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HP PhotoSmart 215 HP's entry-level model offers ease of use for beginning shooters. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet PS215 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on PS215 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, Software Review First Posted: 3/10/2001

Video Out

The 215 does not have a video output capability.

Power

Four AA alkaline batteries power the 215, and a full set accompanies the camera. Hewlett-Packard specifies not to use rechargeable batteries with the 215, although we had no problems during our extensive testing. (It's possible that the camera may not like the way NiMH and NiCd batteries' voltages drop very rapidly once their charge is exhausted. We still advise you to buy and use a set or two of good-quality NiMH cells and a charger, but in light of HP's warning, caution our readers to pay close attention to the battery-charge indicator on the camera, and swap out the batteries as soon as it indicates a "low battery" condition.) An AC adapter is available as an optional accessory, and we highly recommend buying one for time-consuming tasks such as reviewing images and downloading them to a computer. The camera's status display panel reports the current level of battery power consumption, and the icon flashes when the battery power gets too low. Here's the power consumption figures we came up with in our standard testing:

Operating Mode	Power Drain
Capture Mode, w/LCD	550 mA
Capture Mode, no LCD	320 mA
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD	490 mA
Half-pressed w/o LCD	250 mA
Memory Write (transient)	280/500 mA
Flash Recharge (transient)	790 mA
Image Playback	390 mA

Overall, the PhotoSmart 215's power consumption seems to be average to slightly lower than average among cameras we've tested. As usual, the LCD is a major contributing factor to shortened battery life, although the smaller LCD on the 215 doesn't tax the batteries as severely as the larger displays on higher-end cameras. You should be able to get three hours of operation out of a fully charged set of high-capacity NiMH AA cells. (But take heed of HP's caution against rechargeables and our own comments above.)

UPDATE, 7/30/01: Thanks to reader Eric Nicholson for writing in with this link, which reveals that HP's concern over rechargeables in the 215 revolves around possible overload conditions. It sounds like the issue is that the rechargeables can deliver *much* higher currents than alkalines in the event of a failure of some sort internally. If this happened, repair would either be much more costly or impossible. In normal operation, it seems that rechargeable batteries are fine, but it sounds like a risky proposition in the event of other failure in the camera.

Included Software

Packaged with the 215 is a USB cable and a software CD containing ArcSoft's PhotoMontage and PhotoImpression applications, in addition to a set of camera drivers. Unfortunately, the included software is for Windows systems only (98/2000/ME), so Macintosh users will have to purchase Mac-compatible software separately. The Hewlett-Packard website does not offer a camera driver for Macintosh cameras, but users can invest in a Macintosh compliant CompactFlash card reader for downloading images.

PhotoImpression 2000 automatically loads when the camera is connected to the computer, and provides image downloading, organization, printing, and minor editing utilities. Images can be organized into albums, cropped, rotated, or flipped before being printed. Tools are provided for adjusting contrast and brightness, color balance, removing red eye, and touching up your photos. (While we don't commonly review the software packages included with the digicams we test, we have to say that PhotoImpression 2000 is one of the "friendliest" we've seen to date.) PhotoMontage 2000 is a fun utility that allows you to create one large mosaic image out of hundreds or thousands of tiny images. You can use your own digital images to create the montage, or the software's library of images.

In the Box

The following hardware, accessories, and software are included in the box:

• HP PhotoSmart 215 digital camera
• Wrist strap
• 4MB CompactFlash (Type I) card
• Four AA alkaline batteries
• USB cable
• Software CD containing ArcSoft PhotoMontage and PhotoImpression software, plus camera drivers for Windows computers.
• User's guide
• Registration kit