HP PhotoSmart 315HP's "entry-level+" model offers 2.1 megapixels and ease of use at a bargain price.<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 03/14/2001 |
Test Results
In keeping with our standard policy, our comments here are rather condensed, summarizing our key findings: For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the PhotoSmart 315's "pictures" page.
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, we encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how well the 315 performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the 315's automatic white balance system did a very good job, accurately assessing most of our test lighting situations. The 315 ran into some trouble with the difficult incandescent lighting of the indoor portrait, producing an orange color cast in the flash image and a magenta color cast in the image without flash. Other than the indoor shots though, color looked good and reasonably accurate throughout our testing. The 315 picked up the subtle difference between the red and magenta color blocks on the middle, horizontal color chart of our Davebox target (a common problem area for many digicams), though the two colors are just a shade apart. We did find the larger color blocks of the Davebox to be a little undersaturated though. We also noticed that in high contrast areas, such as the hair strands of the Musicians models and the shrubbery of the House poster, the 315 had trouble reproducing the color gradations. Instead, these areas appeared almost like an illustration, with abrupt changes between light and dark tones. This characteristic was the most serious image-quality problem: Without it, color and tonal handling would have been very good indeed for an entry-level camera.
Optical distortion on the 315 is moderate, as we measured an approximate 0.6 percent barrel distortion. Chromatic aberration is low, showing about two or three pixels of coloration on each side of the black target lines. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.)
In our laboratory resolution test, we found nothing that would explain the odd tonal breaks we saw in our "natural image" tests, but the PS315 came up a little short on the resolution front. The image was quite soft overall, and the visual resolution tested out at between 450 and 500 lines per picture height in both horizontal and vertical directions, toward the bottom end of the scale among two megapixel cameras we've tested.
We found the 315's optical viewfinder to be a little tight, showing approximately 83.7 percent frame accuracy at both resolution sizes. We also noticed that these images are shifted up and towards the left, with a slight slant toward the lower left corner. The LCD monitor fared much better, showing approximately 94.16 percent accuracy at both resolution sizes. We generally like to see LCD monitors as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, so the 315 does a nice job. (Though there's a very slight slant toward the lower left corner in the LCD shots as well.)
The 315's minimum focal distance of 11.8 inches (30cm) limits its macro capabilities a great deal. Even at the closest focal distance, the 315 captures a very large minimum area of 11.13 x 8.34 inches (282.6 x 211.95mm). Details appear very soft and we noticed the same splotchy color gradation in the high contrast areas. Color balance looks pretty good, and noise is moderately high in the gray background. The 315's built-in flash does a pretty good job with this macro area, though the intensity falls off around the corners and edges. Interestingly, the image details sharpen with the flash exposure, possibly due to the slightly higher contrast ofthe image.
The 315 performs reasonably well in the low-light category, thanks to its maximum shutter speed of two seconds. We obtained reasonably bright, clear images as low as one foot-candle (11 lux). Images were dim but still usable as low as 1/4 of a foot-candle (2.7 lux), but became progressively darker with the lower light levels (though the target remained visible at the 1/16 of a foot-candle (0.67 lux) light level). Noise remained moderately low at the higher light levels, but increased slightly as the light level decreased. To put the 315's low-light performance into perspective, an average city night scene under modern street lighting corresponds to a light level of about one foot-candle, so the camera should handle most such scenes well. The table below shows the best exposure we were able to obtain for each of a range of illumination levels. Images in this table (like all of our sample photos) are untouched, exactly as they came from the camera.
Our feeling about the 315's performance depends a great deal on the print size a user might be interested in obtaining from its images. For printed output up to the common 4x6 size, the softness of its images and odd tonal breaks in fine detail probably won't be very apparent, and the camera's good color and overall tonal balance will shine through. For such use, it would be an excellent choice. Larger prints would call attention to the softness and tonal oddities in fine detail, so we wouldn't recommend it for that usage. All things considered, the PhotoSmart 315 is a convenient, point-and-shoot digicam that takes great pictures (up to 4x6 print size), and at a great price.
Conclusion
With a larger, 2.1 megapixel CCD, and the benefit of HP's wireless JetSend technology, the PhotoSmart 315 is a nice upgrade to the 215. Exposure remains under automatic control, keeping the user interface simple and maintaining the camera's position as a simple-to-use, point-and-shoot digicam. The animated icons of the LCD menu add a touch of fun and fit right in with the 315's user-friendly approach. Overall, the 315 is a good candidate for any consumer who's looking for point-and-shoot simplicity, combined with a low-cost, 2.1 megapixel digicam.
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