RSS
Subscribe to magazine
Follow us on:
  • Recommend:
  • 0 Comments

Sharp Shooters

Whatever your budget, you'll get more megapixels for your money this year. We pick the best digital cameras above and below $500.

By Carla Thornton, PCW Print   

Complete Coverage

3) HP PhotoSmart 618

CATEGORY: Over $500

PRO: Good-quality prints, sorting tools, remote can snap shutter up to 20 feet away, big software bundle, 199-shot battery life.

CON: Pictures look worse on screen; detailed manual on CD-ROM only.

Budget-minded photographers who need to sort shots in the field should check out the $599, 2.1-megapixel PhotoSmart 618. Like the $999 Nikon Coolpix 990, the PhotoSmart lets you create named folders inside the camera for grouping pictures. But the PhotoSmart's colorful interface goes further: It can mark images with icons that identify them as work-, family-, or vacation-related shots; create watermarks of text or logos; and even attach 45-second-long audio memos. The PhotoSmart carries a 3X optical lens, has 2X digital zoom capability, and includes six picture-quality settings. It offers both aperture and shutter priorities and can take color or black-and-white photos. Attractive tabbed menus and versatile soft buttons make getting started easy. We found the play mode's status bars distracting, but we liked the camera's precapture info feature, which lets you preview picture settings in one tidy list before you snap the shutter.

Would you recommend this story? YES NO

  • Recommend:
  • 0 Comments

Subscribe to the Digital Focus Newsletter - weekly

See All Newsletters »
Lenovo Laptop Deals

Subscribe to the Digital Focus Newsletter - weekly

See All Newsletters »
Today's Special Offers
Editors' Picks