Hitachi DZ-BD10HA – all in one camcorder review

Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 11:28
Gadgets
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Hitachi DZ-BD10HA camcorder can record HD video with 1920×1080 resolution to BD-R/RE disks, built-in hard drive or to SD/SDHC cards. This feature allows the users, who want share video with other, to bypass the PC.

The device is very compact and Hitachi has done a remarkable job of fitting everything in 3.1×3.4×5.5 inches device. Like most of the camcorders, the Blu-ray drive is placed on the side of the main body. Most of the controls will lie under the right thumb on the back of the optical drive. A button has been provided to transfer files from hard drive to SD card. The device lacks accessory shoe, video light, headphone/mic jack though it has a flash light.

The device is easy to operate due to lack of features. There are very few options in the menus. The AVCHD files can be recorded at 1920×1080 HX mode and two 1440×1080 modes. The video quality on par with what you expect from HD. In bright light, the colors are accurate, detailed and bright but in low light video seem to have noticeable noise and graininess.

The still photos captured by the 7-megapixel CMOS sensor in bright light are above average. The images have some artifacts and colors are a little off, but their high resolution is useful. But the image quality degrades when images are taken indoor or in low-lit conditions. The use of flash seems harmful than improving the image quality.

The problem with the device is its speed. It is slow to access drives, store photos and prepare for next shoot. Sometimes focusing takes a little time and switching between storage modes is also very slow.

Hitachi is the only company whose camcorders can transfer HD video to and from removable flash media to internal flash memory, or removable DVD-R/RW. But the disadvantage is that the optical discs are more prone to data errors and can ruin the whole disc. Moreover the discs have lower storage capacity. So, if you don’t like the all-in-one feature of Hitachi DZ-BD10HA there are other better options available for you. It will be better to get a camcorder that has DVD recorder if you want PC free DVD copies.