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HP Photosmart R817
Price: £220 inc VAT

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 21/11/2005
Featured in magazine:
Issue 118
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: HP
Tel: 0870 010 4320
Web Address: www.hp.com/uk


There was a time not so long ago when the choice between buying a digital and a compact film camera was a tough call. Film cameras were smaller and provided good prints, though the cost of printing all those snaps could mount up. Now you can get 5 megapixel digital cameras that rival the quality of film if you get them professionally developed. Chuck in a 5x optical zoom, a pocketable size and a competitive price, and this particular model from HP has a lot going for it.

Features
The key features of the Photosmart R817 are the resolution of the shots and the power behind the zoom.

The 5.1 megapixels are more than enough to provide decent-sized prints without losing quality and the zoom provides plenty of choice while composing your image. If you want to get closer there's also an 8x digital zoom and video can be shot in VGA mode (640 by 480 pixels) at 30 frames per second. It also has a modest 32MB of internal memory, which is useful as a back-up, but you're still going to want to buy a decent-sized memory card.

Performance
The test pictures we took on this camera were good, though colours washed out a little in very bright light on its automatic settings. Its ability to capture detail is good though and the flexibility of the 5x optical zoom means you don't have to dangle the camera right in your subject's face to capture a moment.

Ease of use
The camera is crammed with great touches that make it easy to use. When digital zooming, a guide on the LCD display shows how you're just reducing the size of the current image rather than adding further detail to the shot. Scrolling through options is done with chunky, easily visible icons. And of course the software is up to HP's usual high standards, mixing very easy-to-use one-click options with flexibility if you want it.

Value for money
This unit costs £220, which is good value for money considering it includes a simple dock and has great features. It's also around what you might expect to pay for something of this level.

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