HP PhotoSmart 620 Review

By: Steve's Digicams


Steve's Digicams




Posted 8/24/2002



Click to take 360-degree QTVR tour of the HP PhotoSmart 620
Click to take a 360-degree QTVR tour of the PhotoSmart 720


The PhotoSmart 620 is a 2.1-Megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and a very affordable price of $229 (Aug 2002.) It lets you capture up to 1632 x 1232-pixel images for photo-quality prints up to 8 x 10" in size. It also captures up to 30- second video clips at 16 frames per second without audio at 320 x 240 resolution.

The PhotoSmart 620 comes with a HP Photo and Imaging Software suite, which offers creative printing options, photo album options and much more. The HP PhotoSmart 620, 620 and 320 digital cameras feature HP Instant Share technology and are compatible with the optional HP Photosmart 8881 digital camera dock. The dock lets you connect to a computer, TV or printer while recharging batteries. Use HP's Instant Share to select where photos will go - with up to 14 destinations including e-mail addresses, printers and more.


PhotoSmart 620 Features:

  • 2.1-Megapixel resolution for photo-quality prints and enlargements up to 8 x 10 inches
  • 3x optical and 4x digital zoom for sharp close-ups
  • Single shot, self-timer and burst mode exposure options
  • Print photos directly from camera to HP PSC 950 all-in-one or HP Deskjet (excludes 600 series) printer with USB connectivity, no PC required
  • Capture motion - record memories using the video clip
  • Frame your photos with optical viewfinder or the 1.5-inch color LCD screen
  • Store photos in 8 MB internal memory or optional Secure Digital memory cards
  • Auto exposure, red-eye reduction and auto flash
  • Auto white balance
  • Powered by four AA type batteries
  • Docking capability with the optional HP Photosmart 8881 digital camera dock (not included), connect easily to PC or TV and recharge camera batteries
  • Select on camera where photos will go - up to 14 destinations including e-mail addresses, printers and more - the next time you connect to your PC or Mac using a USB cable or optional HP Photosmart 8881 digital camera dock (not included)

Works with USB compatible PCs and Macs equipped with today's most popular operating systems, including Microsoft Windows XP, Me, 98, 2000 Professional, and Mac OS 9.1 and higher or OS X 10.1.2 and higher




Physical Views



Olympus c3020

Olympus c3020

Olympus c3020Olympus c3020

Olympus c3020

Olympus c3020





HP PhotoSmart 812

PhotoSmart 720, PhotoSmart 812 and the PhotoSmart 620.




Olympus c3020

The PhotoSmart 620 compared in size to a CD.




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PhotoSmart 620 Specifications

Type Digital still camera with zoom lens, image record, playback, and erase functions. Direct print to HP PSC 950 or HP DeskJet (excluding 600 series) printer with USB
Image-capturing device 1 1/8 inch, 2.2-megapixel, primary-color CCD (2.1 million effective pixels)
Recording pixels Best - 1632 x 1232 (about 7 in 8MB internal memory)
Better - 1632 x 1232 (about 14 in 8MB internal memory)
Good - 640 x 480 (about 87 in 8MB internal memory)
Storage media 8MB internal memory, and
optional Secure Digital (SD) cards up to 128MB
Recording format Still: JPEG-compatible (Exif Ver2.1); DPOF-compatible

Movies: AVI w/out sound (Motion JPEG)

Video capture 320 x 240 pixels at 16fps w/out sound, 30 secs. maximum
Lens 3x optical zoom lens
5.4 - 16.2mm (equivalent to 35-105mm on 35mm camera)
Aperture range Auto: f2.8, f4.4, f5.6, f8.0
Focus system TTL auto-focus, contrast-gradient
Focus range Approx. 20cm - infinity (wide); 20cm - infinity (tele)
ISO equivalent 100
Exposure control Programmed AE
Averaging metering
White balance Auto
Shutter Mechanical shutter working with CCD electronic shutter
Shutter speed Automatic: 1/3 - 1/1000 sec.
Self timer 10 sec.
Viewfinder Optical real-image viewfinder
Flash Built-in auto-adjusting flash (Auto flash, Red-eye reduction auto flash, Flash ON, Flash OFF)
Range: Approx. 0.5 - 3.5m (Wide); approx. 0.5 - 2m (Telephoto)
Shooting modes Single shot still, self-timer, movie (video clip) mode
Playback modes Frame-by-frame, Close-up playback (up to 4x), Movie playback, Multiple-frame, Slide-show playback
LCD monitor 1.5-inch, low-temperature polysilicon TFT color LCD monitor
Interface USB 1.1; Dock connector to HP 8881 dock; Type 1 AC in power connector; 8 pin combo USB/Video connector
Video Output NTSC or PAL - with optional dock only
Power source Batteries: 4 standard AA (included), Photo Lithium, Alkaline, or Ni-MH

AC: Universal AC 6V adapter (not included)

HP 8881 Digital Dock (not included)

Dimensions 4.7 (W) x 1.9 (H) x 2.9 (D) in.
Weight 0.46 lb. (without battery and recording media)
Compatible Operating Systems Microsoft® Windows 98, Me, XP Professional, XP Home Edition, 2000, Mac OS 9.1 and OS X 10.1.2 and higher
Computer Requirements Pentium® 166 MHz or higher, 32MB RAM, 300MB free hard disk space, SVGA 800x600 16-bit color display, CD-ROM drive, USB port, Windows 98, 98SE, Me, 2000, XP Professional, or XP Home Edition Pentium 166 MHz or higher, 32MB RAM, 300MB free hard disk space, SVGA 800x600 16-bit color display, CD-ROM drive, USB port, Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP
Specifications are as represented by the manufacturer.





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