HP PS720 3.3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

This is simply the easiest digital camera to use. The results are fantastic! With 3.3 megapixels this camera produces some amazing images. The software is easy to load and images transmit instantly to your PC via the USB cable provided. I highly recommend this great product!

So far, I have no complaints! It is a very good camera. Great for someone who is not too terribly interested in a huge load of bells & whistles. This camera is basic ... does what 99% of most cameras do, and takes great photos. It is very easy to use. I would recommend it to anyone in need of a decent camera under 300 dollars. It takes movies with sound. The only thing I heard about it that was considered negative was the weight of the camera. I really do not see how that was a factor at all. It feels like a camera SHOULD feel like. It is not as heavy as a brick, and it looks as if it is made very well. Not like some toy, like some digital cameras look and feel.

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I found that the camera was very easy to learn. The quality of the pics, movies, sound was very good. A couple of things that bring my rating down are:

1. Camera has no light, zoom features when taking movies

2. The access to the batteries is a little awkward(sp?) to figure out.

3. The access to the extended memory/usb/tv jack is a little flimsy leaving you with the worry that the cover will come off.

4. And now after 7 years of use, I now have to manually open the lens cover when I turn on the camera.

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I purchased this camera ~10months ago, based upon reviews I had read. The concensus opinion is that this camera is a good balance between price and photo quality. Overall, I agree with this assessment. But hindsight being 20/20, I don't know if I would buy this camera again because of the lack of manual control or override for the exposure/whitebalance.

In use, it is a little bulky but easy to use with one hand. I find that the heft actually helps me keep the camera steady in use. Mixture of brushed aluminum and rubber for the case is aestheticlly pleasing and reassuring to the hand.

Autofocus is good and quick in normal to bright light, but slow and easily fooled in dim/low light conditions. The flash is not usefull beyond 15ft.

The automatic whitebalance and exposure settings are another matter. In situations where the light level of the centered subject is lower than the light level of the backround, the camera defaults to the backround. You can not totally override the automatic settings so you are left with an underexposed subject. The menu allows for only slight adjustment of the auto settings, but the adjustment range is not great enough. A good example of this problem would be an outdoor picture, where the subject is in the shade but the backround is not. The subject is underexposed, while the backround looks great and no amount of digital processing can reverse the result.

I have also used this camera to photograph items for Ebay auctions. For this purpose, the camera is perfect. With some attention paid to lighting, the photos are well exposed with excellent fine detail.

The included HP Photosmart software is basic, but usefull. Like the camera itself, there are not alot of custom editing options. The USB link from the camera to the software is quick and automatic. Data transfer of a full 64mb card takes ~3min. Slow to some, but OK by me.

The included 16mb of onboard memory holds ~11 full resolution pictures. I purchased a 64mb plug in card, which can hold ~52 full resolution shots. What is interesting is that the onboard memory and the plug in memory are segregated. You can fill up the onboard memory and then plug in the card and fill it up. Used this way, I can take a total of 63 high resolution photos.

Battery life is fine. I did invest in recharchable batteries and I get ~160-180 photos per charge. I would estimate that I use the LCD screen ~1/2 the time.

Like most camera LCD screens, it is usefull in all but daytime outdoor conditions.

For pictures from a distance of less than 15ft, there is a bit of parallax(sp) error between the viewfinder and what the camera records. But once you see the difference a few times, it is easy to compensate for by framing your subject to be just a bit offcenter in the viewfinder. This is not a problem to me, but may be to others.

In summary, this is a good point and shoot camera for most situations. Manual features are limited. Used withing it's limitations it is fine. If you need manual control over exposure/whitebalance, look elsewhere. If you want a simple, rugged camera for casual use, the 720 should be a candidate, expecially at current prices.

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