HITACHI MV-750E dvd camcorder .. easy fun filming

Im not writing this to slag off other manufactures but we paid 3x more in 1993 for a certain HI-8 camcorder & although the pic Q was very good .. it was VERY unreliable. We are hoping for better reliability from this camera.
So far weve only used it for recording to the 8cm dvd in the machine & thru the USB cable to our DVD recorder. We found that setting the format to 16:9 widescreen plays back more symetrical on our wide screen tv compared to 4:3. The pic Q out from the camcorder is very good either from disk or direct video. After finalizing the disk the play back was very good on our dvd player. It was slightly disapointing that the thumbnails only show while the disk is in the MV-750 .. as they do not when played back on another player. This is stated in the manual .. but this doesnt affect the Q of playback.
The image staboliser i found is a big improvement over our old camcorder .. that never had one .. and ive read a review contrary to this .. but if u handle the camera in a relaxed manner & get a good stance i found it no problem. We shot some live footage of a band playing in a local hi-street 2x 1/2hr sessions & using this camera handheld was really no big deal.But i had the audio filter ON .. & the sound was affected by a lack of bass .. but can be reset in the menu. ( check your settings prior to your filming )
The lens is the only questionable thing ive found. The Q was a bit fuzzy in the detail in the wide setting compared to our hi8 camcorder .. but when zoomed in slightly from wide to normal .. the pic Q seemed to improve !! It may be the design of the lens .. as it has to work over a very wide range. This was also in the "fine" setting .. the "extra" may improve things .. but im not sure.
Nite shooting was fun .. the low light setting helped out
but still wasnt meant to be used in zero light .. (quoted in the handbook 0.3 lux).. but still much better than the old point n shoot camera !! In the street with normal street lighting the brightness was in fact quite good. Color balance was ajustable .. & although in the manual it states that u cant "tint" the white balance .. i think u can! .. indoors i used a red screen & blue screen on the pc to shift the color white balance & it worked fine .. up to a point. If u try this make sure the color is not highly saturated or it wont work .. (trial & error)
Weve only had the camera just over a week .. so i may get a SD card .. & im thinking about either a ND/PL or UV filter to protect the lens & reduce haze. We are impressed with the camera so far .. a big leap from the old tape format .. & the battery is tiny by comparison .. the camera weighs nothing .. functions are simular.. & plenty to fiddle with. I dont expect the "still" camera to be fantastic as its only 800k. The menus are a doddle. The thumbnails take a little while .. but thats digital .. but on the upside .. reviewing the disk is rapid compared to tape. So far its great.
Ive never really bothered to spend hours editing recordings .. & this camera is no exception. It has lots of editing in the menus .. but apart from the "fades" id rather edit it direct to another source .. & leave the disk as it is. For me .. the white balance & exposure menus are really usefull. I did make a copy to another dvd & it also came out fairly well .. although its worth using a HIGH Q setting if u are copying to minimise blockyness that u get with digital.
VERDICT :
not pocket size but almost .. no burden to carry .. amazing battery size & power .. worth upgrading to the larger battery .. the digital zoom is a novelty,not totally useable,on a tripod it helps .. the optical lens works well .. 8cm dvd disks are better to store than tape .. picture Q is very good,u cant expect TV studio Q at this price,but its pretty good .. the audio is clear,& handling the camcorder,no noise was picked up,this is quite pleasing .. the pullout LCD screen & built in speaker is is great for playing back after the event.
I was going to buy a tape machine .. but im glad i went for this mini dvd version instead. 8/10 this may make my digital still camera obsolete.