Customer Reviews

HP PhotoSmart 635 2.1 MP Digital Camera w/3x Optical

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was in need of a better digital camera from my old one. After searching for some time, I decided to get this model because of the optical zoom and easy to use features.

Initial setup with this camera is extremely easy, and you'll be taking pictures within minutes when you first open the box. Image quality is very good at the 2.1 MP this camera is capible of. The on-screen menu system for the camera is very easy to use and to change settings. The movie mode for the camera is also fun and easy to use, and movie record time is limited only to the amount of memory in the camera. The camera automatically adjusts to lighting levels, and you also have the ability to change color controls and can even change to macro focus modes with the camera menu system.

The HP software is VERY easy to use, and the camera even has buttons right on it if you want to email a picture of print a picture right to your printer (all of this an more can be setup with the included HP software). Battery time isn't the greatest, but I've found I can take around around 50-60 images at higher quality, and you can probably take even more if the LCD screen is kept turned off. I recommend you buy some NiMH rechargebles if you are going to get the camera, as they are the most economical. I would also recommend getting a SD memory card for the camera, as the built-in 16MB fills up quickly.

Overall this camera is a great value, with easy to use features and image quality that is very well.

I bought this camera 2 weeks ago, and I am very impressed. I was worried that a $180 camera would not take such great pictures, but I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. The picture quality it GREAT,I printed some 4X6s of my images at a photo lab, and they looked almost perfect, VERY close to regular 35mm. I also printed an 8X10, and although it was a tiny bit blurry it was more than acceptable. It has plenty of features for the beginner, to advanced user. The 3X Optical zoom is great, but don't use digital zoom it makes the pictures look pixely. All of the settings such as Image Quality, Exposure Mode, White Balance, ISO Speed, Saturation and Sharpness, are easy to set using the intuitive menu system, or you can let the camera automatically select the best settings. It has a 1.6" LCD screen for reviewing your images. It also has a video mode with sound that works surprisingly well. I recommend buying a Multimedia, or Secure Digital Card to save your images, since the internal 16MB only holds about 12 Pictures. I have a 128MB card which can store about 112 pictures. The main problem I have with this camera is that it eats batteries fast. Using standard alkalines it lasted about 15-25 pictures, depending on how much you zoom, use the LCD screen etc... I just bought the brand new Rayovac IC-3 15 Min Charger, and would recommend it to anyone considering this camera. So far I am up to 60 Pictures and the battery is still full! Much better than alkaline. Over all this is a GREAT camera for the price, which is now only $150. I would recommend this camera to anyone.

I'll admit it, I basically bought this camera because it was affordable (I got it for $149.99 at Target), and it had all the features I wanted in a digital camera.

It's incredibly easy to use! I took it out of the box and started shooting photos about ten minutes later. There are so many nice features, too. It has a built-in flash (which can be modified to a red-eye reduction setting, a night setting, and other settings depending on what lighting you're using), optical and digital zoom, an LCD screen, and much more. I thought 2.1 megapixels wouldn't work well for me, but I've found that they are perfect for me. Most of the photos I take are just for fun, for my website, for selling items on eBay, or just everyday use, so I don't need to print out photos any larger than 8 x 10.

I would suggest buying a larger memory card for the camera if you want to take lots of pictures at one time. Mine came with a 32MB card, and that takes about 35 pictures (if you use the highest quality setting -- more if you use a lesser quality setting). Also, purchasing rechargable batteries is a very good idea, seeing as the camera goes through batteries fairly quickly.

Basically, if you're looking for a camera that's easy to use, takes fantastic photos and is affordable...this is the camera to buy. It's great for first-time digital camera buyers (like me).

Why do I love it so much? Because in spite of the fast battery consumption, it delivers what it promises:
- Optical AND Digital zoom in 1 camera with auto focus
- True plug n play (with my WinXP OS/Suite)
- Beautiful hi-resolution pics (lower resolutions available)
- Extremely easy to use (for those familiar with digicams)
- Movie clips w/audio (only camera w/sound in 2.1MP for $150)
- a strong feature rich software program that's very easy to use
- lots more options than I anticipated and have yet to explore

I'm a heavy (almost everyday) digicam user and I don't have time to fix pics post-download, so I have to get the picture right almost every time. This is my 3rd digital camera, my first camera was one of the first cameras out there (...) When I started to do research (via amazon, cdnet, zdnet, pcmagazine, etc.) I wanted a camera that was good, solid and an exceptional value. This camera came in the top ten of 4 out 6 editor surveys I reviewed for the 2.1MP digital camera class. I carefully studied all the minuses and pluses of all the 2.1 cameras in my price range ($130 - $150), and for the price, this camera has more features and is a better quality than any other I looked at.

After listening to all the warnings, I bought rechargeable batteries and a 128Mb memory card with the camera. It was the best thing I ever did. On a single set of batteries, with the high resolution view finder on and using the optical zoom in lens (which I love), I was able to take over 50 pictures and a 3.5 sec movie clip of a 16 month old and a 4 year old scurrying about, while using only 2/3 of the battery power. Even when I took action photos the pictures came out crisp and clear, no blurryness, what a relief. The only thing, I have to anticipate the action by a quarter of a second in order to capture the shot I want.

After taking all those photos, I forgot the camera at my mom's for a few days and wondered if I would have enough power to download the pics onto my PC. Not only did I still have enough battery power to download I was able to take some more pics, even with the "Battery Low" warning coming on the view finder(something my 2 previous cameras didn't feature). 2 weeks and over 250 pictures later (I'm on my 3rd set of batteries) and I'm still very happy with this camera. The picture resolution, combined with my ability to make adjustments post-download in a solid camera that was at a sensible price, make this an unbeatable value (as what was indicated by most of the editorial reviews I read).

So, if you know what you want in a camera and you do your homework/research before hand, you'll probably enjoy what you buy. (...)

I tried this camera for 1 month and in the over-all I believe it's a great value. Nice pictures (I use medium quality, wich gives me pictures with great quality and the capability of taking 17 pics with the internal 16MB memory). It has a lot of functions that allow you to take pictures with different lighting conditions, or you can allow the camera to adjust the settings automatically. It takes video, although poor, but works for those tiny moments you wish you had a video camera.
The two things I didn't like about it are in first place, battery duration... with a regular pair of alkaline batterys, it lasts a week, if you use it daily. So, I recommend using rechargeable batterys and the AC adapter for the camera. Second, I wish it could have more internal memory, but you can solve that with an extra memory card.

As I said, in the overall it is a great camera for the price.

With the price of digital cameras now within reach for most people, it is tough to decide on which one to go with. I am nothing more than a casual user of cameras, and am not in need of one with loads of bells and whistles, nor can I justify spending an arm and a leg on one. The HP 635 was the camera I decided to go with and am so far very pleased with it, despite a few technical flaws.

The biggest selling point of this camera is that fact that it is one of the most user-friendly on the market. The intuitive design and menu system makes operating it right out of the box very easy, and you will be shooting pictures in no time. Everything function is controlled by a series of buttons on the back of the camera. There are four function keys (even one for printing, if you have the camera hooked up to a printer), a flash and video control key, and 4-way navigation keys with an "OK" button in the middle, like the ones found on DVD remote controls. The menus appear on the LCD viewfinder and are easy to navigate. Adjusting the picture quality, setting the color scheme, and deleting pictures in the memory are just a few of the functions made easy with the menu system. The camera comes with 16 MB of internal memory, but it can be expanded using the memory card slot. Everything you would expect from a digital camera is here, making the HP 635 a great value.

The pictures themselves are excellent quality, even at the lowest image quality setting. The optical zoom (which I recommend over the digital zoom) and auto focus allow you to get the best quality pictures with minimal effort on your part. What pleased me as well was the imaging software that came in the box, which takes no time to set up and is easy to use. The images take no time to be downloaded to your computer, and the imaging software provided helps you re-size and edit your pictures quickly and easily. The USB cable is provided with everything else. In terms of functionality, this camera has been nothing short of stellar so far.

Having said all the praise, there are a few flaws that might dissuade people who would use this camera frequently. For starters, the battery life is horrible. Since the camera has a high-resolution viewfinder and moving parts for the optical zoom, the batteries don't last very long. If you are taking pictures a lot, you will probably have to replace the batteries every 1-2 days (I am not kidding). The minimize this, avoid using the LCD viewfinder too often, or playing with the optical zoom too much. The other flaw is that the 16 MB internal memory doesn't hold much, especially if you are taking pictures at the highest quality. It can hold 12 pictures only on the "Best" setting, while having it on the lowest ("good") will allow you to hold 80, which is better. If you insist on the best quality, you will have to buy an extra memory card.

Since I am not a heavy camera user, I had few beefs with the HP 635. The abysmal battery life and small capacity are slight turnoffs, but they hardly make me regret buying this particular camera. If is well made, easy to use, and reliable. For first time buyers, I highly recommend it for both the value and functionality.

This an acceptable digital camera, not much more. It's a solid value if you find it for less than $75 or so, but I personally would pay more for a Kodak or Olympus with similar specs next time around.

Pros:
-Low price
-Reliable 3X zoom
-Good outdoor capabilities
-Reasonably logical navigation menus
-Excellent USB connection and PC photo download/edit software

Cons:
-One of the worst battery-eaters I've ever used
-Poor color saturation: certains blues and greens are way off and can't be corrected
-Dumb firmware programming: Forgets all settings when switched off (even with batteries installed) and occasionally bugs out. There is also an error in the brightness modulation.
-Pretty poor for closeup work: misinterprets light levels and more often than not can't capitalize on its 2 MP power.

Overall, it's a good value if you pick it up cheap enough, but next time I won't look for an HP camera any more than I would a Kodak printer.

If you're having a problem with the battery life, judging on other reviews, you aren't the only one. This camera does work decently when the batteries are working. It takes video with sound in addition to the pics. If you have a HP computer and printer like me, the software loading pics/video is even easier.

Here's what I have found is a way around the battery problem:
Keep 3 sets of rechargable batteries. (I use rayovac IC3 6 total)
The moment you put the batteries in the camera, it starts sucking power whether it is on or not! IF I limit my viewing of pics already taken and take pics without the screen on, the batteries will last about a day (40 pics).

Leave the batteries in the camera overnight. By the next morning, the batteries will be dead or close to it. Take the old batteries out, and put new charged ones in while the others charge. The reason why I keep 3 sets is in case I use one up too fast.

Hope that works!

This camera takes very good pictures and is very easy to use. It has alot of features that anyone can master in a short time.

HP has done a good job with this device and I would recommend it to anyone now getting into the digital photography hobby.

As the other reviewers mentioned, it is a must to use rechargeable batteries and get more memory.

For the price and features, try it and you will be impressed.

I wouldn't call myself a [digital] camera expert. I have a few friends with digicams and this my first one. All the features on this thing are great! Lightweight, practical, and it's not too slow taking pictures or loading them. It's fun to play around with, too. My camera drained AA's like nobody's business; but then I got rechargeable ones. Still, the battery power is a problem-- Enough to make you conscious of how long you leave it on, and how much you use the screen (which drains more power) rather than the oldfashioned viewfinder. Hope this helped, and GOOD LUCK with your search!