as well. It’s down to comfort over features yet again at an even price. I’d seek out a store to try them both before you commit.

Panasonic SDR-S150 (Review, Specs, $699.95)
We’re jumping a bit out of the HS300A’s price range here to bring you the Panasonic SDR-S150 ($999 MSRP). I know, I know, a $300 leap is quite daunting to the wallet, but let’s talk alternative media here. The S150 has three 1/6” CCDs, each cranking out 800K gross pixels. In the dunce corner sits the HS300A with its lone 1/6” chip, whimpering tears that add up to 680K gross pixels. Although I’m being harsh, the S150’s image is light years ahead of the HS300A’s. In image quality, you usually get what you pay for, but there are a number of camcorders out there with much better image quality at an even cheaper price, like the Canon Elura 100 (Specs, $379.19), Camcorderinfo.com’s 2006 Camcorder of the Year. That aside, the S150 is an SD card-only camcorder. It’s tiny, has a 2.8” LCD screen, and still retains Panasonic’s awesome manual control palette. With SDHC cards, the S150 can hold up to 32 GB (or will, when cards that large are available). Now here is the reason we even mentioned the S150: The Hitachi HS300A is a Whitman’s Sampler of mediocrity—it has a lot of features, but all of them are sub-par. Why settle for the middle of the road when you could spring for a compact, convenient, SD card-only camcorder with high-quality video performance? The answer to that can only be dictated by a trio of Benjamins.

Canon DC100 (Review, Specs, $305.1)
Both the Canon DC100 ($499 MSRP) and the Hitachi DZ-HS300A produce an image that is not exciting, to say the least. This is characteristic of their amateur-grade 1/6” CCD imagers. Their menu navigation and manual controls are about even, although the Hitachi’s controls are pretty annoying to wade through. What can I say? We’re looking at a no-frills DVD camcorder vs. a no-frills hybrid camcorder. For an extra $100, you could find Canon’s DC40 (Review, Specs, $539.99) online, which comes equipped with a much bigger 1/2.8” imager and built-in SD card slot, unless you really want that hard drive.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters 
Throw weak video quality and multiple recording formats into a pot. Stir for a while. Ladle and serve to the nearest point-and-shooter. This is actually a very simple camcorder for this user, but there are better options.

Budget Consumers
For those looking to mash a DVD, hard drive, and SD card camcorder into one, this will certainly give you a run for your money. Just don’t complain about the video quality and poor handling.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid
The still photos are a joke on this camcorder with their web-sized 640 x 480 resolution. Most camcorders compared above produce both larger and better still photos.

Gadget Freaks
Gadget freaks no longer care about DVD camcorders, so the hard drive on the HS300A would be the enticing factor. Too bad the maximum capacity is 8GB when there are 60GB HDD camcorders on the market.

Manual Control Freaks
You’ve got your basics. It’s difficult to access them. Look at Panasonics instead.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists
We’ve already grilled the HS300A enough. This is the last group of people we’d want to introduce the camcorder to.

Conclusion