Ah, Mustek. What is it about that awful name? And don’t say it’s the… well… sub-elite reputation. Sure, there’s that, but in our line of work, you can’t afford to get too grossed out every time you put your hands on a product without a luxury brand name.

It’s just the name itself, Mustek. Mustek. Mustek. Awful. Makes us think of musk, or mollusks, or moist mustaches. It could be an exotic species of semi-aquatic rodent, or the name of a mildew-resistant textile.

But after we’re all done wrinkling our collective noses at this unpleasant bit of nomenclature, let’s not forget to notice this camera’s one totally redeeming virtue: It’s fifty bucks. Can’t you think of a few places you might want to stash a fifty-dollar camera? Particularly one with a six-megapixel resolution and big ol’ 2.4-inch LCD?

Keep it in the glove box of your car, ready to document a fender-bender. Or in your work bag, so the next time someone flips out at your subway stop, you can sell the pictures to the POST. Or leave it on the front windowsill, all set to catch those rotten neighbor kids knocking over your garbage cans.

Shoot, fifty dollars isn’t even date money in a lot of towns anymore. Weigh it against the feeling of satisfaction or disappointment you’re going to have the next time you need an extra camera at the ready. We think, like Elizabeth Hurley after the Divine Brown incident, you’re gonna be glad you dropped a Grant.

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