I was so scared to get this camera because I thought that I would never get used to it, so I hung on to my HP 3.2 MP until it died on me. I needed a new and dependable digital camera with more megapixels. I decided to go with another HP because I was so familiar with my old HP 3.2 that I thought it couldn’t be that much different. It is very different and I was nervous using it for the first month, but now I know this camera backwards and it really isn’t that complicated. It does so many cool things, most of which are probably unnecessary. Everyone who sees it wants one and I get asked about it a lot. The screen is huge. This camera has 10 MP which at the time was a huge selling point, but I have since learned that no normal person needs that many megapixels.

You will have to get used to taking pictures without a viewfinder, which I don’t mind but some people really don’t like it. Instead of using a small square you just use the actual screen. This is sometimes a problem because you cannot see the screen when you are in direct sunlight. I have gotten used to just looking with my eyes and pointing the camera in the general direction then I crop later. The other thing you will notice about the screen is that when you are viewing the pictures you have taken the temporary pics that show up in the camera look grainy and are also hard to view in the sunlight. However, they come out great once you transfer them into your computer.
You can crop inside the camera and also add special effects. The slimming effect is terrific and the cartoon is fun too. However, I prefer to use my computer program to fix the red eyes.

Something I have noticed is that for some reason nobody has a clue how to use this camera but me. You know how you hand your camera to someone so that they can snap a picture for you so that you can be in the picture? Well, usually they can just press the button and shoot but not with this camera. It is a pain in the you know what. I guess it is complicated there is a series of buttons to push before you can snap a picture and if you wait too long it will reset and you have to set it up all over again.

If you buy this camera be prepared to also buy a 2 GB memory card at the same time and ONLY buy the HP. I bought a Sandisk and a Kingston before the HP brand and they both had problems. Seriously, I can’t stress the HP card enough I have never had a problem with it. Battery life is much better than using the old rechargeable AAs. It runs off of a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Lasts about 3 hours off one charge of constantly taking pictures and leaving the camera on. That is impressive for a digital cam. After 10 Months of use I had to replace the battery. The lithium ions do not last forever so you’ll need a backup.

I guess it is a good camera but when I paid $350.00 for it I was hoping to get a camera that would last for more than a couple of years. About a year after buying this one, other cameras were already catching my eye and the price of this camera had dropped drastically.

Now that I have had the camera for a couple of years I can say that I have mixed feelings about it. There are some great features but I have also run into problems with it. Lately the battery life is weak though I keep purchasing brand new batteries. That makes me think that the problem may have something to do with the charger which has also been replaced once before. The delay between taking pictures is awful in comparison to other cameras. I guess I just had high expectations for this digital camera and it simply did not deliver.

HP, best known for it’s line of Pavilion and Compaq lines of laptops, has launched an extensive line of consumer cameras in the Photosmart series. The Photosmart series of cameras are marketed specifically towards those who enjoy printing out their photos, and is meant to go along with HP’s line of photo printing printers.

The 935 is one of the newest Photosmart digital cameras, and attempts to increase the quality of the series over past models. It is a point and shoot compact and can be found at multiple online realtors and stores.

If you’re looking for a digital camera that can be easily paired with a photo printer, then the Photosmart 935 may be the right camera for you. Read on to find out about this camera, including features, image quality, and issues you may need to be aware of.

Body

The body of this camera is plain and doesn’t make the list of most attractive. It appears very similar to popular compact film cameras in the 90′s, with a small handle and square, stocky body. It is light gray in color, and has a small lens in the center of the front of the camera. The lens is dwarfed by the large size of the camera.

The back of the camera has a distinct look to it, and appears oddly familiar to the Minolta line of cameras.

Features

The HP Photosmart 935 features all the basic features you need for average shooting. The ISO goes to 400, there’s six shooting modes, focus is infinity or macro for close shots, and the lowest zoom is 35mm equivalent. There’s six white balance settings: auto, sunlight, shade, tungsten, fluorescent, and manual.

The movie mode can shoot MPEG 1 with a resolution of 288 x 208, which is an obscure resolution. It can record at 15fps for no longer than two minutes at a time.

Image Quality

Image quality with the 935 is a very good improvement over the previous versions of the camera, and is more than adequate for snapshots. The white balance is excellent when used in auto mode, so you won’t need to understand the fine art of configuring shots. Colors are moderately saturated, and noise is kept fairly low, though it is definitely present in lower light settings.

Problems

Users have frequently complained that the macro mode does not work very well, and you can get as close-up shots as you can with other cameras.

Conclusion

If you want a camera that goes with the Photosmart line of printers, then this camera is better than all the previous models. Photo quality is good, and you can shoot anything you want without having to make adjustments to the white balance.

With that said, if you aren’t looking to get a Photosmart printer, there’s no point in getting this camera. You can get a different model cheaper that has the same or better specs.