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Quality video gear. It is no secret that personal video has grown exponentially as of late, the most recent trend being dash cams and our last review was the Transcend DrivePro 520 In-Car Camera which ran away with our Editor’s Choice Award. It is an amazing camera that I continue to use each and every time I am driving in my fav sports car. But what about body cameras? Even today, body cams seem to lack in the law enforcement community, but the need for such security cameras has grown much more to include many other legal needs, as well as a personal preference for some of the general public.
Enter Transcend’s DrivePro Body 52 Body Camera, the Frontline Guardian. The DrivePro Body 52 is a personal camera that would be ideal for law enforcement, personal, or just about anyone who wants the ability to quickly and easily capture video, or take a picture in HD, at a moments notice. Press a button. The camera contains a 360 degree swivel clip with a chord that connects to the main unit, that of which can be placed in a pocket or in its nylon case on your belt. Two buttons. Press one for video and/or another for a quick snapshot.
Transcend spared no expense in the construction of the DrivePro Body 52 and the lens is a F1.8 aperture, capable of 1080P video at an angle of 130 degrees, and the unit contains a Sony Exmor Sensor. The exterior of the unit is of a water and shock resistant black plastic shell, and the camera is capable of 3.5 hours continuous video with 32GB of storage integrated. A built in microphone is found on the unit and, when the video is active, a red LED flashes that is visible from the camera lens. This turns to blue when live video is active that may be monitored away from the scene.
Packaging includes the camera with integrated cable, main storage device, plug adapter, and cable, nylon belt holder, swivel clip, as well as another clip that enables permanent location through Velcro with an adhesive backing. This device has full WiFi capability and free Apps are available for Android or iPhone. The App is simply amazing. The initial menu enables live view while recording, or one can go into storage mode where both pictures and video are stored. Starting and stopping of the Body 52 is simply pressing one of two buttons and, when you are finished, plugging the unit into your computer will bring up a folder with pictures and video…simple as that.
Throughout our testing of the Transcend DrivePro Body 52, we were thoroughly impressed with the video. It’s 1080P resolution is incredible. Sound could be a bit muffled at times; we would guess this the result of the camera placement where the microphone is so close to clothing and the movement against material picked up by the mic. Pushing the large button on the main unit starts and stops recording, and pressing the small button takes pictures. This is an example of the video as I was interrogating parrots during our visit to Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls:
You will notice the fisheye effect evident with this video and that is the give and take of having a camera with a 130 degree viewing angle. Here is an example of the picture capabilities as well:
The Transcend DrivePro Body 52 has mass availability and we found it on Amazon for $150 which is a decent price, considering the quality of this camera. If we were to suggest an upgrade for future versions, we would most definitely have microSD card implementation and skip the integrated storage. It is not a major factor as there is plenty of onboard storage already but, the ability to have a 128 or 256GB microSD card in this unit allows so much more storage before files are erased to make room for new ones.
Quite frankly, I can’t say enough about the DrivePro Body 52, and all of Transcends products in fact. We have reviewed a number of cameras now and their picture quality and features are beyond reproach. They are really just that good. As for the Body 52… Gold Seal without a doubt!
Check out Transcend DrivePro Body 52 Pricing on Amazon
