When we decided on a special order computer from Hewlett Packard they were showing a few digital cameras at extra cost so I decided to order one at the same time.

This was a spur of the moment decision and all I knew about the camera was that it was digital and did not require film. I lucked out and got a great camera, I would advise anyone looking for a camera to check them out and not order like I did. I was very lucky when I decided that I did not want the cheapest they had nor the most expensive so I opted for the one in the middle. I can hear you saying it right now, not a very consumer savvy way to pick a camera Diane, and you would be right.

Features

The HP C8900A 318 has automatic focus and automatic exposure.

Integrated flash that has four options.

Auto Flash the camera adjusts the lighting conditions automatically.

Red-Eye the camera emits several short flashes to help adjust the eyes of animals or humans.

Flash On the flash is used for every shot.

Flash Off you don’t use the flash regardless of the lighting in the picture you are taking.

Zooms to 2X

Window on the back of the camera for viewing what you are pointing at or to review the pictures when you are finished.

Internal memory of eight megabytes and you can buy extra Compact Flash memory card’s that hold more then 8 Megs if you want to.

There is a self timer if you want to be in the picture. It can be set for 10 seconds time enough to jump in with the crowd.

A place on the bottom of the camera is detailed so you can put it on a tripod. Very helpful if you are doing poses or pictures of yourself.

2.3 mega pixel resolution

Date and time is set when you get the camera and as long as the batteries are working and for 10 minutes after they quit it will hold the time. This saves from having to reset it every time the batteries die.

Language options.

Image Quality has three settings.

Good this is what I used today to send pictures of my animals to the internet. This setting allows you to store more images in memory. Resolution is 592 by 400 with medium compression

Better Fewer images can be taken but the resolution is better. Resolution is 1792 by 1200 with medium compression

Best Only a few images but these are photo quality and printing out on photo paper looks like a pro took the pictures. Resolution is 1792by 1200 with low compression


Pros

Light weight and easy to handle only weighs about 10 ozs with batteries.

All I have to do is point and shoot after turning the camera on. I can view the picture in the little window on the back of the camera after it has been shot. If I don’t like the way it looks I can delete it.

The camera has automatic focus and automatic exposure. This is a great feature, when you click the shutter half way down the camera adjusts for the lighting conditions and this sets the shot up automatically then when you press the shutter the rest of the way down you have your picture. You can just click the shutter all the way with out the first step if you are in a hurry and if you don’t like the picture you took, you can delete it.

The HP 318 has a digital zoom to 2x, great for taking close up pictures of far away birds.

I can upload the pictures I have taken in a few seconds. All I do is hook the adaptor in the hidden slot in the camera and the other end goes in the USB port on the bottom of my computer. The software that came with the camera takes over and your images are in your computer in seconds. I then delete all the photos from memory in the camera and I am ready to go again.

I can change the image quality from good to best at the touch of a button this does affect the amount of pictures you can take.

Takes 4 AA photo alkaline batteries or rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries.

Batteries last a long time and there is a battery indicator to let you know if they are running low.

A memory indicator lets me know when the memory is full. I either have to delete or upload to the computer.

Comes with a wrist strap which is handy for carrying the camera and not forgetting it someplace.

Cons

No camera case. My husband went and bought a camera case from Best Buy for about 10.00.

No lens cover

Need more memory cards if going on vacation unless you have access to a computer where you are going.

My Experience

I have always had a thing about film and cameras, I hate loading the film and making sure it is in correctly. This is the easiest camera I have ever used. Taking pictures is fun and I love it. If one doesn’t come out like I want I just delete it and take another. Uploading to the computer is simple and straightforward. I use this camera to take pictures of just about everything. I hardly use my other camera at all since I got this one. The batteries last a long time and the camera has an automatic shutoff so the batteries are not wasted.

My husband likes the camera and takes more pictures now then he ever did. Even the camcorder has taken a back seat to the HP C8900A 318 Digital Camera

We have already paid for the camera with the money saved on buying and developing film {with 10 grandchildren and 5 children we take a lot of pictures}
© 2002 Diane Sartain :)




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 179.00