HP Photosmart 612

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By Reuben Lee
Nov 08, 2001

There are two main reasons why people are reluctant to switch from 35mm film cameras to digital cameras. Besides the higher cost of the camera and the memory media, the complexity of using digital camera is also an obstacle. With different resolutions and image qualities to choose from, on top of other digicam features, a digital camera is just not as easy to use, unless you are referring to the HP Photosmart 612.

Point-And-Shoot Digicam
Designed with the basic digital photographer in mind, the new Photosmart 612's user interface is simple and intuitive, because it has settings only for flash and image resolution. It uses a two-way dial for navigation within the menu, instead of a multi-directional button. The rest of the camera settings are pretty much automated, so all the user needs to do is point and shoot.

The Photosmart 612 comes with a 2.3-megapixel CCD and 2x optical zoom as well as a 2x digital zoom. It has a 1.75-inch LCD display which is the standard size found on most other digital cameras. However, as a viewfinder, the display is rather poor, as the images are grainy and not very bright.

Unlike most other digital cameras, the HP has 8MB of onboard flash memory, so you can operate without a memory card. This is enough for 113 shots in 594-by-400 resolution, or 7 shots in 1,792-by-1,200 resolution. If that's not enough, there is also a CompactFlash card expansion slot.

Stylish And Ergonomic Design
Weighing 206g with a footprint of 127 x 53.3 x 68.6mm, the Photosmart 612 may not be as compact as some other digital cameras we have come across, but it is lightweight and has an attractive design. Its silver plastic case gives the impression of a camera with strong build quality while the rounded edges adds an element of elegance.

And where ergonomics is concerned, the large hand grip, which houses the batteries, memory expansion slot and USB connection interface makes the camera comfortable to handle.

Decent Image Quality
With the Photosmart 612, we were able to capture some pretty good images. The outdoor images turned out sharp with colors that were natural. However, the automatic flash did not work very well for indoor shots, resulting in several grainy and underexposed images. A simple switch to the forced flash mode solved the problem.

An interesting feature is the welcome image option. You can select and customize any one of the images in the camera to appear when you switch the camera on. There is no movie capture or sound capture mode on the HP camera though, but we figured these features may not interest everyone anyway .

The camera is powered with four AA-size batteries and comes with a lens cap, a wrist strap, USB cable and four Lithium batteries. The software CD-ROM contains the USB driver, user guide and documentation, HP photo imaging software and ArcSoft�s PhotoImpression software.

With a price tag of US$399 (S$731), the Photosmart 612 is an attractive choice for those looking for simple point-and-shoot digital camera. However, it is only available in Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.