Hitachi DZMV550A
Starting at: $250.00
CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Denny Atkin
- Released on:
- Reviewed on:
The good: About as small and light as a MiniDV camera; comfortable grip; solid on-camera editing features.
The bad: More expensive than a MiniDV camera with similar features; no ability to shoot uncompressed video; media is pricier than MiniDV tapes.
The bottom line: Working with Hitachi's entry-level DVD-R/RAM camcorder can be a hassle, but it's a winner for editing footage in the camcorder.
The rest of the camcorder's feature set is relatively ho-hum. It uses a 680,000-pixel sensor, the same as most new budget camcorders. Automatic and manual white balance, exposure, and adjustments are available, as well as five programmed auto-exposure modes. You can save 640x480-pixel stills to either DVD-RAM or SD/MMC media. The DZMV550A sports S-Video and composite outputs but offers only composite input. If you want to convert old analog tapes to digital format, the higher-end DZMV580A with an S-Video input may be a better choice.Don't figure you can turn on the DZMV550A right before you need the big shot--it can take 10 to 20 seconds to initialize and catalog its disc before it's ready to shoot. Once you've finished booting the camera, though, all other operations feel very responsive.
User Reviews
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stars 3 of 3 users found this review helpful
"NOT HAPPY - DVD MEDIA PROBLEMS" By
Pros ---- THERE AREN'T ANY .. IF ANYONE CAN TELL ME WHAT DVD-R'S WORK WITH IT I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
Cons cAN'T GET THIS CAMERA TO WORK . EVERY MINI DVD-R THAT I HAVE TRIED FORMATED FINE BUT ERRORS HAPPENED WHEN I STARTED TO RECORD. THEY TOLD ME TO TRY MAXELL MEDIA WENT TO 7 STORES AND NO-ONE CARRIED IT... HOWEVER EVEN THE DVD-RAM DISK THEY ENCLOSED DIDNT WO
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Specifications
See full specsQuick Specs
- Optical sensor type: CCD
- Flash type: None
- Weight: 1.1 lbs
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