Great Budget 6.2 MP Camera!
Written: Sep 16 '05
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Pros: Easy to navigate menu, inexpensive, 14 easily accessible shooting modes, crisp images, easy downloads.
Cons: LCD screen could be bigger, no red/blue filters, burst mode takes long to process
The Bottom Line: I would highly recommend getting this camera if you are looking for a solid 6.2 megapixel camera with easy to use features.
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| flashfriday's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Photosmart R717 Digital Camera |
I recently acquired this camera through a silent auction and managed to pay only $175. I didn't really know anything about and just bought it because it had 6.2 megapixels and it was cheap. Now that I have had the camera for a couple of weeks, I have learned that this camera really packs quite a punch for so little a price.
Ease of Use: I’ve owned several digital cameras and the HP R717 is hands down the easiest camera I’ve used. One feature I particularly love is the programming mode button on top of the camera. I love the fact that you can switch programming modes without having to dig through LCD menus. You can select from the following modes: Auto, Action, Panarama, Landscape, Portrait, Beach, Snow, Sunset, Museum, Document, Aperture Priority, and My Mode.
The HP R717 also has an easy to use menu that is easy to access and understand. Within a few minutes of playing with the camera, I felt comfortable scrolling through the menus and confident that I could set up the camera to my specifications.
Another easy to use feature is the movie mode. You simply push the button next to the shutter button to begin recording in movie mode. To stop recording the movie, you simply push the button again. Although the recorded movie is not of great quality, it’s a nice feature to have and comes in handy when you don’t want to lug around a big camcorder. It evens records the sound which is a big plus in my book.
Downloading photos to your computer is a snap using the HP Photosmart Dock and software. All of your photos are automatically saved into a new folder and named with the current date of the photos. I used to hate having to manually rename my folders to reflect the date of the photos. It may be a simple feature, but it’s one I greatly appreciate. I haven’t tried the Instant Share feature yet but it looks extremely easy to use and setup.
Photo Quality: After taking about 200 photos using this camera, I am very pleased with the overall quality and crispness of the photos. The camera includes an adaptive lighting setting which dramatically improves the quality of difficult lighting situations. One downside that I’ve noticed is that once in a while some indoor pictures are a little grainy. This problem is always solved when I turn on the adaptive lighting setting.
Shortcomings: Although I found few shortcomings with this camera there were a few areas which I felt could’ve been improved. First, I was surprised that they didn’t make the LCD screen a little larger. The 1.8 inch screen is adequate and bright, but it just seems like they could’ve easily made it 2 inches.
Second, I was disappointed that they didn’t include a red or blue filter as a color selection. This was one feature that my wife really enjoyed using with my last Pentax.
Finally, the burst mode setting can really only be used if you don’t need to take another shot for a good 30 seconds. The buffer seems to take a long time to clear.
Overall: The bottom line is that this camera is an excellent choice for photo novices who just want to be able to take great photos without a lot of fuss and without spending a lot of money. Even technophobes should have little difficulty navigating the menus and downloading photos. I just got back my first batch of printed photos from Costco and I was very pleased with the quality of photos. It put my old Pentax Optio 33L to shame.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 175
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
flashfriday
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Location: Corona, CA
Reviews written: 94
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Becoming a father has enriched my life to no end.
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