Rating: 
Summary: Inexpensive, but flash and design frustrate overall
Review: This camera is relatively inexpensive, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Battery life, flash charging time, image processing time, and poor design all conspire to make this a frustrating item.Battery Life: The only time this camera works as it should (i.e., flash charges in a reasonable time, LCD can be used, etc.) is when used with superior (read "expensive") batteries. There are no rechargeable power options, and when sending photos to your PC, do not attempt to use any power cord but the one HP sells (for a hefty price) or else you run the very real risk of frying the camera. Design/Ergonomics: The camera's design is very poorly executed. It is difficult to hold the camera steadily without placing your fingers over the lens; consequently one is forced to hold the camera in an awkward way. The viewfinder is not well aligned, and has no depth (i.e., your view out the viewfinder can change a good deal as you slide your eye from one side to the other). Finally, the trigger button has a poor feeling--it's requires that you press down too long. Flash Charging: As noted above, with anything but the best batteries, the flash will take a ridiculous amount of time to charge up: upto 25 or 30 seconds. I've missed many a photographic opportunities waiting for the flash to warm up. Furthermore the camera's default setting upon powering on is with the flash enabled, and changing that setting takes several seconds too. Images: This camera does produce good images in most light (although it tends to overplay reds in low light, and underplay reds outdoors). However the time required to process an image between one snapshot and the next is sometimes somewhat slow. Price: Price is the only real strong point for this unit. In retrospect I would have opted up for something more, especially considering that the price of digital cameras seems to be dropping $50 or so every six months.
Rating: 
Summary: A bug in the software will break the camera
Review: This camera has two very bad problems. First, it goes through batteries like they're going out of style. Several other reviews have advised using rechargeable batteries, but in fact, that's a very bad option with this model. The user manual doesn't explain why, but on page 47 it says "do not use rechargeable batteries." I researched this a little - rechargeable batteries get too hot, putting the camera's innards at risk of melting. More importantly, any use of rechargeable batteries will void the service warranty. A voided service warranty would be bad under any circumstances, but it's especially bad in this case, because this particular camera is more likely to break than many others; there is a bug in its software. There are two ways to delete pictures from the CF card. You can use the camera itself, or you can use your PC when you have the camera connected. The bug comes into play if you use your PC to delete pictures - you run the risk of "toasting" the camera's firmware. "Toasting" sounds bad, doesn't it? It is indeed very bad - the cost of repairing a "toasted" camera is much greater than the original price of the camera. (Meaning greater than the price of the camera when it was sold new two years ago.) Cameras under the service warranty are simply replaced, but if the service warranty has expired or is void, the customer must pay. This is a well-known defect; in fact, it is one of the most-discussed problems involving the HP 215 on HP's "Support Forums." The original post dates back to September 19, 2001. I was fortunate; my camera was still under warranty when it broke. I had an extremely difficult time with HP customer service, but eventually I did convince them to send a replacement. The replacement camera is adequate, but that's about it. The on/off switch is poorly designed. It takes a delicate touch to properly turn the camera off, and I've lost count of the number of times I've accidentally left it on and returned to find the batteries dead. The focus & shoot function is aggravating - to "focus" you must gently depress the button half way, and then you must wait for a signal before you can actually take the picture. Judging the camera functioning as it was designed, I'd have given it 2 1/2 stars. With the software bug and HP's lousy customer service added in, it really doesn't deserve any stars at all!
Rating:
Summary: Junk
Review: Don't waste your time or money. Buy something else. I bought this camera 2 years ago. It never worked well, devoured batteries, and the PC interface was so complicated it was not worth the effort. I threw mine in the trash--not even worth donating to a charity. That is how useless it is. Carly should be ashamed of this product.
Rating: 
Summary: A more comprehensive review
Review: I have had this camera for a couple of months and Im very satisfied with the camera. I have seen many reviews on this camera, most of which are not too favourable. But then there is always a price-performance curve and this camera, for me, fits right in the sweet spot. Firstly, to dispell some myths
- Battery Life
Yes, this camera eats batteries for lunch. I get only 30 or so photos per set of quality alkalines (with instant preview on and a couple of transfers). Despite what HP says, I use rechargable NiMH batteries (1600mAH) and it works great, I get over 80 photos. My advice, get a rechargable
- Photo quality
The quality of the photos are pretty good to me atleast. Dont bother with the low and medium quality. I would recommend to get more memory (I have 128Mb) and use the high quality. It is not worth it to capture in high compression mode.
Note that this is not some cheap camera (like many others in the market). Comparison to the film camera, I would place it along with the regular autofocus canon/minolta brand. Lower than the SLRs and the high end cameras, but better than the regular $50 cameras
The photos are a bit over/under exposed at times. This is due to the single point metering. I always enhance the photos using PSP or some other tool. Increase contrast, clarify and adjust gamma and you have high quality photos that beat or come close to the pros.
I have taken a lot of photos using my Cannon EOS and scanned them at 600dpi (8MPixels) but the quality of this camera easily beats the scanned images (at much lower resolution too).
- Software
The included software sucks. Just use the included driver. I found it is much easier to use the driver rather than a CF reader. You only lose the EXIF information, but it is not worth missing the thumbnails. Use PSP or any other imaging tool to capture and enhance
- Memory
The included 4MB sucks. Go get 64 or 128MB (it costs only $50 for the 128MB). Although the camera starts with 196 photos in fine quality, it is a guess, I get over 250 photos easily (perhaps my photos are more compressible)
- Flash
Included flash is not too good. I takes long to charge and it is on by default. I would discourage you from taking pictures in the dark. Fill-in flash is not too good either. This is a camera for well lit conditions. As with any CCD, low light results in grainy pictures
- Construction
It is a BIG camera, not for your regular pockets. But for $100 what do you expect. Finally,
I would like to see more features, but for the price, I must say, Im impressed. I have retired my film camera and gone fully digital. Maybe in a couple of years, I might get a 3 or 4MP camera, but for now, this camera is good enough for all my photos
Rating: 
Summary: Battery hog
Review: This camera is a great value, but it does have some flaws. The biggest problem is that it eats batteries like there's no tomorrow. I can get no more than 30 pictures out of a full set of batteries. Picture quality is pretty good for a digital camera in this price range. It's nowhere close to 35mm quality, but for digital cameras < $300, it's hard to complain. An easy way to improve this camera is with a built-in rechargable battery, like a telephone. PROS: 1) Good picture quality for the price
2) Easy to use
3) Nice LCD display
4) USB
5) Memory upgrades are cheap
6) Cheap
7) Instant review lets you delete poor pictures instantly CONS:
1) Battery hog
2) Takes severals seconds to reload between shots
3) Each shot takes 2+ seconds
4) Spontaneous pictures are impossible
5) Built-in flash is sub-par
6) On/off and LCD switches are poorly designed
7) Cheap
8) Memory access is slow
Rating:
Summary: NOT WORTH THE BOX IT CAME IN *******************************
Review: i paid over 100.00 for this camera new. if i had the chance to buy another one brand new for 10.00 i would pass it up. this is the biggest piece of junk i ever seen in my life. to call customer service its 2.50 a minute with a 10 minute minimum billed to your phone bill. shame on hewlett packard. i will NEVER buy another hewlett packard product.
Rating:
Summary: Sturdy....But Not The Best
Review: Ok Here's The Deal... the HP PhotoSmart 215 Is A Pretty God Camera...THAT IS....If You Have The Money For All The Batteries And The Patience Of The Loading Time In Between Photos! Pros:
*Pretty Good Picture Quality Cons:
*It's an HP Camera (Their Cameras Stink)
*The Loading Time Between Taking Photos Is FOREVER!!!!!
*Not Worth The Price (Even Though It's Low!!!)
*You Cant Use Rechargeable Batteries, Or It Will Fry The Camera. So You Have To Buy The Ultra Expensive Batteries That Only Last Like 15 Pictures. Just Take My Advice, And Steer Away From Any HP Cameras, Do Yourself A Favor And Buy An Olympus Or Canon.
Rating:
Summary: Okay starter camera, but eats batteries
Review: The pictures the hp 215 takes are decent, nice and clear and good for a webpage. However, they're difficult to take because of the minute+ time it takes for the camera to start up, and the 30 seconds+ it takes between pictures. Not to mention the batteries! I use good batteries, and this camera can only take about 15 before the batteries are dead, not nearly enough if you wanted to take this on vacation! In summary, good starter camera, but get something else if you want to travel with it.
Rating:
Summary: Find something else
Review: I got this camera for free, at a team event raffles. So I'm not complanining. The pictures are good enough for the web. But the camera is not good enough to be a primary-use camera. It is a power-guzzler. You'll need 4 rechargeable AA-size batteries.. 8 if you're going outdoors. And the charger too (a car-battery adapter, if you'll be on the move) ! Takes ages to recover between photos, esp. while charging the flash. It actually takes a few seconds after I depress the shutter-release !! And by then, the whole world has moved ahead !! The LCD view-finder is useless for composing scenes. The picture is a blur if the camera moves even so slightly. The conventional view-finder is "biased". Leave a buffer above the subject.. otherwise, there'll be chopped heads in the photo. Bottomline... a scanner would be a better investment
Rating: 
Summary: With a bit of common sense, battery life is fine.
Review: I've had this camera for 2 years now, when it was much more expensive. For this amount, it is a fine digital camera and makes extremely respectable 4x6 prints. 5x7 prints tend to become a bit grainy, but they are okay. My only suggestions are:
1. get a bigger compact flash card
2. get a compact flash reader for your computer
3. user high end batteries, not the cheapos
4. use only SanDisk compact flash cards.
This camera does everything I want it to do.. no fancy bells and gadgets as I have a background in computer graphics and all my enhancements are done after the photoshoot.
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