Product Description

It's easy to shoot beautiful photos - at 5 MP - perfect for 4 x 6-inch prints and enlargements. This great first-time digital camera is easy to use and fun, with red-eye removal that works right in the camera. Zoom in for crisp distance shots, using 18x total zoom - 3x optical, 6x digital. Frame and view photos on a 1.7-inch image display that's bright enough to see indoors and out. Record video clips with sound. Add a dock to recharge in-camera batteries and e-mail, save and print photos. This small camera is designed for quick, one-handed shots. Intuitive buttons make photo-taking a breeze. Do more with your photos, without a PC, by applying artistic effects and fun borders with HP Design Gallery in the camera. Save photos, using 16 MB internal memory or optional SD memory cards. Print photos almost anywhere, using an HP Photosmart compact photo printer. Easily transfer photos to your PC and order prints online with Snapfish. From snap to print, always rely on HP for beautiful prints.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8081 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Hewlett-Packard
• Model: M425
• Released on: 2006-04-20
• Platforms: Mac, Windows
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: 2.44" h x 1.25" w x 3.74" l, 1.00 pounds
• Display size: 1.7

Features

• Features 5 MP resolution for poster-sized prints and 3x digital zoom
• Large, bright 1.7-inch display
• 16 MB internal memory plus SD/MMC card slot
• Plug-and-play USB connection for easy file transfers
• Includes Photosmart software for editing, organizing, printing and sharing

Amazon.com Product Description
With the HP Photosmart M425 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom you can create five megapixel resolution prints for clear, crisp prints and enlargements. A 3x optical zoom lets you get close to your subject without compromising on quality, and a 1.7-inch image display makes it simple to view and edit your photos.

The Photosmart M425 includes a red-eye removal feature that lets you adjust your photos directly in the camera. You can also add borders, special effects or change photos to black-and-white or sepia quickly and easily. This compact, user-friendly camera is designed for quick, one-handed shots. It includes 16 megabytes of internal memory, and for additional storage, the camera also includes a slot for optional secure digital (SD) memory cards. Included HP Photosmart software lets you edit, organize, print and share your digital photos easily, and a plug-and-play USB connection lets you transfer your photos to your PC or compatible printer quickly and seamlessly.

What's in the Box
HP Photosmart M425 Digital Camera, two alkaline AA batteries, USB cable, quick start guide, warranty/regulatory brochure, CD with HP Photosmart software for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh, user's guide, and wrist strap.

Customer Reviews

For the price - excellent
I bought this camera for my parents - who are not tech / gadget lovers, to put it mildly.

It is very easy to use, the automatic mode is fine most of the time, the power and zoom buttons is a little fiddly, not something I noticed until I was giving the parents the "how to use it" lesson! This is not to say that they are difficult, just that some people might find them hard to use. It does what it is designed to do.

The photos are clear and sharp, colour reproduction is Ok - sometimes colours are more vibrant than in real life, but mostly this is subtle enough to just make the photos more intersting and visually appealing. (People's skin looks better - so it can be quite flattering!!!!) 5MP is easily enough for good quality prints and enlargements. With a 1/2 Gb card, you can just set the default to the highest quality and forget about it. It will store 100's of photos in that format.

The body feels a little plastic - I have a Canon Power shot SD500 which feels a lot more solid, (but cost about $200 more) and the time lag between taking shots is a little longer with the HP (with flash - can be 2 - 3 seconds), but I think that it is a great buy for the price.

AA batteries are great - especially for people who might be prone to forgetting to charge a battery for that special event.

The main reason why I didn't give it 5 stars was that I did not like the software that came with it. Editing the photos an rotating photos to display appropriately was not intuitive. Certainly not when compared to the software that came with the Canon. Admittedly, I did not spend a lot of time with the software, so maybe I just didn't see the obvious..........

I got a Kingston 512 MB Secure Digital Card (SD/512)for about $14 - and I am delighted with it. I can't believe the price of SD memory in the US. (I'm from Europe - I would expect to pay easily 3 - 4 times that in Europe). It works, there's not a lot else to say about it. It's not a high speed card, but with this camera, a high speed card would be a waste (I put a high speed card into it from my Canon and it didn't make a noticeable difference to the time lag between shots, so I assume it is the processor that is the main cause of the delay).

If you buy it, get rechargable batteries, also - the bag they suggest is expensive... I got a Targus bag (Targus DLUC02 Universal Camera Leather Case - Black ) which does the job - it does make it too big to fit in your pocket - but you will want space to carry round the extra batteries!!!!

In conclusion, this is a very very good first time digital camera. The downsides are the feel of the camera (plastic) and the lag required between shots. It is heavy on batteries, but given that there are rechargable batteries on the market - that doesn't matter so much. I didn't think the software supplied was good, but I note that others think it is, so maybe I didn't give it enough time.

Would I buy it for my parents again? Yes.

Slow and eats batteries
This camera was a big disappointment to me, I thought they'd gotten better over the past several years since my first digital camera.

Worst problems:

1) It takes several seconds to power up, and then another second or so to actually take a picture. I have lots of pictures of blank walls, etc., as my subject took off while the camera was getting ready. Forget candid shots, you can only do posed shots and pretty sunsets.

2) It eats batteries, figure a pair of AAs per "roll of film"

3) I found the power switch awkward to turn on, and eventually it broke internally. I took the camera apart and drilled a hole in the case so I could turn it on. (Nicely made inside, apart from the stupid plastic switch lever).

4) I hate the software, both the hard-to-use menu system on the camera and hp's special bloatware that comes with it for the PC. Luckily they don't force you to use it, you can still transfer photos from the camera as a USB drive.

The good stuff (why it isn't a one-star)

--Very pretty pictures, if you succeed in getting your shot
--The video feature is great, easy to use, and partially makes up for the overall slowness of the camera.

Excellent camera
This is an excellent camera. Its auto focus and exposures are perfect. It appears well-made and durable, as these things go. The HP Photosmart software is also very good. This camera does everything it's supposed to do. I think the price is reasonable. I have no idea how good HP support for this camera is because, so far, setup, function, and photo transfers have been flawless.