Customer Reviews

HP Photosmart M417 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom & M Series Dock Bundle

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The M417 is a good digital camera for typical personal use. The onboard memory won't hold very many pictures taken at 5mp, but with the price of SD cards constantly falling, it is not too difficult to expand the storage. Another user wrote a review claiming that this model uses up batteries at a fast rate (after 20-25 pictures or so). I put in 2 Energizer AA batteries and have gotten well over 100 pictures and the batteries are still going strong. Maybe it's just a fluke, but it is worth noting. Yet another reviewer claimed to have trouble using the LCD screen to take pictures and suggested using the viewfinder instead. On my model I've found that lining objects up in the viewfinder creates an off-center picture that's shifted to the right. If I use the LCD, the pictures line up fine.

The picture quality at 5mp is very crisp and clear, even when printed onto 8x10 photo paper. I cannot give an opinion on the included software, as I have an SD card reader and use that to transfer pictures. The camera is lightweight, easy to hold, and the LCD is large enough and bright enough to clearly browse through pictures. The built-in red eye correction is OK, but you're better off using 3rd-party software to make this correction on a PC.

Though I've pointed out a few shortcomings, the M417 is a very nice 5mp camera whose few faults are easily dealt with and not insurmountable. For the price, it is one of the better 5mp buys currently on the market.

NOTE: If you choose to buy this camera bundled with the M-series camera dock, know that the rechargable batteries included with the dock drain very quickly and take a dispreportionally long amount of time to recharge.

I got this expecting a really great camera but I think it's okay for a simple point & shoot camera. It does take some fairly good 4 x 6 photos, but the detail is still not as sharp as a good 35mm camera (my Minolta 400 Maxxum SLR still takes sharper pictures especially with far away distance detail). This camera is best for normal photos (people shots about 4 to 20 feet away it's very good) However there are some good things & bad things about this camera.

Pros: Great selection of modes, settings, exposure settings, different lighting situations etc. The software that comes with the camera is excellent & it's very is to download the photos from the camera to your computer. The manual is excellent also.

Modes: Closeup, Fast Shot, Action, Landscape, Portrait & Auto. It's easy to juggle thru these settings via a button on the camera as well as thru the menu system. Nice feature of being able to turn on the camera to the last setting mode is convenient.

3x optical zoom, also digital zoom. As with any digital camera you should use just the optical zoom, digital zoom always reduces the resolution & you will never get any good photos from it. Optical zoom is okay but also with any digital camera, when you use the zoom your hands better be very steady or use a tripod otherwise you will get blurry shots.

Has a self timer which takes 1 or 2 shots automacially. Also has a Burst shot mode which takes 4 pictures in a row as long as you hold down the shutter.

Can take photos in 5 different resolution setttings 1-5 megapixals but I always tell everyone to always shoot in the highest resolution to get the sharpest photos (I run a photo lab & have seen a lot of pixelated photos because people shoot in low resolution to get more photos on their memory cards)
I have a 128 mb SD card in my camera & get 49 photos at a time at the highest setting.

Cons: Alot of times I get slightly blurry shots if I use the LCD screen to take my photos. The camera is so small that like other digital cameras it's hard to hold the camera stedy while pressing the shutter. Your best bet is to use the viewfinder & hold the camera close to you to brace it for the best results. But I also use the burst shot mode to take a lot of my photos (when you do that your chances are that 1 out of the 4 shots will come out really good)

LCD screen is very hard to see in bright daylight (but I have yet to see a digital camera that you could see well outdoors well)

In low light situations if you don't use the flash I'ts very hard to get a really good sharp photo. The camera is so small that it's alway hard not to avoid camera shake when depressing the shutter. indoor shots come out okay, outdoor day shots are always much sharper & clearer.

I wont go into the video mode or the audio recording option on the camera, basically most still digital cameras do this but they are not that great. You buying these cameras to take still pictures anyway.

summery: It's an okay camera for taking normal good photos, compact enough to put in your pocket, but not better than a good 35 mm camera. It's a good carrying around camera, that's better than a disposable & good for most situations.

We received this camera as a gift. At first I was a little nervous about whether the quality of the camera would be inferior (I have an HP printer that I have had problems with). However, after using it, I can say that I am very happy with it. Other reviewers are right--if you use regular AA batteries, they are drained after taking only about 20 photos. Invest in rechargeable batteries, they will save you a ton of money! The software that came with this camera is great! It is super easy to use; I didn't even have to consult the owner's manual once to try to figure out how to save, print, name, or maneuver my pictures. This is my first digital camera, so I think that tells you how user-friendly this software is.
Sometimes this camera takes slightly blurry pictures, but I think that's more user error (me moving slightly) than the camera's fault. I have taken some amazing photos of my flowers that turned out fantastic! All in all, this is a good camera that I would recommend, especially for a first time digital camera user.

I love this camera! It is light and easy to carry, low in cost and takes GREAT pictures. Though I have heard others say it is a battery eater, I have been able to take over 100 pictures without needed to recharge. The picture quality is awesome, even when printed as 8x10's. Especially at such a low price I was very very impressed. I would most deffinetly recommend this camera for those looking for a great everydaa use camera, at a great price!

The HP Photosmart M417 5MP is an excellent camera for it's price! The only thing I recommend is to buy a couple of rechargeable batteries because as any other digital cameras... you will need them!

I have this camera since Christmas. TAkes great pictures super easy to use. I had a slight malfunction with it HP sent me a new one in ONE business day. WOW. They sent me the new camera first and then I sent them the old one. They paid shipping both ways. Super excellent customer service.

We bought this combo after checking out some of the other combonation's out there and this one is great. The setup and install were easy and had no problems at all. The camera works great, although it can only take a few pictures when set at the highest resolution. However, for us, that's not a big deal.

The printer is very compact and has a handle for easy carrying. The camera connects on top easily and works flawlessly.

The only thing I was disappointed about was that it said it came with a Photo Index card kit, cards to print the pictures on, but it wasn't in the box. We used normal note cards to try it out before buying cards. Not too big a deal, but still.

I purchased this camera 1 year ago, and I was so disappointed in the performance. The battery life is terrible, I took it to our town's Christmas Parade, and all the pictures are grainy and really poor quality. I posted some so you can see, also when you take a picture you can not take a picture for another good ten seconds. I had a two foot away shot of the rapper Nelly, and the camera didn't take the shot, and I only caught a shot of his tattoo on his arm! Save your money and get a better camera, like the Canon A630 the same price and much better quality, the battery life is fantastic and the night shots are great too. The shutter speed is much better too. I now have my HP in the closet because when I tried to use it on Thanksgiving the zoom would no longer zoom, and the lense does not retract. The only way I can turn off the power is too take out the batteries! I never dropped it or mistreated my camera, it is just not a good quality camera.

I've used several digital cameras in the past and this one is my favorite. It has the fewest number of confusing buttons (especially no awkward, symbol-laden dial around the on/off button) and most of the menus are pretty self explanatory. Its highly compact and very durable-- I took mine on a cross-country trip through the middle of the desert. And, of course, it has the best picture quality of all the cameras I've used. Admittedly, it is hard to get pictures in low light (the shutter has to remain open for a while to capture enough photons, resulting in a blurry picture if you hold it in your hands), but this camera does have a hole in the bottom for a screw-in tripod for stabilization.
Plus, its one of the cheaper brands out there. Best bet for my money.

This camera was my second digital camera. It is very nice as far as price and picture goes. The pictures come out very clear but you would need to get an SD card because the internal memory will not hold more than 10 pictures. The functions are simple and ready to use. There is a single-button video function that takes long videos with audio. You can also add audio to still photos. The downside to this camera is that it uses a lot of battery. Do not use store-bought regular alkaline batteries as it will drain within 25-30 shots w/ flash. Please use at least a 2200 mah rechargeable battery. When using rechargeable batteries, you will find that you can get at least 150 to 200 shots, no problem. Still, the camera is a battery drainer. Also, the camera only tells you about low battery when it is low on battery. There is no battery scale on the LCD screen so you do not know when you would need new batteries. The LCD is enough for regular use to view pictures but I find it somewhat fuzzy in quality compared to transferring photos and viewing on the computer. The flash recycle time is longer than others and may not be able to take multiple shots within about 10 seconds.