HP Photosmart R927 Digital Camera Review

 

The HP Photosmart R927 was announced in January 2006 and released in April for a retail price of $399. The R927 has a lot to offer at that price: 8.2 megapixels, 3-inch LCD screen, manual and automatic modes and controls, vast amounts of picture effects and direct printing, and an included charging station. Because this camera was released much earlier this year, the price has gone down too. Now consumers can easily find it online for $299 or less, which at that price or below, is certainly a worthy purchase.

 

HP Photosmart R727 – If consumers are looking for the in-camera editing and other features of the R927 but don’t care for the manual control or high pixel count, the R727 may be just the camera for you. It has 6.2 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens. Its focal lengths may be the same, but the R727’s lens does not protrude from the camera body even when powered up. The HP Photosmart R727 does not have manual or priority modes, but does have the scene modes found on the R927. The digital cameras share many other similar features: the Photosmart Express menu, Adaptive Lighting feature, image advice, 24 fps VGA movie mode, and vast numbers of in-camera editing effects. The HP Photosmart R727 has the same dimensions and weight as the R927, and comes with the same dock that charges the battery and connects to computers and printers. This camera has a smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen and an aluminum body rather than the R927’s stainless steel construction. The HP R727 retails for                                                                 $249.

 

Canon PowerShot SD800 IS – This camera has the same $399 retail price as the R927 and a similar slim design. The SD800 IS has 7.1 megapixels and a 3.8x optical zoom lens with a wider 28-105 mm focal range. The wide lens is complemented with an optical image stabilization system, which does wonders for snapping pictures in low light especially when coupled with the camera’s 80-1600 ISO settings. The Canon SD800 is fitted with a smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen, but also has an optical viewfinder. This PowerShot also comes with face detection technology, so the camera can recognize and track up to nine faces at once and keep them in focus. With its My Colors mode, this model has a few picture effects that can be applied before or after the picture is taken. The SD800 IS would be a good digital camera for consumers who need a little more imaging power in less than ideal lighting conditions.

 

Kodak EasyShare V705 – Kodak touts this model as the “world’s smallest ultra-wide-angle-zoom digital camera” with its 23 mm wide focal length and 5x optical zoom. The camera measures 4 x 2 x 0.8 inches; the 5x zoom can fit in the tiny package because it is a dual lens system. The two lenses peer out front with a much more unique look than the HP R927. The 7.1-megapixel Kodak V705 has more to offer than looks too: It has ISO settings from 50-1000 and a VGA movie mode that shoots 30 fps and zooms while recording. The Kodak has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels and some in-camera editing features like digital red-eye reduction and cropping, as well as Kodak’s Perfect Touch technology that automatically fixes the exposure in playback mode. The EasyShare V705 does not have the manual functionality that the HP does; instead, it has 22 scene modes and 3 color modes and a small list of manual adjustments that can be made. The V705 shares some characteristics with the HP R927: it has 32 MB of internal memory, an in-camera panorama stitching mode, a Share button similar to the Photosmart Express menu, and comes packaged with a Kodak EasyShare camera dock. The dock not only charges the battery and connects to computers and printers, but offers an AV connection as well to hook up to televisions. The Kodak EasyShare V705 retails for $349.

 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 – If consumers are set on getting 8.1 megapixels with manual controls, the Sony W100 provides another option. This digital camera is simpler to use, and although it has a help guide to choose the proper image size, it doesn’t have the vast user manual downloaded onto the LCD screen. The W100’s LCD happens to be a smaller 2.5 inches with a disappointing 115,000 pixels of resolution. The inch-thick camera has an optical viewfinder too. This camera has manual, priority, program, and automatic modes along with 6 scene modes. With its 64-1250 ISO range, the W100 can take better pictures in lower light. The Cyber-shot W100 has a 3x Carl Zeiss lens and a powerful built-in flash. It also boasts battery life of 360 shots per charge. With 64 MB of internal memory and a $349 price tag, the Sony W100 is a tempting choice.

 

Point-and-Shooters – The HP Photosmart R927 powers up in the Auto mode and allows access to options like white balance and focus area, but resets to its default settings when turned on. The built-in help guide may also attract this audience. 

Budget Consumers – $399 seems a bit pricey for this digital camera. It does have some manual control and 8.2 megapixels, but its housing isn’t slim and trendy and it doesn’t have any super-stellar features to warrant the high price. At $299 and below, its array of features and gorgeous screen justify the sub-$300 price tag.

Gadget Freaks – This audience will be mildly amused by the video button and the Design Gallery portion of the menu but will be otherwise bored.

 

Manual Control Freaks – The HP Photosmart R927 has shutter speed and aperture priority modes to ease beginners into becoming manual control freaks. This model also has a fully manual mode. Freaks will be satisfied with the exception of the awful manual focus mode that digitally magnifies the center of the image and displays it in black and white. Yuck!

 

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists – This audience will be sad to see an 8.2-megapixel image sensor wasted on a camera with such a poor quality lens.

 

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