HP 612 2.3 MP Digital Camera with 2x Optical Zoom
By: Hewlett-Packard Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 29
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 On: 2006-11-22
Dont be misled. This camera comes with nothing....no box, no instructions, no ownerss manual, no strap, no batteries as indicated on the description. Im sending mine back.
On: 2005-12-05
Very sensitive to light. This camera has a mind of its own and you never know if you are going to get the shot. If you are outside it is to bright and you get a white picture, inside it is to dark. I have adjusted it and have seen other reviews that say the same. I am in the market for a new camera and it wont be HP!
 On: 2004-08-01
I have had this camera for 4 years now. The picture quality is wonderful inside or out, i have blown up photos and they are beautiful. My problem is that sometimes the camera lens does not retract when turned off. Then I could not turn it back on. HP service had me return the camera for a second one - same problem, then they exchanged it again. This third camera worked fine for 3 years then the lcd display went awry followed by the familiar error 109 display when the lens will not retract. Now I cannot even turn it on or off. Its good when it works and awful when it doesnt.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-05-12
Have a very bad experience with this camera,
-never think about having good picture using the medim and high quality options
-never expect an indoor good quality
-battery eater
-sometimes you have to manually push lens if it stop moving
On: 2004-05-11
Have a very bad experience with this camera,
-never think about having good picture using the medim and high quality options
-never expect an indoor good quality
-battery eater
-sometimes you have to manually push lens if it stop moving
 On: 2004-01-03
I got this camera a year ago. I needed a light-weight, point-and-shoot camera that I can take with me everywhere without bothering to carry a big case, lenses, films and all the other stuff. Having excellent experience with other HP products, I chose a HP and I never regreted that (I already took more than 9,000 (nine thousand) photos since I got it... and is still working! ;) )The pictures it takes dont even dream of being "pro" ones, but it has gorgeous colour tones (comparing to other cameras in this price range) and does great clear pictures in day-light (it is, after all, a ISO100 equivalent camera, so dont expect it to give you too sharp pictures for dark rooms, although the flash does help a bit. In darker areas, the pictures came out a bit grainy, and if its really dark, they come out blueish - a thing that can be repaired in PhotoShop and... its ok, as its only doing the "blue" thing in very low light). I use the camera with an extra CompactFlash of 128MB (it can hold 138 pictures taken at maximum quality), and I use a pack of Kodak rechargeable batteries of 1800MAH which drain after about 150-170 high quality pictures. If you keep the window open too much of the time, the battery life may go down 20-30 pictures. I would say this is a great battery life for a digi cam! For those who cry that this camera is a battery drainer - try other cameras! :) Anyone who thinks of buying a digital camera should consider buying a recharger with batteries. Downloading: easy (through the HP software - just plug in the USB cord and off you go!), fast(!), and the HP printing software provided with the camera can help a beginner or the rushy person to quickly enhance the brightness and the tones of a photo taken in too lower light. Printing: I finally decided to print a couple of the photos I took woth my HP 612, and went to my photolab (Photo 1-2-3, Toronto) and the 4x6 pictures came out at the SAME quality as the ones on a ISO200 film taken with my SLR Canon EOS. This is great! Anyway, I dont think I would go bigger than 5x7, though it says on the camera that you can go up to 8x10 :)
Should I say that my Hp deskjet 3820 gets the best of those pictures too? :) I think HP will thank me for my review here, but it is true. :) If you are a beginner or you just need a camera to carry with you practically everywhere, this is the one: youve got quality, good colours, optical zoom, easy shooting, fast downloading, and all for the lowest price you can find!
On: 2004-01-02
I got this camera a year ago. I needed a light-weight, point-and-shoot camera that I can take with me everywhere without bothering to carry a big case, lenses, films and all the other stuff. Having excellent experience with other HP products, I chose a HP and I never regreted that (I already took more than 9,000 (nine thousand) photos since I got it... and is still working! ;) )The pictures it takes dont even dream of being "pro" ones, but it has gorgeous colour tones (comparing to other cameras in this price range) and does great clear pictures in day-light (it is, after all, a ISO100 equivalent camera, so dont expect it to give you too sharp pictures for dark rooms, although the flash does help a bit. In darker areas, the pictures came out a bit grainy, and if its really dark, they come out blueish - a thing that can be repaired in PhotoShop and... its ok, as its only doing the "blue" thing in very low light). I use the camera with an extra CompactFlash of 128MB (it can hold 138 pictures taken at maximum quality), and I use a pack of Kodak rechargeable batteries of 1800MAH which drain after about 150-170 high quality pictures. If you keep the window open too much of the time, the battery life may go down 20-30 pictures. I would say this is a great battery life for a digi cam! For those who cry that this camera is a battery drainer - try other cameras! :) Anyone who thinks of buying a digital camera should consider buying a recharger with batteries. Downloading: easy (through the HP software - just plug in the USB cord and off you go!), fast(!), and the HP printing software provided with the camera can help a beginner or the rushy person to quickly enhance the brightness and the tones of a photo taken in too lower light. Printing: I finally decided to print a couple of the photos I took woth my HP 612, and went to my photolab (Photo 1-2-3, Toronto) and the 4x6 pictures came out at the SAME quality as the ones on a ISO200 film taken with my SLR Canon EOS. This is great! Anyway, I dont think I would go bigger than 5x7, though it says on the camera that you can go up to 8x10 :)
Should I say that my Hp deskjet 3820 gets the best of those pictures too? :) I think HP will thank me for my review here, but it is true. :) If you are a beginner or you just need a camera to carry with you practically everywhere, this is the one: youve got quality, good colours, optical zoom, easy shooting, fast downloading, and all for the lowest price you can find!
 On: 2003-09-25
I bought a camera from him and i gave it a 4 because the cam says 2.31 megapixels and the cam i had was 2.1 megapixel also from hp and the thing is that this cam is not performing 2.31 megapixel i am sure of it.. the pics from the 2.1 cam was better than the one i just bought from him *refurbished* 2.31.... anyways i will not return it because I woudnt want to wait an other week ... if you give me a chance i like to return it and get the one i had before which got stolen .. its the one before this one so email me to yamelmontero@hotmail.com and let me know the price is not far apart less than 20 dollars but this one cost more so its ok... bye.
On: 2003-09-21
Great camera for the price. The camera fuctions were easy to learn. Great for a beginnner.
On: 2003-09-20
Great camera for the price. The camera fuctions were easy to learn. Great for a beginnner.
On: 2003-03-01
Its a great camera at low price. Picture quality is very good for not-very-professional photography. Batteries are consumed at reasonable rate. Very easy to use. The only problem I faced is blur picture in low light, because it lacks manual control over aperture etc setting.
On: 2003-02-28
Its a great camera at low price. Picture quality is very good for not-very-professional photography. Batteries are consumed at reasonable rate. Very easy to use. The only problem I faced is blur picture in low light, because it lacks manual control over aperture etc setting.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-12
I have tried several different cameras and I was very impressed with the output of the picture quality for a $200 camera. The software and USB interface make it easy for anyone to download the pictures from the camera. The quality is best, of course, on the best setting but I do recommend getting a memory upgrade. The only downfall is that it does not come with rechargeable batteries/charger although that is hardly worth counting against the camera since these reviews are for judging the cameras picture taking ability and ease of use rather than someones lack of experience with digital cameras or how to shoot objects in the dark. There are some things that a 35mm camera may be better suited for, for everything else theres digital.
 On: 2002-11-23
The camera is good but it take great photos only is you have lot of sunlight.
Problem with this camera:
1.-When I try to take a photo inside a room I realized Its mandatory to use the flash and in some cases you have to take some photos to finally achieve a good result. In conclusion, you have to be an expert to take a good photo inside a house.
2.-The camera is not sold with AC adapter and the 4 AA batteries dont last enough. I had to buy rechargeable batteries, recharger, AC adapter.3.-Sometimes I have to open the batteries to turn off the camera. If you take a photo and turn it off immediately it dont work. The camera is [inexpensive] but its not the best election.
On: 2002-11-22
The camera is good but it take great photos only is you have lot of sunlight.
Problem with this camera:
1.-When I try to take a photo inside a room I realized Its mandatory to use the flash and in some cases you have to take some photos to finally achieve a good result. In conclusion, you have to be an expert to take a good photo inside a house.
2.-The camera is not sold with AC adapter and the 4 AA batteries dont last enough. I had to buy rechargeable batteries, recharger, AC adapter.3.-Sometimes I have to open the batteries to turn off the camera. If you take a photo and turn it off immediately it dont work. The camera is [inexpensive] but its not the best election.
On: 2002-09-26
really great camera by hp, it takes pictures instantly, and then you can download them in to your compure via USB in about
20 sec, ?? really great, 113 images in 20 sec, yeah!...
On: 2002-09-25
really great camera by hp, it takes pictures instantly, and then you can download them in to your compure via USB in about
20 sec, ?? really great, 113 images in 20 sec, yeah!...
by: Anonymous On: 2002-08-12
WOW! That is the only word to descripe this camera! I bought mine at {a department store} not three hours ago and I have not put it down, well except now... DUH!!! Most of the digital camera reveiws on amazon say that the cameras are battery drainer, NOT THIS ONE! I have even had the LCD screen on the whole time and the battery indicator has not, I repeat, HAS NOT moved. The timer is a long one too. It will give you ten secounds to get yo but into place which should be plentey. This is a SMART camera. The display lets you do anything from it. It is sooo simplictic to use. And the zoom, you have many ways to stop it so you can zoom in on anything you need to! This is the first digital camera I have owned but I have used many, including other H. P.s, and this is the best of them out there!
On: 2002-08-08
nice camera, nice pixproblem, must hold camera still, better outdoors then indoors, takes a while to get a pix, better with stills, then action eat batteries!....but not as bad as the 318 model good news nice pix, great price, great software, works well with win 2k and win xp. overall a good camera!!
On: 2002-08-08
nice camera, nice pixproblem, must hold camera still, better outdoors then indoors eat batteries!!!!!! good news nice pix, great price, great software, works well with win 2k and win xp. overall a good camera!!
On: 2002-07-30
I have found this to capture excellent pictures even in
fairly low light (which can then be lightened with the
ACD software). a 64mb flash card can hold A LOT of picturespros: the LCD viewer, and the ability to zoom in on the viewer after
the picture is taken to see just how clear the picture is. Very easy to use Software is Excellent (Although I find MSpaint better to add
in captions). Cons: Battery use, Battery use, Battery use, and using Alkalines doesnt quite cut it, you need those mp3 level ones. If your subject is moving, it takes 2-3 seconds for the
camera to focus and click, by then your picture is gone. It would be really nice to have a never-mind button, like
after you missed your shot, you could cancel it, since it
takes about 5-10 seconds to process a picture at high res.
Since you know right away if you missed your shot, it would
be great to just cancel it and maybe get a second chance
On: 2002-07-23
After shopping around long and hard, I finally decided on the HP 612. I think my biggest reason for choosing it was the optical zoom. Which by the way, works quite well. No one ever seems to talk about picture quality in reviews. Well Im going to. The pictures as they come straight out of the camera are a little bit grainy. But it comes with ACD photo software, and all you have to do is click enhance, despeckle, and adjust your level, and it looks better than a lot of point and shoot 35mm cameras. It captures skin tones very well, it captures the complex greens in outdoor settings, and the lighting is very accurate. Im very pleased with the quality of the photos after playing with them in the software. It has a very nice preview screen, as most digital cameras now do, and a very simple interface. Its somewhat bulky, but still very comfortable to use. And you just dont find optical zoom in this price range. Overall, I think I made the best decision for my price range and needs, and I highly reccomend this camera.
On: 2002-07-04
After being around Digital Cameras my entire high school life I decided that it was time to get one for myself. After watching my friend blow [money] on a 4MP camera that he will never use to its full potential I decited that this was the camera for me. It is realy simple to use and is a very tough camera compared to what is out there today. I only noticed two problems: 1 is that it goes through batt like water (I highly recomend a batt charger and a CF card reader), and 2 that is slows down when taking high res pictures. Other than that the CF expantion slot is nice (I have 128MB which gets 1953 low res, 277 med res, and +100 high res pictures) and I recomend it to any one who needs a good digital camera
On: 2002-07-03
After being around Digital Cameras my entire high school life I decided that it was time to get one for myself. After watching my friend blow [money] on a 4MP camera that he will never use to its full potential I decited that this was the camera for me. It is realy simple to use and is a very tough camera compared to what is out there today. I only noticed two problems: 1 is that it goes through batt like water (I highly recomend a batt charger and a CF card reader), and 2 that is slows down when taking high res pictures. Other than that the CF expantion slot is nice (I have 128MB which gets 1953 low res, 277 med res, and +100 high res pictures) and I recomend it to any one who needs a good digital camera
On: 2002-06-23
camera takes nice pix, wait for the ready, and the pix will be great, jump the shot and it comes out dark. connection to the pc is a snap. this camera is just like the 318 except it has 2x optical zoom.for the money and a 1 year warranty from hp. its a good buy. batteries, it eats batteries!!!!!!!
On: 2002-06-22
camera takes nice pix, wait for the ready, and the pix will be great, jump the shot and it comes out dark. connection to the pc is a snap. this camera is just like the 318 except it has 2x optical zoom.for the money and a 1 year warranty from hp. its a good buy. batteries, it eats batteries!!!!!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2002-03-11
This is a great entry level digital camera. The pictures look good, even on the lowest quality setting. In response to the people who say the pictures are too dark, use some "photo-sense" and dont shoot into unlit corners. Or, simply force the flash option.I particularly enjoy the large photo capacity. One the low setting the camera can hold 110+ pictures. If you find the need to take pictures on the maximum quality setting, an expandable memory card is recommended. The only thing keeping me from awarding the 5th star is the fact that the AC adapter is sold separately, which is necessary if you plan to use the camera to recharge batteries. If you own a charger, then its a moot point. Let me say again for clarity, this is a great entry level camera. The photography enthusiast may not be won over, but for shooting birthday parties, holiday gatherings, and Jimmys T-ball game, this camera is a good buy.
On: 2002-03-06
This is my first digital camera, got tired of missed photos only discovered when developed on my 35mm....I am so impressed with the HP612.. the set up is easy, using the camera for a novice like me made me look good. I did buy all the accessories: recharge batteries with adapter, adapter for downloading, case, so Im set to go. Have printed my downloads on regular paper, still experimenting, and they came great. The only con, and thats why I gave the camera 4 stars, is that the HP program allows all manipulation except "reducing red eye". I have to go to another picture program on my computer to use this feature. All and all I am pleased with my 612.
On: 2002-03-05
This is my first digital camera, got tired of missed photos only discovered when developed on my 35mm....I am so impressed with the HP612.. the set up is easy, using the camera for a novice like me made me look good. I did buy all the accessories: recharge batteries with adapter, adapter for downloading, case, so Im set to go. Have printed my downloads on regular paper, still experimenting, and they came great. The only con, and thats why I gave the camera 4 stars, is that the HP program allows all manipulation except "reducing red eye". I have to go to another picture program on my computer to use this feature. All and all I am pleased with my 612.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-02-03
This is my first digital camera and I have found it quite nice. My friend had this camera, which is where I got the idea. I have always been into photography but have never really heard good things about digital cameras. Yet i thought this camera put out good quality photos judging from looking at my friends camera. I went and bought it and it is outstanding. The picture quality is amazing and with 2x optical and 2x digital zoom it can get upclose. The only problem i have found is that it eats up batteries incredibly quickly. But with rechargeable batteries i have so much fun with this camera.
On: 2002-02-02
This is my first digital camera and I have found it quite nice. My friend had this camera, which is where I got the idea. I have always been into photography but have never really heard good things about digital cameras. Yet i thought this camera put out good quality photos judging from looking at my friends camera. I went and bought it and it is outstanding. The picture quality is amazing and with 2x optical and 2x digital zoom it can get upclose. The only problem i have found is that it eats up batteries incredibly quickly. But with rechargeable batteries i have so much fun with this camera.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-01-12
I recently purchased the HP Photosmart 612. I think this is a great camera! Its extremely easy to use!! I found the software so easy to install...I didnt need to refer to the manual! The downloading of photos to your system (I have a HP computer as well) goes fast (no sitting around waiting for the download). For personal use...its perfect. The photo quality is excellent. The only 2 "cons" I have for this camera is: getting used to having to hold down the shutter button to allow the camera to adjust for 1-2 seconds before actually taking the photo (some great shots were missed until we got the hang of it).. and the fact that it goes through batteries like water. It also doesnt come with the ACD Adaptor - so that is an additional expense - but rechargeable batteries are the answer!
Overall - a great investment!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2002-01-05
This is my first digital camara and I am finding that it is simple to use and has a number of features that I like. I am not the most computer literate person, but this is simple and easy to use.
On: 2002-01-04
This is a good quality camera and is extremely easy to use. It is easy to follow the display indicators as they are similar to what most people would be used to in a non-digital camers. Focusing is simple; viewing pictures on the LCD display is simple; deleting unwanted pictures from memory is easy. The easiest part is uploading pictures to your PC--the software installs itself, and the pictures can be set to upload automatically if the camera is turned on when attached to the USB port on your PC. The camera comes with a set of alkaline batteries, a wrist strap and a USB cable. It is hard on batteries if you use the LCD display a lot, so purchasing a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger is a good idea. (As an aside, I purchased a set of rechargeable batteries made specifically for digital cameras. They are more expensive but worth it).
On: 2001-12-31
For the money this camera did not meet my expectations. All of the pictures were grainy and dark. Takes great pictures outdoors, but indoors, it was terrible. Since you cant adjust anything on this camera, there is nothing you can do but live with it. The shutter speed is slow. It took forever to take the picture. I exchanged this camera in 2 days. Even after we used software to fix the pictures, they still looked bad. (We bought an HP photosmart printer and the pictures looked bad. It wasnt the printer, but the source: THE CAMERA!)Granted Im new to the digital camera world, but I would have expected this quality from a 1.X mega pixel camera. Spend a little more money on an Olympus and get a camera youll like. The picture quality is not worth the price of this camera. I wouldnt recomend this camera to the very novice buyer. Its terrible.
On: 2001-12-30
For the money this camera did not meet my expectations. All of the pictures were grainy and dark. Takes great pictures outdoors, but indoors, it was terrible. Since you cant adjust anything on this camera, there is nothing you can do but live with it. The shutter speed is slow. It took forever to take the picture. I exchanged this camera in 2 days. Even after we used software to fix the pictures, they still looked bad. (We bought an HP photosmart printer and the pictures looked bad. It wasnt the printer, but the source: THE CAMERA!)Granted Im new to the digital camera world, but I would have expected this quality from a 1.X mega pixel camera. Spend a little more money on an Olympus and get a camera youll like. The picture quality is not worth the price of this camera. I wouldnt recomend this camera to the very novice buyer. Its terrible.
On: 2001-12-29
2.3 megapixels....youd expect near perfect quality and great photos every shot right? Well if you think that, then try a different camera, because this HP does not give you near perfect quality pics. At the best quality the camera can hold 6 pictures in its internal memory, and the pictures are a huge display of 1792 X 1200 with a DPI of ONLY 300. Also every picture taken is different from the last, there is no image consistency. Oh, and if you are wanting to use the camera for low light shots, think again because the pictures get really grainy in the dark. Now if the camera has an ability to capture 2.3 megapixels, where are these mysterious pixels vanishing too? This question has also led me to another question, why did I buy this camera. Both lead to the same answer... "I dont know."
by: Anonymous On: 2001-12-28
I bought this camera for a present for my wife. We found it to
be easy to learn on and quite flexible. The software was easy enough to download and instruction booklet was quite informative. I found this camera to be a value at the price and did quite a bit of comparison shopping before making the purchase. Would recommend to the novice or even the more experienced.
Just wish manufacturers would include more memory instead of minimal so you are forced to buy an additional flash card
On: 2001-12-18
I am new to digital cameras, and picked up one of these. I found a few things that I didnt care for (see the reviews for the 318, similar comments). First, the focusing process seemed slow, Id guess upwards of a second to focus. Second, the display image, when using it as a viewfinder, was very dark and hard to use. In display mode (reviewing your pics) it was also quite coarse and grainy. It also seemed to have what in a film camera would be a very slow shutter speed-inside, with room light (and flash) it had a tendency to blur pics unless the camera was held rock steady.I am exchanging it for a Fuji 2600, for only slightly more money. To me, it seems to be a better camera, and has none of the problems described above. LCD display is much sharper and brighter, doesnt seem to have the same propensity to bluring, and is a 3X optical zoom to boot. I really wanted to like the HP, due to familiarity with their other products. In all honesty, it seems to be a very solid camera, and would probably preform adequatly. Setup of the software was simple and straightforward.
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