The only other review on Amazon as of this writing for this camera is such a low rating that while I feel it is a good review, it is unfairly biased against the camera. I bought this camera because I didn't currently have a DV Cam that I could use to record those moments when a DV cam would come in handy. Here's a rundown on the strengths and weaknesses of the camera.Strengths: Records in widescreen format in an increasingly "widescreen world" where monitors are now wider than they are tall, this camera captures moments that fit nicely on that new HDTV or 24" LCD you bought for the computer. While the camera does record in this format, the details can be a little hazy at times if the light level isn't up to par, and the focus has a tendency to roam often. You can set the focus to manual, and for the most part it will still capture a clean video without fiddling too much with the manual control (which it does offer, and it is fairly straight forward). The audio capture is excellent often picking up on nuances that you may miss while you're focusing in on the action. Since the camera supports a quick standby feature, I often find myself using it to conserve battery power, without waiting for the camera to start up when you flip the rotary knob. The knob to select record modes is pretty straight forward, as I have shown several people how to turn the camera on and get to recording with hardly any instruction. Since the camera records to an integrated hard drive not a "weakness" if you are in the market for a Hard Drive camera, you will be greeted with over 500 minutes of record time on a blank drive. I've recorded entire trips into the mountains in a single recording session trips that will often take upwards of 2+ hours (I used a car AC/DC adapter to keep the power on!). The option to record to mini-DVD is a bonus as I prefer to use the hard drive, but it's nice having a backup option if the HDD is full or, as they all tend to do eventually, the drive fails. (I've used mine for over a year, no issues yet). Taking photos to the SD card slot is good, though I would prefer to have the option to take photos to the hard drive, I knew about this prior to purchasing the camera, and a 1 GB flash card is plenty for me. I also liked the image finder / review screen as it will easily swing out from the camera body, and swivel 180 degrees so that you can watch yourself if you are into recording yourself, or just want to see it from a distance while you use the included remote control.
Weaknesses: Can get fuzzy in low light, and since the focus roams often in these situations, it isn't the best camera to use in low light settings unless you're good with the manual focus. The included software is buggy at best (ImageMixer 3) but it is up to date, and is fairly easy to understand. If you have a problem getting it to transfer videos on a modern PC with Windows Vista or Windows 7, set the compatibility mode on the program to Start as Administrator (If you still use User Account Control or UAC) and the OS compatibility to "Windows XP Service Pack 2" and you'll find that the software operates a lot better. On my laptop, with Windows Vista and later, Windows 7, the transfer times on videos were absurd a 700 Meg video file would take 30+ minutes on USB 2.0. To make matters worse, a smaller 5 MB video would take the same amount of time prior to setting the compatibility. I'd also have the same issues as the other reviewer with transfers failing 5 minutes in, or right at the end a frustrating ordeal for sure. I'm not saying it's a "catch all" solution, but fiddle with it on your system and see if it works for you. I've contacted Hitachi support and they say that some folks on their team tell people to do it this way and they've had fairly good results. For me however, now transfers can go uninterrupted and large files transfer in the time they should on any other USB 2.0 device. Smaller files transfer lightning quick.
To Sum it up for you "visual" folks (I know reading is dull sometimes!)
Pros: Spacious hard drive recording, DVD record option, widescreen aspect, good sound quality capture, remote control, included AC adapter for times when the battery is dead, dubbing is average; though far from perfect, good anti-shake correction, 3 Megapixel capture, ample instruction manual, good zoom distance, swing-out image finder/preview screen is bright & clear, and easy to use.
Cons: Spotty software, focus is annoying in low light situations, included battery is anemic, relatively scant in terms of controls, Swivel mode dial can be annoying in placement sometimes, only 3 megapixel capture.
If you need an entry into the DV Cam world, this is a great little camera to get started with. If the software bundle was a little more robust, and a focus that works in lower light situations, it could very well be a perfect starter camera, but if you can find it on sale, or just need a starter camera, you really should give this one a look.
Pros
* Video formats saved in mpeg which was easily viewed on my Media Center to XBox 360 with no conversion.
* You can configure to capture at 16x9 widescreen.
* Its smaller than I thought it would be.
Cons
* Picture quality at the highest level was just OK.
* The selection button between SD card, HDD and DVD was ill placed and a pain to switch.
* You need to run specific software to transfer files from camera HDD to PC.
* The transfer rates were slow and would periodically disconnect even with small video clips.
* The still pictures only allows a 1 GB SD card. I can see SDHC not allowed but not allowing 2 GB is odd.
* No cover for the camera lens. I touched it several times by accident.
So its not a bad camera for the price but if you want to get better quality video and easier use, I recommend shopping around. I particularly like the Canon since I can record to SDHC card, no moving parts, less battery power, and I can pop the card into my card reader and transfer with no special software. SDHC prices are low and dropping in a card slot to PC is the way to go to transfer large video clips.
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