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Auto Mode (6.5)
The HP Photosmart R927 powers up in the Auto mode every time it is turned on. This default mode is more like a Program AE mode because it allows access to several manual adjustments. Users can choose the white balance and exposure compensation, as well as tweak sharpness and contrast and such. Still, the camera resets to its defaults every time the Auto mode is entered. Overall, the Auto mode is definitely easy to access and easy to use but resorting to the defaults each time may be frustrating to some users.
Movie Mode (6.0)
One of the more unique aspects of this Photosmart digital camera is its designated video button. This is convenient because users don’t have to enter the menu system and select the movie mode. Instead, they can just push the video button at any time to record movies. The dual buttons cannot work simultaneously like the Canon’s MovieSnap function on some of their digital cameras. Those models allow users to record video with one button and simultaneously take full-resolution still images. The HP R927 does not operate like that; the shutter release button is useless while recording videos. The video quality can be changed at any time in the recording menu; there are Normal, VGA, and QVGA options. All of the 640 x 480 and 320 x 240-pixel clips record 24 frames per second and are saved as MPEG-1 files. Audio is recorded simultaneously too, but it isn’t very good quality. It is muffled even when subjects are directly in front of the camera and speaking clearly. The movie mode has other problems too. The auto focus breathes in and out a bit, the video is unusable in low light, and the optical zoom lens is functional but very noisy. Still images can be extracted from the movie clips while in the playback mode. All users need to do is follow the on-screen instructions and push upward on the multi-selector to save individual photos.
Drive / Burst Mode (2.5)
The HP Photosmart R927 hardly has a burst mode at all. The camera is naturally slow. When not in the burst mode, expect to see “Processing…” frequently. After a picture is taken, it takes the camera nearly 13 seconds to save it to the card – all the while displaying its “Processing…” message. This certainly slows things down. The HP R927’s burst mode can be turned on and off in the recording menu. Once activated, the mode shoots a frame a second for an entire two pictures! This short burst is incredibly disappointing. Consumers who want to photograph action of any kind may have to look elsewhere; there’s just no good way to take a lot of pictures in a short amount of time on this model.
Playback Mode (8.25)
The Playback mode is accessed by the recording/playback button atop the camera and to the left of the power button. If users want to turn on the camera just to view images, pressing both buttons simultaneously will drop them right into the playback mode. Users can scroll through pictures on the 3-inch LCD screen with the right and left arrows on the multi-selector. Pushing down will bring up the following deletion options: Cancel, This Image, All Images on Card, Format Card, and Undelete Last. Pushing up won’t do anything – unless in the thumbnail view. Pushing the wide end of the zoom lever will display nine thumbnails on the screen at a time; pushing in all directions of the multi-selector navigates around the different thumbnails. The playback menu has lots to offer: file info, deletion, slide shows, audio recording capabilities, and even image advice. The image advice option is unique to HP digital cameras. When selected, it analyzes the image and offers some customized tips. For example, it analyzed a dark picture of a sleeping baby and stated, “This image, taken in Manual shooting mode, is underexposed by at least 2 stops….Try using a lower F-number or slower shutter speed…” Images and videos can be deleted all at once, one by one, or in groups. Slide shows can be played with pictures shown for 2-60 seconds with the audio on or off.
The Photosmart Express menu simplifies printing, whether it be online or at home. There is a “Share” menu from here too; users can tag pictures to upload to the online album automatically when the camera is docked and hooked up to the computer. The internal email address book can be edited when the camera is connected to the computer and the included software is running.
The HP Photosmart R927’s Design Gallery is also available in the playback mode. It applies all kinds of special effects, but those will be discussed in the Picture Effects Mode section later in the review. Besides those interesting effects, the playback mode is pretty standard. It doesn’t play music with slide shows or sort photos on a calendar-style page. However, the large LCD screen is great for viewing and the image advice is unique too.
Custom Image Presets (6.0)
The HP Photosmart R927 has a set of scene modes that are grouped with the more manual modes in the Mode section of the camera’s recording menu. The following choices are available: Landscape, Portrait, Theatre, Panorama, Action, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Beach, Snow, Sunset, Document, and My Mode. This listing is fairly basic. Many models are now including a scene mode specialized for taking pictures in low light. The R927, however, does not have the high ISO sensitivity that most current cameras have, so it can't really compete in that area. There is a Theatre scene mode that turns off the flash and makes an attempt at capturing a scene, but it still counts on some available light. The Panorama mode lets users snap up to 5 pictures at a time; the live preview is supplemented by outlines from the last picture taken at the side of the LCD. Panoramas can be constructed from left to right or vice versa. Panoramas can be stitched together in the camera or in the included software. The Action scene mode is limited by the camera’s awful 2-shot burst mode. The Document mode showed the lens’ barrel distortion, as the edges of the paper were bowed. When My Mode is selected, an option appears in the menu that lets users select the shooting mode and settings. This is the only mode on the camera that “remembers” its settings rather than resetting itself to the default settings, so My Mode can be a scene mode or a manual mode in that way.
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