Hitachi DZ-HS303SW

By Derek Fung, CNET.com.au
Jan 25, 2007

With hard disk camcorders and DVD camcorders gaining popularity by the day, Hitachi has launched the world's first "hybrid" camcorder, featuring both hard disk and DVD. Recording can be either to hard disk or straight on to DVD. Footage stored on the camera's hard disk can be edited and burnt to DVD without first being transferred on to a PC. Hitachi believes that this will appeal to casual users who have neither the inclination nor the time to learn how to use video editing software, like Adobe Premiere Elements or Windows Movie Maker.

Editors' note: This review is based on tests performed by our sister site CNET.com.au. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please enquire directly at the site where the article was originally published.

Design and features
Smartly dressed in jet-black and dark chrome, the HS303 attracts attention with its good looks. Its pleasing visage distracts you from its slightly larger than normal waistline. The major aesthetic sore point though is the rather bulbous battery pack jutting out the back.

	Two-in-one vidcam.

Starting up the camcorder or switching between its recording modes--DVD and hard-disk for video, and SD for photos--takes about 5 seconds. This limits spur-of-the-moment shooting, although there's a standby mode which reduces start-up time to a second.

The HS303's ease-of-use suffers from a menu system that, although well organised, is slow and clunky. Pressing down multiple times quickly doesn't quickly skip you down the menu, instead you have to wait for each key press to be acknowledged on-screen. Often, the messages displayed are cryptic and poorly worded.

Recording video is a simple task because, although a little oversized, the camera fits neatly into the right hand with the zoom and record/stop buttons well positioned for one-handed recording. The controls for other functions, however, are not so conveniently placed. To alter either the focus or the exposure--the only manual controls available--you need to firmly press a button located in the LCD display's recess and then adjust the setting using the playback buttons located on the left-hand side of the chrome barrel; this is hard to do without taking your eyes off the LCD.

Doing all this induces a fair amount of wobble to any footage you might be recording. Speaking of wobble, the HS303's image stabilisation is the electronic kind and isn't particularly effective at maximum zoom (10X).

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