HP Photosmart R927

Manual Control Options
There are a substantial number of manual control options available on the highest priced camera within the 2006 R-series considering the projected price range of just under $400. The R927 provides either full or partial manual control over: Focus, White Balance, ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture Opening, Exposure Compensation, AE Metering, and Exposure Bracketing. When adding these manual controls to the numerous preset, auto, and playback modes, it’s hard to imagine that the R927 is ill-suited to any audience.

Focus
Auto Focus
The R927’s Auto Focus has parameters controllable via the Focus button positioned on the top of the camera that allow the user to select either multi or spot focus settings. The selected Auto Focus setting is displayed as a green frame on the LCD, which indicates the readiness of the camera to capture a properly focused image. When using the framing feature the camera efficiently snapped into focus, although there was a slight delay before focus was locked. While not extreme, this slight lag may be frustrating for some.

Manual Focus
The manual focus control is also accessed through the Focus button positioned on the top of the camera body. This setting allows the user to establish focal depth via an enlarged image frame positioned in the center of the LCD screen. Interestingly, this enlarged image is not in color, but rather in black and white.

The depth of field is represented by a vertical sliding bar located on the right side of the LCD screen, and controlled via the up and down arrows of the four-way controller - a useful visual cue to those learning ther medium and how to manipulate visual effect with aperture and shutter speed settings. The manual focus was slow to transition, and would be ok in a shooting situation with static subjects. But don’t think that this feature will function on the fly when shooting at a sporting event.

Metering
The metering modes for the HP Photosmart R927 are found within the Capture Menu and provide three settings enough for most shooting situations. The metering mode settings for the R927 are: Average, Center Weighted, and Spot metering. The R927 lets users manipulate metering in both manual shooting and auto shooting modes, though the R927 will return to the center-weighted metering as its default option if reset.

The Photosmart R927 also included an adaptive lighting system which allows users to lighten or darken images overall via a setting located within the Capture Menu. If users are uncertain of shadow and light level readings within a situation, they may also choose to bracket the shot using the Adaptive Lighting Bracketing feature found in the Bracketing submenu.

Exposure
Not surprisingly, there is no extension manual control over shutter or aperture, but there are still several different exposure control options available with the HP Photosmart R927. There is an Exposure Compensation scale which features an expanded range when compared to the standard +/-2 EV which most point-and-shoot cameras engage; the R927 provides a +/-3 Exposure Compensation scale with 1/3-stop adjustments available throughout this scale.

There is also an included bracketing feature which will allow users to control not merely exposure, but also Adaptive Lighting and Color. The Exposure Bracketing setting will allow the user to shoot three images at three separate bracketing levels: +/- 0.3, 0.7, and 1 EV. This setting will be useful when users find themselves uncomfortable gauging the lighting of a scene.

White Balance
The White Balance settings for the R927 provide a number of pre-sets, a full auto mode, and a pleasing inclusion of a full manual mode setting. The preset controls for White Balance are Auto, Sun, Shade, Tungsten, and Fluorescent. When viewing these settings in the Capture Menu, a live view remains, allowing users to immediately view the alterations made to the scene when switching between modes. Although these settings may be switched while remaining in the overall Capture Menu, it is also possible to enter into the White Balance submenu, which will provide a full title and description of each setting. However, when the user enters the full description menu for White Balance there is no live view. Instead, the user is given an explanation regarding the setting and a thumbnail image of a situation which may merit this specific White Balance preset.

ISO
The R927 lets users control ISO levels via the Capture Menu main screen. The ISO submenu provides offerings of Auto, 100, 200, and 400 ISO. This seems to be a truncated ISO range, since many camera manufacturers are also providing an ISO setting of 50 or 64.

When comparing shots taken within the showroom, the levels of noise became markedly higher when ISO 400 was used. ISO 200 definitely showed evidence of noise as well; ISO 100 returned very low levels of noise. (For more information regarding noise performance, check back soon for the full review of the R927.)

Shutter Speed
There is some manual control of Shutter Speed on the R927 via the Manual mode or the Shutter Priority Mode. The shutter speed range should be able to comfortably handle both low light and well lit situations which the everyday point-and-shoot user may encounter. The camera can shoot at speeds as slow as 16 seconds and as fast as 1/2000. The shutter speed range appears at the top of the LCD screen and is controlled via the up and down arrows on the four-way controller. Adjusting shutter with the four-way controller is especially awkward, with repeated accidental entries into the Menu thanks to the Menu/Ok button between the two controls.

Aperture
Aperture, like Shutter Speed, may be manually controlled via two mode settings when shooting with the HP Photosmart R927. The user can either enter the Aperture Priority Mode or the My Manual Mode to access and alter aperture. The R927 has an aperture range of f/2.8 to f/7.8 in wide angle, and f/5.0 to f/8.5 when in telephoto. Aperture is altered in the same way shutter speed is, and like shutter speed adjustments, quick and concise alterations of aperture settings were not always possible.