Hewlett-Packard's
Photosmart 812 is a more "pocketable" alternative to
Hewlett Packard's other 4 megapixel model, the 8X zoom HP
850.
Equipped with a 3X optical zoom made by Pentax, the HP 812, while being
compact, is not the smallest size 4 megapixel on the market, but is still
one of those cameras that can easily be carried in the palm of a hand.
Designed
for even simpler operation than the HP 850, the HP 812 provides 3 recording
modes:
Single
shot
Self-Timer
Movie
with sound
each controlled by a
rotary dial with the shutter release at its centre. The rubber On/Off
button is directly behind the mode dial, and requires being pressed firmly
to turn on the camera. A speaker, to hear recorded sounds, is embedded
on the left.
An
optical viewfinder is provided, but without a diopter correction. To its
right are two small LEDs, the top one, green, serves to indicate when
the camera has focused and is ready for the shot. The lower one, red,
glows when the camera is recording a video sequence.
The back of the HP 812 supports an array of buttons, grouped on two sides
of the 1.5 inch LCD screen, and the zoom control buttons in the upper
right side.
The
first button, closest to the viewfinder, controls the flash modes (Auto,
Forced Off, Red eye Reduction, Forced on). Any mode other than Auto, is
indicated by a small yellow LED above the button.
The macro mode button, to the left works the same way, and when active,
the LED above it glows yellow too.
On
the right side of the LCD screen, three more buttons are for:
LCD
Screen: On or Off.
Share:
calls up the Instant Share menu.
Menu:
calls up the main menu of the HP 812.
In addition,
the 4-direction controller has an OK button at the centre which
serves to confirm selections in the menus, and turn on the Playback mode.
The
HP812 is incredibly easy to use, ideal for a beginner, or for those who
simply want a digital camera with which they can point and click. For
the user, aside from setting the image size, or selecting either a flash
mode or the macro mode, there is really nothing else to do.
