Mustek DV5500 MPEG-4 7-in-1 Multifunctional Digital Camcorder w/2.5-inch LCD and 4x Digital Zoom

I bought both the Aiptek DV-5300 and the Mustek DV-5500 from Amazon... not to have both but to evaluate them and pick the "best one"... the price was a little more for the Mustek, but only by $40 or so. The Mustek worked well and the 2.5" LCD was very, very nice. The 1.5" LCD on the Aiptek is small and is not as nice as the Mustek. Both took nice pics... video and stills. But the Mustek was MUCH bigger and MUCH heavier than the DV-5300. If size doesn't matter to you, then you might want to get the Mustek. One other note: the shutter release for the Mustek really has to be push in hard... and that made the camera move on me and caused some blurry pics... the Aiptek uses a micro-switch and is MUCH easier to depress. Hope this helped youl

I was very nervous about getting this camera after reading all of the negative reviews posted on Amazon. I have owned and used a Mustek DV4000 for quite some time and I wanted to get the next in the lineage of this product. To say that I was more than pleasantly surprised with this product would be a huge understatement.

Overall Build:

The quality of the device is very good. It feels very solid and sturdy in your hands and you are not afraid to push buttons on it. It can be tricky to select the right options with the multi-directional pad but it is more than acceptable to use. The LCD screen is one of the best I have ever seen (and that goes for any camera currently on the market). The new CCD lense blows away the CMOS lense of previous models. BTW, the slight clicking sound you hear is the autofocus lense constantly adjusting and is normal. All newer CCD cameras do that.

Video Quality:

The video on the default out of the box setting (400x304/~30fps) is very smooth and the resolution can compare to that of most low-end Hi-8mm/VHS-C cameras available. The 640x480 resolution is smoother than it was on the DV4000 and is usable. A light for video would've been nice but they more than made up for it with the new lense which can work in far lower lighting conditions than the previous models (CCD compared to the previous CMOS). The zoom while filming could've been better (it is choppy and seems to take place in steps as opposed to a smooth zoom)

Photo Quality:

Here is easily the biggest improvement on the device. Picture quality is excellent. Again using the default settings (2048x1536 3.1mp with no h/w interpolation), the pictures I took were stunningly bright and clear. In fact, I have no need to use the even higher 5mp hardware assisted resolution. The shutter speed is much faster than the DV4000 and the flash is used very effectively. I took a picture in a pitch-black room (just pointed the camera and snapped a photo) and the picture came out fine. I compared two pictures one taken with a brand new Canon Powershot SI IS and the same picture taken with the DV5500 and the picture quality wasn't that far off. I am now confident that I no longer need to carry my Olympus digital with me everywhere I bring my DV5500.

MP3/Voice/Storage:

The MP3 playback hasn't changed much from the DV4000 it does sound a bit richer though which is nice. The voice recorder to me is just gravy as far as I'm concerned as I probably won't ever use it. As a card reader, it is fine.

Software:

The new MaxConsole software is much better than the previous DV Console provided with the DV4000. Picture/Video transfer is faster and there finally is a progress bar. The photo touch-up suite allows you to normalize lighting conditions (remove backlight/red-eye/darkness) and even restore pictures that may be slightly out of focus. Installation was easy and everything worked on the first shot.

Conslusion:

I sometimes feel that the people who post these reviews are looking for a $1000.00 camera quality in a device that I paid around $160.00 for. Yes if you are George Lucas looking for a new digial camcorder to film the next Star Wars epic, you will be disappointed with this camera. I was looking for something small and inexpensive that would allow me to take videos and pictures of family affairs and my soon to be born son and for that, this camera fits the bill perfectly. Could it be better? Sure. But for the price it is well worth the money.

Pros:

Huge improvements over previous models

Extra batteries are inexpensive (~$10.00 on eBay)

Standard memory card format (SD/MMC)

Attractive price

Cons:

Zooming is not smooth while filming

Could've used a light for video recording (night shot works well though)

Buy Mustek DV5500 MPEG-4 7-in-1 Multifunctional Digital Camcorder w/2.5-inch LCD and 4x Digital Zoom Now

The DV5500 is junk; do not buy. First, all inputs,

controls and fittings are sloppy and poorly made ( a

button/dial/knob etc. had to be "worked" in order to

get it to function; when it fundtioned at all. The

camera failed in operation within a month; would not

turn on or accept a charge. It was returned for service

following all prpper protocals. All I received for my

efforts was the same broken camera back and something

more for my efforts. They had swiped the battery and

chip out of the camera to use elesewhere; your camera?

Can you believe that? They returned it missing the

battery and chip along with a preprinted form stating

there is nothing wrong with the unit. MUSTEK NO !!!!

Read Best Reviews of Mustek DV5500 MPEG-4 7-in-1 Multifunctional Digital Camcorder w/2.5-inch LCD and 4x Digital Zoom Here

I purchased a smaller Mustek camera last year to take to Iraq. Great but did not last being run over by a HUMMV. I liked the small camera so I purchased the DV5500 as the replacement. I find that the controls all located in the one button on the rear of the camera are very senitive and hard to get to the right screen when you need them the most. The fact that the DV and the picture button are in two differnet locations was also difficult to someone who wants to take the camera and just start shooting. THe video quality is ok but the long lag time for focus is not suited for someone who needs results like going on combat patrols and getting GOOD images! I did like the larger LCD screen and the fact that it rotates. The camera was much bigger than what I was looking for but for the price it does take good pictures. For someone looking for a small camera that fits in your pocket I would suggest the Sony DSC T1 that does all the things this camera does and fits in the pocket but of course is twice the price! For the price and what it can do and if you have patience and time to learn the features it is a good camera for the price if you have non of the above DO not buy this version of this camera wait for Mustek to catch Sony in development and bring the price down!

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I strongly agree this camera sucks. The time stamp has a mind of it's own and regularly changes to a random time stamp. The controls are extremely difficult to use. Amazon was kind enough to replace it but the replacement has all the same problems. Mustek's suggestion to shut off the auto-focus during video recording had no effect. The playback was still noisy with clicks and burps. This piece of junk deserves 0 stars. If you think the zoom feature is continuous you will be disappointed. The zoom function click stops at four zoom levels only which looks ridiculous on playback. Every single function sucks and there is absolutely no use for this camera. Please save yourself the aggravation and DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA!!!!!