HP PhotoSmart 215HP's entry-level model offers ease of use for beginning shooters.<<Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests :(Previous) | (Next): Camera Modes & Menus>> Page 8:Operation & User InterfaceReview First Posted: 3/10/2001 |
Operation and User Interface
The PhotoSmart 215 offers a very straightforward user interface, with few controls and a very simplified camera settings menu. While we normally prefer to see more external controls and less reliance on the LCD monitor, the 215's handful of controls hardly makes this an issue. In addition, the small status display panel above the LCD provides a continuous report of camera settings, allowing the user to work without the battery-hungry LCD monitor turned on. When you do need to activate the LCD menu to adjust camera settings, it takes a little getting used to, so we've briefly described the process below. The accompanying instruction manual is also very easy to follow, with detailed instructions and diagrams for all of the digicam's functions.
The LCD camera settings menu is small enough to fit onto a single page. The notched menu dial, located to the left of the LCD monitor, protrudes from the camera back at a 90-degree angle rather than being flush to the surface, so you rotate it up and down rather than from left to right. To activate the LCD menu, you press the dial down, like a button, and then roll the dial down to scroll right through the menu choices (which are lined up along the top of the monitor), and roll it up to scroll left through the icons. When you reach the menu item you want to adjust, you press the dial down again and the available settings appear below the selected icon. At this stage, rotating the dial up or down allows you to scroll up and down through the menu selections. When you reach the desired setting, you press the dial down one more time to activate that setting, and the settings menu automatically shuts down. If you want to make further menu adjustments, you have to start over.
The following list includes both external controls and the LCD menu settings.
Control Enumeration
Shutter Button: Located on the camera's top panel, this button sets
focus and exposure when halfway depressed, and fires the shutter when fully
depressed. When the Self-Timer is activated, pressing the shutter button triggers
the 10-second countdown.
Menu Dial: Positioned on the left side of the LCD monitor, the Menu dial
activates the settings menus when pressed in Record or Playback modes. Once
the Record menu appears on the LCD screen, turning the dial up and down scrolls
through the available menu items from left to right and back again. Once it
stops on a menu item, pressing the dial brings up the options under the selected
menu. Turning the dial then scrolls through the menu options, and pressing the
dial again acts as the "OK" button to confirm menu selections.
In Playback mode, turning the dial scrolls through the captured images on the memory card. Pressing the Menu dial brings up the Playback menu options, which are selected and activated in the same manner as described above. When the Magnify icon is selected over a captured image, it magnifies the image, and turning the menu dial scrolls up and down through the enlarged image. Pressing the Menu dial while the image is magnified allows you to switch to the left and right scrolling option.
Mode Switch: Located to the right of the LCD monitor, this top switch controls
the camera's operating mode. Settings include Capture (up), Off (center), and
Playback (down).
Display Switch: Just below the Mode switch, this switch controls the LCD
display. Pushing it up turns the display on or off.
Battery Compartment Lock Switch: This sliding black switch on the bottom
of the battery compartment door locks and unlocks the door.
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