Hitachi DZ-GX3200A
Manufacturer: Hitachi America Ltd. Part number: DZGX3200A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Hitachi's DZ-GX3200A delivers decent video quality at a relatively inexpensive price for a DVD camcorder.
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CNET editors' review
Hitachi DZ-GX3200A price range: $499.95
- Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
- Reviewed on: 07/13/2006
The good: Decent low-light video quality; solid battery life; in-camera editing.
The bad: Hidden touch-sensitive controls; poor auto white balance for stills.
The bottom line: Hitachi's DZ-GX3200A delivers decent video quality at a relatively inexpensive price for a DVD camcorder.
This difference in sensors ends up affecting still images more noticeably than it does video. Since it can capture only 2-megapixel stills, prints from the Hitachi DZ-3200A won't be as sharp as those from the DZ-3300A, even at standard 4x6-inch snapshot size. Video, while only slightly less sharp, is still very pleasing.
Like the DZ-GX3300A, the DZ-GX3200A carries over the design of last year's Hitachi DZ-GX20A. The downside to that is the handful of touch-sensitive buttons hidden behind the 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD. Since they're mounted flush on the camera's body, the buttons are hard to tell apart by touch alone and difficult to use while shooting. Most other controls are well placed, and the menus are intuitive and easy to navigate.
The DZ-GX3200A accepts four varieties of 3-inch DVD discs: write-once DVD-R and rewriteable DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM. It records video in MPEG-2 compression to allow 18 to 60 minutes of footage per side, depending on what quality level you choose. The camcorder packs a 1/3.6-inch, 2.1-megapixel CCD sensor. Though it uses 2 megapixels to capture stills, it uses only 1.2 megapixels for video.
Other features include a 10X optical zoom lens, automatic and manual white balance and exposure options, as well as five preprogrammed autoexposure modes and three preset white-balance settings. Connectivity includes an A/V input/output jack, a microphone input, and a mini USB jack. There's no FireWire output, but most users will probably just drop the mini-DVD disc in their computer's DVD drive to transfer their footage. However, if you have a slot-loading DVD drive, the USB connection will definitely come in handy.
Performance was almost identical to the DZ-GX3300A's, with a speedy start-up, comfortable zoom control, and adequately responsive autofocus. The electronic image stabilization was effective to about 74 percent of the camera's zoom range, and manual focus was difficult on the LCD screen.
The one area in which the Hitachi DZ-GX3200A exceeds the DZ-GX3300A is battery life. Hitachi rates the DZ-GX3200A's battery life at as much as 125 minutes when using the best recording quality, though you can expect about half that with typical start/stop recording and occasional replay of scenes you've shot.
The DZ-GX3200A's video quality is about what you'd expect from a midprice MiniDV camcorder. At low compression, video was sharp with some motion artifacts and edge crawl, along with a bit of blooming. At higher compression levels, banding showed up more often in areas with significant gradations in brightness.
Low-light footage exhibited more grain than well-lit scenes did, though the DZ-GX3200A yielded pleasing low-light video that was brighter and more colorful than one might expect at this price. The low-light mode helped to brighten dim scenes, though it does noticeably lower the frame rate, so moving objects and pans look a bit choppy.
Still images were impressive for a camcorder, though the auto white balance produced extremely warm results with our lab's tungsten lights. The tungsten white-balance mode worked better, but we had to set white balance manually to get truly neutral results.
If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive DVD camcorder and don't need the DZ-GX3300A's 3-megapixel stills, the Hitachi DZ-GX3200A might be for you. Of course, if you don't care much about stills and can sacrifice a little bit of sharpness in your video, then you may want to take a look at this camcorder's less-expensive sibling, the Hitachi DZ-GX3100A.
User reviews
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stay clear of this one!!
by dirtgremlin on December 15, 2008
Pros: Price was decent!
Cons: Poor video quality....poor camera....numerous disc errors.....mini dv's fill quickly....camera is now broken after recording less than 15 hours of video..
Summary: This was not the camcorder I intended to buy but the salesman at the electronics store talked me into this one. The price seemed right and it came with alot ...
Summary: This was not the camcorder I intended to buy but the salesman at the electronics store talked me into this one. The price seemed right and it came with alot of accesories. After only recording 2 or 3 mini dv's worth of video, the playback would freeze up and become pixelated. I thought it may have just been my dvd player, but it did the same thing on other dvd players and my computer. I have numerous disc error messages and the other day after finalizing a disc, it would not eject it. I received numerous disc error messages . Now the camera doesnt even work and I was forced to pry open the door to remove my disc. I will be getting a new HD digital recorder and will post a video on YOUTUBE of me Shooting my Hitachi dgx-3200a with an M-16 the next time I go to my firing range!!
It also shot very poor quality in low light situations and the camera was lousy too!! -
Motor broke after 6 months of use
by slim5623 on October 18, 2007
Pros: Good picture
Cons: No date stamp strap uncomfortable
Summary: Can't recommend. After spending $479.00 I would expect a longer lasting camcorder. I had a Sony 8mm for 10 years with only one problem. I called Hitachi for ...
Summary: Can't recommend. After spending $479.00 I would expect a longer lasting camcorder. I had a Sony 8mm for 10 years with only one problem. I called Hitachi for help they said it was out of warrenty and I would have to ship it and pay to have it fixed aprox. $250.00. For a $100 more I bought another Sony.
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Disc errors after 4 months of light use
by Stinkbreath on April 28, 2007
Pros: Worked for the first 4 hours of filming
Cons: Reliablity questionable, poor warranty
Summary: After 4 months of light use this camera decided to start giving disk errors, resulting in the loss of all video of my daughters first birthday. It will format and ...
Summary: After 4 months of light use this camera decided to start giving disk errors, resulting in the loss of all video of my daughters first birthday. It will format and start to use the disks, only to show a disk error sometime during the recording. I have be unable to recover ANY data from the disks after an error occurs. This camara was never dropped or mistreated in any way
I live in Houston, TX and the closest repair facility is about an 1.5 hour round trip. And because only parts are covered by the cheep-o warranty, it would cost me $75 in labor just to have an estimate done (applied to the cost of fixing it if I go forward). So now I have to decide: Is it worth driving 3 hours (drop off and pick up) and spending at least $75 to fix a camara that broke after just 4 months? Am I willing to trust it to film my daughters 2nd birthday? Guess I've got me a $400 paper weight, because I'll be buying another brand.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Hitachi America Ltd.
- Part number: DZGX3200A
- Description: Proprietary 6th Generation Hitachi technology delivers high quality 2.12 Mega Pixel resolution in a sleek, lightweight and compact design. Oversampling Advanced Image Processing captures more pixels per frame to create a sharper, more detailed image. Recording in true 16: 9 widescreen format straight DVD that can be finalized easily by pressing a single button. With PC and Mac Video Editing Software, simply transfer video from Camcorder to computer for editing, and then burn back to one of four formats of DVD in your camcorder. The Photo Frame Grab allows you choose the perfect frame of video action and store it as a still image on the removable SD card. Hitachi delivers superior technologies and picture performance in DVD Camcorders.
General
- Product Type Camcorder
- Digital Zoom 500 x
- Optical Sensor Size 1/3.6"
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Min Illumination 0.3 lux
- Digital Video Format MPEG-2
- Image Stabilizer Electronic
- Digital Scene Transition Wipe fader, White fader, Black & white fader
- Min Shutter Speed 1/4 sec
- Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec
- Shooting Modes Digital photo mode
- Shooting Programs Low light, Spotlight, Sand & snow, Sports mode, Portrait mode
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Indoor, Outdoor, Fluorescent
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Widescreen Video Capture Yes
Main Features
- Camcorder Sensor Resolution 2.12 megapixels
- Camcorder Effective Video Resolution 1.23 megapixels
- Camcorder Effective Still Resolution 1.92 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Remote Control Remote control - Infrared
- Media Included Qty 1
- TV Tuner None
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory None
- Supported Flash Memory SD Memory Card
- Image Storage Fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 29 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 38 - With 32MB card, Economy JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 58 - With 32MB card
- Media Type DVD-R (8cm), DVD+RW (8cm), DVD-RW (8 cm), DVD-RAM (8 cm)
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 4.5 mm - 45 mm - F/1.8-2.2
- Focal Length 4.5 mm - 45 mm
- Lens Aperture F/1.8-2.2
- Optical Zoom 10 x
- Lens system type Zoom lens
- Min focal length 4.5 mm
- Max focal length 45 mm
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Features Aspherical lens
- Filter Size 34 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Min Focus Range 0.8 in
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Low Lux / Night Mode Yes
- Digital Still Camera Function Yes
- Additional Features Built-in speaker, Accessories hot shoe, USB 2.0 compatibility
- Remote control Remote control - Infrared
- Software Drivers & Utilities
- Included Accessories Lens cap, Camcorder shoulder strap
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type LCD
- Viewfinder Diagonal Size 0.2 in
- Viewfinder Resolution 200,000 pixels
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7 in - Color
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type Composite video/audio (input/output), S-Video input / output, USB, Microphone
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Audio Input
- Audio input type Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
- Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x USB cable, 1 x A/V cable kit
Power
- Power Device Power adapter + battery charger - External
Battery
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts - 1 year, Limited warranty - Labor - 90 days
Viewfinder / Display
- Display Form Factor Rotating
- Display Format 120,000 pixels
- Viewfinder Color Support Color
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Physical Characteristics
- Width 1.9 in
- Depth 5.2 in
- Height 3.5 in
- Weight 15.9 oz
Manufacturer info
- Hitachi America Ltd.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Hitachi America Ltd. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.hitachi.com
- Address:
2001 Ruppman Plaza, Peoria, IL 61614 - Phone: 1-800-Hitachi
