The HP PhotoSmart C618 Digital Camera
The camera's basic specifications are pretty standard: 2-megapixel CCD, 3x Pentax optical zoom, CompactFlash storage (Type I or II, but no Microdrive support), and a 2-inch display. For advanced users, there are aperture and shutter priority modes, adjustable white balance, exposure metering, and adjustable ISO (100 and 200). If you like the look and feel of Pentax cameras, you'll appreciate the HP's styling. It's curvy, swoopy, classically designed, and feels very solid. Most people who saw the camera were impressed with its overall quality and were surprised to learn it was a digital. One of the camera's most intriguing (and underdocumented) features is its use of Digita. Digita is an operating system created specifically for digital cameras, allowing software developers to modify and improve the camera's functions. Past Digita cameras have suffered from slow performance, but the 618 seems as quick as most other digital cameras on the market. HP's engineers did a great job of shipping the camera with a wide variety of menus and functions preinstalled, but Digita allows for even more flexibility. Potential applications of this technology range from task-specific features (time-lapse photography, preset exposure modes, and digital special effects, for example) as well as the ability to add new applications--there are even Digita video games available for download. Unfortunately, the manual includes no information about Digita, and we were unable to determine how to transfer Digita files to the camera. This is extremely powerful technology, but perhaps HP buried this ability because they felt that it was too complex for the average user. The camera makes extensive use of Hewlett Packard's infrared technology. A remote control is included (handy for self-portraits, keeping the camera steady in low-light shots, and to play back "slide shows" on your TV), and the camera can wirelessly transfer images to select HP printers. |
Despite
the fact that HP has produced a number of successful digital cameras in the
past and is one of the biggest manufacturers of photo-quality printers, the
company's lack of experience in film cameras has made it difficult for the
public to take them seriously in this field. To help change this perception,
HP has paired up with Pentax for its latest product, and each company has
contributed its expertise. The result is a pair of identical cameras: the HP
618 and the Pentax EI 200. With the exception of labels, packaging, and
included accessories, the two cameras are the same.