Reviews |
Quick Review Camcorders : Hitachi DZ-MV730
by Nick HyacinthePublished on August 15, 2005
Hitachi's entry level camcorder this year, the DZ-MV730, offers no surprises, and is stripped of some pretty fundamental features. Comparable to most entry level camcorders, the camcorder is outfitted with an unimpressive imager, a 1/6” CCD with 680K gross pixels and 340K effective pixels for both still and video. In predictable low-end fashion, the imager resulted in mediocre performances. This camcorder caters to the limitations of your wallet instead of your need to express yourself artistically.
The Hitachi DZ-MV730 had video and low light performance that was worse than the other Hitachis that crossed our path this year. This model was tested under bright light conditions, comparable to a sunny day, and exhibited an image with considerable noise and a fuzzy grayscale. The Hitachi DZ-MV780, the bigger sister of the DZ-MV730, had a clearer and brighter image with less noise. Both camcorders had comparable color definition.
Even considering that this model is an entry level camcorder, its low light performance was disappointing; the results were not the worst we've seen, but certainly near the bottom of the barrel. The Hitachi DZ-MV730 was tested at 60 lux, which is the equivalent of a dimly lit bedroom, and 15 lux which is similar to a space lit by a one bulb lamp. These images were veiled with a blue tint and significant noise. As expected, the darker the lighting conditions, the worse the performance. The blue tint plaguing the Hitachi DZ-MV730 is often found in Sonys, such as the more expensive DCR-DVD203. The DCR-DVD203 displayed a brighter image but suffered more from the blue noise littering the image. This model produced an image with better color representation than its big sister, the Hitachi DZ-MV780, but the image was fuzzy with much more noise.
The Hitachi DZ-MV730 is capable of capturing stills onto an SD card at the standard 640 x 480 resolution. Similar to video performance, its stills display more noise and are less crisp than stills from higher-end camcorders like the DZ-MV780, which is armed with a better imager and offers higher still resolutions. This low-end model is capable of capturing stills to card which makes it more versatile than higher-priced Sonys like the DCR-DVD7 and DCR-DVD203.
Low-end DVD camcorders such as this offer the most basic of features and predictable performance, while hoping to appeal to users who are after both convenience and saving a few bucks. This camcorder, while affordable, is lacking in accommodations to comfort and convenience. This year Hitachi and Panasonic added a naked disc feature which allows the camcorders to support DVD-RAM discs without the special cartridges needed last year, making the camcorders smaller in size. However, viewing and transferring of data can still be troublesome because the DVD-RAM discs require special DVD-RAM compatible DVD players for viewing and dubbing. This model does not provide a USB cable, making it tricky to connect with a computer. The lack of a USB cable and the format's inability to play on conventional and generic DVD players is an inconvenience.
The Hitachi DZ-MV730 is a simple and predictable entry level camcorder. Its performance was mediocre in bright light and fairly poor in low light conditions, which is expected for camcorder with its standard and basic imager. The camcorder’s lack of USB port will hinder the user's ability to view and transfer images, making one's memories captured for posterity less accessible. Although this model is affordable, consumers should make the monetary sacrifice by acquiring a more feasible and sufficient camcorder.
| Hitachi DZ-MV730 THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 174.57 |
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| Likes |
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-Affordability
-Still Performance |
| Dislikes |
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-Low Light
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Hitachi DZ-MV730 Compared to the...
| Hitachi DZ-MV780 Rating: |
Hitachi DZ-GX20 Rating: |
Panasonic |
Sony DCR-DVD92 Rating:157.80 |
Sony DCR-DVD203 Rating:167.22 |
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| Better | Better | Better | Better | Better |
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-Imager Specs
-Ports -Video Performance -Low light performance -VCR-Mode |
-Ports
-Imager Specs -Digital Still Capability -VCR Mode -Audio |
-Video Performance
-Ports -Ease of use -Media -VCR Mode |
-LCD |
-Imager Specs
-LCD -Ports -Ease of Use -Automatic Control -Digital Still capability -VCR-Mode |
| Equal | Equal | Equal | Equal | Equal |
| -Portability -Manual Control |
-Portability
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-Imager Specs -Manual Control |
-Ports (no USB) -Imager Specs -Portability -Manual Control |
-Portability -Manual Control -Audio |
| Worse | Worse | Worse | Worse | Worse |
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-Optical Zoom Specs
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-Optical Zoom Specs |
-Low light
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-Digital Still capability |
-Still Media -Optical zoom Specs |