| At press briefings during PMA 2004 HP staff | | | | problem or flash not charged. I'd prefer a |
| quietly admitted they had finally realized | | | | separate indicator for flash and focus |
| that the company's digital cameras suffered | | | | readiness, but this is a minor niggle. |
| from something of an 'image problem'. Big, | | | | |
| seemingly designed to resemble a house brick, | | | | The LCD monitor is a fairly typical 1.5-inch |
| and made from the kind of materials normally | | | | 119,000 pixel affair, it's sharp and bright |
| found only on the dashboard of a 1980's | | | | with sufficient resolution, and the refresh |
| hatchback, the Photosmart range simply | | | | rate is significantly better than earlier HP |
| couldn't compete with the slick, shiny and | | | | models. My only complaint is that screen is |
| keenly priced Far Eastern offerings. From now | | | | turned off after about 30 seconds (something |
| on, we were told, HP cameras would be | | | | you can't change) to save batteries. The |
| designed for style, speed and ease of use, | | | | camera can be woken up by half-pressing the |
| and would no longer be twice the size of | | | | shutter, but the live preview has to be |
| their direct competitors. The 5 megapixel, 3x | | | | re-activated by pressing the record button, |
| zoom, Photosmart R707 is the first of this | | | | an unnecessary extra step. |
| new wave of slimmed-down, metal-bodied HP | | | | |
| cameras, offering a tempting mix of | | | | HP's new design 'signature' is a wave-shaped |
| thoughtful design and some genuinely | | | | indent moulded into the front of the camera |
| innovative features. Most of these are aimed | | | | to improve grip. It adds a little flair to |
| at ensuring less experienced users avoid | | | | the design and certainly seems to do the job |
| common photographic pitfalls, something | | | | without adding to the bulk of the body. The |
| possible mainly due to the inclusion of a | | | | brushed steel cladding looks and feels very |
| clever Texas Instruments Digital Signal | | | | luxurious, but we found it quite easy to |
| Processor (DSP). The power of the DSP is | | | | scratch, and inevitably it shows every greasy |
| obvious when you look at some of the features | | | | fingerprint. If you like your camera to look |
| it has allowed HP to shoehorn into the R707: | | | | clean you'll be wiping the fascia with your |
| | | | T-shirt every 10 minutes. |
| Adaptive lighting technology ('digital fill | | | | |
| flash') | | | | In a move we struggle to understand (also |
| | | | seen on Canon's new PowerShot S1 IS) there |
| In-camera red-eye removal | | | | are two shutter releases - one for stills, |
| | | | the other for movies (it only works when the |
| MPEG movie mode | | | | camera is set to movie mode). The results |
| | | | from the R707's movie mode are certainly |
| Comprehensive on-screen camera instructions | | | | impressive, which makes the fact that I kept |
| | | | pressing the 'wrong' capture button whenever |
| In-camera panorama stitching (preview) | | | | I tried to use it doubly annoying. Another |
| | | | minor niggle is the main stills capture |
| 'Image advice' - on-screen help system that | | | | button, which could be more responsive. |
| analyses saved pictures, identifies problems | | | | |
| and suggests how they could have been | | | | At a glance the R707 might look like nothing |
| avoided. | | | | more than a stylish point-and-shoot camera, |
| | | | but once you start to dig a little deeper |
| The R707 is surprisingly comfortable in your | | | | you'll find a real wealth of features |
| hand, with the subtle moulding of the front | | | | designed to help the novice snapper, as well |
| plate offering considerably more secure | | | | as a few manual controls thrown in for the |
| single-handed operation than appearances | | | | more experienced user. As with most compact |
| might suggest. The two controls most used in | | | | cameras with limited real estate available |
| everyday snapping - the shutter release and | | | | for external controls the majority of the |
| zoom rocker - are perfectly positioned, | | | | more advanced features are accessed via the |
| though I felt more comfortable supporting the | | | | extensive on-screen menu system. The most |
| camera with both hands as operating the zoom | | | | commonly accessed functions - macro mode, |
| meant relaxing my grip. There are eight other | | | | flash mode and self-timer - get their own |
| clearly marked buttons on the rear, plus a | | | | buttons, as do HP's now standard instant |
| 4-way controller and the power switch. At | | | | sharing and printing features. |
| 180g the R707 is weightier than it looks, | | | | |
| which helps keep the camera stable when | | | | Rear of camera |
| shooting. One minor point - the R707 can get | | | | |
| mighty warm in continuous use, something you | | | | The main controls are ranged around the top |
| need to bear in mind if you want the best | | | | and right sides of the 1.5-inch LCD. These |
| possible image quality (noise increases as | | | | offer quick access to macro mode, manual |
| the camera temperature rises). | | | | focus, self-timer and continuous shooting |
| | | | (burst) mode, plus buttons for switching |
| Body elements | | | | between playback and record modes and HP's |
| | | | instant share and instant print functions. |
| The R707 has a combined SD/MMC and battery | | | | The camera is turned on and off with a slider |
| slot (fortunately the battery is held in with | | | | button next to the optical viewfinder. The |
| a latch so no chance of losing it when | | | | right-hand side of the rear of the camera is |
| changing cards. Although no card is supplied | | | | home to a small zoom rocker switch that falls |
| in the box. The camera can handle any SD or | | | | perfectly under the thumb, and a four-way |
| MMC card from 8MB to 2GB. The battery is a | | | | controller surrounding the Menu/OK button. |
| L1812A Lithium Ion that is recharged | | | | Pressing this once brings up the on-screen |
| in-camera, and - if you can find one anywhere | | | | menus, which are navigated using the |
| - the camera can also use a Duracell CP1 | | | | directional 'arrow' keys. Another press of |
| disposable cell. In our tests battery life | | | | the central button confirms menu selections. |
| with the supplied rechargeable was excellent. | | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | Top of camera |
| The optical viewfinder is a standard direct | | | | |
| view affair that is really too small for | | | | On the top of the camera you'll find two |
| regular use. And if you wear spectacles, | | | | shutter releases - the main one is for taking |
| forget it; there's no dioptric adjustment and | | | | stills, the smaller one to the left is a |
| you'll never see the entire frame with your | | | | 'stop/start' button for recording movies. |
| glasses on. The upper LED (red) lights up | | | | Over the lens is another small button that |
| during movie capture, the lower (green) LED | | | | cycles through the R707's various shooting |
| glows when the camera is ready to take a | | | | modes. |
| picture, or blinks to indicate a focus | | | | |