HP Photosmart R607xi 4.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom & R Series Dock Bundle
By: Hewlett-Packard Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 17
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 On: 2008-07-02
I bought this camera more than three years ago and have been using it ever since. Im not the kind of person that takes pictures all the time, but enjoy taking pictures during trips and family/friends reunions. What decided me to buy the R607 were its low price (very cheap in comparison with similar cameras at the time) and my previous experience with HP products (I own a HP desktop, a HP laptop, a HP PDA...).
Regarding to this camera, it takes excellent pictures. I love the panorama function for taking landscape photos. 4MP is more than enough for a non-professional photographer. It has a lot of functions that I didnt use too often, but many could find useful. It can fit a cheap, very compatible SD memory card to improve its capacity.
Nevertheless, it has some downsides. First of all, the LCD display is quite small. You can get used to it, but since newer cameras come with larger displays, you can be tempted to go that way instead. The software has given me some headaches lately, but I suspect I could fix the bugs reinstalling it from the beginning. And the battery endurance has started to show some shortfall, but I think its normal after 3+ years of continued use.
Overall Im very satisfied with the cameras performance. Now its time for me to buy a new one, and Ill stick to HP for that.
 On: 2007-02-19
Ive had this camera for almost two years, despite what others have said Ive found it a somewhat tough camera physically.
Ok now to the long list of problems;
It has horrible motion capture, pictures often come out with a mild funhouse mirror warp effect, is utterly worthless in less than direct-sunlight and finally its far far to reliant on its flash. Also having to reset everything everytime you turn it on is a major annoyance. Ive taken many pictures with it on many trips reaffirming its faults and still, If not for being a receipt-less present I would have returned it long ago.
On: 2006-05-06
I had a Pentax Optio 4 MP camera that I LOVED. Unfortunately I was careless and dropped it in water. In searching for a replacement, I saw that this camera was considered to be just as good and it was considerably cheaper. I figured since I was going to be careless with my camerea maybe I should buy the cheaper one, especially if it was supposed to be as good. What a MISTAKE. First off, this camera is a little bit bigger both in depth and width than the Optio. It just doesnt have the same sleekness. Secondly, the picture quality is definitely not as good. Every other picture I take is out of focus. I just want a simple point and shoot camera, one that can focus without having to mess with things...this isnt doing the trick. Now its been doing this weird thing where every picture I take has lines running through it (looks almost like the picture is ribbed). Its VERY annoying. I have such buyers remorse. I really wish I hadnt have tried to save money and had just bought the Optio. Theres nothing positive I can say about this camera.
On: 2006-05-05
I had a Pentax Optio 4 MP camera that I LOVED. Unfortunately I was careless and dropped it in water. In searching for a replacement, I saw that this camera was considered to be just as good and it was considerably cheaper. I figured since I was going to be careless with my camerea maybe I should buy the cheaper one, especially if it was supposed to be as good. What a MISTAKE. First off, this camera is a little bit bigger both in depth and width than the Optio. It just doesnt have the same sleekness. Secondly, the picture quality is definitely not as good. Every other picture I take is out of focus. I just want a simple point and shoot camera, one that can focus without having to mess with things...this isnt doing the trick. Now its been doing this weird thing where every picture I take has lines running through it (looks almost like the picture is ribbed). Its VERY annoying. I have such buyers remorse. I really wish I hadnt have tried to save money and had just bought the Optio. Theres nothing positive I can say about this camera.
On: 2006-04-11
We got this camera as a gift. We have gone round and round with HP tech support and still have not managed to install the camera software into our computer. (We own other brands of digital cameras, all installed without a hitch.)
First of all, the HP software is 170 Mega-bytes large. Talk about bloat-ware! Why does it take such a huge program to manage a camera?
Secondly, HP knows about the software problem. A "fix" is posted on HP.com. After downloading all 170MB of it, it still failed to install. We contacted HP tech support through chat sessions, their suggestions all failed. HP send us an upgraded CD, it still halts on an error during install.
Lest you think we have a weird, off-brand computer, this is an HP Pavilion ZE4125 laptop.
It has been a thoroughly frustrating and disappointing experience.
On: 2006-04-10
We got this camera as a gift. We have gone round and round with HP tech support and still have not managed to install the camera software into our computer. (We own other brands of digital cameras, all installed without a hitch.)
First of all, the HP software is 170 Mega-bytes large. Talk about bloat-ware! Why does it take such a huge program to manage a camera?
Secondly, HP knows about the software problem. A "fix" is posted on HP.com. After downloading all 170MB of it, it still failed to install. We contacted HP tech support through chat sessions, their suggestions all failed. HP send us an upgraded CD, it still halts on an error during install.
Lest you think we have a weird, off-brand computer, this is an HP Pavilion ZE4125 laptop.
It has been a thoroughly frustrating and disappointing experience.
 On: 2006-01-19
This was my first camera Ive owned and I wanted one to take pictures of my friends at school as well as scenery. Due to the cameras compact size I can carry with me everywhere I go. It has many options but I usually keep it on auto and I get great results. The main standout point for me was the HP Adaptive Light Tech. feature. It is made to bring faces out of shadows and details out of backgrounds which makes the picture look 100 times better. I put one of my images of Lake Dixon in the customer images section if you want to see just how good these pictures turn out. If your thinking of buying a camera at a reasonable price, one you can take anywhere, and still take great pictures, this is the camera for you! I love it!
On: 2005-12-31
I have owned an R607 for a few months now. (I purchased one of the limited edition Gwen Stefani - Harajuku Lovers cameras, but that doesnt make much of a difference) Im very pleased with it but there are a few things that miff me.
For one, even in medium light, sometimes it will take very long to take a picture if youre not using flash. Sometimes you have to hold your hand/arm/body very, very still - usually someone would buy a tripod for this, but it even happens when simply doing a quick shot of a few friends on an outing or something. I practice holding my breath and keeping very still when taking pictures with this camera. (And sometimes its awkward when someone poses for the camera and they have to stay still for 10-15 or even 20 seconds.)
The audio quality of the video mode is absolutely horrible. All you hear is loud static. Its very hard to capture any sound at all and when you do its nearly drowned out by the static.
But there are many good things about this camera as well. First of all, the design. Although it has a small screen, its no big deal. Its tiny enough to take anywhere with you but not fragile.
There are different macro settings which can produce gorgeous pictures with lots of detail. It has Image Advice - a little notification thing that pops up every once in a while to tell you how you might improve a picture.
There are many different modes - sunset, portrait, beach, snow... theres even a panoramic mode that allows you to take large, wide pictures of landscapes or other things like that. It has different colours; B&W and Sepia. You can adjust the hue and sharpness and exposure and all sorts of things. There is red-eye removal right on the menu and an automatic printing function - select the number of prints you want on your camera and hook it up to a special HP printer and you get professional pictures right from your camera.
It has an InstantShare feature as well, which, when set up, allows you to send your pictures off to different people on your contact list immediately when you hook up your camera to your computer.
So, for what it is, its a spectacular camera - if you can settle with its drawbacks. A tiny screen isnt much of a deal, right? I thoroughly enjoy using this camera and Im going to continue using it for a long time to come.
On: 2005-10-19
I just got this camera- and I am amazed. I was hesitent about buying something other than Olympus- a name brand I could trust (I previously owned a D-390) but I am impressed by the quality of this camera. The pictures are sharp and crisp and HPs adaptive lighting will brighten the dark areas of the picture.
Its very portable and it only took me 2 1/2 seconds for it to completly turn on and take a picture. HP really packed a lot of features into this camera.
The only minor downsides are the speaker isnt great but when you put them on a computer, its great. Also there is 2second delay after you press the movie button before it starts recording.
BUY THIS CAMERA ITS GREAT
On: 2005-09-08
If you want a reasonably priced yet still very good digital camera, this is it. Im very pleasantly surprised by this purchase. and its so tiny...fits perfectly in your pocket! easy to use. definitely recommended. one tip...buy a large memory card to take advantage of the video features, etc.
On: 2005-06-23
I am a picky photographer but I purchased this camera last February and I quickly sold it on Ebay because of how poorly designed it is.
Pros:
It is very small and easy to carry with you.
The supermacro feature is great for closeups.
Cons:
The camera I have found can take a picture while not focused.
There is a large amount of noise when shot on the default F-stop of 2.8, plus a large amount of curvature too on that same F-stop.
Unfortunately, once the camera is turned off, most the settings (like the F-stop) are reset to default, so you either have to leave the camera on to save your settings or reset them every time. I had to reset my F-stop, sharpness and ISO every time. Ridiculous!!!
The display is way too small to see much, but I guess the camera in general is pretty small.
I guess if you want a simple digital camera for sharing photos by email, this is the one to get. However, if you want crisp printable photos, dont get this one. Try a camera out in a store before you buy.
On: 2005-04-20
Is it crass to be in love with an electronic device? Im so enamoured of my new camera that my husband is starting to wonder.
I previously liked my refurbished HP Photosmart 635 2.1 MP because the menus were so easy to use and the photos were fine for 2.1. Our daughter wanted an inexpensive digital camera which was my excuse to upgrade to something smaller. I finally opted for another HP and purchased the R607 from Amazon (great price and free shipping) and I love this little thing. Its very small (maybe about the size of a slim pack of cigarettes?) but feels great to hold (well designed rubbery material on the back) and its packed full of features. The menus are still incredibly easy to use right off the bat, although there are many settings which can be customized to maximize the quality of different types of shots. The rechargeable lithium battery life is excellent, AND its replaceable with the new CP-1 disposable from Duracell if youre going where you wont be able to recharge! Takes SD or MMC but in a flash-card emergency, the built-in 16MB becomes available as a backup. As for quality, I took several close-up shots of my favorite Magnolia Stellata in full bloom this spring, and I thought they were absolutely stunning. The compact owners manual is full of information about using the many different settings to get the most from your shots - Ill have to get around to doing that some day, but in the meantime, Im just having fun.
On: 2005-04-15
Ive had this camera for about a month now and Ive had so much fun with it.
The first great thing about it was the price, I got it for a very reasonable price of 199 euros - my package included the leather pouch and one 128 Mb SD-card.
Ive had HP products before so I knew I could expect high quality combined with easy usability. Pictures turn out very nice as I like to have the Adaptive Lighting option on all the time. Ive taken some beautifully artistic black and white and sepia photos as well. The camera really is good for every day use, from quick snapshots in the park to detailed still-life pics with a tripod, for instance.
The only thing not so great is the sound quality, but if I wanted to take video clips Id buy a proper video camera anyway.
And as the camera is small and light, I can have it with me all the time. Ive had more use of it already than of my traditional SLR camera that I bought three years ago!
(If I understood correctly, one of the previous reviewers had got a virus on his/her camera. Well, one cant really blame that on the camera since the bug definitely came from somewhere else. Thats just the price you pay for being careless yourself. Sorry!)
 On: 2005-02-24
Like most companies these days, forget about the advertised rebates - send in the info, get the run around, spend lots of time and get no satifaction. HP has really gone down hill over the past 5 years in terms of customer service. If they dont want to pay the rebate, why promo it to begin with - just sell a quality product at a fair price - thats what they used to do.
by: jeep_girl_00 On: 2005-02-14
I have had this camera for almost a year and I am happy and disappointed as I get pictures from it that I want but dont need and then when I went to Warped Tour this summer and finally met Lars from my favorite punk band I went to get it developed and magically I got a virus and it deleted my pictures. I found out it thinks it has a virus if you have movies with pictures! And will just delete everything! I have not used the movie function since as it uses too much memory anyways. I have had okay luck since then but it still is only worth its money! I had a cannon 5.1 megapixel with 5 normal zoom and 5 digital and it was great but it was also costly and I couldnt afford the bill at the time so I returned it for this one. And I can tell a difference, better price, better camera. But if you look some are worse than this one but cost more. My advise never use movies with a picture as that is what caused the virus on my camera according to what HP told Walmart when they called to see if they could save my pictures. I dont want anyone to lose pictures that mean a lot like I did.
On: 2005-01-07
My wife got me the 607 for Christmas and It has been great. The battery lasts a long time. It is quick to start up and take pictures. I really like the way it shows you the last part of your last picture on the side of the screen so you can position you camera perfectly for great panorama shots. The image advice feature is making me an expert by telling me how to improve almost any shot. It is like having the manual built in to the camera. I have printed a lot of the pictures and some of my friends have said that they wished their cameras could take pictures as good as mine. (Their new cameras cost more than twice as much)I am pretty happy.
On: 2004-12-27
Is a great camera for the price and is really small and stylish, the image quality is good, comes with great options and easy to use.
My rating...
Camera Size: 5/5
The right size for your pocket
LCD Screen: 4.5/5
Small but beautiful
Menu: 5/5
Easy and fast, very intuitive
Easy to Use: 5/5
Fool proof :)
Internal Features: 5/5
Great built-in options
External Features: 4/5
TV-Out would be a great option in the camera and not as a separate option with the HP Dock
Battery Life: 4/5
Good battery life, long time to recharge unless you got the Rapid Charger
Image Quality: 3.5/5
Is good but some pictures come out with noises or blurry, the image quality could be improved a bit but for the price I think is right
On: 2004-12-18
I purchased this camera for a trip that I was taking in December. I shopped around and was originally favoring the Cannon A75 which has received numerous excellent reviews. What drew me to this one was a very small size, great body design, and the fact that it was 4.1 MP whereas the Cannon was only 3.2 MP. The biggest problem I had when trying to convince myself to purchase this camera was the lack of online reviews.
As previously stated in another customers review, the body design is great. The back of the camera has a rubberlike texture which feels great when snapping shots. The menus are very easy to use, and very important to myself, the instruction manual is written in such a way that it is very easy to lean how to use all of the features on your new toy! Huge plus for me, is the battery. This camera uses a small rechargeable battery, not regular AA or AAA. This battery holds charge for a good amount of time and was a major plus for me, especially considering all of the reviews complaining about how others cameras drain batteries at a very rapid pace.
Probably the biggest reason I bought this camera is the panorama mode. Many cameras have this feature, but the way that it works on this particular camera is absolutely amazing, with each subsequent shot becoming "transparent" allowing you to line up the next shot in the panorama. They look great, I have one posted on this page.
All in all, I really like this camera. I have posted some shots that are very basic, but allow others to see what this small camera can do! The small things make this camera really cool. I took a vertical shot where I turned the camera vertically and snapped the picture. The sensor in the camera recognized this and stored the photo in the correct orientation in its memory. My friend who purchased a 3.2 MP Nikon turned to me and said, "I wish my camera did that..."
On: 2004-11-09
Just got this camera a couple of days ago. I liked the camera because it was lightweight and compact. I have a 35mm Nikon and wanted a smaller camera to carry around for on the spot picture taking. Decided to go digital. The picture quality on this cameria is clear and crisp. I especially like the Adaptive Lighting feature where the camera balances the lighting across the whole picture.
It has great video capabilities with smooth streaming. The remove red eye feature is also a plus and works well.
The camera is very easy to use with an intuitive menu system. Finally, I really like the look a feel with the silver face and rubberized back. I would definitely recommend this camera. It was definitely the best buy for the quality and price.
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