Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

The HP Photosmart 435 is the “little black dress” of digital cameras; it is elegant in its simplicity, and works for just about any occasion. Plus, with an MSRP of $129.99, it’s economic and affordable. Containing a sleek metallic front, sliding lens cover, 3.34 megapixels of resolution, and an internal 16MB memory, the HP 435 has appeal and substance. Created for budget consumers and novice photographers, this point-and-shoot has a 5x digital zoom lens, intuitive features, and a movie mode that captures video at 15 frames per second with audio. Beginning photographers will find the Photosmart 435’s direct print and e-mail options attractive. They allow the user to select photos to send to specific destinations and printers as soon as the camera is connected to a PC or printer.
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Connectivity
Software (5.5)
Included in the box with the Photosmart 435 are HP’s Photo and Imaging software, Memories Disk Creator (Windows and Mac capable), and Hemera’s Greeting Card Creator (for Windows only).

Jacks, ports, plugs (6.0)
The ports on the right side of the camera provide connection for an optional AC power adapter, a USB cable to computer or printer (one USB for each is included in the box), and for an optional Audio/Video cable to connect to a TV.

Direct Print Options (7.0)
The direct print options and sharing features on the Photosmart 435 stand out, as they make printing and sending pictures through e-mail effortless. A user can select photos from within the playback mode and, by pressing the share button, choose one or more of the following options: “print one copy”, “print two copies”, and “customize this menu,” where e-mail addresses and other destinations are saved. Once the Photosmart 435 is connected to the PC or printer, it will automatically print or e-mail selected photos.

Memory (7.5)
The Photosmart 435 comes with 16MB of internal memory, which is pleasant because internal memory is a tough find in cameras within this price range. Fortunately, it also accepts 32MB, 64MB, or 128MB Secure Digital (SD) or Multi Media Card (MMC) cards, because, although 16MB can hold about 200 photos at low resolution, it can only hold about 13 photos at high resolution. Honestly, when you consider that a 128MB card holds about 106 high resolution images, it seems almost silly to buy anything less, unless you don’t mind having all your photos at the low resolution size of 0.08MB.

Other features (6.5)
Digital Camera Dock - The HP Photosmart 8886 Digital Camera Dock facilitates battery recharging, transfers files to the PC to be printed or e-mailed, and can even be used to create a slide show on TV.

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