Hitachi DZ-MV730A Camcorder - Silver

I really like this camera a lot. It is easy to use. DVD-RAM idea is great, but not super compatible.

My goal was to take videos with the camera, then burn the DVD-RAM disc's images onto DVD-R type disks and then be on my way.

This version of the camera does not have a USB port, so the only way to get your videos on your computer is by taking the DVD-RAM out of the camera and inserting it into your computer CD/DVD drive. The only issue here is that most DVD drives that I know of do not read DVD-RAM discs, so I had to go out and buy a new DVD drive for my computer.

Now I can get the files from the DVD-RAM to my harddrive, but now I can't get any of my DVD programs to edit the file. I ended up buying Womble MPEG Video Wizard DVD but that was pretty expensive. This software allows me to edit the movies and then it gets the video all ready to be written to a DVD-R disc that you can play in your TV-based DVD player. The only problem with Womble (an otherwise awesome video editting software tool) is that they do not have DVD burning software bundled in with the program, so you have to use Nero or something like that to burn the disc.

Someone who wants to buy this camera and can use my review above to learn what you have to do and what tools you need to do it will have a much easier time that I did.

I am all set up now and completely love it, however, there were a lot of growing pains in the learning process. I hope this review makes it easier for you!

Jim

I like this camcorder because when you are finished recording on the dvds you can edit them and then finalize them and watch them on your dvd player.It is very convenient and really easy to work. I would not recomend this camcorder for professional use, but it is very good for family vacationing and filming the kids, ballgames etc.. I have used mine a couple of months and have had no problems and the instructions are easy to follow. I would recommend buying the light for night recording. I took this camcorder to Disney World and the night filming was dark. After I got home, I bought a light for it and it has worked great. No problems with this camcorder and I think it is a very good selection for beginners.

I bought this camcorder because it recorded to dvd in the camera and I wasn't dissapointed. First, it records in true widescreen mode which means that I can enjoy watching it on my high definition TV. It fills the screen completely without having black areas on either side of my screen. My HP computer accepts the dvd-ram disks and I can view them on Windows Media Center or edit it with Roxio Easy CD Creator or MyDVD programs. After copying it to my computer or to a DVD, I reuse the DVD-RAM disk over and over, which is a great savings. It also has a slot for an SD card for still photos, but I don't usually use that as I have a nice digital camera.
The best part is that I don't have to worry about the tape wearing down. I can go from one section to another quickly and as many times as I want to. I don't think I can ever go back to tapes!

When I bought this camcorder, I thought that it was the neatest thing. It was great to use the DVDs instead of a tape. The main benefit from that was that you could review what you just recorded and then start recording again without worrying about being at the last point on the tape. The problem with the DVD is this: you must finalize the discs on the camcorder before you can play them in a DVD. I would finalize a disc, go to play it, and it was corrupted. This happened so many times that I sold the Hitachi and bought a Panasonic that uses tapes. I at least don't have the frustration anymore. If you are having problems with DVDs recorded on this camcorder, try www.cdroller.com for a program that will try to recover the data. I am not affiliated with the program. It was referred to me by Hitachi tech support. I think it was $25.00. But it was worth it to recover my discs. Out of 50 discs, I was able to recover 48, so that's not bad.

I love that the camera will record to dvd format. Only downfall is that the camera has no night capabilities. It needs some sort of night vision or light on the camera.