Here are a few images that accurately reflect the abilities
of any given camera model. The images are altered only in
terms of size and sharpness after reduction and by the JPEG
compression used. Unless otherwise mentioned, assume that
any marbling or artifacts visible in the images are due to
the compression required to display them here. We feel however,
that they still faithfully represent the results we experienced.
STILL LIFE PHOTO
This subject is photographed in a room that has a mix of fluorescent and
incandescent light, but which is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is
used to add fill light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.
For this shot the HP R607's sensitivity is manually set to
100 ISO to avoid the possibility of the Auto ISO system increasing
the sensitivity and in
turn the noise in the image. Yet, some noise can be seen when the
image is observed at 100%.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f2.6
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter Speed:
1/60 sec.
Res:
2304 x 1728
Flash:
On
Quality:
****
ISO:
100
File Size:
1.81 MB
Focal Lgth:
35mm (35mm Eq.)
The white balance however is left
to its Auto default, and the resulting image presents a different
tone than the zoom shot (shown further down), a phenomenon
also observed with the HP R707.
ZOOM PHOTO
Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent is to test the sharpness
of the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same
distance as with the preceding photo.
The noticeably whiter colour of the drop cloth, and of the
old photo paper envelope shows that the auto white balance
is influenced by the content
of the frame as the zoom captures a smaller section of the subject.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4.8
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter Speed:
1/125 sec.
Res:
2304 x 1728
Flash:
On
Quality:
****
ISO:
100
File Size:
2.07 MB
Focal Lgth:
105 mm (35mm
Eq.)
As with the wide angle
shot, some noise — the grain in the darker areas below — is
discernable.
Aperture: f3.5, speed: 1/86 sec., 200 ISO.
MACRO PHOTO
The first Macro focus mode of the R607 allows the use of
the zoom, but needs at least 18cm between the front element of
the lens and the subject. At the widest angle, a horizontal field
of view of about 16 cm (6.24 in.) is captured. Using the zoom
partially while the camera remains at the same minimum distance
narrows it to 12 cm (4.68 in.).
The Super Macro mode however locks the zoom at the middle position but
allows focus from 6 cm to 25 cm (2.5 to 10 inches).
With the camera's lens 6 cm (2.5
in.) away from the subject, the field of view captured measures
4 cm (1.56 inch) and the image shows no barrel distortion.
BUILDING PHOTO
This image is our outdoor test. The architecture of the building, in particular
the angled girders, immediately show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed
entrance can also often reveal the quality of the exposure.
The building is photographed on a sunny winter day, but the
sun is low on the horizon, even at 2pm, and its light is quite
harsh and the shadows
very deep.
The R607 produces a well-exposed image, but one with a touch
too much saturation as can be seen by the overly vivid blue
sky.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4.3
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter Speed:
1/699 sec.
Res:
2304 x 1728
Flash:
Off
Quality:
****
ISO:
100
File Size:
2.08 MB
Focal Lgth:
35 mm (35mm Eq.)
ZOOM PHOTO
With the zoom shot, when the R607 was left to its default settings it tended
to produce an image with shadows that were a bit too dark. To brighten
up these areas a tad, +0.7 exposure compensation is used, and the resulting
image shows much more shadow detail, while still not overexposing those
parts of the subject that are directly lit.
The image below, cropped from the full size frame, shows that the HP R607
is able to capture a good level of detail.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4.6
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter Speed:
1/180 sec.
Res:
2304 x 1728
Flash:
Off
Quality:
****
ISO:
100
File Size:
2.1 MB
Focal Lgth:
105 mm (35mm
Eq.)
NIGHT PHOTO
Since this camera is capable of long exposures, a photo taken at night
is included here.
The HP R607 is capable of a 16
second exposure when the smallest aperture (f4.3) is used while
the lens is set to wide angle, or at any of its telephoto settings.
At the widest angle and the biggest aperture however, the maximum
exposure time is approximately 12 sec.
The difficulty here is that the R607 does not offer any real control over
the shutter speed, nor does it offer a night scene mode, making it somewhat
challenging to capture a night shot and take advantage of its longest exposure
time.
Aperture: f2.6; speed:
11.41 sec, 100 ISO, incandescent white balance.
To accomplish this, the camera's
exposure meter is tricked into metering a significantly darker
subject by masking the lens partially while the shutter release
is pressed halfway, at which point it meters and locks the exposure.
The self-timer is also used, to prevent the possibility that
the image will be affected by camera shake when the shutter release
is pressed.
Noise reduction is automatically
applied to all long exposures. The HP R607 uses the standard
noise reduction system which captures a second but dark frame — the
shutter remains closed — using the same exposure time as
was used for the first exposure. Then, the noise gathered over
the course of the second exposure is used to eliminated it from
the first.
Regrettably, in this case the process appears to lower the image sharpness
noticeably.
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Test Photos
