Another member of Hewlett-Packard's Photosmart
R series, the R607 has an eye-catching design that
uses a moulded metal cover on the front combined with a non-slip,
graphite-coloured back.
The HP R607 is an affordable and
compact camera that provides a 4.1 megapixel resolution, a 3X
optical zoom and is intended as an economical alternative to
the Photosmart
R707, the 5 megapixel model in this series.
Two controls are positioned on the top right side of the camera. The first
is the larger button, the 2-stage shutter release with autofocus
and auto exposure lock at mid-course. Once the shutter release is pressed,
and the image has been captured, if it is held in after the shutter
sound, the camera automatically records sound. The recording, associated
with the image, can last up to 1 minute.
The shutter release also features a discrete
transparent plastic trim that lights up in green when the camera
is turned on. The second is the Video button, ,
which serves to start and stop video recording. The R607 is
able to record video, with sound, as long as there is space
in its internal memory, or on the memory card. Videos are captured
at an image size of 288 x 216 pixels, and during the
recording only the digital zoom is available in order to avoid
having the noise of the optical zoom's motor being recorded.
The top left side of the R607
supports a speaker, and to its right, 2 buttons. Starting on
the right, the first button is for Focus Range settings, and
cycles between the normal focus distance of 40 cm (16 inches)
to infinity and:
Macro, which has a
focus distance of 18 to 50 cm (7 to 20 inches).
Super Macro, which can
focus on a subject from 6 to 25 cm (2.5 to 10 inches), but
locks the zoom at the middle position.
The other button is labelled Mode and
cycles through the 8 shooting modes that are available:
Auto lets the camera control
the selection of aperture and shutter speed, leaving the
user to select all other parameters. This mode is comparable
to the Program modes found on many other cameras.
Action mode optimizes
the shutter speed to freeze action. CCD sensitivity is set
to Auto, and the sensitivity will increase as much as is
required to maintain as high a shutter speed as possible.
Landscape mode selects
a small aperture to increase depth of field, and saturation
and sharpness are both accentuated.
Portrait mode uses as
large an aperture as possible to lessen the depth of field
to create a blurred background behind the subject. Saturation,
contrast and sharpness are automatically lessened.
Beach and Snow mode applies
some positive exposure compensation to ensure that highly
reflective subjects are captured accurately and are not underexposed.
Sunset mode forces the
focus to infinity and disables the flash. In addition orange
tones are slightly enhanced.
Aperture Priority mode
lets the user select one of two apertures while the camera
selects a matching shutter speed. The f-stops available vary
according to the zoom position, but are f2.6 or f4.3 at the
wide angle end, and f4.8 or f7.7 at the maximum telephoto
end.
Panorama mode allows capturing
from 2 to 5 photos that are overlapped either at right or
left, which can be assembled later, on a computer, using
the software supplied with the camera. In addition, the entire
panorama can be seen when the camera is in Playback mode
using a special option of the Playback menu (see the Characteristics section
of the review).
The Power switch is closest to the
top. Below, to its right, is the Zoom control, which is
shaped to follow the contour of the dimple designed to accommodate
the thumb while the camera is in use.
As with so many other cameras, when the R607 is in Playback mode, the zoom
control also serves to display thumbnails of captured photos (9
per screen) when pushed to the wide angle side and
magnification of an image under review (130X)
when pressed on the telephoto side .
Directly below and aligned with the
dimple of the zoom control, the 4-direction button serves to
scroll through the menus, and to select apertures in the Aperture
Priority mode. At its centre, a small round button marked Menu — OK displays
the menu on the 1.5 inch, 120,480 pixel monitor, and also
serves to confirm choices.
A further Six buttons are built into the edge of the raised area supporting
the LCD monitor. Starting on the left, the first button serves to select
the flash modes:
Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction,
Forced On, Forced Off and Night, a first curtain flash with
red-eye reduction — the flash fires at the beginning
of the exposure — allowing the camera to capture both
a subject standing in front of a dark background, and the
background itself.
is to select either the Self-timer or
the Burst mode. The Self-timer has two settings. The
first is a standard 10-second delay, the second is a 2-shot
Self-timer which takes one picture after a 10 second
delay and then takes another a few seconds after.
The Burst mode makes it possible to take 5 photos — the
frame rate depends on the resolution and the shutter speed — and
then displays them in succession while they are stored.
Not to be confused with
the Still image mode of most other cameras, the red camera
icon of the R607 identifies the Live View button
which simply controls the LCD monitor On/Off.
Starts the Playback mode
when the camera is already turned on. The button cannot
be used to turn the camera on directly in playback mode.
This button displays the Instant
Share menu. The menu serves to select an e-mail
or web destination for captured images, and once the
camera is connected to a computer with HP's software
installed, the transfer is automatic.
Worth noting however, destination e-mail addresses must be pre-loaded
in the camera.
The Print button is
to select images that will be printed automatically once
the camera is connected to a computer or to a PictBridge compatible
printer, as well as how many prints to make of each photo.
The HP R607, just like the R707 reviewed late
last year, has a design that shows that imagination and style
can be applied to a very reasonably priced point and shoot. It
has few controls, making the camera easy to master, and the functions
it offers are obviously intended to assist the user as much as
possible.
Compare Prices for HP Hewlett Packard PhotoSmart R607 Duracell Battery
Introduction
,
which serves to start and stop video recording. The R607 is
able to record video, with sound, as long as there is space
in its internal memory, or on the memory card. Videos are captured
at an image size of 288 x 216 pixels, and during the
recording only the digital zoom is available in order to avoid
having the noise of the optical zoom's motor being recorded.
(9
per screen) when pushed to the wide angle side 
and
magnification of an image under review
(130X)
when pressed on the telephoto side 
.
