HP Cameras Digital

HP Cameras Digital R927

Long known for its printers, Hewlett Packard has been slowly building a reputation for making stylish, easy-to-use digital cameras that come packed with features. The latest flagship to be launched in HP’s Photosmart camera line is the HP Cameras Digital R927 which not only boasts 8.2 megapixels, it features an array of unique functions and helpful in-camera tips designed for beginners.

Along with the serious resolution, the HP Cameras Digital R927 employs the sturdy stainless steel construction that HP is known for, a 3x optical zoom, a huge 3-inch LCD screen, and a friendly interface that leads you to an array of in-camera artistic editing functions from the useful to the downright bizarre.

HP Real Life technologies, a suite of automatic in-camera picture correction functions, since trying out the HP R707 two years ago and have found HP’s Automatic In-Camera Red-Eye Removal to be about the best anti-red-eye technology on the market.

With the latest round of Photosmarts, HP has added to that in-camera functionality with HP Design Gallery, a new suite of in-camera artistic effects and borders including a much talked about “Slimming” function which will reportedly take as much as ten pounds off your subject’s physique.

The HP Cameras Digital R927 also features HP’s revamped Instant Image Advice System which offers the user in-camera tips on what went wrong with a picture and how to correct it the next time.

But while HP’s Photosmart series has been known for great ease-of-use and functionality, image quality has never been much to talk about on these models.

At 3.8 x 2.4 x 1 inches (96 x 62 x 26 millimeters), the HP Cameras Digital R927 is a little bigger than its advertised “pack of cards” size, but not by much. It’s certainly small enough to fit in a handbag or backpack with the steel chassis feeling like it could take some serious jostling without a problem despite being relatively lightweight at just 7.48 ounces (212 grams) with the battery and SD card.

The recessed area on the bottom of the HP Cameras Digital R927 front is both eye-catching and functional, giving your fingers a more comfortable and firmer grip on the camera’s body while adding an attractive swerve to the frontplate so the R927 doesn’t look boxy. All in all, the HP R927 is comfortable to hold, if a little weighted toward the left side (from the rear) of the camera.

This is mostly due to the whopping 3-inch LCD display which takes up the majority of the back of the camera. Because the screen is so big, there’s no room for an optical viewfinder, something that’s increasingly rare.