HP PhotoSmart Powerfully Simple

There's a simple reason Hewlett Packard's PhotoSmart line of digital cameras were among the best-selling digital cameras at retail during the 2000 holiday season - and remain so today. Simply put, the half-dozen cameras in the product line are easy-to-use, powerful and full-featured digital cameras designed to take digital imaging mainstream.

PhotoSmart 215
The entry level unit, PhotoSmart 215 ($199) rivals almost any instamatic camera on the market. It offers rich 1.3 megapixel resolution with 2x digital zoom for close-up photography, 1.8-inch color LCD for photo preview, auto flash with red-eye reduction - all in a size small enough to fit in a pocket.

But the beauty is in the simplicity. Up to 36 basic images (or five superfine images) can be stored to the enclosed 4 megabyte memory card, and then transferred to any Windows 98 or later PC via a simple USB interface. The software is designed with the first-time user in mind. It even offers one-click attachment of stored photos to outbound email.

Photos are sharp, transfers are easy, and the price is right. HP knows digital photography.


PhotoSmart 912xi
Photo buffs familiar with any 35mm single lens reflex (SLR) camera will be familiar with the controls and functions of this high-end unit. If they've never used a digital camera before, they'll also be surprised with what digital imagery delivers - especially in the 912xi.

The camera, a venture between HP and Pentax, looks like any SLR, but its light weight (680 grams or 1.5 pounds) belies its high-performance capabilities. With 2.24 megapixel resolution, 3x optical and 2x digital zoom, 36-bit color depth, through-the-lens viewing and fully automatic or manual controls for shutter speed and aperture, this is a power tool for any photographer. Images can be viewed in a 2-inch TFT color view screen.

The 16 megabyte card (enclosed) can store from 159 good quality JPEG images at 800 x 640 resolution to two TIFF images at 1600 x 1280 resolution. The software that runs the HP PhotoSmart line again makes image uploading via USB or HP JetSend infrared connection to any Pentium 166 mghz PC running on Windows 98 or later (or 233 mghz Mac on OS 8.6 or higher) a cinch. All is explained via PDF documentation on an enclosed CD-ROM (obviously, though, not easily transported for reference while traveling).

At $599, the 912 may also do an admirable job of bringing high-end digital photography to the masses.

Jeff Zbar, the ChiefHomeOfficer.com, is a speaker, writer and expert on alternative officing. He is the author of Teleworking & Telecommuting: Strategies for Remote Workers and Their Managers (Made E-Z Products, 2002); Safe@Home: Seven Keys to Home Office Security (FirstPublish 2001) and Your Profitable Home Business (on CD-ROM from Made E-Z Products). Visit his Web site to subscribe to Home Office Success Stories, his free electronic magazine on home business and teleworking.