HP PhotoSmart 850 4MP Digital Camera w/ 8x Optical Zoom
By: Hewlett-Packard Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 44
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 On: 2005-04-26
nice camera that you can get here http://www.cameras4free.com/default.aspx?r=345693 thanks for read
 On: 2004-11-04
There is a firmware upgrade for the carema which fixes ALL of these problems.
On: 2004-11-03
There is a firmware upgrade for the carema which fixes ALL of these problems.
On: 2004-05-21
Ive had this camera now for over a year and it is awesome. First of all to the people complaining about the battery life, you must have a faulty unit because my batteries last forever. I am always taking pictures and very rarely have to change batteries. I spent 4 days in Vegas and the Grand Canyon last year and took over 600 pictures and never even had to replace the batteries and that was also with constantly looking at the pictures on the screen and downloading them to my laptop without using a power adaptor. The pictures I have taken are awesome but you need to take the time to learn the camera options. For example you need to learn when to use the flash or change the shutter speed to get good shots. Its not complicated but most people dont bother to do this and then complain about poor pictures. Its your own fault. I even had a professional photographist complement pictures I have taken with this camera. The zoom is awesome. I have taken pictures of things over 1500 feet away and they look crystal clear. If you take your time and learn to use the many features of the camera you will be extremely happy with the results.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-29
This camera when it works takes spectacular photographs. Superior quality. However, this cameras reliability in terms of operation is awful. It burns through batteries as if they were candy. I always have had to have extra batteries on hand. More significantly, the camera refuses to turn on at times (even with fresh batteries). It also refuses to retract its lenses when turned off sometimes as well. I am completely frustrated with this camera. It now refuses to work at all despite seemingly operating correctly. The quality of this product surprised me given my previous complete satisfaction with other HP products.
On: 2003-12-25
This is my first digital camera. Ive had the camera for approximately 8 months. I have used it on two vacations and for family photo opportunities. So far I am very pleased with the camera and its many functions. I could go on about all the good things but you, reading this, expect those things.
I have four things that I am having trouble adapting to after using a 35mm film camera for years.
1 - The screen going black and the delay in the shutter action really makes it difficult or almost impossible to take action shots. Even taking a standing animal or bird becomes hard because they move unpredictably. You can anticipate, and Im getting better at that, but to visually follow a subject and take action pictures is impossible.
2 - The lense is super untill you get to the digital only point and then things get grainy. I now never use the digital section of the lense.
3 - It would really be nice to be able to manually focus. You cant.
4 - I would really like to put a polarizing lense on the camera but this is not easy to do and keep the "camera off" dimensions of the camera. Maybe HP has an adapter that will allow me to do this but "Camera World" in Portland did not know of any.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-11-18
I say, "Buy a camera with a good lens...it brings the light in."
This HP850 really takes good pictures. I get close up of flowers, great detail, and yesterday I captured a Blue Heron in flight. I am a point and shoot amateur, getting results that are turning heads.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-02
I bought this camera for its 8X optical zoom. This one produces good quality pictures and the video capturing is okay. Probably you need to avoid zooming while capturing video clips. Its definitely not for people who are looking for point and shoot camera. It takes a while to get used to shutter speed. The digital zoom is an added feature but not exciting. The camera comes with 16mb SD card , it should be upgraded to either 128mb or 256mb cards. This one eats batteries hence rechargeble batteries are must. The additional accesories needed are AC adapter and S-Video cable. Other than price of the camera you need to spend about 100-150 USD to get it complete. Still its worth the expenses compared to other branded cameras with simillar features.
 On: 2003-09-07
Bateries are spent too fast. Moreover, when the batteries are spent the camera freezes and will not work again--even if directly connected through the AC adapter or dock, and even with *new* batteries. Got a replacement from HP but the problem persists. Will try to return it for a second time and exchange it for something that really works.
Also, the shutters time response is too slow and all the pictures are taken a second later than when you press the shutter--in other words, you cant time the taking of the picture and must rely on *luck* to get a good shot.
 On: 2003-09-04
Good camera---but--- there is no way to follow the subject and coupled with the delay the subject may be out of the frame by the time the shot is made. I would not buy again forn this reason.
On: 2003-08-17
Looks nice !!!
You cant own enough batteries to make this thing work for any small amount of time..
with charging dock and full batteries.. this will suck the energy out before you get 10 shots off.. then you need to shut down and wait till it gives enough energy to take more pictures..
Have found this to be a major pain in the Butt...
Lucky to get a dozen shots and forget about using the MPEG mode.
I should send the entire package back as one big load of garbage.
Rick - FLWineGuy
On: 2003-08-03
You will not find a better feature camera at this price. The only reason to spend more is if you need to take larger photos or higher quality SLR type shots. The camera is very easy to use, quick to figure out, and the zooms are very good. Everyone that has seen a photo I have taken at full zoom is amazed. I have not had the camera too long. So I still have more to test, like outdoor shots of landscapes and the like. The camera is larger than others, but what do you expect with the zooms? You need the optics plus it has a nice size lcd on the back. I dont consider it to be that much larger than the others, except for the micro sized models out there. It did eat thru batteries, but I spent a little more and got rechargeable batteries and a charger and they work well and longer than regular batteries. I found nothing less in price worthy of comparison and I think you need to spend more than a 1k to get something better in photo quality (slr type).
by: Anonymous On: 2003-07-16
Beware; this camera eats batteries. You would not want to take this camera on a backpacking trip. Within a week (and about a dozen photos) I had to replace the batteries 3 times. The camera was warm to the touch even when off. HP technical support said that the batteries should be removed after every use and that they can only be expected to last 1 day (alkaline) to 2 or 3 days (rechargeables) with the camera off (although the manual didnt mention this limitation). Ive had several other digital cameras (Kodak DC 240 Zoom, Olympus C2100 UltraZoom, Olympus C-740), and none of them have had this problem. Id recommend the C-740 instead of this camera.
On: 2003-06-19
The HP PS850 Digital Camera is a fantastic camera, Many functions that an experianced person would use and look for in a digital camera. But Buy the Docking Base with battery recharger... it will pay for itself over a very short period of time.
On: 2003-06-01
Let me first say that I usually like HP Photosmart devices: Cameras, Printers, etc. This is my third Photosmart camera. It has a number of pluses: 1) An optical zoom that flows right into the digital zoom (and with up to 56X you can really get close), 2) An easy-to-use display menu, 3) A viewfinder that adjusts to ones particular eye strength. On the negative side: 1) It takes too long to take a picture (after you press the shutter release, it is 2-4 seconds before you can take another picture (I do not know if this causes one to get blurry pictures, but at the 2.0 megapixel size (1.2 MB) for this camera and my HP 912, I had fewer blurry pictures with my HP 912 Photosmart camera), 2) You have to be within an inch of the viewfinder before it "turns on" (you can have the view show on the large display, but that uses more energy, and you still dont see if it is focused right), 3) It allows for several focus points, but even after adjusting to a center one, I still had some pictures where the background was in focus, but my subject wasnt. I know that Ill probably be in the minority of the reviewers, but to sum it up, if I had it all over to do again, I wouldnt get this particular camera. About the same time as I got this camera, I bought the HP Photosmart 720 as a gift for my step-daughter. While it doesnt have anywhere the zoom power of the 850 and only has 3.3 megapixels, it also doesnt have the other problems with the 850 that I mentioned above.
On: 2003-05-31
I have had the camera for three weeks now and it takes excellant pictures. i had some developed online and they look real nice. the zoom is great, you can really get up close. The camera is very easy to operate. I would reecomend getting another memory card though since the camera only comes with a 16mp card.
On: 2003-05-28
I purchased this camera to replace an older 2 mp Olympus camera, This model was chosen because of the 8x optical zoom. I also looked for things like standard batteries and memory card type and price (by the way the camera manual says 128mb is the max card size, I am using 256mb ok.) Any one tried a 512mb???
The camera has been the answer to my needs, the picture quality is excellent, the zoom range suits my needs very well and battery life is better than I expected. Since I already had about 5 sets of AA NiMh batteries for the Olympus and 2 chargers, I thought I would need about 3 sets for a days shooting, so far I have shot about 400 shots, 115 shots on 1 set of batteries. Most of these have been without flash however. The only thing that has taken some getting used to is the view finder, the Olympus had an optical view finder which was not thru the lens, the electronic thru the lens finder and the fact it appears to lock up during the picture taking is going to take some getting used to. The audio and short video clip functions also are a neat addition to this unit.
I expecially like the warranty (I ordered the extended warranty with physical damage replacement direct from HP and I would recomend this for your consideration).
I also purchased the HP Photosmart 7350 printer and the photos are almost 35mm quality. Very Very Good!!!
All in all an excellent camera
On: 2003-04-22
I LOVE this camera. I was hesitant to give up my 35mm, but I am so tired of buying and developing film, I felt like it was time to take the plunge. Not knowing anything about digital cameras, and being overwhelmed by all the choices, I spent several hours researching digital cameras. You can learn so much about any product... by simply reading the customer reviews. A couple of things I learned from other customers: get a camera with a lot of OPTICAL zoom. Buy as much MEMORY as you can afford. Get the optional dock. Buy a travel plug. Zoom: OPTICAL and DIGITAL zoom is not the same thing. Get as much OPTICAL zoom as you can afford. 3x Optical (seems that most of the retail digital cameras offer only 3x optical) is not very much; this one has 8x Optical plus 7x digital zoom (my 35mm has a 140mm zoom, and this is MUCH better). What that means is you can zoom in REALLY, REALLY far away. I was at an outdoor cookout yesterday, and took a couple hundred pics. I took one pic of a mountain a few miles away. Then I zoomed in as far as it would go and snapped another shot. I was amazed to find that I could make out shrubs and boulders on the mountain! WOW! Couldnt see those with the naked eyes. It is extremely easy to operate. Within minutes of getting it, I was taking pics. Taking digital pics takes a little getting used to compared to 35mm, but Ive gotten the hang of it. Ive taken over 1,000 pics in the 45 days that Ive owned the camera. When you take a pic, there is a slight pause (about 1 1/2 seconds) before it snaps the pic. If the subject moves right after you push the button, then the pic could be blurry. Im not too crazy about that, but I guess this is the way all digital cameras operate. But after taking the pic, you can immediately review it and if you dont like it you can simply delete it and try again. Ive taken pics using the macro setting, action setting, w/flash, w/o flash, w/the 10 second timer, as well as a couple other settings. The great thing about a digital camera is, you can experiment, and if you dont like the shot, just delete it and take another. A really cool feature of this camera is that it will record up to 30 seconds of audio onto a picture. This is really cool. We used this on a friend who met someone online and wanted to send a pic to her. She was impressed. And you can record up to 60 seconds of video w/audio. Neat! When I purchased the camera it came with a discount on a memory upgrade. The camera comes standard with a 16mb card (not much), so I ordered a Viking 256mb SD memory card at a very good price... The cameras owners manual says that you can only use up to 128mb of memory, however I have not had a problem using the 256mb card. It stores a ton of pics, depending on the size and pic quality. I usually set the camera on the 4MP medium quality setting, or the 1MP best quality setting, and the card holds 232 pics on either setting. On the 4MP best setting it holds 116 pics; on the 1MP good setting it holds 953 pics. Try using all the different settings and see what you like best. I ordered the optional dock. Highly recommend. Makes downloading pics very easy, plus it comes with 4 rechargable batteries and it charges them when you put the camera in the dock. The rechargable batteries last a long time. Ive taken several hundred pics on one charge, and I always use the LCD screen to shoot the pics. Plus, Im zooming in and out, reviewing shots, and deleting them, and the batteries still last a long time. I also purchased an AC adapter, so when I go out of town I can recharge the batteries if I need to. Also, because of the depth of the camera, you need to get a large carry case. I found one at Best Buy that was large enough for the camera and all the accessories. On the downside, the LCD screen is pretty worthless outside. It is almost impossible to see the image in sunlight. Also, you need a steady hand when taking macro shots because of the delay. It just takes practice. But overall, I am glad I got this camera. Several of my friends are buying this after seeing mine, and a couple of friends are going to upgrade their digital camera after comparing theirs to this. If you are shopping for a digital camera, you dont need to look any further! Or Ill make you a great deal on my 35mm.
On: 2003-04-20
This is my first digital camera. So far performs well with still photos and I was amazed by the quality of the night pictures (including storm pictures with lightnings, where it performed excellent). It has the versatility needed when you want to under/overexpose. It does have some inertia and is hard to manipulate with dynamic subjects (action/sports/pets/children), where my 35 mm is still better. The lens with the 8x zoom is very good. I am not using the HP craddle - a spare charger for rechargeable batteries and an SD card reader are more effective, cheaper and less bulky.
Overall very good value for the price.
On: 2003-04-19
I just received HP photosmart 850 digital camera. I love it!
It is well worth the money. This is my third digital. I was looking for at least 4 megapixel, with a good zoom. This camera was very easy to learn how to use. A few minutes out of the box, and I was taking beautiful pictures. I had originally purchased a Minolta Dimage 7I, sent it back because it was too hard to use. I would recommend this camera to everyone wanting to take better digital pictures. This cameras pictures are just as beautiful as a 35mm, and that is what I wanted.
I do recommend to purchase a extra secure digital memory card.
On: 2003-04-10
This is my first digital camera, and the first DECENT camera Ive ever owned. I LOVE IT! Works great right out of the box, although youll need a bigger SD card (the one it comes with is SMALL, but not surprising for the price). Ive had it for 4 months now, and have taken some really beautiful pics. Here are the compliments and complaints:-GREAT close-ups and macros.
-software bundle is TRULY wonderful, given the price.
-battery life is good, but get rechargables anyway--the camera starts to get weird when batteries are low (refuses to focus or unload images, even when showing there is still a charge).
-no wide-angle view! This is surprising, for a camera with this many other features.
-metal tripod mount.
-VERY easy to unload images (and I dont have the optional cradle).
-landscape pics lack some definition (may be my fault).
-low-light pics are VERY pixellated (common to all digitals, I gather, but still annoying).
-zoom works great--I cant imagine only having 3X!
-its kinda big. Certainly not a pocket cam.
-the case that comes with the... package deal is a little small, and the straps not long enough. Charger works great, though. As the newly designated photographer in my workplace, I get compliments on photo quality every time I post new pics--and its certainly not due to my talent or experience! I highly recommend this camera, especically at such a great price.
On: 2003-04-07
I have owned a lot of HP products and loved them including several HP digital cameras. THis one has a lot of great features however, the trouble is that they dont all come together in a usable product. If you need a point and shoot camrea this is not your product. Great zoom but by the time you want to take the picture the subject is gone. It came out of the labs too early.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-12
Very quality and clear of pictures on this camera .Greet zoom .
I love it, but lens, filters and adapter are not easily available.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-06
This cammera is a really great value. For under 500$; a 4.1MP w/great zoom. Its very easy to use, and has a simple user interface. Despite this Ive aldready had to replace it because of zoom malfunction, and also this is a rather fragile cammera
by: Anonymous On: 2003-02-24
Having owned this camera for three months, I can say it is still great. But there have been some small bugs. To me the most annoying problem is that the camera would frequently not recognize the memory card at startup. This forces you to restart the camera and lose a moving or action picture. HP has come up with fix for this software problem. Visit the HP web site and download firmware 1.05. Follow the directions to install on camera and this fix is in.
On: 2003-02-23
I was looking for a digital camera for a loooooong time, but did not want one that could only make a decent print the size of a postage stamp. Being a long time SLR user, I always wished there was a digital camera that would come close to the prints that would come close to prints from 35mm film. For the longest time, that meant upwards of $1000. Until now. I am quite pleased with this camera because of its convenience (lcd screen) but with its images as well. I particularly love the features of choice of resolution (4mp & 1mp, like two cameras in one) and choosing full color, black & white, and sepia tone. You will have to buy a charger and batteries and more memory cards because a 16 mb SD chip will only hold SIX hi-res pix. I would like to have a faster shutter speed, especially for action photos such as wild life but do not let that stop you form the best camera investment on the market,especailly with the 8x optical zoom.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-02-19
After researching digital cameras extensively, and comparing the HP PS 850 with Canon G2/G3...I purchased the HP. Its awesome. Ive read comments about battery life...no problem...get rechargeable NiMH. I read negative comments about its size/weight, but given how far you can zoom, the larger camera body and "extra" weight help stabilize it. The camera is excellent in low light, even w/o using the flash. The menus are easy to navigate, and the eye-start feature is amazing. I like the larger LCD for previewing pics. Only negative is that when taking extreme close-ups using the flash, the extended lens casts a shadow on the lower left of the image. The camera exceeds my expectations, and the quality of the zoom is beyond comparison.
On: 2003-02-14
I really love the quality of pictures on this camera, very crisp and clear. Comparisons to my old Nikon Coolpix 800 (2MP) are not even close. The Nikon was a great camera, but double the Megapixel and quadriple the zoom, and you have an amazing piece of hardware.I made my decision to purchase this camera after comparing to the Fuji 3800 and Olympus C-730. I went to the store and physically picked up the cameras, the Fuji and Olympus were kind of awkward. The HP is large (I have mans hands after all! :) ) and feels like a quality camera. Now, all is not perfect, as many have noted. The cons of this camera include a limit of 60 seconds for video clips... now I have a 256MB SD card, and it can handle a lot of video, why only 60 seconds! HP please get a firmware update to allow unlimited video! Also, the included SD card is wimpy for a 4MP camera, offered a special when I bought this on other SD cards...plus SD memory is dropping in price daily. Get the largest SD card you can afford, you will not be sorry. Focus, you must have a steady hand to focus in 8x Optical zoom! I find that the Digital zoom is almost as good as an optical zoom as well, if you have a tripod. It gets a decent picture, not perfect, but much better than the Digital zoom on the 2MP cameras I have used. Also, I picked up the docking station. This is a great feature, no manually hooking up a cable and starting to offload pictures, just plonk your camera down on the dock, press the button to either print or send to computer and it is all automatic. Overall, I think this is a great camera, and would suggest it highly. Hopefully HP keeps it up to date with firmware updates, as I would love to see faster focusing, and a mode which allows burst type pictures to be taken. Even allowing different video sizes to be taken and having an opion to turn audio off on videos would be great.
On: 2003-02-05
First the great feel. This is a fairly large camera that feels comfortable in my (large) hands. I can grip it well without fear of accidentally pushing a button I didnt intend to. The huge, bright 2-inch LCD screen makes it easy to compose shots. The 8X optical zoom is AWEsome! Some reviews here have talked about not catching the image they intended to when pushing the shutter. I took close-ups of a clocks second hand, and the capture was immediate and in perfect time. There is a very short blanking of the display when the 4.1 megapixel image is written to the card-barely a problem. I also love the fact that the electronic viewfinder automatically turns on when you put your eye to it. Much better cam than both the Fuji 6X zoom or the Olympus 720 with 8X zoom. I tried them both. Love this one!
On: 2003-02-04
I have been using 35mm cameras for 35 years taking pictures of the family, flowers, animals and landscapes so I think I know something about photo taking. I am a digital virgin though!
I shopped around before I purchased the HP-850. I was looking for a 35mm like camera with shutter (time exposures) and F-stop control, lots of zoom, macro ability, flash options (red eye & fill flash), good focusing abilities (low light and spot/averaging options), an easy to use inexpensive battery type and a reasonable price. All were there in the HP-850.
I recently used the camera on a trip to Hawaii where I tried all of its options except the different white light options.
By purchasing a 110 Power Adapter cord from e-bay I was able to play with the many camera options and controls on my couch to learn the camera. I was also able to view the results and not use any battery power while doing all this.
I found the manual to be just fine. Naturally you have to be versed in 35mm camera use and wording to understand options and how to use them but that wouild be true with any camera.
The NIMH rechargable batteries lasted a long time (100+) photos. I used the power adapter each night to edit the days pictures so I really only used battery power to take photos. I did do some "on the spot" editing.
What I liked, and I liked a lot:
The powerfull zoom and the viewfinder indication (red box) when you transitioned into digital zoom.
The ability of the camera to take indoor pictures without a flash - its amazing. Night time exposures were a lot of fun. With the amazing cameras natural bility to use natural light 1 - 3 seconds was plenty of shutter delay in all cases.
The flash red eye reduction and fill flash worked great but do take a few seconds to set up. Im getting faster!
When Editing - the 4x enlarging option allows you to check focus detail over the whole picture. Also the second thought "are you sure" option before erasing a photo is great.The view finder does not work until you get your face about 2 inches from the camera. This saves battery power.
The shutter can easily be partially depressed for focusing. You do noy easily set off the shutter.
I found the view screen great as a view finder when taking delayed shutter and time exposure photos.
The camera is light and fits my hand very nicely. The controls are easy to access and work. You do not need a tooth pick or pen. Once you learn the options and programs they make sense and are easy to use (I have not figured out the 4 white light options yet well enought to comment on them.
Shop around for a bag. Dont forget to make room for extra batteries and an extra memory disk.
I purchased a battery charger and two sets of NIMH rechargable batteries. I have not regretted it a minute.
What I did not like:
The camera takes some getting used to but then it may be me getting used to digital photography.
The view finder goes black and there is about a 1 - 1/2 (noticable) second delay before the camera takes the pictuer. This makes taking pictures of moving objects (ex = waved breaking or hitting a rock, standing wildlife - they seem to move constantly, people walking or swinging a golf club)a real challenge since you are never really sure what you are going to get and you have to anticipate. Of course you can always review and erase/try again. It also makes long distance shots using a lot of zoom very hard without a camera support of some kind.
My wife, who has problems with a point and shoot, had problems with the focus in low light (set at central area of view finder). She does not understand the need to aim the camera onto the focal point of the photo and 1/2 press the shutter button to set focus. She is smart so it would probably help if I spent some time a explained it to her.
The 16mb disk that comes with the camera is basically worthless as are the four batteries they provide.
When asking others (waiters, bus boys) to use the camera the view finder going black, the shutter delay (1 second about) and 1/2 shutter button focus really throws them. I usually had them take 3 pictures then edited for the best. It helped to tell them what to expect first off and of course thier patience and ability to listen/learn are factors.
On: 2003-01-31
This is my first digital camera, and I never had any idea the quality would be so good. The zoom is incrediable and the clarity is awesome. The macro amazed me how easy it is to get a closeup with detail. It is the best thing I have bought in a long time.
DJ
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-23
1. Zoom:
I dont understand why people buy 3x zoom cameras (digital zoom should be banned because its absolutely useless -- if you want to crop, its much better to take the bigger one and do it with software). Ive used an Olympus 3x zoom film for years, hardly ever using the zoom. 3x is not powerful enough to be of value.Now 8x, were talking. 2. 4MP:
Do I really need 4mp? Not really. How many times have you EVER enlarged a picture you took with film camera? Or enlarge to >11x17??? I didnt think so. I could be quite happy with 2mp. I wish they made it 2mp with a lower price but, hey, with this price Im not complaining about 4mp, either. 3. Size:
If you want the tiniest, cutest thingy, dont get this. This is the size of an SLR (without lens attachments). But you never get 8x zoom out those cuties. I actually like its retro styling. 4. Photo quality:
Superb, even still objects in VERY low light. I did one with 2 sec shutter, holding it with my hands (which are not the steadiest Im sure), and it came out OK. Macro is very nice, too. Yes, theres noticable delay between shots, the lower the lighting, the longer. Under sunlight, it feels quite "normal"; under dim indoor lighting, it can take 2-4 secs. But this is the thing about digitals -- the higher the mp, the slower it gets. As for complaints about shooting moving objects, 1st of all, dont do focus lock by pushing the button half way down. Push it all the way down. This way, the camera focuses and then takes the pic (after the necessary delay for focusing and exposure). For moving objects under bright light, choose "action" or "shutter priority" as the exposure mode. If youre talking about moving objects in low light, heck, no $... camera can do it, be it film, digital, or extraterristial. And, why do you need to shoot moving objects in dark? 5. Features:
Menu very easy. I took it out of box, put in the (included) batteries, and started shooting right away. Installed the software on CD, plugged in USB cable, and got them into my PC. It does NOT get any easier than this.
Focus assist light -- VERY useful under dim light.
Movie & sound -- cool, occasionally could be useful.
TV out -- a must have for digitals, but this one doesnt include a CABLE!
HP share -- it does NOT get any easier than this! 6. Bad part?
Battery -- this thing CHOMPS down batteries. The included Energizer Titanium e^2 (sounds impressive huh?) gave me ~15, only ~4 with flash (and mostly via LCD). Then I tried some el cheapo ones. They gave me ~10 without flash (and mostly via EVF). Yes, the zoom, the larger LCD screen...but still! Im waiting for the charger now. ---------------Update
1. Got rechargeable batteries. Battery life is quite good now. Forget about disposables, no matter how sexy the name sounds. 2. I tried to upgrade the firmware from hp website, and failed after several times. In the end, the camera is dead. But HP support has been GREAT through this. After advicing me to try a few things, they sent me a new one, with a return shipping sticker for me to return the old one. This kind of warranty replacement policy is something I havent seen! So, be careful before you do the firmware upgrade (as always with any firmware upgrade). If you have to do it, then do it before the warranty expires. Kudos to HP for GREAT service!
On: 2003-01-18
Am more than pleased with this camera. It took a very short time to become accustomed to features and focusing (especially during zoom). A great all around camera!
On: 2003-01-14
If you dont have a pressing reason to buy digital right now, I suggest you wait another year. I have used several friends and family members cameras, and purchased the 850, all have problems. Biggest disappointment with this camera for me is image quality. Almost every shot has purple fringing, and clarity is a bit less than my fathers fuji 3800 (3MPixels), and brothers year old Cannon 3Mpixel/3x camera. This is true even at ISO 100, on a tripod, with good light -- even worse otherwise. Other peoples complaints are all true too: Cranky zoom, Software Crashes, etc. One thing not mentioned is that you cant adjust the LCD display for viewing angle. If you are above the camera (like if you set it on the floor to take a picture) you cant see the display. "Auto" white balance is not really auto, "fixed" would be more like it. If you are under electric lights, you have to change setting manually to get good color. Battery life complaint is not valid though. Get good batteries (1800mah or >), and they will normally last all day, then plug camera in to ac adapter at night and you are ready to go in the morning, dont even have to remove batteries. One really nice thing is unlike other cameras, simply plugging the camera into the computer will download all the pictures with NO intervention required on your part. Despite my gripes, this seems like the best the state of the art has to offer at this time and price point for overall issues I care about, and is good enough to switch away from film for. To get a really nice camera right now it seems you have to spend about $...., sigh.
You may want to consider fuji s602 though. Some discounters sell it for around $.... Wish list: Eliminate digital zoom. Full manual control using SLR type barrel rings. Who needs a motor to zoom? Costs more, works worse. HP EVF better than most, but still worse than instamatic like glass view finder. Save the money, keep it simple. Should take larger memory cards, limited to 128M.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-13
Despite a few bad reviews from people who dont read the directions on how to use this camera, I think that this is the best camera I have ever owned. The 8x zoom is what sold me on this one. I wanted a digital camera but I didnt want one that only sold digital zoom, which reduces the MP the second you use it. The focus on a few pics has been fussy, but then I learned how to use it. By holding the shutter button halfway down the camera focuses, which takes 2-3 seconds, and when the "action" shot is ready press it down all the way. This mean this takes planning, which is impossible for some. But I have a 16-month old and cathching him smiling is a trick, but I continue to do so with this camera. Also the amount of different modes that this camera contains is amazing. To list a few action, landscape, potrait, black and white, sephia, etc... Well for those in doubt read the directions, you may learn something.
On: 2003-01-13
This camera makes excellent pictures and is extremely user friendly although larger & heavier than most other digitals. Has a few settings (color & greater zoom) that the HP PS812 doesnt and will probably be my final choice for that reason. Upon receipt I noticed that there were pixels on the LCD display screen that were already bad(discolored). I have noticed that on a display model also so I returned the camera and am still weighing portability over features. Overall, great camera especially for novice wantabe professional photographers.
On: 2003-01-11
Takes excellent pictures sometimes. Wonderful zoom lens.Intuitive menu system. Nice flash. Takes nice movies as good or better maybe even than my nikon 5700. Forget about taking still pictures of anything that moves. Other reviews coverd this topic and i agree with them. As far as i could tell there was no manual focus option. That would have solved a lot of problems i think. When i tried to use aperature priorty mode, i was looking for a workaround the focus problems. Sometimes camera would lock up when i did this and you couldnt turn it off even with the main switch. You had to remove the batteries. I managed to take a picture of a humming bird with this camera but it took about 8 attempts. He was a cooperative hummingbird i guess.
On: 2003-01-08
This is the perfect digital camera -- but only if youre using a tripod to photograph still life scenes! The 4.1 resolution is amazing, the exterior screen is big & bright, and the menu system is easy to follow. However, AVIOD THIS CAMERA if you want to photograph anything that is moving or even alive and standing still! Press the shutter, and the camera screen goes black for 2-3 seconds BEFORE recording the image. If your subject moves, or if your hands move slightly while holding the black screen to your face for the next several seconds, you wont get the image you wanted. You will miss "the moment" and your careful composition will probably move one direction or the other. We tried taking pictures of family members opening Christmas presents, but the camera didnt actually record an image until people were reaching for their next gift. Were going to Hawaii and hope to photograph whales, but with this camera we would have to press the shutter before the whale even got to the waters surface, and then point in the right direction while looking at black screen!! Incredibly frustrating to return a camera that had such promise!
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-30
In one word, superbe. This camera is a nice surprise. It took less than one half hour to learn to use this camera. By comparison, it took me several days to learn to use a similar but more "sophisticated" Sony camera at work. The cameras onscreen menu is simple and easy to understand. You should read and refer to the manual carefully because there are small tips and pointers no evident on the menus. For example, to save special settings, power up will pressing the "okay" button. The PS850s software interface is fast and transfers pictures quickly to your PC. The zoom lens does take some getting used to, it works in one speed and you have to learn to use you thumb instead of an index finger, but it is managable. There will be a very pronounced pause after each picture is taken as it writes to the memory card and the screen will remain blank. No multiple actions shots here, but its not that type of camera. Both the EVP and the 8x lens is sharp, the white balance is great. The auto focus lamp for low light situations is a great addition, which is not found in similar priced cameras, the Fuji 3800, is one example. The PS850s case is not made from extruded metal, it does not have the quality feel of the Nikon Coolpix 5700 or a Minolta Dimage 7Hi, but it comes at half the price. If the PS850 is being sold as a bundle with the accessory kit for free. Buy it!
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-26
Easy to use: I was taking photos within an hour of receiving the camera, and this is my first digital camera. Pictures are great looking and easy to take. Flash pictures are excellent. Highly recommended.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-12
Great specs, but poor implementation.The digital zoom is terribly slow, and you wont want to use it anyway due to the poor quality pictures it produces. The 4 AA batteries make the camera fairly heavy, but it still feels cheaply made and bulky. The viewfinder is a bit too small for my taste. I bought one and immediately returned it after a couple of hours of testing it out. It just wasnt the camera for me.
On: 2002-12-10
The 850 has awesome features, especially considering the price. 4 megapixels and 8 x optical zoom combine to give you terrific pictures and more opportunities than if you had a much better known, but measly 3 x zoom camera. Buy a 3 x zoom and you will be wishing every day that you had more zoom!!! The HP offers only autofocus. There is significant shutter delay, so action shots might not come out exactly as planned. Of course, you can select Action mode to compensate. Macros look great and the zoom is really really terrific and picture quality is quite good. Acessories (lens, filters, adapter mounts etc) are not easily available, but tech support at a popular camera accessory store stated that they would have accessories in early 2003. Styling is retro, grip is just perfect and the metal tripod mount seems better than plastic ones. Start-up time is fast. Battery life is not so good with ordinary Alkalines, but when I switched to using NimH rechargables, I have been getting much much better life. Video is quite good and the best thing I like is the Electronic View Finder (EVF). I tried the Finepix 2800/3800 and couldnt see a thing when I used it indoors in medium to low lighting. The 850 EVF is so much better and clear. AutoFocus Illuminator is a big help and most Sonys have it, though most Nikons omit it. Kudos to HP for giving us a straight-forward camera with great features and more for a really reasonable price. I would definitely recommend it.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-04
I love this camera! It was easy to use (even our waiter took great pictures of us), and the quality of the pictures is amazing. This camera has all of the features of a great 35mm camera - I can modify the ISO and exposure if I want more control than a typical point-and-click. Its hard to imagine a higher-quality digital camera at this price point.You will want to invest in rechargable batteries - we took some pictures using the screen, and the batteries quickly drained.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-11-23
Be sure to buy GOOD quality disposable batteries if you dont have the rechargables yet. I went to a dinner party last night with NEW batteries from a name-brand (though not the big ones), and my camera would not turn off (yes, it would NOT turn off), and would not function when it was on. Usually you would think bad batteries would simply cause the camera not to work, but instead I got a bunch of strange errors that made me think the camera (brand new) was defective. Once the batteries were changed however with Duracell (love those guys), it worked fine. Im going to start charging up the new rechargable batteries I got. The cameras a dream. The zoom feature is amazing, and the megapixel count really allows you to digitally zoom in. You can even zoom around on the LCD screen of the camera. Good job HP!
On: 2002-11-20
The HP850 is a great digital camera. I decided to buy this camera because for its price of $[money], you get a 4 megapixel,
8X optical zoom camera. I couldnt find anything else even close to this level of performance for price.You can also take short video clips with the camera, which is nice. The camera also lets you take pictures in rapid succession, even with the flash. I really like how quickly the flash can charge up and let you take the next shot. HP got it right with this camera design. It has a very nice look to it and feels well balanced in your hands. One thing you definitely need to do is get rechargable NiMH batteries for the camera though. It will quickly burn through normal Alkaline cells. It runs off of 4 AA cells (not 2), which is listed incorrectly on Amazon.com I found the battery life very long using 4AA NiMH batteries (1700 mAh capacity). Also, the camera can recharge NiMH AA cells in the camera (according to the manual) but I havent tried it yet. So you just need to buy the HP AC adapter and you dont need a seperate battery charger. ( I wish I new this before buying a seperate battery charger :( My conclusion: The HP 850 is great!
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