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Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Reviews for Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

1 Megapixel Image - 0.5 Megapixel Video - 10x Optical Zoom - 240x Digital Zoom - MPN: DZMV580A

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|8 reviews
  • 4
  By member: Psykotic - Mar 21, 2005

Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Strengths: 16:9 widescreen recording capabilities.SD picture capability.

Weakness: No DVD-RW capability.

I have recently purchased a Panasonic M50 and returned it and purchased the Hitachi DZ-MV380A and returned it also. The merchant I purchased the 380 told me I was purchasing the 580 thats why it got returned.
I do everything in widescreen format and needed a camcorder that could record in that format. The RAM discs lets you record over and over again. I don't even use a DVD-R. I copy straight to the RAM and then right to the PC and make my movies from there.
Try to stay away from digital zoom because the images you record are pixelated. You can add a SD card and put still photos right to the card or to the disc. The pixels are low and should only be used when you are close to the subject that you are taking still photos of.
All in all I feel that this is one of the best camcorders on the market. Gotta love widescreen.

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  • 4
  By member: lostdutchman - Jun 1, 2005

Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Strengths: Easy to use with multiple uses. Easy to hold & work controls.

Weakness: User book sometimes is confusing if your not real tecnically knowledgable.

Received my camcorder 2 days before we left for vacation. It took very little instruction to get started using.Shot a lot of our videos thru the windows while driving. Everyone that has seen the DVDs we took are amazed at how clear & bright they are. Got great shots while moving, even when using the focus to bring in close-up shots. Still photos have been great, even when pulling out special sections, when printed on my photosmart printer. We're very pleased with this camcorder & have already reccommended it to several family & friends.

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  • 5
  By member: Ladislao - Jun 6, 2004

Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Strengths: ONLY DVD CAMCORDER THAT RECORDS IN 16:9 W/CCD CHIP

Weakness: TAKES ONLY 1MP INSTEAD OF 2MP SNAPSHOTS

There were a few things that I had to consider


1) How "future-capable" is this camera. (Can this camera keep up with my
needs in future, like say, five years from now, all I can say is YES!).

2) Picture quality. (Has a CCD chip for more accurate color (although a 3CCD
chip is better, it's MORE expensive). EXCELLENT- 570 line resolution!!! And
with the cables that come with it, they also include a S-video connector for
sharper resolution-very impressed).

3) CUSOTMER SERVICE. (What can I say, HITACHI IS ONE OF THE BEST !!! I only
say this because of the MANY, MANY, hours spent on hold with other
companies. THEY ARE FAST! Very little "hold-time." I must have called about
10 times already with all kinds of questions. They walked me through
everything; as I don't like reading manuals. And they never say, "did you
read the manual?" I already know a few of the guys by there first name).

4) Warranty. (As with any company. It's always good to get an extended
warranty. Mack Camera & Video Service will insure your camera, provided you
buy it through a distributor that sells their service. I bought my camera
from Digital Liquidators, and they sell their service. And you can talk
their warranty price down a bit. I got a four year service plan for $150.00.
Better than other place that can charge $250.00 at some retail stores. And
the best part of it all is you can register your camera warranty information
with Mack, online when you get your Warranty Agreement Contract with you
camera. It takes about 5 minutes, and your done).

Now for the review...
When I was looking around for a camcorder, I went through many review
websites (www.cnet.com is one of the BEST!!!). I searched and searched, and
finally it came down to two camcorders. The Hitachi DZ-MV580A and the Canon
Optura Xi (for a little over a $1,000.00). They are both excellent cameras,
with a few differences. The Canon, in my opinon, is one of the best DV
(tape) camcorders for that price. Well worth the investment, only IF you're
looking for a DV (tape) camcorder. This camcorder does all the same things
that the Hitachi DZ-MV580A does with some minor differences. Both cameras
have a CCD chip and record in widescreen mode (16: 9 ratio - which means you
don't have to buy a wide screen lens to extend the view, unless you want a
wide-wide screen view - that's a joke). You have a choice between recording
in 4: 3 or 16: 9 ratio. It seems like everything is converting to 16: 9
ratio in a few years anyway; according to Hitachi's tech support. I found
this out AFTER I bought the camcorder, (which made me very happy). I think
everything we view should be in 16: 9 ratio (again my opinion). The first
you don't have to worry about is having to fast-forward on a DVD recorder
(as you have to do on a DV (tape) recorder). You actually have a chapter
selection each time you record and pause your recordings. You can actually
view OR delete that scene you want to view or trash. That was one of the
biggest reasons why I bought this camera (along with the other reasons;
mentioned above). The second was taking snapshots. Although The Canon Optura
Xi is better (2 MP), as oppossed to the Hitachi DZ-MV580A (1 MP), they still
take decent shots (again thanks to the CCD chip that helps with color
accuracy), that look great. I don't know if you want to make prints from
these 1 MP snapshots, but they are great to email friends and use as screen
savers. I currently have a screen saver of my new born son, It looks great
for 1 MP. You can either record your snapshots on a SD card or a DVD-R or
DVD-RAM disc. They record a bit sharper on DVD than on SD (according to the
manual). Now for the disc issue. Make sure when you purchase these discs,
that you get DVD-R (records ONLY once - CAN'T re-record over it. And it CAN
be viewed on most DVD players), or DVD-RAM (CAN be recorded over, but CAN'T
be viewed on DVD players; only through your camcorder when you hook it up to
the T.V., or if you download your recorded information onto your hard drive
first and burn your recordings on a DVD for viewing on your T.V.. Hitachi
provides software that will do that for you, only if you have a DVD burner.
And again, if you get stuck with using the software, Hitachi's Customer
Service will walk you through it step by step until you are satisfied). Also
make sure you purchase the DVD-R or DVD-RAM "round" discs for this camcorder
and NOT the square ones. I made that mistake. I got a great price for the
discs though. All I had to do to correct the problem is take the DVD disc
out of the square disc holder and put it in the round disc holder (that is
already included with your camcorder). Make sure you read the instructions
to do this, (again which I hate to do) or call tech support for further
help, to install these discs on the proper side, (that only applies to the
one-sided record discs - 1.4 MB for 30 min. recordings). You can purchase
2.8 for 60 min. recordings (30 min. on each side, but you have to open the
round disc holder and flip the disc to the other side). If you have ANY
questions before you purchase this camcorder, CALL HITACHI AND ASK AS MANY
QUESTIONS AS YOU CAN (as did I).

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  • 5
  By member: vyarlagadda - Jan 2, 2005

Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Strengths: Excellent videos can be made with this product.Better than sony DVD camcorder for the price you pay.

Weakness: Yet to explore

I did buy this camcorder reading the reviews and best prices that are posted on pricegarbber.com I bought this camera at centraldigital.com they have shipped this product within 2 days.It is good to get an extra battery and you can purchase it at tigerdirect.com for $58.00, the same battery sells for $94.00 at circuiy city.The DVD-R are little expensive.Still expolring how to copy the video from camcorder to DVD media.The instructions provided are OK not that great.Will need to paly around a little bit.The qualtiy of the video is great.This product rocks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  • 5
  By member: slz10278 - Jan 21, 2005

Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Strengths: Great size and well laid out controls. Easy to operate with one hand. Easy to use and easy to learn

Weakness: Picture quality was not quite as good as I hoped for, but will accept for the ease of use and play back.

I just got my camcorder and love it. It is small and easy to use. The joy stick took a little getting used to, but not too bad. The controls are well laid out and easy to reach. I would recommend highly for the way you can take the DVD out of the camera, and you are done. Just sit back and enjoy.

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  • 5
  By member: stevenfox - Jan 7, 2005

Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Strengths: Record in the camera and play back in your DVD player, no down loads or rerecord to another format.Very good recording even in low light areas. Menu and setup is very easy to use.

Weakness: No wide angle capability. You need to have spare discs formated and on hand because they hold only 30 minutes of recording.

This camera is easy to use and recording to a DVD eliminating PC downloads or rerecording makes this the best system available. DV camcorders are half the price of miniDVD cameras but the personal time you save by not changing the format to a useable one is well worth the extra money.

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  • 1
  By member: gunsaregood - Jun 5, 2005

Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Strengths: Good picture quality

Weakness: DVD is nothing but a mess. It takes so long to access/turn on, that you miss most events that happen fast. The DVD's give nothing but error messages. The formatting is a tedious task.

This thing is an annoying piece of crap. I'll make a red hot deal for anyone who wants to take this off my hands.

The DVD's are completely unreliable.

What I was hoping for was something I could record a DVD, edit it, cut out frames to use as still pics, etc. Well, the format (they claim MPEG, but it's really .vob) is nothing I can find anything able to edit. Still frames are so lo-res they are unusable. They claim USB to computer, but only if using their software which is another learning curve.

The DVD's frequently give disk errors, that cause every thing to stop. So, all that video of your son's graduation that you shot is *gone* because when you try to "finalize" the DVD, it gives an error and, too bad ... you're done.

The only thing that could take longer to do than wrestle with formatting, and finalizing, and clearing errors from these DVD's (that, in the end, cannot be copied to a computer and edited) would be writing about all the problems that I've had with this camera.

Great idea ... but it doesn't work. I'm going to buy a camcorder with a memory stick.

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  • 5
  By member: sshields01 - May 22, 2005

Hitachi DZ-MV580A Digital Camcorder - 2.5" LCD - CCD

Strengths: fairly easy to use.. was best in my research for the monedy

Weakness: software sucks

software could not work with my monitor, and then would not otherwise, once I corrected that problem. I this this product is the best on the market for the money

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