Genius G-Shot HD520 Camcorder Delivers 720p for $140

Do you recall those nostalgic days of Norman Rockwell like memories captured forever by Dad with that ever-present camera of his? Yeah, me neither. Back in the olden days I remember home video, of any kind, much less HD recording was simply too expensive for most people to dive into. Well, things have definitely changed since then. In fact consumer HD camcorders are fast becoming down right cheap. A few weeks ago I noted a few variants made in the form of clutch purses, aimed at women by DXG priced right at $130. And now another low cost manufacturer, Genius, is doing something very similar, but in pistol grip form with their G-Shot HD520 Camcorder.

As with every model in this new low-end high-end class of HD camcorder, we are not talking top of the line quality here, but for the price–$140 in the case of the HD520–we are talking a pretty good bargain for most folks in the market. The selling point of the HD520 feature wise are its ability to take 720p footage as well as capture 11 megapixel still
shots. That’s not too shabby for the cost of a fairly tame night on the town for two. Sounds like every new, and newly poor parent’s dream; a cheap tool to capture the memories. That isn’t much of a Norman Rockwell attitude, but it is realistic.

Check out the HD520s key features below. You can also check out a little more detail at its product page on the Genius site and can read the camcorder’s press release via a posting on Engadget.

Key Features:


• 5MP digital video camera, record at (30fps/1280 x 720P) and output to HD TV via the included HDMI cable



• Maximum image resolution up to 11 MP by interpolation.



• 5X digital zoom, allows you to zoom in and out during video recording



• Face Detection, track and detect faces accurately.



• The ALC chip can sense sound from various distances.



• 2.5″ LTPS color display.



• EIS prevents any hand shaking when taking videos.



• Supports high-capacity SD card up to 8GB.



• Motion Detection.



• Li-ion rechargeable battery.





–Tom Milnes