Customer Reviews 
Great except in low light.
2006-01-29I researched all the available DVD Camcorders before deciding on this one. At the time, it was on sale for $599, and decided it was the best for the money. I am very happy with my decision. I can't give it 5 stars because it does not perform great in low lighting. But from what I read, the only DVD camcorder that does is the top of the line Sony, which costs $300 more. If you can get the Hitachi on sale, it is a very good buy.
Terrific Camcorder
2006-01-02I'd originally gotten a Sony DV Camcorder but found that it had to have ONLY Sony parts such as batteries, tapes and other accessories at a high price and would not connect directly to my computer. Examined all the other camcorders and settled on this Hitachi. It is terrific. It does everything I wanted very easily. Using the "low light" setting, I was able to get an excellent video with normal room light and the lit Christmas tree. It is necessary to be careful about the mini DVDs you use, but they are easily found and at a very reasonable price.
I wanted a DVD recorder as I was not happy with the results from my analogue tape camera. This Hitachi more than fills the bill. It is easy to use, has great accessories included in the box, even a first DVD disk. The manual covers everything with easy to understand pictures and text. I'm completely sold on the Hitachi.
Lackluster performance
2006-01-01I purchased this camcorder to replace an old Sony. After 1 DVD-R recording, I have decided to return it. The low-light performance was the killer. I used it to tape our child's first Christmas in normal, indoor lighting and it is very dark, almost unwatchable. The set-up was quite easy, but what good is easy set up if it takes poor videos? I am opting for the Sony 403 model.
Electronics Articles
Camera basics: shutter-speed, aperture and ISO
In this article, I’ll introduce you to the basic elements that you can use to control exposure in your shooting. If you have a digital SLR, there will be a way to set all of these controls on your camera, but since they differ between manufacturers and models, you’ll need to refer to your camera’s manual to find out exactly how to change them.
All cameras, whether an ancient film camera, or a more modern digital, work in pretty much the same way. Photographs are taken by letting light fall onto a light-sensitive medium, which records the image. Traditionally, this has been film, but more recently, it tends to be a digital sensor. The more light that falls onto the film or sensor, the lighter the image.
Put simply, a camera consists of a light-tight box that stores a light-sensitive device (either a film or a digital sensor), a lens that magnifies and focuses the image onto that light-sensitive device through a hole in the box (called the aperture) , and a shutter that opens ...
Digital cameras are good for the environment
As we consider the digital camera revolution that has taken place over the last decade, most people think about it in terms of enhanced benefits for consumers. We can take a lot more pictures at much lower cost with digital cameras versus film cameras. We can also more easily manipulate and share those photos since they're all in the digital realm.
But one thing many people don't think about actually deserves mention as potentially the most profound effect of the digital camera revolution: how digital cameras greatly reduce the destructive impact on the environment compared to film cameras.
At first, you might think, "How can that be? My film camera didn't harm the environment!" Even though it wasn't your camera that harmed the environment, your film processing did indeed harm it. Any time you take your pictures to a photo processing center, that film is run through batches of chemicals. These chemicals are environmental hazards, and once they are used to process film, those chem ...
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