Hitachi DZ-HS300A Camcorder Review

by John Neely
Published on May 2, 2007 4:00 PM

Intro Performance
Format Auto / Manual Controls
Still Features
 Handling and Use
Audio / Playback / Connectivity Other Features
Comparisons / Conclusion Specs and Ratings
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Still Features (3.5)
The Hitachi DZ-HS300 has a dedicated still mode, accessed by rotating the mode dial to “SD,” referring to the SD card. Stills can only be saved to SD card and not the HDD. This struck us as a rather absurd revelation, as every other HDD camcorder offers this option. A HDD is not only convenient, in case you forget to pack the SD card, but the capacity is far larger. Oh well. This fact, coupled with the maximum still resolution of 640 x 480 (0.3MP), indicates that this DZ-HS300A is no substitute for a camera.

The menu structure is similar to menu to video mode. The two relevant sub-menus are Camera Functions (including Program AE, white balance, EIS, and digital zoom) and Record Functions (including image quality and self-timer). Image qualities include Fine, Normal, and Eco. The self-timer is approximately 10 seconds.

The SD card slot is located in the LCD cavity, towards the bottom. It cannot be accessed on a tripod. 

The menu in still (SD) mode

Still Performance (8.22)
The Hitachi’s still performance was determined by shooting a Gretag McBeth Color Checker chart, then running those stills through Imatest imaging software. Unlike many camcorders, the DZ-HS300A performed best in full auto mode, though “best” may not be the most appropriate term. Though the color error was not too bad, the noise percentage was rather high. According to Imatest, the color error was 7.3, the noise was 1.7575, and the saturation measured 102%.

Still Resolution (4.08)
The still resolution was measured by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. At best, we found the Hitachi DZ-HS300A was capable of producing a horizontal resolution of 553.1 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) – with a 4.03% black clipping and 41.1% oversaturation – and a vertical resolution of 323.7 lw/ph – with 4.09% black clipping and 16.5% oversharpening. The high sharpening levels are indicative of a camcorder designed to try to look sharper than it can actually resolve.






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