Hitachi DZ-BD70AF BluRay 5.3MP DVD High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
List Price:
Price: $1,299.95
You Save: $100.00 (7%)
Details
- Photo Catch: Select any frame from your movies on the camcorder and turn them into a 2.07 Mega Pixel digital still print. Simply save the photo to an SD card and then print or share.
- 5.3 Mega Pixel 1/2.8" CMOS Mould Sensor: Captures high definition video through a newly developed CMOS image sensor that can recording video at 1920 x 1080/60Hz and still images at 2400 x 1800 pixels.
- Hitachi Limited High Resolution Image Processing LSI: Efficiently analyzes large volumes of data captured by the 5.3 Mega Pixel CMOS notion sensor, and improves picture quality by reducing noise and delivering vibrant colors.
Description
The new improved DZ-BD70AF is a unmarried drive camcorder which can record approximately one hour of FullHD 1920x1080 high definition video on an 8cm segregate-sided Blu-ray disc (BD-R and BD-RE). Lifelike image reproduction and rich, immersive flush are a result of Hitachi’s 5.3 mega pixel CMOS image sensor and HD dignity 12-element lens system. Not only can the DZ-BD70AF record high definition video to Blu-ray discs, it also comes with an SD carte de visite slot for storing digital still photos at 4.32 mega pixel max detailing. This camcorder has improved low light sensitivity and improved slow shutter knob for smoother panning.Customer Reviews
WHY? HDD (Devastating DISK DRIVE) PERFECTNO proper to GO to a DVD/BD/VIDEO TAPE recorder anymore........ If you have been following the DESKTOP ways, you recognize your going to get a better deal with a HARD DISK DRIVE (VIDEO RECORDER).
On your computer you don't carbon copy to a CD anymore, you copy to WHAT??
Thumb Drive, SD Card, EXTERNAL 300 GB tough drive from western digital (POWERED BY THE USB CORD!!!)
Just don't decline it, you will risk damage and OOC (OUT OF COMMISSION).
I don't own this item. The only reason I bought a camcorder was for the whole determination of not CHANGING DISKS!
GO with the JVC 20GB Everio... must be cheapier by now; and, you will get 4.5 hours ULTRA OK quality. HD is getting over rated when it comes to recording on your personal existence. (The 40 GB Everios must be more economical by now)
The Everio is compact and it has been holding sizeable stable for 3 years. Dropped it once for the first time, a week ago... Hasn't complained yet.
For Recording:
I don't record the whole Aerosmith concert. Why would I, better to enjoy it.
Recording your kid increasing up in HD tv won't make an Academy Award either... it could make Funniest Knowledgeable in Video Entries easier though...
Never HAVE TO CHANGE DISC! Thats the only item to remember. SOON, SOLID STATE DRIVE (SDD).
Stop waisting bread and changing discs like you change diapers on a newborn.
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Ok, at a barter price
Ok, about that I paid about $300 for mine, it's my #3 high-def camcorder, and I know what I'm doing... this is not a likeness for beginners. But I don't think a beginner should be using any of the AVCHD models yet.. the composition is too new.
This was not really the case with HDV, simply because MPEG-2 was a done deal long before HDV came along.. so the first cameras that came out were somewhat good, and where improvements were made, it was in the general HD area, not the encoding format so much. AVC (also called MPEG-4 part 10, also called H.264) is ordinarily heralded as the successor to MPEG-2, but it's way more complex. Encoding on a PC or other expert hardware looks great, but you're probably spending 3-6 hours per hour of HD video to do that training. Crunching this down to a small battery-powered camcorder and maintaining that distinction is a work-in-progress.
THE BAD
Yeah, BD-R and BD-RE in 8cm size are expensive. But if you think of the BD-RE as a replacement for an SD visiting-card (they hold about 7.5GB), they make a little more sense... you list on it, copy the video off to another device, then erase it, just as a flash window-card. Eventually, BD-R will be cheap enough to compare to tape, but that's a ways off.
Quality-sapient, it's mixed. This one is pretty awful on low-light shooting. It's a given that nearly every HD camcorder is going to be worse in low light than a similar SD model... they're only starting to bear a few with decent low-light performance in the prosumer price ranges (new Canon and Pannys, about $1300). But this one's strangely worse than you'd expect, given the decent performance in good street lamp, and the large enough single sensor.
THE CONFUSING (for some)
If you're not already doing Blu-Ray, this may be a pain. Windows don't natively realize the Blu-Ray file format (it's a new version of the UDF file system used on DVD), so you need to fit the Hitachi software. Hitachi, like most CE companies, is clueless about software support, but in accuracy, editing video isn't their job. If, like me, you already have Blu-Ray support in place in your video toolchain, dealing with this style is a no-brainer.
THE GOOD
Tapeless rocks, when you're in a hurry. However, AVCHD on DVD is a horrendous idea -- it's nowhere near enough storage... you'll get about 20 minutes. Blu-Ray is the right-minded answer for tapeless HD using a 8cm disc. I'm using this one mainly for summary stuff... to offload my way more expensive cameras when quality isn't THAT deprecatory.
As for quality... it's a mixed bag. In the sunlight, this camera delivers a unimpressive enough HD image. Like any first-generation AVCHD camcorder, you're not going to fit HDV quality on fact motion -- there will be more artifacts. Given this is an older beau id, of course, factor that in on what you're paying.
I didn't mind the user interface at all.. it's rather simplistic, as you'd expect on a consumer model. The one quirk, if your used to seal, is the control for selecting clips to play back... it's a very non-obvious knob. I missed it, first time out... guess I should have RTFMed, but hey, where's the fun in that.
Another plus... this working model will shoot SD on DVD-R or DVD-RAM, which is rather usual these days; most AVCHD/tapeless models are HD-only. You don't get the selection... it's HD on BD, SD on DVD.
The body and styling is kind of nice.. a bit weird, but it grows on you. It has a inundated, full-sized cold shoe, and works great with an external mic like an Azden SMX-10. You could simply use any 3.5mm plug mono or stereo mic (far as no, there's no plug-in power, you'll difficulty a self-powered mic), but a larger mic could be visible in the shot, if used on-camera. I never push shooting with any built-in camera audio, so I can't really tell you if it's any benign or not.
So, my bottom line: at the original $1300 or so, this was a bad camera, no question, largely based on the low light up performance. Today, you can get 3rd generation AVCHD models, which do a much better job at indoctrination without artifacts... some of these start at around $500-$600. Unless disc is a big betterment, skip this and go with a Canon HF-200 (about $600) or a Panny HDC-SD9 (about $500) or a Sony HDR-CX7 or CX12 rather than pay the prices in the $700s or $800s for this I've seen around. But for the payment of an SD camcorder, $300 or so, it's not a bad unit.
Hitachi has a new model BD camcorder, which is supposedly much improved, and also records to SDHC glitter cards as an alternate. If you're looking for a better unit, that should be seeing the same breed of technology improvements as the other 3rd generation AVCHD models.
Like any bit of technology, you basic to do your homework. AVCHD is new enough some video editors still don't support it. Even when they do, it's very CPU intensive, so don't be surprised when your dual-centre CPU is driven to its knees. Using an intermediate video format, like CineForm, Sony MXF (or other high bitrate MPEG-2 variations), isn't a bad impression if you have a complex project. Blu-Ray media is still expensive, though it's been falling.. you're not being a wise consumer if you don't harass to price consumables of any kind before buying the device that consumes them.
What a destroy of money!
There is practically no support from Hitachi on this product. You are totally on your own. There is no documentation for the software so you must be savvy enough to tally it out for yourself. The interface is extremely cumbersome and time consuming. Also, I should have looked at the payment of the discs before buying this product. $25 for a one hour disc??? I urge I had never wasted my money on this camera.
