Summary: Disc errors after 4 months of light use

Comment: After 4 months of light use this camera decided to start giving disk errors, resulting in the loss of all video of my daughters first birthday. It will format and start to use the disks, only to show a disk error sometime during the recording. I have be unable to recover ANY data from the disks after an error occurs.

I live in Houston, TX and the closest repair facility is about an 1.5 hour round trip. And because only parts are covered by the cheep-o warranty, it would cost me $75 in labor just to have an estimate done (applied to the cost of fixing it if I go forward). So now I have to decide: Is it worth driving 3 hours (drop off and pick up) and spending at least $75 to fix a camara that broke after just 4 months? Am I willing to trust it to film my daughters 2nd birthday? Guess I've got me a $400 paper weight, because I'll be buying another brand.

Summary: Pretty Good so far

Comment: We got this camcorder just before Christmas so I've only had a couple of opportunities to use it. That being said, overall this camera has performed pretty well. My only complaint is that it doesn't do well in low light (maybe none of them do). It's very easy to use and gives you a good picture on playback. Compared to other camcorders, I think this one's a pretty good value.

Summary: Christmas Fun

Comment: I bought this camcorder for my kids for Christmas, they are having a lot of fun with it. They kept finding new capabilities/functions on it.

Summary: Excellent buy for the money

Comment: I was impressed by the picture quality this camera offers in the DVD class, the best thing I like is video in low light conditions. I would recommend to anyone who wants to buy a DVD camera for family activities

Summary: Setting the Record Straight (no pun intended)

Comment: Ignore the September 17 review. It's sad to see individuals, who do not have the patience to study the instructions, offer such inappropriate criticism because of their unwarranted frustration. The key is to READ the manual before using the camcorder. The explanations are in the manual. DVD camcorders are not as simple as the older 8 mm and VHS-C versions. The problem is that inexperienced people will buy this state-of-the-art technology, push a button, and expect miracles.

Once you gain an understanding of this camcorder, it will work as advertised. I've had mine for 2 months now and have had no problems. The picture quality is top notch. It works well in low light, although you should not expect night vision results. Autofocus works fine, just don't pan too fast - and, in fact, if you are experienced at using camcorders you should not pan fast anyway (that's poor technique). Manual focus is there if you need it. And, yes, you must finalize the disc - not a big deal (read the manual). When you see the features this Hitachi 3200 camcorder has, you'll find that it is the best one going for the price - best value. It can accommodate nearly every recording format including DVD-RAM, and also will take 2.1 megapixel photos. Canon, Sony, and Panasonic can't match it on features vs. price. I researched this and this sold me on the Hitachi 3200. I am not disappointed. Hitachi pioneered this technology and it shows.

UPDATE: As of May 13, 2008, my Hitachi camcorder is still going strong - including trips to Antarctica and Armenia (in the Caucasus)!!! No problems. Again, read the manual to appreciate this technology and to use it properly.