The PhotoSmart M437 is equipped with an HP Precision 3x optical zoom lens, 5.5 - 16.5 mm (equivalent to 34-102mm on 35mm camera). Its aperture range is f2.8 - f5.6 in wide angle, f4.8 - f9.7 in telephoto. There is also a 5x digital zoom feature. The lens extends when powered up and when powered down it is retracted back flush to the body and protected by a built-in lens cap. There are no filter threads or any other visible means of attaching anything to the lens.

Auto focus is achieved by a TTL, contrast-gradient AF system. There are Normal and Macro focus modes. The auto focus range is from 0.3 m to infinity (wide), 0.35 m to infinity (tele) in normal mode, and 0.8 m (wide), 0.35 to 1.2 m (tele) in macro mode.

The Built-in auto-adjusting flash has modes for Auto, Forced Off, Auto w/Red-Eye, and Forced On. The maximum flash working distance is 10.2 ft wide, 5.9 ft telephoto at Auto ISO.

On the back is a large 2.0-inch color LCD with 153,600 pixels of resolution. The LCD has a 170-degree wide viewing angle and shows 100% as the live viewfinder and during image review.

Controls on the back: On the top edge is the Image delete button, Flash mode button, and the Mode switch (Still/Movie/Playback.) Next is the Zoom control, which in playback mode brings up the thumbnail index and magnifies an image. The Menu/OK button (center of the 4-way selector) calls up the onscreen menu system and accepts selections. The 4-way selector is for navigating menus and selecting pictures for playback. The back button is used to go back a page in the menu system as well as exit it.

Controls on top include the power on/off button and the shutter release.

The PhotoSmart M437 comes with 16MB of internal memory and is compatible with SD (Secure Digital) cards up to 2GB. Shown here with fast and spacious Delkin eFilm 1GB SD card.

The M437 can be powered by two AA type batteries, alkaline, lithium or rechargeable NiMH cells. Included are two alkaline batteries. We always recommend the use of NiMH cells, they last longer and will save you money in the long run.