HP PhotoSmart 635 2.1 MP Digital Camera w/3x Optical

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Camera for Beginners
Review: This is a nice package for beginning level digital camera users. The operation is easy and the imaging software is nice. Would recommend for someone who want to have an easy start into digital photography.

Rating:
Summary: I Luuuv this camera...I love it! I love it! I love it!
Review: Why do I love it so much? Because in spite of the fast battery consumption, it delivers what it promises:
- Optical AND Digital zoom in 1 camera with auto focus
- True plug n play (with my WinXP OS/Suite)
- Beautiful hi-resolution pics (lower resolutions available)
- Extremely easy to use (for those familiar with digicams)
- Movie clips w/audio (only camera w/sound in 2.1MP for $150)
- a strong feature rich software program that's very easy to use
- lots more options than I anticipated and have yet to explore

I'm a heavy (almost everyday) digicam user and I don't have time to fix pics post-download, so I have to get the picture right almost every time. This is my 3rd digital camera, my first camera was one of the first cameras out there (...) When I started to do research (via amazon, cdnet, zdnet, pcmagazine, etc.) I wanted a camera that was good, solid and an exceptional value. This camera came in the top ten of 4 out 6 editor surveys I reviewed for the 2.1MP digital camera class. I carefully studied all the minuses and pluses of all the 2.1 cameras in my price range ($130 - $150), and for the price, this camera has more features and is a better quality than any other I looked at.

After listening to all the warnings, I bought rechargeable batteries and a 128Mb memory card with the camera. It was the best thing I ever did. On a single set of batteries, with the high resolution view finder on and using the optical zoom in lens (which I love), I was able to take over 50 pictures and a 3.5 sec movie clip of a 16 month old and a 4 year old scurrying about, while using only 2/3 of the battery power. Even when I took action photos the pictures came out crisp and clear, no blurryness, what a relief. The only thing, I have to anticipate the action by a quarter of a second in order to capture the shot I want.

After taking all those photos, I forgot the camera at my mom's for a few days and wondered if I would have enough power to download the pics onto my PC. Not only did I still have enough battery power to download I was able to take some more pics, even with the "Battery Low" warning coming on the view finder(something my 2 previous cameras didn't feature). 2 weeks and over 250 pictures later (I'm on my 3rd set of batteries) and I'm still very happy with this camera. The picture resolution, combined with my ability to make adjustments post-download in a solid camera that was at a sensible price, make this an unbeatable value (as what was indicated by most of the editorial reviews I read).

So, if you know what you want in a camera and you do your homework/research before hand, you'll probably enjoy what you buy. (...)

Rating:
Summary: An easy choice for a first- time digicam buyer.
Review: With the price of digital cameras now within reach for most people, it is tough to decide on which one to go with. I am nothing more than a casual user of cameras, and am not in need of one with loads of bells and whistles, nor can I justify spending an arm and a leg on one. The HP 635 was the camera I decided to go with and am so far very pleased with it, despite a few technical flaws.

The biggest selling point of this camera is that fact that it is one of the most user-friendly on the market. The intuitive design and menu system makes operating it right out of the box very easy, and you will be shooting pictures in no time. Everything function is controlled by a series of buttons on the back of the camera. There are four function keys (even one for printing, if you have the camera hooked up to a printer), a flash and video control key, and 4-way navigation keys with an "OK" button in the middle, like the ones found on DVD remote controls. The menus appear on the LCD viewfinder and are easy to navigate. Adjusting the picture quality, setting the color scheme, and deleting pictures in the memory are just a few of the functions made easy with the menu system. The camera comes with 16 MB of internal memory, but it can be expanded using the memory card slot. Everything you would expect from a digital camera is here, making the HP 635 a great value.

The pictures themselves are excellent quality, even at the lowest image quality setting. The optical zoom (which I recommend over the digital zoom) and auto focus allow you to get the best quality pictures with minimal effort on your part. What pleased me as well was the imaging software that came in the box, which takes no time to set up and is easy to use. The images take no time to be downloaded to your computer, and the imaging software provided helps you re-size and edit your pictures quickly and easily. The USB cable is provided with everything else. In terms of functionality, this camera has been nothing short of stellar so far.

Having said all the praise, there are a few flaws that might dissuade people who would use this camera frequently. For starters, the battery life is horrible. Since the camera has a high-resolution viewfinder and moving parts for the optical zoom, the batteries don't last very long. If you are taking pictures a lot, you will probably have to replace the batteries every 1-2 days (I am not kidding). The minimize this, avoid using the LCD viewfinder too often, or playing with the optical zoom too much. The other flaw is that the 16 MB internal memory doesn't hold much, especially if you are taking pictures at the highest quality. It can hold 12 pictures only on the "Best" setting, while having it on the lowest ("good") will allow you to hold 80, which is better. If you insist on the best quality, you will have to buy an extra memory card.

Since I am not a heavy camera user, I had few beefs with the HP 635. The abysmal battery life and small capacity are slight turnoffs, but they hardly make me regret buying this particular camera. If is well made, easy to use, and reliable. For first time buyers, I highly recommend it for both the value and functionality.