Likes

- Navigation of menus is simple and intuitive - Help features should inform tech-shy users of settings throughout the camera - Sharing and printing images with basic and unfettered controls, either to direct printing or the internet and Snapfish - Placement of Flash, Photo Express and Shooting/Playback controls when compared to the M425

Dislikes

- Lag in saving images to memory, pre- and postproduction - Lack of playback audio in-camera for either digital video or audio clips - The Add Borders feature is too automatic and often misjudged image structure and produced oddly sized and colored results - LCD goes blank and is slow to refresh when moving between postproduction and shooting menu structures

Conclusion
The HP Photosmart M527 will provide consumers with a 6 MP CCD, 3x optical zoom, 2-inch LCD, and features which are commonly found on other cameras within this price range. There are a few features which set this camera apart from other manufacturers’ offerings. The inclusion of an extensive Help structure and a basic simple external and internal navigation structure assures that users will be able to navigate all menus without needing to constantly refer to the User’s Manual or other resources.

The auto mode is capable of either controlling all features or allowing partial user access to settings of exposure compensation and ISO. That is not an extensive list of manual controls and a manual white balance feature would be a laudable addition. However, this camera really is intended for the audience that seeks quality results without user input.

The addition of settings like Artist Effects menu and the Automatic Red-eye Reduction setting will give this camera a slight advantage over the competition. Other settings like the Add Border feature, while well intentioned and interesting, still do not manage to attain consistently acceptable results. For camera users seeking a no-frills digital camera with point-and-shoot capabilities, standard well sized external controls, and expansive help features with text and image examples, the M527 could be an interesting candidate to re-examine—but we can’t say so for sure. Visit us later for our image testing results and full review.