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HP PhotoSmart 812XI (4.13MP, 2384 x 1734, 3X Opt, 16MB CF) (HP-Q2147A)
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HP Photosmart 812
PhotoSmart 812XI (4.13MP, 2384 x 1734, 3X Opt, 16MB CF) (HP-Q2147A) Review, by Lisa Cekan June 20, 2002
WHAT'S HOT: At $499, HP's Photosmart 812 is one of the first 4-megapixel cameras to break the $500 barrier. Greatly simplifying the process of getting your prints from the camera, HP includes a docking station from which you can upload your photos to a computer, print them directly to a printer, or view them on a TV set. Once you've set up the included driver and the ACDSee image editor on your computer, you merely hit a button on the docking station to launch the software and upload your photos. An easily accessible button on the back of the camera permits digital print order format (DPOF) printing; you can set up your print order in the camera, place the camera on the docking station, and then hit the button to send your photos directly to a printer in the order you've set.
WHAT'S NOT: The Photosmart 812's rechargeable AA batteries had the shortest life of any in our current batch of cameras: They lasted only 73 shots before dying.
The Photosmart 812 has no manual exposure settings, and buttons on the camera body provide access to almost all of its settings and controls. This should make the camera easy to use, but unfortunately HP opted for unconventional and unintuitive button placement. Instead of grouping the recording and viewing functions together, as many cameras do, the HP groups record mode, self timer, and movie mode together on the top of the camera next to the shutter button, while playback mode is a button on the back of the camera next to the LCD panel. Considering how frequently most people switch between taking shots and viewing them, it would be more convenient to place those buttons together. Though a shot appears on the LCD for several seconds immediately after it's taken, most people will want to toggle between shooting and viewing. (A related gripe: The playback button is cryptically labeled "OK" and doubles as a select button for navigating the menus, which is quite confusing.) It won't take long to get used to the Photosmart 812, especially given its limited settings and controls, but we found the layout unnecessarily confusing.
WHAT ELSE: Colors in the blue sky of our outdoor shot and in our mannequin's dress looked rich and realistic. Though the Photosmart 812 generally captured detail well, patterns in our still life and parts of our mannequin's face showed some fuzziness.
HP includes a small manual in booklet form that contains camera operating instructions, a few troubleshooting tips, and an index. An illustrated setup poster for connecting the camera and docking station to your computer is also included.
UPSHOT: With awkward controls and short battery life, this isn't the best camera to take on vacation. But the high pixel count supports nicely detailed photos, and the docking station makes sharing your snapshots easy.
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: Curban
Strengths: if the light was good, pictures were great
Weaknesses: sucked up batteries, and broke frequently
Overall: This was the first hi-res digital camera we purchased. A week before the one year warranty ran out it broke and we had to send it back in. It lasted almost another full year, and now it's broken again. HP support basicly said "too bad", we can fix it for about the price of purchase, or give you a $60.00 coupon for your next purchase. The pictures it took in it's short lifespan were great. But over all not worth it if it'sgoing to break every year.
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Reviewed by: MrHERRNUDIST
Strengths: Very good picture quality and versatility, especially with lens attachments and lens adapter available from an outside source. I have been able to attach wide angle, polarized, and telephoto lenses.
Weaknesses: SHORT BATTERY LIFE. I have talked to representatives at HP and they seem not to care about the lack of battery life.
Overall: I was dismayed at finding the camera $100.00 cheaper just after I purchased it and I got it when it first came out.Also I was surprised to find HP is not interested in making Camera lens attachments available but another company offers them. I Love the photo quality (I take mostly pictures at concerts and nature settings) and it is a great companion to my Epson Photo printer. With a Telephoto lens I can be 50-75 Ft away from the lead singer on stage in daytime and get head shot that compares to my Nikon 35mm with 38-300 zoom at 8 X 10 printout.
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Reviewed by: josepheagle
Strengths: Response time;zoom capabilities;lens quality;sharp pictures.
Weaknesses: tiny control buttons
Overall: This camera is perfect for all around use by novices and pros. Its compact size is misleading, for this unit packs a punch when it comes to features. I am very pleased with its performance, and would highly recommend it to first time digital camera buyers.
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Reviewed by: xebulon
Strengths: Very compact, versitile, light weight
Weaknesses: Eats batteries like a Texas prison guards taser. Weird things happend if not using fully charged batteries. If you unplug the usb cable with out moving to the thrash you get a :"Fatal Error" reboot ti
Overall: This is a great little compact camera. Be sure to get the dock with it as it recharges the batteries and connects to TV and computer. Very easy to connect to the HP photo printer, slow but good pictures. Use an art sealant or the photos will smudge.
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Reviewed by: voxen
Strengths: Small, ease of use, ease of download.
Weaknesses: EATS batteries, no built in recharger. One shooting session uses up 2 AA batteries. The photo batteries last a tiny bit longer.
Overall: Wish they had made it rechargeable!!! It is a great size and the picture quality is good but I would not buy another just because of the battery usage....too expensive and also annoying to have to change batteries (and then reset the day/date/time function)during a photo shoot. It runs at about 10 pics/ 2 batteries. NOTE: I kept trying to put a 2 or 3 star rating but all this program will show is a 5 star, which this camera is definitely NOT !!!!
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