Hitachi DZ-GX3100E Reviews: Hitachi DVD storage camcorder

24 Real Customer Reviews - In Summary

This camcorder is a good all rounder. “The camera is light and easy to use in it's basic mode, with a good zoom and the…” Adrian, Manchester View all 24 real customer reviews

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Product Details

15x optical zoom, Image Stabilisation, 2.4 hours of battery More »

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Real customer reviews

24 verified purchasers have reviewed this product.
93% of people recommend it.

Show scores of…

All purchasers (24)

Battery life	7.5
Ease of use	8.5
Image quality	8.4
Value for money (at time of purchase)	9.1
Weight	8.8
Overall rating	8.8

*not all purchasers provided a score or review

Adrian, Manchester

Score 7.0/10

+ The camera is light and easy to use in it's basic mode, with a good zoom and the LCD produces a very clear picture even in strong sunlight.

- It's low light (i.e. early evening)performance is not that good and the standard battery provided does not last that long, if you are looking to take it on a family day out then purchase a second or larger battery.

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29 of 29 people found this review helpful

purchased 03 Aug 2006

John, Biggleswade

Score 9.0/10

+ Great features and ease of use

- None

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29 of 29 people found this review helpful

purchased 26 Aug 2006

Robin, Telford

Score 10.0/10

+ This is my first cam corder so it needed to be simple to use, packed with features and in my opinion it is! You can set most things e.g. focussing to automatic but override these if you want to. Instruction manual is really comprehensive. Film editting on your PC is brilliant with the software provided, so that you can add clips together and fade between them etc. etc., and then write it all to CD to produce your own DVD. The camera writes directly to on to mini CD and using a rewritable disc, I can take it directly out of the camera and play it on my DVD player - and it's all in wide screen - see it on TV straight away no messing.

- As I said it's my first cam corder purchase so I can't think of any. I'm really pleased with it!

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25 of 25 people found this review helpful

purchased 02 Nov 2007

rex, hampshire

Score 8.0/10

+ just point and shoot great results

- battery could last longer

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23 of 23 people found this review helpful

purchased 06 Aug 2006

Phil, Woodbridge

Score 10.0/10

+ Excellent value and good quality, easy to use with great photgraphic results.

- The only downside is that it does not come with a memory card.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 24 Nov 2007

Jenny, Stone

Score 10.0/10

+ Easy to use. I have had fun playing with it - it seems idiot proof. Good results even allowing for dark background outside. Optical zoom excellent

- Handbook could be more user friendly. What about a simplified need to know sheet?

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

purchased 20 Nov 2007

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 7.0/10

+ easy to use

- storing on discs expense of buying other discs

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

purchased 10 Nov 2007

Penny, Redcar

Score 10.0/10

+ very good dvd camera would recommend

- poor battery life

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purchased 10 Dec 2007

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 10.0/10

+ Great value for money,The whole kit plus extras

- Reviewer left no comment

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purchased 02 Jan 2008

Craigie , Essex

Score 8.0/10

+ Nifty little versatile product.

- Can't reuse the discs.

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purchased 30 Dec 2007

Vaughan , Ipswich

Score 8.0/10

+ I only decided to purchase a camcorder when my son was born- I wanted something that was easy to use. Overall this is proving to be a good camcorder for someone like me- who just wants to record family events etc and not become a video expert. The picuture quality is much better than I expected.

- You can't record video clips onto SD memory- only photos.

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purchased 18 Jan 2008

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Product Features

Optical Zoom Ratio	15
The amount by which the camera optics (lens) can bring the subject closer.
Media Format	DVD
This is the type of storage that your digital camera or camcorder uses to save images to. The main types of card media format: Compact Flash Micro SD MMC (Multi Media Card) SD Card (Secure Digital) SDHC (Secure Disk High Capacity)
Digital Zoom Ratio	800
Not to be confused with optical zoom, digital zoom enlarges a portion of the image thus simulating optical zoom. In doing so, some image quality is lost.
Image Stabilisation	Yes
If a photo is taken at a slow shutter speed, or at a long focal length, the effects of ‘hand shake’ will be amplified. Some cameras come with built-in image stabilisation which is designed to act against this to produce sharper images. It’s great for low light shots without a tripod, like at a gig.
Resolution (Pixels)	1280x960
A camera sensor, that captures the photograph, is measured in pixels. The number given here is the horizontal amount of pixels followed by the vertical quantity of pixels. The more pixels a camera sensor has, the bigger and higher quality the image will be.
Manual Focus	Yes
Almost all modern cameras have autofocus. Manual focus allows you to override the autofocus and set the distance yourself. This is especially useful if your camera is struggling to focus in a low-light or confusing scene.
Dimensions (mm)	48x86x121
The size of the device in millimetres, in width x height x depth.
Battery Life in Hours	2.4
Battery life is important if you travel a lot. Long train journeys can be a pain if you don’t get more than 3 hours of life out of your laptop. It’s worth remembering that a lot of trains offer power sockets now so don’t be put off by a low battery life unless your lifestyle demands ultra portability.
Filter Diameter (mm) Lens 1	30.5
If you want to protect your camera or camcorder lens from getting scratched you will need a filter. A filter screws on to the front of the lens. The filter diameter is the distance across the lens.
Weight (g)	475
The weight of the product in grams.
Docking Station	No
A docking station, also known as a cradle, is used to rest your equipment whilst it charges and also allows transfer of data to a computer.
Monitor Resolution (pixels)	123000

Screen Size in Inches	2.7
Screen size is measured diagonally from corner to corner.
16:9 Recording Format	Yes
HDMI Interface	0
Like a scart interface but capable of carrying HD signals from or to other devices. You’ll need these to link your Playstation 3 or your Blu-ray player to your HD-ready TV.
USB Port	Yes
Socket for connecting devices such as a computers and other components
Remote Control	Yes
Waterproof	No
If your camcorder is waterproof you will be able to film under water which is perfect for diving and snorkeling.
Digital Still Photography	Yes
A Digital Still Photography function on a camcorder allows you to use the camcorder as if it was a digital camera. Camcorders with photo function often save to a separate memory card such as an SD Card.
Night Recording	Yes
Night Recording is a special mode that allows you to record in low light situations.

Also known as: HITACHI DZGX3100, HITACHI GX3100, Hitachi DZGX3100E, Hitachi DZ-GX 3100

Camcorders Buying Guide

Manufacturer's Description

1.3 Megapixel CCD
15 x Optical Zoom
800 x Digital Zoom
USB 2.0 High Speed
Multi-Format – records on all major 8cm DVD formats (DVD RAM, DVD RW, DVD R and +RW)
One second start up from ‘Sleep’ mode
Video to photo capture mode
Finalise button
Trigger button for still images
Bundled PC software including support with WIN and now Apple MAC
Widescreen 2.7" LCD screen
16:9 Wide Mode – film widescreen footage without loss of quality for display on the latest widescreen TVs.
SD/MMC Memory Card Slot
0.2" Colour viewfinder
E.I.S. (Electronic Image Stabiliser)
Records movies (MPEG2 DVD) and still photos (JPEG to DVD RAM or SD/MMC Memory Card)
XTRA mode VBR (Variable Bit Rate) recording
On-camera editing – available with DVD RAM or DVD RW (VR-Mode)
Disc navigation