Likes

- Organized menus - Help guide - Quick photo playback - Photosmart Express button - Price

Dislikes

- Bulky, heavy body - Limited ISO range - No in-camera audio playback - Poor image quality - Banding in video

 

The HP Photosmart M527 is definitely one of the cheapest cameras around, especially with HP’s recent rebate, an offer ending at the end of the month, according to the HP website. At $149.99, the low price is the camera’s best selling point.

 

Unfortunately, the Photosmart M527 is not the prettiest camera with its thick, heavy body. If consumers are not concerned with looks, users will find that the 6-megapixel camera has a 3x optical zoom lens, 2-inch LCD, and interesting photo effects. Geared for point-and-shooters, the entry-level camera does offer some fancy tricks.  Besides the economical price, consumers may be swayed by the gimmick of the slimming photo effect, among other Design Gallery functions. Love it or hate it, HP’s photo effects are worth mentioning. As other point-and-shoot cameras continue to move towards non-computer editing, the Photosmart offers built-in functions for direct printing. 

 

For those simply looking for the cheapest 6-megapixel digital camera, the HP Photosmart M527 fits the bill but at the sacrifice of photo quality. Consumers can find better quality elsewhere but for a bigger price tag.