The HP Photosmart R817 is HP’s latest digital camera and it attempts to emulate the success of the well-received R707 and R717 models. Despite the higher model number, the HP R817 actually has less megapixels (5 rather than 6) and a smaller image sensor than its predecessors.

So what new features does it have to offer? The main one is a 5x optical lens, equivalent to 36-180mm, which instantly sets it apart from most of the competition, which typically have 3x zoom lenses. The R817 is also quite a lot smaller than the older models, although this does come at the expense of a smaller CCD sensor and the omission of an optical viewfinder. Other notable features include a larger 2 inch LCD screen with increased resolution and some new HP technologies, including in-camera panorama stitching and red-eye removal, plus a greatly improved video mode.

The start-up time from turning the camera on to being ready to take a photo is average at 2 seconds, whilst it takes about 3/4 second to zoom from the widest focal length to the longest, and back again. Focusing is very quick in good light and the camera happily achieves focus indoors or in low-light situations due to the focus assist lamp. The visibility and refresh rate of the 2 inch LCD screen are perfectly acceptable. It takes about 0.5 seconds to store an image, allowing you to keep shooting as they are being recorded onto the memory card. In continuous mode (called Burst mode) the camera takes 4 photos at 2.2 frames per second, but subsequent shots in the same sequence are taken and recorded much more slowly, and if the “Processing…” message is displayed you can’t take another shot. All in all the HP Photosmart R817 is above average in terms of operational speed.

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To me, the The HP PhotoSmart R817, like its 6.2-megapixel sibling Photosmart R717, features HP Real Life technologies with HP Instant Share, a technology that makes sharing, printing, and saving digital photos easy. In addition, the PhotoSmart R817 offers 5.1-megapixels of resolution, a Pentax 5x optical zoom, 32 megabytes of internal memory and PictBridge capabilities, all wrapped up in a very compact, stylish and durable stainless-steel / high-impact plastic body.

The R817 also includes features like HP’s exclusive Real Life technologies, which includes Adaptive Lighting and HP Image advice. The in-camera red-eye removal system, automatically eliminates red-eye in your images, to ensure the best possible photos and memories. At the push of a button you can select the fully automatic mode, one of 13 useful scene modes, aperture priority, shutter priority or full manual. If you feel even more creative you can select the metering mode, the color mode, and make adjustments to the sharpness, contrast and saturation. When the action requires it, just press the convenient movie shutter button and capture high-quality VGA resolution motion video with sound.

Shooting performance was very robust for a camera in this class. From power up to first image captured measured just under 3 seconds. Shutter lag (time from pressing the shutter release to actually capturing the image) was less than 1/10 of a second when pre-focused and only 2/10 of a second including autofocus. Using single exposure mode, the shot to shot delay averaged about 1.2 seconds between frames without the use of the flash and 2.0 seconds with the flash. When shooting in Burst mode, I was able to capture 4 frames in 1.2 seconds. When using Burst mode the display goes blank until you are finished recording; times like this are when an optical viewfinder would come in handy. All of our tests were done using a Sandisk Ultra II 512MB SD card, using 5MP*** size/quality, flash off, and all other settings at default (unless noted.) Times may vary depending on lighting conditions, camera settings, media, etc.

Bottom line - we feel the HP PhotoSmart R817 is a worthy competitor in the 5-megapixel category, offering great image, speedy performance, “cool” Real Life Technologies as well as various useful exposure modes. It will make a great choice for anyone who wants an easy to use digicam that captures awesome photos without breaking the bank. With an MSRP of about $349, it offers a good value and is sure to be popular this holiday season.

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With the plethora of affordable digital cameras available now, we have to wonder why HP is offering one without an optical zoom. Equipped with only a 7X digital zoom, this 4-megapixel camera doesn’t cost much; however, sluggish performance and mediocre image quality overshadow the Photosmart M23’s ease of use, attractive design, and price point. If you’re in the market for an easy-to-use point-and-shoot camera, you’re better off paying a few more dollars or dropping to a 3-megapixel model and getting an optical zoom.

Images from the HP Photosmart M23 were just so-so. Although we did not notice any big color shifts, natural light and the flash resulted in slightly cool images, while tungsten light made images overly warm. Colors didn’t look particularly vivid either.

Aside from occasional hot spots from the flash, exposures came out generally even and fairly accurate. The Photosmart M23’s dynamic range is somewhat limited, however, so highlights and shadows often lost detail. And even when we were able to get the autofocus to work, images were still a little soft and lacking in fine detail.

Noise was manageable at ISO 100 and slightly above, but it became more evident at higher sensitivity settings. High-contrast edges exhibited blue halos as well as some noticeable purple fringing.

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The HP Photosmart R717 is a compact 6MP digital camera with a 3x Optical zoom lens (8.0 - 24.0mm equivelant to 39mm - 117mm on a 35mm camera), and a 1.8″ Colour TFT screen. The camera comes with 32mb of memory built into the camera, and can be upgraded with SD cards.

The camera takes rechargable Lithium-Ion batteries. The camera also records 320×240 videos at 30fps with sound. The camera has a number of scene modes / built in help to make it easier to use, as well as this HP’s ‘Real Life Technologies’ such as ‘HP Adaptive Lighting Technology’, and automatic red-eye removal.

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The HP Photosmart M22 scores very highly on ease of use, but unfortunately falls short on image quality, with soft images, and poor indoor photo quality. The lack of optical zoom is a real shame as well - you may be better off buying a camera with an optical zoom lens. Images do have okay colour outdoors and this camera may suit those looking for an extremely easy to use weatherproof point and shoot camera on a budget.

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