5 comments about Hitachi DZ-GX3300A 3.3MP DVD Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom.

1. I own a previous model Hitachi DVDCam. I have had several of my DVD's become corrupt and unreadable after I had recorded (and viewed) several videos on them. I called Hitachi and after a LONG phone call was basically told that I had bad luck and they were sorry. It is a porblem with the DVD itself and they do not stand behind the DVD's (because they are from a different manufacturer). My only option is to contact a data recovery service to get back my hours of lost video. Looks like that will cost me about $200-400 for two discs.
   I understand that they do not make the DVD's, but their cameras use them. If I can record my videos on to them, I should be able to see those videos again. The only way to use their DVDCams are to record onto DVD's! Save your money and frustration and don't risk losing your precious family memories!



2. It is great to burn movies directly to a DVD. Once you finalize the disc, just pop it in the DVD player and watch. Also, the picture mode with the removable SD ram card is very good (has integrated flash for still picutures which works very well). Just pop the SD ram in your reader, and download to PC.
   
   One improvement is the indoor/low light capability for videos (which is why only 4 stars). Outside, you get incredibly crisp, good pictures. Inside, you simply don't. The camcorder simply needs more light in order to get sharp video pictures.
   
   It's a very good camera, only question is operation in low light conditions. We are looking for an auxilliary light for this camera to overcome this problem.



3. This camera has only 90 days of warranty,Yes brand new and only 90 days.
   After waiting months of browsing and research on what would be a good DVD Camcorder for our Family moments I have wrongly choose Hitachi because of the price and the nice feature of the 3.3 Mega Pixels...whatever.
   It was my daughter's recital and I tape all the event but when I tried to take a picture and returned to camcorder mode the Access light was flashing and then the disc became corrup the the camera ask if you want to repair but ohhh surprise the disc became with no data like blank.
   3 times happen and the I realize I need to call service and gues what it was only a day after the 90 days of warranty so If I want to get my camera inspected for any defect I'll need to pay 85 usd plus labor plus parts.
   Don't choose wrong think twice.



4. It's a wonderful product to use, with excellent video and still picture quality. This product has been wrongly used, that's why previous reviews have shown that it damages DVD Disks, but the fact is that it doesn't.
   
   Actually I was in the same impression when I used it for the first time using DVD +RW disks, but none of the disks worked in it. Then I studied the manual and found that +RW disks are not fully compatible with DVD Camcorders, so I used the DVD -R and bulls eye, it worked just perrrfect.
   
   I'd recommend to use this camcorder as it is the best in it's category with excellent quality (3.3MP in DVD camorder !!!!) Go for it and enjoy your memories.....



5. This is my 2nd Hitachi camcorder. I had a lesser version from the same series (the only 1 that recorded video LESS than DVD quality!), which broke when I dropped it 3 feet, the day my son was born.
   This one, however, has better video AND picture quality, and has been reliable since I've had it.
   However, you have to read the manual, then read it again, then read it again. And then learn from experience all the things that aren't in the manual (some disks are untrustworthy, only buy name-brand batteries, some video modes are best avoided, it isn't always necessary to finalize, etc.)
   I agree that the warranty is a joke, and these camcorders are not built to withstand anything less than the best handling.

No comments about Hitachi Memory Album Set with 12 DVD-Rs and 2 Cases.

No comments about Dataproducts Remanufactured HP 15 black cartridge.

No comments about DATAPRODUCTS 57840 Replacement toner cartridge for hp laserjet 5000 series, 5100 series, black.

5 comments about Hitachi DVD Camcorder with 2.5" LCD and Digital Still Capability (DZMV230AR).

1. Feels good in my hand, telephoto works great, going
   thru the menus is a breeze. Being able to pop out the
   dvd, and put it in My dvd player or computer makes this
   camera a must buy.



2. I spent a lot of time researching camcorders before finally deciding on the Hitachi 230A. I purchased it to record my childrens band performance at halftime and to share the recording with the band director for teaching purposes. It worked great..I recorded the performance, put it in my lap top and was able to replay it instantly for everyone. It was quite a hit, until I got home and tried to download it to my computer to make copies. It seems the salesman, in his zest to sell me the camera, neglected to sell me the correct interface kit. This camcorder comes with 2 different interface software kits. One is for still images only and is relatively easy to find. The other kit (DZ-WINPC3) is a scare commodity. At this time you can only order it directly from Hitachi at the cost of $179.00 plus shipping and handling. AND it's on back order for 2-3weeks. This kit is not even carried by Circuit City, the major supplier of this camcorder. I love the camcorder for it's eaze of use and the digital picture quality but I spent my first weekend with this product on the phone trying to figure out why I couldn't download my video into my computer. I at least got to transpose it onto VHS but the manuel supplied leaves much to be desired when it comes to explanations. It tells you the correct way to plug it in to your VCR but neglects to note that you have to set your TV and VCR to a different input mode in order for it to work. I guess that you're supposed to know that already. Would I buy this camcorder again...only if I had all the correct software in my hand as I walked out of the store. Also, the customer service department at Hitachi is wonderful. I'm sure that they recognize my voice by now.



3. We got this camera as a Christmas present. For simple movies and communicating with the family, it serves well. There are some design errors that Hitachi will need to fix before I recommend it, though.

   First, the DVD disk noise is audible during playback. It is a high-pitched whine in the background. It is not overwhelming or too distracting, but people interested in making amateur films or top notch home video should find a less noisy camera.

   Second, the camera does not come with a separate battery charger. You have to put the dead battery into the camera and then use the camera as the charger. This means you can't film on one battery while recharging the other. So, you either charge them all ahead of time, or you hope that you catch all your footage in one go.

   Finally, the editing software for this camera is not yet available in the US (as of Dec. 2002). The editing options built into the camera are pretty limited. There are three fade options: fade to white (not black), vertical wipe, and fade to b/w. The interface would be fine for a road trip, but splicing long sequences together is a real pain. The fade features also require additional dead air, or else they cut into the sound portion of the tape. This may be my inexperience, but it bugged me for a while.

   Overall, I found the camera very intuitive and easy to use, and I wouldn't give it up for a different gift. Still, there are probably some tape or other DVD-based models out there that are more polished in
   their design.




4. I bought a Hitachi DZ-MV230A DVD Camcorder from Future Shop, Surry, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on 28th Sept., 2003. My computer OS WIN XP (Home Edition) does not detect the Camcorder, nor the recorded DVDs are detected by the DVD ROM installed with the Computer. So, I cannot download anything from the Camcorder. The Camcorder is thus useless to me though I like its picture quality and shape. No software was supplied along with the gazette and it was written on the manual that it would work with WIN XP. I wish, the manufacturer gives weightage to this letter and send me the solution.



5. I own a previous model Hitachi DVDCam. I have had several of my DVD's become corrupt and unreadable after I had recorded (and viewed) several videos on them. I called Hitachi and after a LONG phone call was basically told that I had bad luck and they were sorry. It is a porblem with the DVD itself and they do not stand behind the DVD's (because they are from a different manufacturer). My only option is to contact a data recovery service to get back my hours of lost video. Looks like that will cost me about $200-400 for two discs.
   I understand that they do not make the DVD's, but their cameras use them. If I can record my videos on to them, I should be able to see those videos again. The only way to use their DVDCams are to record onto DVD's! Save your money and frustration and don't risk losing your precious family memories!

1 comments about Hitachi DZGX5080A DVD Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom.

1. I bought this camera to replace a Sony Digital 8 that went bad. I wanted to save the time of putting my tapes on DVD, and figured I'd buy a DVD camera.
   
   I like the compact size of it, and it has a decent optical zoom. You can also film in widescreen mode, which is cool, but you can't switch between 16:9 and 4:3 on the same DVD.
   
   Now for the downsides. The main one is that when I try to play back a DVD on the camera (whether it is finalized or not) sometimes I get severe pixelation - to the point where the camera pauses playback. If I put the finalized DVD in any of my players, it works fine. I don't know if this is expected behavior, but I wouldn't think so. I emailed Hitachi support about it a couple of weeks ago, and I've heard no response.
   
   Another problem is the indoor video. The color and contrast are poor. I even bought this model with the light to try to avoid that, but it doesn't help much. Actually, it is too direct, and not powerful enough. This results in it being very harsh within about 5 feet, and ineffective past about 10 feet. Outdoor shots look pretty good.
   
   One last comment is on the finalizing. The automatic indexing is nice, but you have to have the camera plugged in to finalize the DVD. I guess this makes sense, but it is a little inconvenient.
   
   So, overall this purchase has been a bit of a let down.

2 comments about Hitachi DZBP14SW 2 Hour Replacement Battery Pack for Hitachi Camcorders.

1. The package was smashed badly but the battery survived the the trip and worked great.



2. I love to film and having a battery that last longer than 30 minutes cause my love to move freely longer.

5 comments about Hitachi 4gb Digital Microdrive High Speed Memory Card.

1. If I had written this review two weeks ago I would be leaving five stars.
   
   I've had this card for less than a year, and use it with my Nikon D70s. I always take great care when handling it, never pressing on the front and back, dropping, or severely jostling it.
   
   I took a few photos and went directly inside to transfer them to my computer, but when the drive mounted everything was garbled and all of my data was gone. I popped it back in my camera to confirm the loss of my photos, and the error read "Card Not Formatted." I then attempted to format the card via my camera, but it would not format. When trying to format it from a computer it just crashed the entire system (multiple machines.) The card is now utterly useless!
   
   I had read of this happening but assumed it was user negligence in some way and bought it anyway. Don't take a chance! Stick with a non-moving CF card instead.



2. 4gb microdrive, batteries all charged up on my Canon EOS 20D. Excited to use the camera at my nephew's graduation. Brother, wanted copies of the pics that I had taken. Much to MY DISAPOINTMENT, went to download the images to my computer, and there's NADA, nothing. I've use a dozen different programs to 'recover' loss data/images, but nothing. I didn't delete any of the pics. I didn't know there's a problem of loss data with the microdrives. Here I am, thinking I'm all set, ready to take pics, and didn't even get one photo. So, with my experience I will not buy another one, and that's why 1 star.



3. I bought two of these 4 GB drives from different vendors and about a year apart, yet I have had the same problem with both of them. At just over 1 gig of photos it starts giving me 'corrupt image' notices, and I have gotten to where I can tell when it's going to happen, because when it does, the camera's display stays on too long after I have taken a shot and then all of my manual settings are reset. I am trying to find research on why it does this, because the reason I bought 4 gigs was so that I did not have to worry about backups while traveling. Now I have to take my laptop or a secondary backup device with me on long trips, which can be cumbersome when travelling internationally, because when these errors begin to happen I have to backup the drive immediately and re-format the card or I can't even continue taking photographs. I have a Canon Eos that's only 3 years old, so the camera should not be the problem.



4. most cameras need a Fat 16 formated drive.
   All 4 GB drives come (IBM or Hitachi or labels) come formated FAT32
   so given that fact , most cameras will fail. If yours works , skip this review, ok?
   However you can reformat it.
   
   What's worse,
   there at 2 types of drives.
   Hitachi says
   white label is REAL-IDE interface only ( computer , Ipod, MP3 unit, etc)
   and that blue label is: CF+ Camera Microdrive
   
   so if you have a white lable , chances are, It will never work with a camera. To be sure, check the model number on your drive againt the Hitachi online specifications to be sure.
   
   To fix FAT32 , get a USB to FC/MD Memory reader device.
   find Windows XP pro, Home stinks , find the real thing.
   
   Go to control panel + admin..tools +computer.managment + disk management.
   recommend looking before and after pluging in your microdrive
   so you will recognize it when plugged in.
   
   find it and right click , delete partition. ( be dang careful here)
   now, right click it again, and creat a new partition of 2gb.
   when that is done format it to FAT16. ( some times called FAT)
   you lost 2gb, but that ok, as many cams have a limit of 2gb, but not all.
   set the partition to whatever you camera manaual allows.
   
   the above assume you are not in some recovery mode.
   For that you need special software and $40



5. Works flawlessly in my Nikon D-70. I still use my 60x write speed CFII card for action photo's but this is a great backup card for non-action photography.

5 comments about Hitachi DZGX5020A DVD Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom.

1. I own a previous model Hitachi DVDCam. I have had several of my DVD's become corrupt and unreadable after I had recorded (and viewed) several videos on them. I called Hitachi and after a LONG phone call was basically told that I had bad luck and they were sorry. It is a porblem with the DVD itself and they do not stand behind the DVD's (because they are from a different manufacturer). My only option is to contact a data recovery service to get back my hours of lost video. Looks like that will cost me about $200-400 for two discs.
   I understand that they do not make the DVD's, but their cameras use them. If I can record my videos on to them, I should be able to see those videos again. The only way to use their DVDCams are to record onto DVD's! Save your money and frustration and don't risk losing your precious family memories!



2. I have the GX5020 and have found it to shoot good footage both inside and outdoors. The quality of the camera is good with intuitive controls, no manual reading required!
   
   The only shortfall is the battery provided does not last more than around 40 minutes, so a long life battery is a wise investment.



3. I am 13 and I got this camera as a gift. it is awesome and is compatable with many disks including maxwell disks and Sony Handycam disks (those are the ones I use.)
   Shoots pretty well indoors.
   No manual reading required, but I did so to find out the features.
   It also can take pictures and capture photos from a video.
   I recommend Hitachi Camcorder Accessory Kit 2 for Hitachi DVD Camcorders. The bag fits the camera, batteries, disks, cords, and the manual nicely. I bought this because of the battery (a couple of hours life). Plus you get 3 Maxwell DVD-R disks (disk cases included)
   
   Overall, this is a great buy for beginners AND pros.



4. Small, quick and easy to use! I love the ability to save a picture to an SD card from any frame. We bought digital frames for the grandma's this Christmas and I was able to save pictures from the camcorder directly to the SD cards for use with their frames - I didn't need the camera at all. And I have the best pictures because I was able to pick the perfect frame to make a picture! That perfect smile that I would have missed with my 2 second delay camera - I got it this year using the camcorder. There was no learning process and it is very user friendly. The only downside so far is that the lenscap doesn't stay secure when clipped on and I tend to zoom way too fast! This is my first camcorder and I am very pleased.



5. Camera is easy to use. Light camera; fits easily in the palm of my hand. Works well in dim light. Good value for the money.

5 comments about Hitachi Camcorder Accessory Kit 2 for Hitachi DVD Camcorders.

1. This is certainly a nice addition to the camcorder. There is room in the bag to carry all that comes with the camcorder plus my digital camera and my 35mm camera as well. The battery that comes with this also lasts longer than the one that comes with the camcorder when you purchase it. I am glad I purchased it at the same time as my camcorder.



2. I figured if I bought a spare battery and 3 blank mini-DVDs separately, it would have cost the same as this bundle. So its like getting the Hitachi bag for free. Great value. The bag is a little on the big side, considering the small size of the Hitachi Hybrid (HDD/DVD) camera I have. But you can fit alot in it I guess. Only has one main compartment with a padded divider in there, and one small outside pocket, so you cant get that organized. The Hitachi manual is so huge (they print 3 languages all in one book) that it wont fit in the bag, which is a bummer cause now I will lose it.



3. Great price for what you get, extended length battery absolutely a must have. Case well made and holds everything that came with my Hitachi DVD Hybrid Camcorder.



4. Great Product! The bag was perfect for the DVDs and misc items. The extra battery has been a life saver. Also, great value!



5. I really cannot write a review on this product as it was ordered along with the Hitachi 500 Camcorder on March 23rd. The accessory kit was delivered in two days but on April 19th Amazon emailed me saying they could not deliver the Camcorder. When I checked their site they were still offering the Camcorder for sale but at a much higher price. So I am stuck a month later with accessories for a camcorder they would not ship which limits me to going elsewhere or going through the problems of returning. I would have felt much better about this whole thing if I did not see them still selling product on their site but at a higher price. While I have not had problems with Amazon in the past this whole experience will make me hesitate from using them in the future. Bottom line is if you are purchasing this as a complimentary solution to a Hitachi Camcorder, make sure they have both items in stock or do not pull the trigger.