Tech-Com is one of those companies that enjoy introducing new products in rapid succession. The DSC-520 in this aspect is typically Tech-Com. A five-megapixel camera is pretty common these days. Well the list just got longer…

Specifications are pretty much standard for most compact digital cameras – a 3x Optical zoom, coupled with a defunct (in our opinion but important on-paper spec to some) 4x Digital zoom. The camera's built rather well–nearly all Tech-Com digital cameras we've tested were. It feels solid to hold as well. The battery/memory bay hinge is a little hard to close. It seems built solidly enough to last the rigors of daily use.

You just can't go wrong with black and silver as a color combination, and the DSC-520 while being far from a stunner does look nice with an all-black face and rear and side trim silver all-round. The body doesn't pick up fingerprints – a godsend, especially after working with the Sony W series…

Button ergonomics are good, with the shoot button having a distinctive half-press used to auto-focus. Incidentally there's no viewfinder. You'll have to manage with the two inch, 1,15,000 pixel LCD. The LCD does get grainy, especially in dimly lit conditions, and at the end of the lens zoom. The menu layout is pretty simple–and all the options are accessible under a single menu. With four White Balance modes and manual ISO ratings from 80 to 400, the Tech-Com DSC-520 is definitely not meant for a lot of indoor shooting especially in areas where lighting isn't in abundance.

As expected photo quality outdoors was good, except when at full optical zoom (3x) where slight graininess does creep in. Indoors you'll be using a flash…a lot. The flash is good for around nine feet after which the flash totally loses effectiveness. Indoor shooting offers decent quality, but the noise is noticeable.

The DSC-520 has another trick up its sleeve. At a resolution 640x480 pixels @ 15 fps it's a decent video recorder on paper. Well it's a 'very' decent video recorder in reality and provided us with some really good videos of all our Digit buddies at office. Of course you'll need to pair it with a really large SD card, at least 1 GB.

At rupees 6,500, the Tech-Com DSC-520 is decent value for money, and for a newbies making a foray into digital imaging–a good buy.

Specifications: 5 megapixel CCD sensor, 3x Optical zoom, 4x Digital zoom, 2 inch LCD viewfinder, ISO manual 80~400 and auto, Self Timer 2/10 sec, AA batteries.

Rating
Features: 3
Performance: 3
Value for Money: 3.5
Build Quality: 3.5
Overall: 3.5

Contact: Shree Sagarmatha Dist. Pvt. Ltd.
Phone: 22-23065114 / 23200032
Website: www.techcomindia.com
Email: techcom@airtelbroadband.in
Price: Rs.6,500