Rating: 
Summary: Very Happy with the HP 912
Review: I've been very happy with this purchase. The 2.5 Mega pixels are just fine for printing 5x7 prints, and 8x10's if you set the picture up well. The features of the camera are many, the automatic ones work great and there are overrides on almost all of the auto ones. I take up close "macro" pictures a lot and was thinking about getting a ring flash, but so far I've been pretty happy with the built in flash lighting up my subject... This feature and two others are why I would recommend this. You can set the ASA from 25 up to 400 (a lot of other cameras have one setting 100). The other feature is the compact flash memory, they work well and I feel they're very reliable.
Rating: 
Summary: Great camera but...
Review: The C912 camera takes great pictures but does not perform well when you want to shoot with manual settings. This camera won't replace a 35MM SLR as I had hoped. Overall, I think I would have been better off buying a new 35MM SLR camera and a smaller digital camera like the Olympus C700. I sure miss my old Canon AE1!Shortcomings: 1) Manual focus is a joke. You have to select between distance settings measured in "meters." I haven't found a way to change the readings to "feet." Adjustments to the manual focus are done at the back of the camera where your left thumb is. Neither the LCD display nor the viewfinder work very well for judging focus. I'd suggest that you set the camera for a small aperture so you'll get fairly well focused pics. Manual focus on the lens like a standare 35MM would be way way better. 2) The hot shoe only has one contact; you'll have to shoot with manual exposure settings when using an add-on flash unit. 3) Very low light pictures shot at long exposure come out with "noise" in the picture that looks like snowflakes. 4) When using the flash, aperture or shutter speed priority perform poorly. I would have expected the flash to compensate better for changes to aperture and shutter speed. I've taken some pic's that came out with poor exposure this way. 5) The camera is as large as a 35MM SLR, too big to put in your pocket. On the bright side, you don't have to worry about it falling out of your pocket... 6) Shooting in Automatic mode provides average focus so you get pictures that are often out of focus. 7) The autofocus has a half-second or so delay that you have to compensate for. I guess all auto focus cameras perform this way. You have to shoot in manual focus to get instant shutter response. I sure miss my old Canon AE1. 8) A 10x zoom lens like the Olympus C700 would be much better. A removable lens like standard a real 35MM SLR camera would make this camera the best thing since sliced bread! The 3x zoom is okay for general photography. I should have bought the C700! 9) Zoom is electric not mechanical. It's adjusted on the lens like a 35MM focus ring. It's a bit slow to respond. Mechanical would have been way better. Advantages: 1) Shooting in "P" for program mode and set with center point focus produces excellent pictures just about all the time. 2) The flash is small but quite powerful. 3) The camera has an excellent look and feel. 4) Diopter allows you adjust the viewfinder to your eye so you can shoot without your glasses and see clearly. 5) The camera is built very well. This is one of the main reasons I bought it. I'm sure it can take quite a hit without breaking. You could probably use it to break open walnuts! The lens is enclosed so it doesn't extend in and out like smaller cameras. The lens is built to accept screw-on filters and telephoto and other lenses without Mickey Mouse adapters. Install a clear filter the day you get the camera to protect the lens from dirt and finger prints. 6) The camera uses a proprietary battery pack or standard AA batteries. Rechargeable 1700mAh AA NiMH Batteries and a Radio Shack one-hour charger perform well and cost half of what you'll pay for the HP battery and charger. I use the 6-volt AC power supply that came with my camcorder to power the camera without batteries and have had no problems. 7) The date displays on the image. A note and logo can also be displayed on the image. 8) Sound recording is a pretty cool feature. No video recording and glad. 9) A PCMCIA adapter for the compact flash can be bought for [price]. It's fantastic for vacation. I bring along my old laptop to download pictures every evening. 64MB holds 58 pic's at highest resolution.
Rating: 
Summary: Diopter Dilemma
Review: This info is for the customer from Telluride in regard to the diopter. I believe it is to account for people who are slightly near/farsighted. I have one on my Canon SLR which I adjust for my left eye so that I don't need to wear my glasses(which get in the way of looking through the lens). BTW - I don't actually have this camera, but I had to rate the product or my "review" wouldn't post.
Rating:
Summary: Stoked!
Review: This is the third digital camera that I have purchased (I sent the other two back because they were both disappointments). I was jaded. I wanted many things on a digital camera that i never thought I'd find. I wanted easy features that i could control without having to go through a bunch of lame menus. I wanted a good zoom. I wanted at least 2 megapixels. I wanted to have good control of my picture taking, and to be able to see 'through the lens', like an SLR 35. I was sure it wouldn't happen... And then, I found the 912. What can I say? Well, in a nutshell: this baby ROCKS! Great pics with excellent clarity and color; great detail in shadows; manual control on about everything. Aperture, focus, shutter speed, it's all easily adjustable! What's that you say? You like to play with the variables, but don't want to spend all day 'tinkering'? No problem! You want macro? turn the dial to the flower, and you are good to go. You want landscape? turn the dial to the mountain. you want quick and easy night shots without dealing with all the aperture/shutter/exposure levels? turn the dial to night, and you're DONE! Action? NO PROBLEM! This camera has so many great features on the body of the camera that everything is just soooo easy to adjust and play with! the battery drain kinda honks, but i bought some rechargeables, and snapped like 100 pics, about half with the flash, before they ran out. the software is probably the best that I've seen come bundled (don't expect photoshop, but you will get good applications that grab your photos right off the camera and save them right to the hard drive folder of your choice, AND, the previewing is super easy!). also, the cam comes with straps, lens caps, and a little catalog of all the extras you can get for it from a third party dealer. This puppy has 47mm threads (i think they are 47 mm...?) and you can put tons of different filters, zoom lenses, etc. on this bad boy. This is the probably the best SLR-type digi cam for under $1000 on the market. if you want more megapixels, look elsewhere. but if you are a 35mm enthusiast that wants similar control, at a pretty decent price, on your digi, then look no further! Oh, by the way, this camera has a diopter on the eyepiece, that I still don't quite understand it's purpose... it allows you to focus on your subject, but has no effect on the actual image. Huh? Can someone help me out on that one... One thing: the price on this cam went up $100 between the day I purchased it, and the day I received it. I got the lower price, but what's with the sudden jump in price?... This thing is a champ! Best Around! KUDOS! HP/Pentax have done their homework!
Rating:
Summary: Stoked!
Review: This is the third digital camera that I have purchased (I sent the other two back because they were both disappointments). I was jaded. I wanted many things on a digital camera that i never thought I'd find. I wanted easy features that i could control without having to go through a bunch of lame menus. I wanted a good zoom. I wanted at least 2 megapixels. I wanted to have good control of my picture taking, and to be able to see 'through the lens', like an SLR 35. I was sure it wouldn't happen... And then, I found the 912. What can I say? Well, in a nutshell: this baby ROCKS! Great pics with excellent clarity and color; great detail in shadows; manual control on about everything. Aperture, focus, shutter speed, it's all easily adjustable! What's that you say? You like to play with the variables, but don't want to spend all day 'tinkering'? No problem! You want macro? turn the dial to the flower, and you are good to go. You want landscape? turn the dial to the mountain. you want quick and easy night shots without dealing with all the aperture/shutter/exposure levels? turn the dial to night, and you're DONE! Action? NO PROBLEM! This camera has so many great features on the body of the camera that everything is just soooo easy to adjust and play with! the battery drain kinda honks, but i bought some rechargeables, and snapped like 100 pics, about half with the flash, before they ran out. the software is probably the best that I've seen come bundled (don't expect photoshop, but you will get good applications that grab your photos right off the camera and save them right to the hard drive folder of your choice, AND, the previewing is super easy!). also, the cam comes with straps, lens caps, and a little catalog of all the extras you can get for it from a third party dealer. This puppy has 47mm threads (i think they are 47 mm...?) and you can put tons of different filters, zoom lenses, etc. on this bad boy. This is the probably the best SLR-type digi cam for under $1000 on the market. if you want more megapixels, look elsewhere. but if you are a 35mm enthusiast that wants similar control, at a pretty decent price, on your digi, then look no further! Oh, by the way, this camera has a diopter on the eyepiece, that I still don't quite understand it's purpose... it allows you to focus on your subject, but has no effect on the actual image. Huh? Can someone help me out on that one... One thing: the price on this cam went up $100 between the day I purchased it, and the day I received it. I got the lower price, but what's with the sudden jump in price?... This thing is a champ! Best Around! KUDOS! HP/Pentax have done their homework!
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