Model Design / Appearance
The HP Photosmart R725 is formed out of aluminum, and is thus much lighter than the stainless steel frame found on the high-end R927. This makes the camera seem a bit delicate. The surface of the camera is entirely without texture, so the frame has a sleek and clean feel although this also means that it’s easy to slip out of one’s grasp. Sleek as it is, this camera is not visually compelling and does little to separate itself from the point-and-shoot competition.
Size/Portability
The R725 is definitely not the heaviest camera of its class, weighing in at 4.9 oz. It owes its weight to the aluminum frame and the rechargeable lithium-ion battery rather than a stainless steel frame or AA batteries. The camera measures 3.7 x 1.2 x 2.4 inches and should fit into a pocket or a purse, and the addition of a wrist strap loop on the edge should provide users with a feasible carrying alternative for the short term.
Handling Ability
The small size of the camera is nicely contrasted by features which are both well sized and well spaced, a decision which should make handling comfortable and effortless. There aren’t grips with texture, and this plus the slender frame makes it a bit difficult to hold. The fixed lens on the camera is poorly positioned in the upper corner of the front face, perfectly placed for accidental finger obstruction. However, both the flash and microphone are placed away from wandering 
fingers. Navigation is simple, thanks to well labeled buttons.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
While most of the controls on the HP Photosmart R725 are well sized and spaced, one button is a constant irritant. It’s the On/Off button on the back of the camera, above the LCD screen. This button is a slender horizontal sliver of a control, and is also set into a scalloped section of the camera body. These design decisions make activating this control with a finger a nearly impossible activity. Instead, photographers must use a fingernail to activate this feature. Also, the button is often overlooked when searching for it because it is so small. It’s definitely at odds with the other controls.
Menu
The menu structure for the HP Photosmart R725 is designed as a simple to navigate, vertically scrolling list that enables users to concisely move through main and submenus via the four-way control. While the menu structure is nearly identical to the one found on the R927, it is less legible due to smaller screen and poorer resolution. That being said, full text descriptions are available for nearly all functions, and users can choose whether to have these or annotated descriptions displayed with example thumbnail images. The menu structure is transparent and engages a scrolling bar, so that a live view of the scene remains displayed at all times. Once full submenus are entered users are presented with an opaque background and a textual description with a thumbnail. When changing settings within the main Capture Menu, users will also be able to have live view alterations to manual control settings, allowing for an instantaneous understanding of what changes do the image.
Capture Menu -The Capture Menu allows users to access most camera settings that deal with real time controls over image parameters. This menu may be entered by pressing the Menu/OK button located on the back of the camera. Once it is entered, users will find access to Shooting Mode, Self Timer, Red-Eye Removal, Exposure Compensation, Adaptive Lighting, Image Quality, Video Quality, Burst, White Balance, Auto Focus Area, AE Metering, ISO Speed, Saturation, Sharpness, Contrast, Date/Time Imprint, and Exit. The Shooting Mode menu may also be entered by pressing the up arrow on the four-way controller, an appreciated shortcut to a more commonly used feature.
Set-up Menu - The Set-up menu controls the overall display and camera functions for the HP Photosmart R725. This menu provides control and access to: DISPLAY brightness, sound volume, focus assist light, Display Timeout, Instant Review, Digital Zoom, Date and Time, USB, TV Configuration, Language, Reset Settings, and Exit.
Design Gallery Menu - This new addition to the HP digital camera line is intended to replace the postproduction photo effect software often used by beginning digital camera users. This menu will allow users to enter into settings to control: Apply Art Effect, Modify Color, Add Borders, Remove Red-Eye, Rotate, Crop, and Exit. Many of these settings are fully automatic, which means that users won’t be able to dictate color settings of borders, size of borders, or other options, which is unfortunate since I personally thought some of the color results were unflattering or unappealing. All of the controls located within this menu function only as postproduction settings. In their respective full submenus, each digital effect parameter is displayed as a thumbnail with the image to be altered beneath. Once the feature is engaged, the new image is saved in conjunction with the original, allowing users to continue to build or regress as desired.
Playback Menu - The Playback Menu may be entered in two ways, either through pressing the Record/Playback button on the top of the camera, or by pressing the Menu/OK button and navigating over to this menu section. Users can then access settings for: Image Advice, Image Info, View Slideshow, Stitch Panorama, Record Audio, Move Images to Card, and Exit.
Help Menu -This inclusion by HP should be very helpful to beginning point-and-shoot users out in the field without a camera manual at their disposal. This menu is opaque and provides users the opportunity to read about: Top ten tips, camera accessories, camera buttons, using shooting modes, using design gallery, Sharing Images, Printing Images, Recording Audio Clips, Recording Video Clips, Reviewing Images and Video, Extracting Prints from Video, Deleting Images, Transferring Images, Managing Batteries, Getting Assistance, Camera Shortcuts, About, and Exit.
Photosmart Express Menu - The Photosmart Express Menu allows users to select images for further postproduction work, which includes uploading images onto the Internet and printing photographs from at home or online. Users can select among: Print, Buy Prints Online, Share All Images, Share Menu Set-up, and Exit
Ease of Use
Shooting with the HP Photosmart R725 was a simple procedure, with menu navigation that is both uncomplicated and helped by full text descriptions and thumbnails of nearly every setting found within each submenu. The Design Gallery settings were also straightforward and provided thumbnail views of the digital effects prior to saving images to memory. Scanning through longer menus to access manual controls is a bit tedious, and though placing manual controls inside in-camera menus does simplify the external surface of the camera, it certainly doesn’t make alterations quick. The in-camera help functions and live views of manual controls should be more than enough information for most novice point-and-shoot users.
