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| HP PhotoSmart 618 (Printers) |
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Hardware Reviews January 2001 • Vol.9 Issue 1 Page(s) 43 in print issue |
HP PhotoSmart 618 (Printers) | ||
 If you're a photography buff, you know the Pentax brand name carries clout in the picture-taking world. If you're considering the Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart 618, that's good news, because HP and Pentax jointly designed the camera, and Pentax markets the camera separately as the EI-200. Confused? Don't be. The companies label the camera differently, but the models are identical. What's important are the camera's excellent manual options and image quality. The heart of the PhotoSmart 618 is the Pentax 3X optical and 2X digital zoom lens that focuses about 1.5 feet to infinity in normal mode and as close as 4 inches in macro and manual modes. The camera also uses HP's Imaging Technology and FlashPoint's Digita operating system for more creativity. Advanced features include, adding 45 seconds of sound to images; programmable auto exposure; three picture modes; three shooting modes; auto and fixed ISO settings; three metering settings; three white balance settings; three color modes; and diopter adjustment. The camera takes uncompressed TIFF(Tagged Image File Format)shots and can send images to compatible HP printers using HP's JetSend infrared technology. Accessing the options isn't difficult using the camera's menu and navigational buttons. A few icons are vague, so keep the manual close initially. Images are shot at 1,600 x 1,200 pixels or 800 x 600 pixels in TIFF or JPEG files and saved to a 16MB CompactFlash card that stores two TIFF shots and between 15 and 165 JPEG images. Our outdoor shots rendered great brightness and accurate colors. Our indoor shots were nearly as impressive, although several taken under fluorescent lighting at default settings were darkish yellow. Shots under tungsten lighting had better exposure and color balance. Overall, the images rate well above average. Also pleasing is the camera's design. The LCD's placement makes it easy for you to leave your thumbprints on the screen, but the camera looks and feels good. The oversized right side has a rubber grip and is a comfortable fit, as is the slightly tilted shutter button. Additionally, there's an automatic sliding lens cover, built-in speaker, USB connection, and mode dial. The camera can use alkaline or rechargeable NiMH batteries but ships with preferable lithium rechargeable batteries. It also includes HP Photo Imaging software, and ArcSoft's PhotoImpression and PhotoMontage. At $600, the camera is mid-priced, but its features and image quality propel it higher. Photographers with moderate and advanced skills should find certain attributes of the PhotoSmart 618 appealing. by Blaine Flamig
$600 Hewlett-Packard (888) 474-3867 (208) 376-3686 http://www.hp.com
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