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HP PhotoSmart 618 HP's capable mid-level model offers 2.1 megapixels, an optical zoom lens, and ease-of-use. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet PhotoSmart 618 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 PhotoSmart 618 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 03/19/2001

Image Storage and Interface
The PhotoSmart 618 records images to a Type I CompactFlash card and a 16MB card is packaged with the camera. Upgrades are available separately, up to 64MB from HP, and up to several hundred megabytes (!) from third parties. The CompactFlash card inserts into the card slot with the electrodes going in first, and the front of the card facing the back of the camera. The card will not go into the camera the wrong way. A black button next to the slot releases the card and pops it up slightly when you're ready to retrieve it.

Never remove the CompactFlash card while the camera is performing any function, to avoid damaging the media. The LED above the memory compartment lights orange when the camera is accessing the card. The 618's status display panel reports the number of available images on the card; when a flashing "000" appears on the display panel, the memory card is full.

Entire CompactFlash cards cannot be write-protected, but the 618 allows you to protect captured images through the Review settings menu. The Edit menu (Protect submenu) can be used to write-protect individual images, or any marked images on the card, which prevents them from being accidentally deleted or manipulated in any other way (except by formatting the card). The Review menu also provides Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) printing utilities, camera-to-camera and camera-to-printer image transfer, and image search functions. The Edit menu enables you to link images by group and/or categorize them by subject (such as "Vacation" or "Pets".) The Find menu allows you to search stored images by date and category. The 618 also provides Image Stamping tools (through the Capture menu), which allow you to add text, a logo, or the date and time to an image.

The PhotoSmart 618 features JetSend infrared technology, which allows the user to "beam" one image at a time from the 618 to other JetSend devices, such as HP cameras and printers, via the infrared port. To beam a photo, you simply choose the image you'd like to send from the installed memory card (Review menu), line up the camera's infrared port so that it's no further than six inches (15cm) from the JetSend device, access the Transmit submenu, choose either the Camera-Camera or Camera-Printer option, and press the shutter button. The camera's LCD will report that it's looking for the device, then show a status bar of the image transfer once the process begins. The 618's infrared port also hosts the Digita image transfer process, which communicates to other HP Digita cameras. The Camera-Camera option of the Transmit submenu enables the camera to send and receive image files from any other Digita camera.

Three JPEG compression levels (Best, Better, and Good) and two image sizes (1,600 x 1,200 and 800 x 600 pixels) are available on the HP 618. There's also an uncompressed TIFF mode. Below are the approximate still image capacities and compression ratios for a 16MB CompactFlash card:

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality		TIFF	Best Quality	Better Qualty	Good Quality
High Resolution 1600x1200	Images	2	15	29	56
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	10:1	20:1
Standard Resolution 800x600	Images	10	57	101	165
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	9:1	15:1

A USB cable and two software CDs also accompany the 618, for quick connection to a PC or Mac. The PhotoSmart 618 can connect to the host as either a "Digita Device", using communication protocols particular to the Digita operating system, or as a storage-class USB device. This last is a desirable feature, becoming more common on digital cameras. Storage Class USB connectivity means that the camera will be recognized as a hard drive by operating systems supporting this connection method. (Windows ME, Windows 2000, and MacOS 9.0 or later.) In our experience, storage class cameras also transfer data much more quickly than device-class cameras: In our tests, we clocked the PhotoSmart 618 at 696 KBytes/second (!) on our G4 Macintosh. This is very fast, a good 2-3x faster than is typical for other USB digicams we've tested.