A Good Buy For Today's Entry-Level Digital Photography
Written: May 13 '04 (Updated Mar 06 '05)
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Pros: Low Price, Reputable Brand. Most of the features you would need for basic digital photography.
Cons: No optical zoom; low internal memory; bulky; LCD screen very poor in low light situations
The Bottom Line: Hard to beat at the going price. The lack of an optical zoom and low internal memory are its biggest drawbacks.
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| therichpeasant's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Photosmart 320 Digital Camera |
I purchased this camera brand new on an eBay auction for US$62.00 which I thought was a great price for a 2.1 megapixel camera with an LCD display and a reputable brand name to boot. I'm not one of these early adapters who must have everything when it is first introduced to the market. Rather, I look for something that is good quality, at a reasonable price that fits my needs.
This model is likely to still be available at some stores (I recently saw Staples selling them in May 2004, refurbished for US$80.00), even though they are the last in the line of this HP design. Compared to newer models of digital cameras, they may seem bulky and quite heavy (especially with all the batteries installed).
The quality of the pictures are more than acceptable and likely will meet the needs of most user for occasions such as family or vacation photos or eBay auction photos etc. Whereas the first digital cameras were low resolution gadgets used to post images on the Web, this camera has sufficient resolution for you to download the images from the camera and have them printed on photo paper up to 5x7 size.
The camera lens is small but features autofocus, auto exposure and red-eye reduction. The camera has three quality settings - Good, Better and Best. On the 8MB internal memory, they can hold 87, 14 and 7 images at these settings respectively. So pretty much, you would use the lowest setting for web images, the Better for stuff like photos or auction items and Best for images you may want to print on photo paper. Because the highest setting allows you so few images on the Internal Memory, it is almost essential to buy optional Memory Cards for this camera.
The buttons are fairly straightforward and relatively easy to use, although the miniscule On/Off switch will frustrate those with fat fingers! The camera does switch off by itself if left unused for a period of time which will save battery power. I feel that a design flaw is the combining of the Self-Timer and Zoom Buttons which can lead to some confusion.
The 1.5-inch LCD display is neither large nor bright enough in most conditions, and is very poor in dark settings and the icons and instructions are well laid-out and fairly straightforward. Avoid keeping the LCD panel on, as this is what eats up the batteries.
On the plus side, the camera is easy to use. Memory cards (Secure Digital) are readily available and cheap (I bought a 32MB card for US$5.00 and a 64MB card for US$11.00 on eBay). There are three settings for flash - auto, flash on and flash off. This may seem to be a useless feature for most people, but if you've tried taking photos of auction items at close range and the flash keeps going off when you don't want it to, then you will understand why I rate this as a useful feature.
Some of the negative features of the camera are: small internal memory (only 8MB); lack of a cover to protect the lens; No instruction booklet to guide you through the software; and lack of an AC adapter (my first digital camera was a cheap US$30 Mustek and that came with an adapter). There is also no optical zoom which is sorely missed, but that is to be expected from a camera of this price.
Shutter lag is somewhat slow, but for the most part, people will not be likely taking action or sports photography using this camera.
All in all, a nice camera that presents good value for those wanting to get into digital imaging, but who want a lot of features for a little price.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 62.00
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
therichpeasant
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Reviews written: 37
Trusted by: 0 members
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