HP PhotoSmart 720 Review

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By: Steve's Digicams

Posted 8/24/2002

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

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

The PhotoSmart 720 is a 3.3-Megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and a very affordable price of $329 (Aug 2002.) It is the replacement for HP's PhotoSmart 715 and lets you capture up to 2048 x 1536-pixel images for photo-quality prints up to 11 x 14" in size. It also captures up to 30-second video clips at 20 frames per second with audio at 320 x 240 resolution. The audio recording allows you to add voice annotations (up to 255 secs.) to your still images and saves them in standard Windows WAV format.

The PhotoSmart 720 comes with a HP Photo and Imaging Software suite, which offers creative printing options, photo album options and much more. The HP Photosmart 720, 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 720 Features:

3.3-Megapixel resolution for photo-quality prints and enlargements up to 11 x 14 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 sound and motion - record memories using the video clip feature with audio
Frame your photos with optical viewfinder or the 1.6-inch color LCD screen
Store photos in 16 MB internal memory or optional Secure Digital memory cards
Auto exposure, red-eye reduction and auto flash
ISO sensitivity from 100 to 400 plus Auto
Auto white balance or select from 5 presets
Status display shows battery level, number of pictures, image quality and flash settings
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

PhotoSmart 720, PhotoSmart 812 and the PhotoSmart 620.

The PhotoSmart 720 compared in size to a CD.

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PhotoSmart 720 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, 3.34-megapixel, primary-color CCD (3.15 million effective pixels)
Recording pixels	Best - 2048 x 1536 (about 12 in 16MB internal memory) Better - 2048 x 1536 (about 18 in 16MB internal memory) Good - 640 x 480 (about 220 in 16MB internal memory)
Storage media	16MB internal memory, and optional Secure Digital (SD) cards up to 256MB
Recording format	Still: JPEG-compatible (Exif Ver2.1); DPOF-compatible Movies: AVI w/sound (Motion JPEG) Still Sound: WAV compatible
Video capture	320 x 240 pixels at 20fps w/sound, 30 secs. maximum
Audio capture	Up to 4:00 minutes of audio annotation can be added to each still picture (limited by available memory)
Lens	3x optical zoom lens 7 - 21mm (equivalent to 34-102mm on 35mm camera)
Aperture range	Auto: f2.6, f4.5, f4.7, f8.0
Focus system	TTL auto-focus, contrast-gradient
Focus range	Approx. 20cm - infinity (wide); 20cm - infinity (tele)
ISO equivalent	Auto or fixed 100, 200, 400
Exposure control	Programmed AE -1.5 to + 1.5 compensation in 0.5 steps Averaging metering
White balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent 1 and 2
Shutter	Mechanical shutter working with CCD electronic shutter
Shutter speed	Automatic: 2 - 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, burst mode, movie (video clip) mode
Playback modes	Frame-by-frame, Close-up playback (up to 4x), Movie playback, Multiple-frame, Slide-show playback
LCD monitor	1.6-inch, 110,000-pixel, 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 and audio out connector
Video Output	NTSC or PAL - switchable
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	118 (W) x 75 (H) x 52 (D) mm 4.7 x 2.9 x 2.1 inches
Weight	255g (0.59 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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