Mustek's DV520T camera / camcorder hybrid does VGA video

Joining the growing array of low-cost camera / camcorder hybrids is the Mustek DV520T, which sits a few notches below (in quality and price) the TX1s and Xacti HD2s of the world but still manages to handle the basics for the no-frills set. The two-faced device sports a handheld design with a two-inch flipout LCD to monitor the action, and internally, you'll find a 5.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, 64MB of storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, TV out, integrated flash, an SD slot that supports cards up to 2GB in size, a voice recorder, and an MP3 player as well. Aside from snapping stills, this unit also records VGA movies at 30 frames-per-second, and while we can't imagine them being of any real use, an 8x digital zoom and "digital image stabilization" are nevertheless included. Mustek's DV520T isn't likely to take home any image quality awards, but it might not be a half bad backup for just $129. More pics after the break.

[mattclarkie @ May 22nd 2007 8:22AM]

I have a traveler branded camera of very similar specs. It's stills are on par with my Fuji camera, only problem is the lack of Zoom, and the video is very good, it is obvious that it is not professional quality but equal to most Mini DV cameras I've seen. If this is anything like that then it will be a good camera.

[incrediblemagi @ May 23rd 2007 9:19AM]

Thats the cheapest looking dock i have ever seen.. if thats what it is.. but at $129, its worth a lookie!

[apeguero @ May 22nd 2007 9:51AM]

These cameras are way underrated for the average Joe. I used one of these sub-$150.00 pocket cam/camcorder for my trip to Belgium last year. I was able to record most of the fun stuff I did plus the obligatory landing and takeoff footage :) I burned the stuff into a DVD using iMovie. The quality was surprisingly very acceptable. I know you get what you pay for but what I'm trying to say here is these sub $150 cam/camcorders do give you a lot more than people say. I ended up returning it and buying me a Sanyo Xacti 6. The image quality is barely better but for twice the price. Go figure.

[tiuk @ May 22nd 2007 10:30AM]

The perfect party cam. YouTube here we come.

[coco @ May 22nd 2007 11:05AM]

The Toshiba Camileo is far better than this. I bought it for filming boozy sessions, and the quality is very good, I was surprised.

[midiguy732 @ May 29th 2007 10:45PM]

I just bought one of these to replace my older Kodak which didn't survive drop #6. I use digital cameras mostly for documenting metalworking and automotive projects, so my purchasing criteria mostly has to do with price and physical size. Fitting a camera into a pocket is great for junkyarding or on-the-go type photography and the fact that it takes video at 640x480 is reasonable. Movie theater quality it isn't, but it's better than I expected actually. I use a few 2gb SD cards, the unit's maximum, and they store enough video and pictures for my purposes.

It has a Li-ON rechargable battery built in, something that's not to common with cheaper digital cameras. The docking station can charge it in about 3 hours if you plug in the wall-wart that comes with the unit, or you can charge via USB overnight instead if you're on the go and can't be bothered brining the wall wart.

I had the luxury of trying the camera before purchasing it, along with several others in the sub $200 price range, and for $130 I feel like I got the most value for dollar based on what my needs are.

A pocket sized camcorder/camera with decent battery life that isn't so flimsy you break it when you sit down (back pocket!) this is an excellent choice.

I find it defaulting to camcorder mode upon power up annoying, but for $130 I'm not going to complain too loudly.

[maurizio @ Jun 11th 2007 5:51AM]

where can I buy Mustek's dv520t in europe????