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  • Testing / Performance

  • Physical Tour

  • Components

  • Design / Layout

  • Modes

  • Control Options

  • Image Parameters

  • Connectivity / Extras

  • Overall Impressions

  • Conclusion

  • Specs / Ratings

  • Photo Gallery

  • Testing / Performance
  • Physical Tour
  • Components
  • Design / Layout
  • Modes
  • Control Options
  • Image Parameters
  • Connectivity / Extras
  • Overall Impressions
  • Conclusion
  • Specs / Ratings
  • Photo Gallery

Testing / Performance

Since most consumers don’t want pictures of green lips and purple eyes, we test every digital camera’s ability to reproduce accurate colors. We do this by photographing an industry standard color chart, manufactured by renowned color experts GretagMacbeth, in optimal lighting. We run the images through Imatest Imaging Software, which lets us know exactly how accurate colors are. The HP Photosmart R927 went through this rigorous test, and below is a modified chart to show how accurately it reproduced those colors. The chart has been modified by Imatest to show the ideal colors in the vertical rectangle of each tile, the R927’s colors in the outer square of each tile, and the original colors corrected for luminance by the software in the center of each tile.

For some, it may be difficult to determine just how accurate colors are with the naked eye, so we have included a more qualitative chart, also produced by Imatest. Shown below, it plots the ideal colors as squares and the camera’s colors as circles.

Ideally, all we would see are circles. However, the HP Photosmart R927 isn’t perfect. It’s white and black tones, or white balance, is nearly perfect, but the other colors dance around the graph. The warm reds and oranges, along with cool blues, are the most inaccurate colors for this camera. They aren’t out of control, but the colors definitely have their inaccuracies that result in a 9.17 mean color error. Colors were over-saturated by 16.7 percent, which is a bit on the heavy side for in-camera saturation. For its average performance, the HP R927 earned a 7.9 overall color score.

Still Life Scene
Below is a shot of our intricate still life array, captured with the HP Photosmart R927.

[

Click on the image above to view a full resolution version.](https://reviewed.usatoday.com/cameras/viewer.php?picture=HP927-StillLife-LG.jpg)

Resolution*(5.92)
*The HP Photosmart R927 advertises 8.2 effective megapixels on its image sensor. We tested their effectiveness in reproducing complex images by photographing an industry standard resolution chart. We tried several focal lengths and apertures to be sure and get the absolute sharpest result the camera was capable of. The best picture, shown below, was taken using an aperture of f/4.4 and a focal length of 19mm.

[

Click on the chart above to view the full resolution file.](https://reviewed.usatoday.com/cameras/viewer.php?picture=HP-R927-ResCH-LG.jpg)

Some cameras show barrel distortion in the resolution chart, but the R927 does quite well in keeping the image straight. There's some noticeable chromatic aberration though, which is unfortunate. As for its resolution, it looks like the camera performed fairly well. To confirm our suspicions, Imatest output some quantitative data in units of line widths per picture height (lw/ph). This unit tells us how many theoretical alternating black and white lines could fit across the frame vertically and horizontally.

Imatest determined that the HP Photosmart R927 resolved 2113 lw/ph horizontally, and did so with 10.1 percent oversharpening. The camera resolved 1986 lw/ph vertically with 1.69 percent oversharpening. These results are impressive, especially when compared to competing cameras like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100. The 8-megapixel Sony W100 read 1856 lw/ph horizontally and 1310 lw/ph vertically. Colors are certainly not the HP R927’s strong point, but its resolution seems to capture a lot of detail. Its 5.92 resolution score is above average, even for 8-megapixel compact digital cameras.

Noise – Auto ISO*(4.55)
*We tested the R927’s automatic ISO setting to see how it would do in optimal lighting, and its performance was average. It produced more noise than the manual ISO 200 setting but much less than the ISO 400 setting. If we had to make a guess, we’d place it around ISO 250. This is just okay; most cameras choose lower ISO settings for this test and thus are capable of containing image noise more effectively. Still, this HP ended up with a 4.55 overall automatic ISO noise score.

Noise – Manual ISO*(8.27)*

This is HP’s top-of-the-line compact digital camera, but its ISO range is still stuck in the dark ages. Indeed, it has only 100, 200, and 400 settings for use at full resolution. There is a manual ISO 800 setting, but it can only be used with miniscule images that can hardly be printed. It is our policy to test only the settings that work at full resolution. We tested the noise levels at 100, 200, and 400 ISO and plotted them on the chart below.

The HP Photosmart R927 handled noise quite well, although since its sensitivity range is so much shorter than other cameras, it will not offer the flexibility and potential low light capabilities of many of its competitors. However, when we put the individual noise levels into a regression analysis, the R927 earned a respectable 8.27 overall manual ISO noise score.

Low Light*(5.75)*

We tested the HP Photosmart R927’s ability to snap properly exposed pictures when lighting was less than ideal – because that’s often the case with photo moments. Our low light test actually consists of four evaluations at 60, 30, 15, and 5 lux. The 60 lux test is about the lighting found in a room after dusk when two soft lamps are on. A 40-watt light bulb gives off the amount of light in the 30 lux test. The last two tests are approximately the amount of light in a basement with the lights off; photography in these situations will be a rare occasion, but we test them anyway to see just how sensitive the image sensor is. Testing at the extremes tends to bring out other issues if there are any.

The HP R927 didn't have any difficulty keeping images properly exposed even when light was hardly present – which is surprising for this type of camera. It performed very well, although colors became less and less saturated the longer the shutter was open; the 5 lux image almost looks pastel. The metering system had a tougher time with longer exposures, fluctuating the exposure, and obviously the longer shutter speeds led to an increase in image noise. The chart below shows how much noise (vertical axis) was in the image at the shutter speeds (horizontal axis) used in the low light tests.

There’s a steady and slow increase in noise until about 5.5 seconds, when the noise jumps significantly. The HP Photosmart R927 still performed marginally well for its styling, earning a 5.75 overall low light score.  **Speed / Timing***Startup to First Shot (5.87)
The HP Photosmart R927 started up and took a shot in 4.13 seconds. That’s a long delay for a relatively simple camera. Some super-zoom cameras, which have to extend their lenses further, take a long time to start up, but the R927 has a 3x zoom. There doesn’t seem to be any reason it should be so slow. A 4-second delay is long enough to make users miss spontaneous shots.  *Shot to Shot (7.8)
*The HP R927 managed to shoot 2.2 frames per second in its burst mode, for a total burst of 3 images. Users who want faster rates and longer bursts can find them in competing cameras. The 3-frame burst is limiting in many situations – it’s not long enough for the moment when someone blows out the candles on a birthday cake, for instance. 
Shutter to Shot (7.2)
*The HP R927 isn’t a fast camera by any of our measures, but its worst rating is the lag between the moment the shutter is pressed, and the moment the camera actually takes the shot. The R927 lagged 0.9 of a second – too long for anything but posed pictures, landscapes and still lifes. The R927 is not appropriate for candid shooting at all. 

Physical Tour

 **Front (6.5)
**The HP Photosmart R927 has a prominent lens on the right side that protrudes in two barrels. The barrel is surrounded by a chrome ring that slopes up toward the lens from the rest of the camera body. On the edge of the inner barrel, the lens is labeled with its specs: "HP Precision 3x Optical Zoom, f2.8-5.0, 7.5mm-22.5mm." In the top right corner of the front are two features: an auto focus assist lamp and a microphone. The bottom right corner boasts the camera’s resolution: "8.2 Megapixels" while the top right has a "Photosmart R927" logo. Above the model name is a "hp" logo on the left and an oval-shaped flash on the right. Just barely visible above the HP logo is the shutter release button, which is on a slope between the front and top sides of the camera. 

Back **(7.0)
**The back side of the camera looks very simple with its enormous 3-inch anti-glare LCD screen on the left side and its shapely controls on the right side. The R927’s back side is quite divided between the two sides. The LCD screen has a defined platform with "HP Photosmart" emblazoned upon its bottom. To the right of the platform is a zoom control at the top and a multi-selector on the bottom. The zoom control is unlike any seen on any other manufacturers' digital cameras; it is shaped like a boomerang gone sideways. The right end of the boomerang zooms in, while the left side zooms out. This control is placed at the top of a large smooth divot in the camera body that enables the thumb to easily slide down to the multi-selector. The multi-selector is huge and consists of a central Menu/OK button with a square-shaped ring around it. The ring has arrows pointing in the four directions to navigate around the multitude of menus that are available. Beneath the bottom arrow is a trash can icon, signifying the deletion function available in the playback mode. To the southwest of the multi-selector is an LED that indicates when the camera is reading and writing to the memory card. 

Right Side **(6.5)
**There isn’t much to see on the right side except for a tiny eyelet at the top. Its function is incorporated into the design of the frame, so it is barely noticeable. 

Left Side **(6.5)
**The left side is even more boring than the right. There are four tiny bolts holding together the two stainless steel panels. 

Top **(6.5)
**The top has a slew of buttons that are all flush with the camera body and hardly look like buttons at all. This makes them harder to push, which is unfortunate when trying to access them quickly, but it is great when the camera is crunched in a bag since it's unlikely to accidentally turn on. On the left side of the top is the built-in microphone; to its right are the hosts of buttons. From left to right, these are the buttons: flash, macro, Photosmart Express menu, and Recording/Playback mode button. To the right of the mode button is a rectangular blue LED with the On/Off button to its right. On the right side of the top toward the front is the shutter release button. It isn’t flush with the camera body, but it sticks out a little from its sloped surface. Behind it is a smaller movie recording button. On the far right edge is a wrist strap eyelet.  

Bottom **(4.0)
**The bottom of the R927 shows the slight slope of the camera’s right finger grip. Below the sloped side is the battery compartment, which takes a good hard fingernail to lock and unlock. When unlocked, the door springs open to reveal the battery and memory card slots. Just right of center is a multi-port that connects the camera to the included dock – which in turn connects to televisions, computers, printers, and such. On the extreme right side of the bottom is a tripod socket - too far off axis to balance the camera properly when fixed to a tripod. Surrounding all of the bottom’s features are bar codes, serial numbers, logos, and other such business which is unimportant to photography.

Components

 **Viewfinder (0.0)
**There is no optical viewfinder on the HP R927, but there is a huge LCD screen that shows a live preview. Most point-and-shooters prefer the big screen anyway because it is easier on the eyes and more accurate. Indeed, the R927’s live preview showed exactly what will be recorded in the image. The view is large and there is ample resolution at 230,000 pixels. This is enough resolution for typical framing and photographing, but it isn’t enough to manually focus properly with the R927's dedicated method. When **

manually focusing, the center of the image is magnified digitally so it is hard to clearly see the edges of the subject. In spite of the awful manual focusing interface, the view is decent.  LCD Screen (9.0)
The camera’s back has a 3-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels. It is treated with an anti-glare coating that gives it a wide viewing angle in all directions. The coating aids viewing in daylight too. There is great contrast that makes it easy to see even when shooting under the sun outdoors. The screen’s brightness can be adjusted in the setup menu to Low, Medium, or High. Also in the setup menu, users can choose whether to turn off the screen after 15, 30, 45, or 60 seconds to save power. That feature can also be disabled so that the LCD never turns off. The screen is good quality and has nice features with one exception: There is no way to change the information on the LCD screen. Users always have shooting info and can never get a completely blank screen to frame with; this could be bothersome to users.  Flash  (6.0)

The Photosmart R927’s built-in flash is fat and the window is oval-shaped. It is located above and to the left of the lens. Unfortunately, this placement shows in the images. There is a bright spot that shows up right of center in the images, so coverage isn’t very even. The uneven coverage is somewhat balanced by HP’s Adaptive Lighting technology. This feature "automatically balances the dark and bright areas in a photo while maintaining the overall contrast," states HP’s web site. It is hard to tell how well the technology works because there are no before and after pictures to compare; the R927 incorporates it automatically. The flash’s coverage is uneven, but even the brighter spot rarely blows out images. The built-in flash reaches as far as 15.4 ft, which is decent. The flash has the following modes: Auto, On, Off, Auto with Red-Eye, and Slow Sync. The flash takes about six seconds to recharge for the next flash; this would normally be a disadvantage, but the camera takes so long to write to the memory card that it doesn’t matter anyway. ** **Zoom Lens (5.0)
****

**With a standard 3x optical zoom lens, the R927 doesn’t have what it takes to photograph Madonna’s fake lashes from your seat in the back of the auditorium. The lens measures 7.5-22.5 mm, equivalent to 35-105 mm in the traditional 35mm format. The HP Precision zoom lens has maximum apertures of f/2.8 and f/5.0 and its smallest opening is f/8.5. The lens moves throughout its range smoothly, but noisily. The optical zoom is functional in the movie mode, but its noise is captured in the movie as well. The zoom’s control is very unique looking. It looks like a boomerang and requires the thumb to move a bit lower than on the more common zoom switch controls. The control itself isn’t very sensitive. When pushed as lightly as possible, there are only 6 focal lengths that the camera pauses at to frame subjects. This is average for a point-and-shoot camera with a 3x range. The marginal control performance coupled with the lens’ actual quality make for an overall disappointment though. There is considerable barrel distortion when photographing subjects at the widest focal length; it is especially noticeable in the Documents scene mode and when photographing subjects with 90-degree angles. The distortion only gets worse in the macro mode. Overall, the HP Photosmart R927’s lens isn’t as "smart" as it should be.  

Design / Layout

 **Model Design / Appearance (5.75)None of the HP digital cameras are known for their stellar looks and the R927 remains in the ranks. Perhaps being part of the Photosmart series requires a plain, somewhat clumsy design. The camera’s surface is a brushed stainless steel that feels and looks good except for a few scratches here and there. Indeed, the surface can easily be scratched and shows tiny blemishes in the brushed texture. The shape isn’t anything particularly innovative with its rectangular body and rounded edges. There is also a wavy finger grip in the front that works similar to ones on other compact cameras. The overall design exhibits simplistic controls and a plain styling that is meant to appeal to consumers who value ease of use above all else. These consumers won’t mind the omission of traditional camera elements like an optical viewfinder and mode dial, though they may resent the omission of any gripping materials.  
** 
**Size / Portability (5.75)The HP Photosmart R927 measures up at 3.8 x 2.4 x 1 inches and weighs 7.1 oz. This is quite hefty for a camera of this size. Users will be able to stuff this in a pocket, but its weight will make users want to put something heavy in the opposite pocket just to keep balanced. The R927 isn’t ultra-slim and isn’t ultra-light, but will still be portable enough to go just about anywhere. HP included a wrist strap in the package to aid in that portability. The strap’s eyelet is located on the right side of the camera. While it is an option, it is hard to imagine that many users would want to dangle this anchor from their wrists.  Handling Ability**(6.0)The HP Photosmart R927 has a stainless steel shell that feels good to touch and is smooth, but still has substance to grip. The front looks like it had a little fender-bender on the right side where the fingers wrap around the camera; this makes a little niche for the finger tips to rest in. On the back side of the camera is a wide ditch leading from the zoom control at the top to the multi-selector at the bottom. This feature keeps the thumb from sliding out of the area. The R927 can be held with only one hand, but its hefty weight makes it wise to hold it with two hands.

**

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Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size **(5.25)
This digital camera doesn’t have the typical control buttons and switches that are common on other manufacturers’ models. Instead, the back of the camera looks very simple with its two controls and the top of the camera has a long row of buttons. The back of the HP R927 has a zoom control at the top that looks like a boomerang. The control itself isn’t very sensitive and only allows the lens to stop at about six places in the focal range. At the bottom of the back is the multi-selector, which is in the typical place but not in the typical shape. The HP’s control is square-shaped with a large Menu/OK button in the center and a square ring around it with arrows pointing in all directions. This control worked well for the most part; the only drawback is that pushing the top of the selector proved to be a little sticky. The top of the square didn’t protrude as much as the other sides and was harder to push. On the top of the R927 are a host of control buttons: flash, focus, and recording modes all have their own buttons. There is also a power button and an "express menu" button. Up here is where the shutter release button is too; behind it is a separate button for capturing movies at any time. The movie recording button has the same oval-shape as the shutter release button, but it is smaller and located far enough behind it that users won’t be pushing both at the same time. There is no traditional mode dial, which might drive some users crazy; modes must be changed within the menu. Overall, the controls do their jobs despite their odd appearance, but the zoom control is a bit trying.  
** 
**Menu (6.0)
**The menu system is a little over-the-top. It aims to be easy to use, but doesn’t quite get there. Sure, it is fairly well organized with its many folders and sub-categories. However, there’s just so much text crammed onto the screen that it is almost overwhelming to look at. The menus can be accessed with the Menu/OK button.  Across the top of the screen are five icons representing the different menus: Capture, Playback, Design Gallery, Setup, and Help. The Capture menu appears below when selected. There are icons of choices on the left and text titles and explanations of the icons when selected on the right. The following is the orange-colored Capture menu. 

Many of the options in the Capture menu have live previews: white balance, exposure compensation, auto focus area, adaptive lighting, metering, contrast, saturation, and sharpness. The Playback menu has a blue theme and allows users to access the following options. 

The Design Gallery is a unique menu to HP digital cameras. It also has a blue theme, as it also works in playback mode to provide the in-camera editing options. The following are its choices. 

There are lots of interesting effects and there are previews of everything here. The Setup menu is hot pink and comes with these options to customize the camera. 

The previous menus are manageable in terms of how much information is displayed on the camera’s LCD screen at a time. The following menu shows a little too much though. The hot pink Help menu is convenient when you don’t want to boot up the computer and load the CD-ROM to view the user manual. However, there’s still a lot of text on a relatively small space (yes, 3 inches is a lot for a compact camera but it’s still no replacement for a 15-inch computer screen!). The following is the lengthy all-text, no-pictures Help menu. 

Scary. That word describes the menu system to beginning photographers. It’s well organized, but there’s an exorbitant amount of information crammed in the menu system. There is one more menu available from its own designated button that is similar to Kodak’s Share button and Canon’s Print button. The HP Photosmart Express menu button is atop the camera to the left of the recording/playback button. Once pressed, the following menu appears. 

Overall, the HP Photosmart’s menus are lengthy - at the potential expense of appearing daunting and overwhelming to its target audience - but well-organized.

Ease of Use **(5.75)
**This camera tries so hard to make things easy that the plan backfires and things are quite difficult instead. There is just too much text. There’s an entire on-screen user manual complete with ten tips and such. It’s like trying to fit an entire ten web pages of content onto a 3-inch viewing screen. It’s too much. Then there’s the simplified looking control buttons on the back, but a long row of buttons on the top - neither of which rank among the easiest to use. Ease of use was on the minds of HP designers for about half of the project. The rest of the HP Photosmart R927 isn’t quite so easy to use.  

Modes

 **Auto Mode (6.5)
The HP Photosmart R927 powers up in the Auto mode every time it is turned on. This default mode is more like a Program AE mode because it allows access to several manual adjustments. Users can choose the white balance and exposure compensation, as well as tweak sharpness and contrast and such. Still, the camera resets to its defaults every time the Auto mode is entered. Overall, the Auto mode is definitely easy to access and easy to use but resorting to the defaults each time may be frustrating to some users.
 
Movie Mode **(6.0)One of the more unique aspects of this Photosmart digital camera is its designated video button. This is convenient because users don’t have to enter the menu system and select the movie mode. Instead, they can just push the video button at any time to record movies. The dual buttons cannot work simultaneously like the Canon’s MovieSnap function on some of their digital cameras. Those models allow users to record video with one button and simultaneously take full-resolution still images. The HP R927 does not operate like that; the shutter release button is useless while recording videos. The video quality can be changed at any time in the recording menu; there are Normal, VGA, and QVGA options. All of the 640 x 480 and 320 x 240-pixel clips record 24 frames per second and are saved as MPEG-1 files. Audio is recorded simultaneously too, but it isn’t very good quality. It is muffled even when subjects are directly in front of the camera and speaking clearly. The movie mode has other problems too. The auto focus breathes in and out a bit, the video is unusable in low light, and the optical zoom lens is functional but very noisy. Still images can be extracted from the movie clips while in the playback mode. All users need to do is follow the on-screen instructions and push upward on the multi-selector to save individual photos.

Drive / Burst Mode **(2.5)
The HP Photosmart R927 hardly has a burst mode at all. The camera is naturally slow. When not in the burst mode, expect to see "Processing…" frequently. After a picture is taken, it takes the camera nearly 13 seconds to save it to the card – all the while displaying its "Processing…" message. This certainly slows things down. The HP R927’s burst mode can be turned on and off in the recording menu. Once activated, the mode shoots a frame a second for an entire two pictures! This short burst is incredibly disappointing. Consumers who want to photograph action of any kind may have to look elsewhere; there’s just no good way to take a lot of pictures in a short amount of time on this model.  Playback Mode (8.25)
The Playback mode is accessed by the recording/playback button atop the camera and to the left of the power button. If users want to turn on the camera just to view images, pressing both buttons simultaneously will drop them right into the playback mode. Users can scroll through pictures on the 3-inch LCD screen with the right and left arrows on the multi-selector. Pushing down will bring up the following deletion options: Cancel, This Image, All Images on Card, Format Card, and Undelete Last. Pushing up won’t do anything – unless in the thumbnail view. Pushing the wide end of the zoom lever will display nine thumbnails on the screen at a time; pushing in all directions of the multi-selector navigates around the different thumbnails. The playback menu has lots to offer: file info, deletion, slide shows, audio recording capabilities, and even image advice. The image advice option is unique to HP digital cameras. When selected, it analyzes the image and offers some customized tips. For example, it analyzed a dark picture of a sleeping baby and stated, "This image, taken in Manual shooting mode, is underexposed by at least 2 stops….Try using a lower F-number or slower shutter speed…" Images and videos can be deleted all at once, one by one, or in groups. Slide shows can be played with pictures shown for 2-60 seconds with the audio on or off.  The Photosmart Express menu simplifies printing, whether it be online or at home. There is a "Share" menu from here too; users can tag pictures to upload to the online album automatically when the camera is docked and hooked up to the computer. The internal email address book can be edited when the camera is connected to the computer and the included software is running.  The HP Photosmart R927’s Design Gallery is also available in the playback mode. It applies all kinds of special effects, but those will be discussed in the Picture Effects Mode section later in the review. Besides those interesting effects, the playback mode is pretty standard. It doesn’t play music with slide shows or sort photos on a calendar-style page. However, the large LCD screen is great for viewing and the image advice is unique too.    Custom Image Presets (6.0)
**The HP Photosmart R927 has a set of scene modes that are grouped with the more manual modes in the Mode section of the camera’s recording menu. The following choices are available: Landscape, Portrait, Theatre, Panorama, Action, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Beach, Snow, Sunset, Document, and My Mode. This listing is fairly basic. Many models are now including a scene mode specialized for taking pictures in low light. The R927, however, does not have the high ISO sensitivity that most current cameras have, so it can't really compete in that area. There is a Theatre scene mode that turns off the flash and makes an attempt at capturing a scene, but it still counts on some available light. The Panorama mode lets users snap up to 5 pictures at a time; the live preview is supplemented by outlines from the last picture taken at the side of the LCD. Panoramas can be constructed from left to right or vice versa. Panoramas can be stitched together in the camera or in the included software. The Action scene mode is limited by the camera’s awful 2-shot burst mode. The Document mode showed the lens’ barrel distortion, as the edges of the paper were bowed. When My Mode is selected, an option appears in the menu that lets users select the shooting mode and settings. This is the only mode on the camera that "remembers" its settings rather than resetting itself to the default settings, so My Mode can be a scene mode or a manual mode in that way.  

Control Options

 **Manual Control Options       The HP Photosmart R927 has plenty of manual controls and modes. Manual, shutter speed priority, and aperture priority modes are available, as well as a customizable My Mode. My Mode is the only mode on the camera that "remembers" its settings; the other modes return to the default settings. The HP R927 offers users manual control over the exposure with shutter speed and aperture settings that can be controlled with the multi-selector. In more automatic modes, there is an exposure compensation scale that is a little easier to use for beginners. There are other manual controls available too, such as the ISO, white balance, and focus. Those will be discussed in the coming sections.  Focus***Auto Focus (6.25)
The HP R927 has a through-the-lens auto focus system that normally focuses from 19.7 inches, or 50 cm, in wide and from 23.6 inches in telephoto. The camera has several focus modes accessible from the designated button marked with a flower icon. Normal, Macro, Auto Macro, Infinity, and Manual options can be found there. The macro mode certainly isn’t incredible; it can only focus from 4.7-39.4 inches. This isn’t very impressive at a time when most compact models can focus an inch from the lens. The auto macro mode bridges the gap between the normal and macro modes; it is optimized for when users aren’t so sure of when to use the macro mode and seems like the most logical choice to use because it has the widest focal range. The focus system shows up on the display screen as green brackets when focused and red when it can’t find the focus or the subject is out of range. The focus isn’t super fast, but it isn’t as ridiculously slow as one might find on a compact model. I snapped several pictures of my son swinging at the park and often the background would be perfectly focused and his face would be out of focus – even though he was centered in the frame. The focus system is supposed to be speedy because it works continuously. In fact, this is perhaps one of the most annoying aspects of the HP927. The continuous auto focus system sounds like a creature's trapped inside the camera and banging on the stainless steel housing to try and get out. The audible focus is picked up in the movie mode and is louder than subjects in most cases. Unfortunately, users cannot turn off the continuous auto focus.  Manual Focus (1.0)
*Technically, the R927 has a manual focus mode. It is completely unusable though. The camera automatically magnifies the center of the image – but it does so digitally. The resolution of the center image is so awful that it is impossible to tell if the subject is in focus or not. The magnified view is also in black and white, so the whole "manual focus" option is quite useless.

Metering **(7.0)
This digital camera has the typical metering options available from its recording menu: Average, Center-weighted, and Spot. There is a live view that shows how the exposure is affected when users switch from the default Average metering mode.  Exposure (7.5)
Standard compact digital cameras offer a +/- 2 exposure compensation range, but the R927 extends that to +/- 3 in the same 1/3 increments. There are numbers to show the exposure value and a live view to boot.
**ISO **(6.0)As evidenced by the R927’s short ISO range, HP has not caught up with its competition in terms of ISO sensitivity. At a time when more and more compact digital cameras are offering ISO 800 or even 1600 settings, the HP Photosmart R927 still has the old standard 100, 200, and 400 settings. There is also an automatic setting, of course. There are no high ISO settings or modes, so shooting in low light without the flash could be a problem. The camera does have a Theatre scene mode, but it will require a tripod to keep subjects from blurring.  

White Balance (7.0)
The HP Photosmart R927 has a short list of white balance settings: Auto, Sun, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent, and Manual. The list is missing a white balance mode tailored to the flash and perhaps a few more fluorescent, but it does have a manual white balance mode that will be far more accurate than any preset anyway. The manual mode is easy to set with its on-screen directions. The white balance menu displays example pictures, but does not show a live view of the exposure and lighting.  Shutter Speed (6.0)
** The HP Photosmart R927 has a decent shutter speed range that can be manually controlled. The longest exposure can be set to  16 seconds and the fastest the shutter can flip is 1/2000th of a second. Manual and shutter priority modes are available, and when the shutter speed is adjusted there is a live view.

 
Aperture **(6.5)
**The HP’s lens has maximum apertures of f/2.8 in wide and f/5.0 in telephoto. The aperture can shrink as small as f/7.8 in wide and f/8.5 in telephoto. There are plenty of options available, as this is not a two-stop aperture. The R927 has manual and aperture priority modes where users can adjust the aperture via the multi-selector.  

Image Parameters

 **Picture Quality****/ Size Options (8.0)
There are plenty of choices as far as image quality goes. The default for the HP R927 is a normally compressed 8-megapixel size. There is higher resolution available, but you have to find it in the Custom section of the Image Quality menu option. The following choices are the preset image sizes: 8 MP, 8 MP Normal, 5 MP, 2 MP, and VGA. The Custom setting lets users choose any of those image sizes and then choose how much compression each file undergoes. The compression is expressed in one to four stars. At the finest resolution in the Custom menu, the R927’s internal memory could only hold 9 pictures.  Picture Effects Mode (8.75)
**The HP Photosmart R927 has more picture effects than most digital cameras. This model even has an entire portion of its menu system dedicated to special effects in playback. The Design Gallery has options to add artistic effects and borders, remove red eyes, and do simpler editing tasks like modify color, rotate and crop. All of the choices come with live previews, so users never have to unknowingly commit to an ugly frame or undesirable color mode. The Artistic Effects include the following: Ink Dots, Cartoon, Watercolor, Center Focus, Posterize, Soft Glow, Retro, Vintage, Slimming, Sky Color, Ground Color, Kaleidoscope, and Solarize. The Slimming effect has been widely marketed as a great way to lose ten pounds in a picture, but this doesn’t just slim the waist. It elongates the whole picture so you’ll have a thin waist and a long nose and chin. Users can modify the color of the image with these color modes: Black & White, Sepia, Black & White Tints, and Color Tints. Borders can be added around pictures, and users can control how thick the border is. Soft Edge, Inset Border, Torn Edge, Burned Edge, Spatter, Oval, Circle, Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, and Square are the available borders. Users can automatically remove red-eye, crop pictures to landscape or portrait orientations, and rotate images with the multi-selector. All of these options are only available in the playback mode.

In the recording mode, there are a few picture effects: Contrast, Saturation, and Sharpness. Each of these has High, Medium, and Low options.  

Connectivity / Extras

 **Connectivity***Software (7.75)
*This digital camera comes with HP Photosmart Premier Software that provides all the basic photo browsing and editing features. Across the top of the Premier program are six tabs: View, Edit, Print, Create, Share, and Backup. Users can browse through their images several ways in the View tab. Users can display their pictures as thumbnails, previews, full screen, or slide shows. The size of the thumbnails and previews can be controlled as well. Pictures can be selected and sorted by date or file name.

Users can either double-click the mouse or select the Edit tab to view a large image of the picture and all sorts of editing options. There are Basic and Advanced groupings of editing tools. The Basic tools are Rotate, Flip, Crop, Red Eye, Auto Adjust, and Resize. There are self-explanatory. The Advanced tools include Restore Color, Adjust Image, Color Toolkit, B&W Toolkit, and Special Effects. The Restore Color option is a one-touch button to fix any pictures that may have been taken in black-and-white or with other effects on the camera. Second thoughts about that sepia color? No problem. The Adjust Image tool lets users tweak exposure, adaptive lighting, brightness, contrast, and sharpness. These aren’t controlled by scales or curves or anything. Instead, the software shows nine thumbnails of the selected picture at various levels of exposure, lighting, brightness, contrast, or sharpness, and then users choose what they will. The Color Toolkit has the same nine-thumbnail interface and lets users choose color temperature and saturation. The Black and White Toolkit displays nine versions of the selected image with various contrasts and such. Lastly, the Special Effects tool has many of the same special effects that are including on the camera: Solarize, Ink Dots, Water Color, Posterize, Soft Glow, and Vintage.

Once pictures are touched up nicely, they can be printed with the next tab. Users can choose the printer, quantity of prints, and print size. They can also choose to print index sheets or photo packages. The Create tab lets users browse project types and pictures, then put them together. The following projects are available with simple templates: Photo Gifts, Album Pages, Brochures, Calendars, CD/DVD Labels, Greeting Cards, Panoramas, and Flyers. The Share tab is where users will want to go to modify the camera’s internal email address book. The HP Photosmart R927 cannot email pictures directly from the camera, but will automatically load pictures to online albums and email people in the address book to inform them of the update when connected to the computer. This section of the software also allows users to connect to HP’s Snapfish web site to order gifts and prints, as well as store pictures online. There is also a CD burning program that can be accessed here. The Backup tab has simple buttons to ensure pictures won’t be accidentally erased or otherwise lost.

Throughout the software program, there are basic help aids that can be accessed. For users who want more thorough step-by-step instructions and even videos walking through certain functions, the CD-ROM also has the HP Solution Center program. This is almost like a user guide for the software program. Overall, the included CD-ROM provides good browsing, organizing, and editing software that allows users the freedom to print either at home or through HP. The only downside comes when users don’t want to use HP’s Snapfish web site; they’ll have to manually load their pictures to a separate site.

Jacks, ports, plugs (7.0)*The HP Photosmart R927 is fitted with a single jack on the bottom of the camera. This parks on an included camera dock that also serves as the battery charger. The included dock is fairly basic, with connections to the power adapter and the USB cable. There is no connection to the television, so slide shows on your new big screen aren’t going to happen. HP omitted AV output compatibility completely. Some users may also dislike the camera dock setup because of its inconvenience when traveling. When carting around a laptop and camera, not many users want to also carry a camera dock and a couple cables. Some users love the camera dock though; the HP R927 fits easily into the dock and can transfer pictures while charging the battery at the same time. Talk about efficiency.  *Direct Print Options (4.5)
*Because of the camera dock setup, direct printing isn’t quite as direct. The HP Photosmart R927 must sit in its dock and the included USB cable must be connected to the PictBridge compatible printer. Print orders can be created on the R927 with the Photosmart Express button atop the camera. That button lets users mark individual photos for printing and select quantities of each print up to 99. Users can also scroll through all the pictures on the memory card or internal memory and select quantities – including 0 if none are wanted. There are options to select all of the pictures at once and to tag pictures for printing online from the Snapfish web site.  
Battery (3.75)

The R927 comes with an HP Photosmart R07 lithium-ion battery that costs a pretty penny. The battery sells alone for $50 on the company’s web site. While it’s always a good idea to have a backup, it isn’t entirely necessary. Having the included camera dock and using it frequently will prevent those awful low-battery situations. HP publishes 200 shots per charge on its battery, but I never got close to having a low battery while testing because it became habit to set it in the included camera dock/charger. If the battery is dead, it takes 2-3 hours to fully charge again in the included dock. Overall, the specs on the battery aren’t impressive, but the dock encourages a habit of regularly charging the battery so it shouldn’t be a problem as long as you constantly remain tethered.  Memory (4.0)
**

The HP R927 comes with 32 MB of internal memory and a slot for SD cards. The camera is tested to accept SD cards up to 2 GB. This digital camera can fit 9 full-resolution pictures onto its memory; when the camera is initially powered up, its default image size of 8 megapixels with normal compression allows 12 pictures to fit on the on-board memory. The Photosmart R927 saves pictures to the internal memory if nothing else is there, but automatically switches to a memory card if one is loaded into the slot. Users can choose to move pictures from the internal memory to the card within the playback menu. Of note, however, is the enormous amount of time that it takes for the camera to communicate with the card. It takes almost five seconds to record a picture to the memory card after it is shot; after the second picture, that time doubles. After a lengthy burst of two pictures, it takes 13 seconds. Expect to see a lot of the "Processing…" message when those photo opportunities are rolling by.  *Other features (4.5)
***Cool carrying cases* – HP runs its own carrying case web site, CasesOnline.com, to promote its cases. These aren’t the typical plain bags either. Users can personalize their camera’s case to come in several different styles and materials, including everything from suede and microfiber to leather and faux crocodile skin.  *HP Marketing* – HP includes plenty of plugs for its accessories, services, and other technology. Pressing and holding down the Recording/Playback button atop the camera begins a product demo of the camera itself. If you forget how awesome your camera is, just press this button and it will remind you.  *User Manual* – The long version is in .pdf form on the included CD-ROM. This is a little obnoxious for users who want to look up a feature or two occasionally and don’t want to boot up the computer for a two-minute reference. There is an on-screen user guide that is slightly truncated, but still pretty elaborate. It offers tips and all kinds of imaging advice. The problem with this is that there’s a ton of text squashed onto a much smaller space. Even though the LCD screen measures 3 inches diagonally, it’s still a strain on the eyes to read hundreds of words from the display. After viewing the CD-ROM, users will wish there was a printed form of the user manual.  *Digital Zoom* – The HP Photosmart R927 has 8x digital zoom that can be turned on and off in the setup menu. When activated, the camera transitions almost too easily from the optical to digital zoom. Before you realize it, your subject is an impressionist work of art.  

Overall Impressions

 **Value (6.75)
The HP Photosmart R927 was announced in January 2006 and released in April for a retail price of $399. The R927 has a lot to offer at that price: 8.2 megapixels, 3-inch LCD screen, manual and automatic modes and controls, vast amounts of picture effects and direct printing, and an included charging station. Because this camera was released much earlier this year, the price has gone down too. Now consumers can easily find it online for $299 or less, which at that price or below, is certainly a worthy purchase.
 
Comparisons**[*

HP Photosmart R727* –](https://reviewed.usatoday.com/cameras/content/HP-Updates-High-End-R-Series-with-R725-R727-and-R927-.htm) If consumers are looking for the in-camera editing and other features of the R927 but don’t care for the manual control or high pixel count, the R727 may be just the camera for you. It has 6.2 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens. Its focal lengths may be the same, but the R727’s lens does not protrude from the camera body even when powered up. The HP Photosmart R727 does not have manual or priority modes, but does have the scene modes found on the R927. The digital cameras share many other similar features: the Photosmart Express menu, Adaptive Lighting feature, image advice, 24 fps VGA movie mode, and vast numbers of in-camera editing effects. The HP Photosmart R727 has the same dimensions and weight as the R927, and comes with the same dock that charges the battery and connects to computers and printers. This camera has a smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen and an aluminum body rather than the R927’s stainless steel construction. The HP R727 retails for                                                                 $249.  [*

Canon PowerShot SD800 IS* – ](https://reviewed.usatoday.com/cameras/content/Canon-PowerShot-SD800-IS-First-Impressions-Review.htm)This camera has the same $399 retail price as the R927 and a similar slim design. The SD800 IS has 7.1 megapixels and a 3.8x optical zoom lens with a wider 28-105 mm focal range. The wide lens is complemented with an optical image stabilization system, which does wonders for snapping pictures in low light especially when coupled with the camera’s 80-1600 ISO settings. The Canon SD800 is fitted with a smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen, but also has an optical viewfinder. This PowerShot also comes with face detection technology, so the camera can recognize and track up to nine faces at once and keep them in focus. With its My Colors mode, this model has a few picture effects that can be applied before or after the picture is taken. The SD800 IS would be a good digital camera for consumers who need a little more imaging power in less than ideal lighting conditions.  Kodak EasyShare V705 – Kodak touts this model as the "world’s smallest ultra-wide-angle-zoom digital camera" with its 23 mm wide focal length and 5x optical zoom. The camera measures 4 x 2 x 0.8 inches; the 5x zoom can fit in the tiny package because it is a dual lens system. The two lenses peer out front with a much more unique look than the HP R927. The 7.1-megapixel Kodak V705 has more to offer than looks too: It has ISO settings from 50-1000 and a VGA movie mode that shoots 30 fps and zooms while recording. The Kodak has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels and some in-camera editing features like digital red-eye reduction and cropping, as well as Kodak’s Perfect Touch technology that automatically fixes the exposure in playback mode. The EasyShare V705 does not have the manual functionality that the HP does; instead, it has 22 scene modes and 3 color modes and a small list of manual adjustments that can be made. The V705 shares some characteristics with the HP R927: it has 32 MB of internal memory, an in-camera panorama stitching mode, a Share button similar to the Photosmart Express menu, and comes packaged with a Kodak EasyShare camera dock. The dock not only charges the battery and connects to computers and printers, but offers an AV connection as well to hook up to televisions. The Kodak EasyShare V705 retails for $349.  [

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 –](https://reviewed.usatoday.com/cameras/content/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-W100-Digital-Camera-Review-.htm) If consumers are set on getting 8.1 megapixels with manual controls, the Sony W100 provides another option. This digital camera is simpler to use, and although it has a help guide to choose the proper image size, it doesn’t have the vast user manual downloaded onto the LCD screen. The W100’s LCD happens to be a smaller 2.5 inches with a disappointing 115,000 pixels of resolution. The inch-thick camera has an optical viewfinder too. This camera has manual, priority, program, and automatic modes along with 6 scene modes. With its 64-1250 ISO range, the W100 can take better pictures in lower light. The Cyber-shot W100 has a 3x Carl Zeiss lens and a powerful built-in flash. It also boasts battery life of 360 shots per charge. With 64 MB of internal memory and a $349 price tag, the Sony W100 is a tempting choice.  **Who It’s For***Point-and-Shooters* – The HP Photosmart R927 powers up in the Auto mode and allows access to options like white balance and focus area, but resets to its default settings when turned on. The built-in help guide may also attract this audience. 

Budget Consumers – $399 seems a bit pricey for this digital camera. It does have some manual control and 8.2 megapixels, but its housing isn’t slim and trendy and it doesn’t have any super-stellar features to warrant the high price. At $299 and below, its array of features and gorgeous screen justify the sub-$300 price tag.

Gadget Freaks – This audience will be mildly amused by the video button and the Design Gallery portion of the menu but will be otherwise bored.  *Manual Control Freaks* – The HP Photosmart R927 has shutter speed and aperture priority modes to ease beginners into becoming manual control freaks. This model also has a fully manual mode. Freaks will be satisfied with the exception of the awful manual focus mode that digitally magnifies the center of the image and displays it in black and white. Yuck!  *Pros/ Serious Hobbyists* – This audience will be sad to see an 8.2-megapixel image sensor wasted on a camera with such a poor quality lens.  

Conclusion

**Conclusion
**The HP R927 takes the lead of the Photosmart fleet of digital cameras with 8.2 megapixels and a slew of manual controls and in-camera editing effects. The R927 has a lot to offer: a 3-inch LCD screen, a Design Gallery menu in playback that has dozens of picture effects, and extensive on-screen directions that beginners will find helpful. The R927 is also equipped with a Photosmart Express menu that accesses direct printing operations quickly and streamlines the emailing process when transferring images to the computer. Sure, the camera has its drawbacks – awfully slow processing speeds, loud continuous auto focus, and no AV connection – but manual controls and the other fancy features are still a good commodity at the $399 retail price. If consumers can find the camera listed for under $300, it will offer a decent value for beginners looking for a relatively simple, yet feature-laden point-and-shoot.


Specs / Ratings

Specs Table
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Meet the tester

Emily Raymond

Emily Raymond

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Emily Raymond is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

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