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

by Mustek

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 4.3 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002RSP5S
• Item model number: DV5500
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,923 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 14, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

One gadget that can record video, operate as a web cam, take still pictures, make voice recordings, play MP3s and function as an SD/MMC storage device? Pretty handy.The question, though, is whether or not a single device can do all of those things well. The answer for the DV 5500 is that it's a mixed bag; the unit doesn't excel at any one thing, but the DV5500's incredible flexibility somewhat compensates for its weaknesses. It's a worthy addition to the gadget lover's arsenal. It's also a utilitarian media device for casual home users.

Design
The chassis of the DV 5500 takes design queues from some of the ultra-compact MiniDV camcorders now on the market. The unit easily fits into one hand, and controls are designed for use by the thumb and forefinger. Switching between modes is easy using a small thumbwheel while menu navigation is performed via a multi-directional button placed just below the thumbwheel. Our only gripe here was that the select button at the center of the multi-directional button was difficult to press; it's a bit too easy to make unintended selections with this button. Otherwise, the DV 5500 has a smart, user-friendly button layout.

The build quality of the DV 5500 is good and the plastic case feels sturdy in the hand. Both the battery and the memory card are housed in the bottom-rear portion of the unit. It's delightful that Mustek chose to include a good lithium-ion rechargeable battery as cameras like this are notorious for sucking batteries dry quickly, leaving the owner to schlep around a pile of alkalines. Not so with the good rechargeable in this unit, and although battery life only ran about an hour, it was great knowing we could simply recharge and start shooting again.

While most MiniDV-format cameras include an internal viewfinder in addition to an external LCD, the DV 5500 relies solely on an external display. Thanks to its relatively bright and clear 2.5" LCD, you probably won't find yourself missing an internal viewfinder, but because external LCDs drink a lot of juice an internal one would have been a nice option when power savings is a priority.

Using the LCD, you can navigate through the DV 5500's menu system, which is fairly intuitive, if not a bit rough around the edges. Some menu graphics and text are difficult to read, and you'll need to consult the manual to decipher them.

Features
At the heart of the DV 5500 is a microprocessor designed to encode video into a format known as MPEG-4. This compression scheme makes it possible to fit a respectable amount of video on the included 32 MB memory card. We were able to squeeze in six minutes at the highest resolution and quality settings, but this can be easily doubled when shooting at the lower resolution settings. Purchasing an optional memory card with a larger capacity is the ticket to even longer run times.

Still images can be captured onto the memory card, as well. At the highest resolution (2048 x 1536), expect to only hold a few images. Again, a memory card upgrade is required to get more out of the DV 5500's photo features.

Although the DV 5500 ships with a number of software utilities for photo and video organization and editing, we were using a Macintosh computer. Fortunately, our computer's USB port recognized the DV 5500 and we were able to drag and drop video and image files onto the Mac's hard drive. It was also easy to drag a few MP3 tracks to the DV 5500's memory card and listen to them via the unit's MP3 player interface. Similar capabilities are possible on a Windows-based computer with a USB port.

Image Quality
In good lighting situations the DV 5500 produced respectable stills with good color accuracy and sharp textures. Video results were good, but not as good as the quality you'll find with the tape-based MiniDV format. The tradeoffs in sharpness, light response and color accuracy are certainly due to the MPEG-4 compression the DV 5500 uses. However, if you can live with lower quality in the video department, you'll appreciate the ease of use, flexibility and convenience the DV 5500's tapeless format offers. --Joshua Gunn

Pros

• Great "Swiss army knife" media device
• Decent build quality
• Good still image quality
• Rechargeable battery

Cons

• MPEG-4 video quality could be better
• Short battery life
• Awkward selection controls

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Product Description

MUSTEK DV-5500 MUS, 3.0 MEGAPIXEL DIGITAL CAMERA WITH MPEG4 TECH

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars DV-5500 vs DV-5300, January 2, 2005

By 

S. Hauser (Bayville, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mustek DV5500 MPEG-4 7-in-1 Multifunctional Digital Camcorder w/2.5-inch LCD and 4x Digital Zoom (Electronics)

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

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good look at a good product...., December 29, 2004

By 

Daniel J. Camputaro (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mustek DV5500 MPEG-4 7-in-1 Multifunctional Digital Camcorder w/2.5-inch LCD and 4x Digital Zoom (Electronics)

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)

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Paper Weight - DO NOT BUY, May 9, 2005

By 

Richard Horian - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mustek DV5500 MPEG-4 7-in-1 Multifunctional Digital Camcorder w/2.5-inch LCD and 4x Digital Zoom (Electronics)

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 !!!!