The Hitachi Dz-bd7ha Hd Blu-ray Camcorder is the first camcorder to shoot video straight to Blu Ray. With Blu Ray being the video medium of the future, this camcorder is the only one in its class.
Not to add more form to function, and have one up on its competitors this Hitachi Full Def camcorder also has a built in 30 gb hard drive allowing hours upon hours of high quality video recording. When your done, just pop in the blu-ray and record it straight from the camcorder. No messing with loads of other equipment, software, hardware, all that confusing stuff. Just record it on the camcorder, throw it in your blu-ray player, and watch it straight on your big screen television.
If you are not ready for blu-ray it will also record to mini dvd, or you can just record on the hard drive and transfer to your computer to burn on a dvd or upload to Youtube.
With Blu-Ray it will record about an hour of HD. You can put much more on the hard drive, more than you will probably ever fill up. And if that's not enough for you, there is also a memory slot to add your SDHC card.
Another great feature is the ability to watch the video on the lcd screen, capture any frame, and save it as a 2 Megapixel sized picture. Great to capture the essence of the moment.
Here are the user specs:
Blu-ray Disc Hybrid Camcorder with Built-in 30GB HDD
FullHD (1920 x 1080) High Definition Video Recording
5.3 MegaPixels 1/2.8" CMOS Image Sensor
8cm BD-RE/-R/DVD Drive
Easy Dubbing
Transcoding
Photo Capture
1-Second Quick Start
Built In "Interactive Guide"
Disc Navigation
Widescreen 2.7" LCD View Finder
16:9 Widescreen Recording
Manufacturer Hitachi
Manufacturer Part Number DZBD7HA
Format Hybrid
Class Consumer
High Definition
Formats:
MPEG-2
MPEG-4
Media Support:
DVD
Recording Media:
Hard Drive
Optical Drive
Memory Card
Maximum Image Resolution:2400 x 1800
Image Sensor Type: CMOS
Image Formats: JPEG
Recording Formats: HD
Video System: NTSC
Hard Drive Capacity: 30 GB
Imager and Processing:
Sensor Size (in.) 1/2.8
Sensor Count 1
Gross Pixel Count Video 5300000.00
Gross Pixel Count Still 5300000.00
Effective Pixel Count Video 2070000.00
Effective Pixel Count Still 4320000.00
Progressive Scan (output) No
Still Pixel Shifting 0
Still Resolution Dimensions Maximum 2400x1800
Lens:
Optical Zoom 10.00
Digital Zoom 500.00
Filter Diameter (mm) 43.00
Focal Distance Minimum (mm) 5.00
Focal Distance Maximum (mm) 50.00
35mm Focal Distance Minimum (mm) 0.00
35mm Focal Distance Maximum (mm) 0.00
F-stop Minimum 1.80
F-stop Maximum 3.00
Minimum Lux (reported) 24.00
Image Stabilization Electronic
Manual/Automatic Controls:
Manual Focus Type Joystick
Manual Exposure Yes
Manual Exposure Steps 13
Manual Aperture No
Manual Aperture Max (f/) 0.00
Manual Aperture Min (f/) 0.00
Manual Shutter Speed No
Manual Shutter Speed Steps 0
White Balance Modes Auto, Indoor 1, Indoor 2, Outdoor
Manual Gain No
Manual Gain Steps 0
Manual Audio Modes No
Audio Dubbing No
Auto/Easy Mode Yes
Ports:
USB
Composite (RCA) Out
Component Out
HDMI
Microphone In
Body:
Body Type Horizontal
Weight (gram) 705.00
Width (mm) 80.00
Height (mm) 87.00
Length (mm) 165.00
Body Color(s) Silver
Accessory Shoe yes
Accessory Shoe Hot yes
LCD Size (in.) 2.70
LCD Resolution (Pixels) 211200
Touch Screen No
Hybrid (Non-Solarizing) LCD No
Viewfinder Yes
Viewfinder Type Electronic Color
Viewfinder Resolution (Pixels) 200000.00
Video Light No
Flash Yes
Still Media SD/SDHC
Dimensions:
3.40" Height x 3.20" Width x 6.50" Depth - excluding hand strap
Included Battery DZ-BP14S
Included Battery Life (min.) 101
Recording Quality Options HX, HF, HS, SX, SF
Max Recording Time (min.) 480.00
Included Software Image Mixer 3 HD Edition for BDCAM
What's in the box: Hitachi DZ-BD7HA HD BluRay Camcorder, Remote, AC Adapter, Battery, USB Cable, A/V Cable, Component Cable, CD, and Manual.
PROS: blu-ray and dvd writer, tons of storage options, easy menu guides, 1 second camera startup "to catch the moment", and feature rich.
CONS: Instruction manual not concise, low quality still photos (only 2 megapixel)
Retail Price: $1299
Street Price: ~$600
US $375.00
