HP Photosmart M425 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
By: Hewlett-Packard Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 48
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 On: 2008-06-06
HP Photosmart M425 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom is simplicity itself. All the basic functions are there in this lightweight, basic compact camera. The icons are easily understood and onboard graphic additions like frames can be fun. It doesnt seem to go through batteries as fast as other digital cameras I have. Its also super easy to transfer images and videos to my computer, with or without HPs Photosmart software (I actually prefer Googles freeware, PicasaII, to transfer and catalog images much more quickly).
I keep it in my purse, and often pull it out to snap something or to show off my pictures, clearly visible in the 1.7" digital screen, to friends and co-workers (hey, if I have to look at their kids and grandkids pics, then they have to ooooh and aaahhhh over my pretty pet portraits!).
The only gripe I have is having to reset the date with battery changes (in the few instances I actually wanted a date-stamp on my photos).
 On: 2008-05-26
This camera is great! I ordered it the day before my birthday, it said it would come through May 20th-26th and it came the 19th! So woot! I can take over 500 pictures (it came with a memory card). The video is great, and the photos are great and clear. The only thing is the darn batteries! They run out too fast! But i have rechargeable batteries. I have trouble with uploading the videos, but i can learn!But so far, so good!
P.S. if you order it from amazon, i cannot guarantee that it will be nice and fresh, it depends who you order it from.
 On: 2008-03-31
This is the wussiest camera I have ever used. I bought the year long warranty, which I highly recommend as I ended up breaking 4 of these cameras over 2 years. The shutter lens gets stuck constantly. If it gets just a little rain on it, it gets frazzled or dies. If you drop it, even from 3 or so feet, its dead. If you are the kind of person who puts your camera in its case in between every shot, and are vigilant about its safety, then its not a bad camera. But if you are even a little outdoorsy, or clumsy, and esp. if youre both, look at the olympus stylus 770 sw, or just dont buy this camera.
 On: 2008-03-30
A nice, solid little camera that does everything it should. The software if comes with is clunky; if you have the Windows Digital Camera Wizard on your computer, it will be faster and more efficient than the HP software. But the focus is nice, the flash is good, the picture quality is more than acceptable, all for an affordable price. I might not take wedding pictures with it, but its certainly a fine day-to-day camera.
Also, as mentioned in other reviews, buy rechargeable batteries--it burns through a pair of AA batteries in about a day of photographing. Youll also need to buy a memory card, but theyre easily obtainable, and for $15 youll have more storage than you could ever need.
On: 2008-02-13
I took hundreds of pictures with this camera for my preschool. They were a better quality than some of the more expensive cameras that the parents took on our field trips. My only problem is that it would not use rechargeable batteries...hence 4 instead of 5 stars. Not a big deal. Id buy it again.
 On: 2008-02-03
DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! The camera worked fine for the first few months with the exception that it used batteries at a ridiculous rate. If I took approximately 30 pictures I would have to go thru 2 sets of batteries. If I took 5 pictures and put the camera away for a couple of weeks I would have to replace the batteries to take pictures. Then for no apparent reason its functionality started to go awry. I try to take pictures of my kids during special events and the flash wouldnt go off and Id get a VERY low light picture. Id push the Flash Settings Button and it would start recording a video. I also bought a new computer that came with an HP printer that didnt work properly straight out of the box. Every time I tried to print something it would pull the paper unevenly and result in a jammed up printer. NO MORE HP PRODUCTS FOR ME.
On: 2007-12-17
This camera seems to be very easy to use and has great graphic instructions on the camera but I had difficulty operating the camera at night and went on a trip to Lake Powell and the camera stopped working completely (perhaps the heat was an issue) but other people who were also on the trip had no problems with their cameras
Apparently I also need a memory card and not just batteries because the camera will only take 2 or 3 pics with two double AA batteries! Then it says it must shut down
On: 2007-10-08
This was a great buy. Bought this over year ago and paid like $100.00. The pictures and easy use of the camera are great. I am just a casual camera user and Im able to take great picture with it. My girlfriend uses it all the time and loves it. I would recommend it for a person who is looking for a easy to use camera that takes great pictures.
On: 2007-09-22
I bought this camera for my 9 yo daughters birthday. It takes very nice pictures and she says it is easy to use. There arent a lot of dials, settings, etc to confuse the issue too much. She loves the video feature, although you have to transfer the files to your computer to hear the sound on the video. Video quality is only so-so, and jumpy, but for what shell use it for, its fine. A minor detail. Battery life seems good, although I have switched her to rechargables now! So if you want a simple, basic camera with some nice extra features, it is a good buy. If you want more bells and whistles, consider another camera.
On: 2007-08-27
This camera is perfect for all types of photography. I dont go anywhere without it.
On: 2007-08-26
I purchased this camera in 2006 and the warranty is no longer good so guess what broke. The lens wont come out even though the camera is on so I cant take pictures. HP online help desk simply said "Im sorry, your warranty is no longer good but for x amount of dollars, you can trade it in.
On: 2007-07-17
I bought this camera less than a year ago. I went to use it recently and it was locked up like it was docked. HP said it sounded like an internal hardware failure and my camera was out of warranty. All HP would do was sell me another camera for $100. I dont think this is good customer service.
On: 2007-07-16
I bought this camera less than a year ago. I went to use it recently and it was locked up like it was docked. HP said it sounded like an internal hardware failure and my camera was out of warranty. All HP would do was sell me another camera for $100. I dont think this is good customer service.
On: 2007-06-27
Good camera for the price you pay, picture quality is very good. I gifted it to my dad and he is very happy about the neat quality of the pictures.
On: 2007-05-13
This camera is a no-brainer-easy to use, download photos, delete images. Have had several others and this is by far the best for the price!!
On: 2007-05-01
I bought this camera, HP M425v for my daughter in December of 2006. The camera worked great up until about a week ago. She had it in her purse and noticed it was extremely hot to the touch. She took it to an adult to look at it and they removed the batteries and allowed it to cool. When we got it home, we put new batteries in it and tried to turn it on. It would not come on so we sat it down to see if it would heat up again. Within seconds it began to get hotter and hotter so we took the batteries out and noticed that the batteries were not hot.
I contact HP to see about getting it replaced. Of course they refuse to replace it because i am passed my 90 day warranty period. I for one could not believe they only have a 90 warranty but I was even more shocked they were not concerned about it heating up.
I would be interested to know how many others have or will experience this problem as it may help my case. We have only had this camera for 4 mos. and it is disappointing because it was a Christmas gift.
Good luck with this product. Hopefully no one out there will get hurt.
On: 2007-04-30
I bought this camera, HP M425v for my daughter in December of 2006. The camera worked great up until about a week ago. She had it in her purse and noticed it was extremely hot to the touch. She took it to an adult to look at it and they removed the batteries and allowed it to cool. When we got it home, we put new batteries in it and tried to turn it on. It would not come on so we sat it down to see if it would heat up again. Within seconds it began to get hotter and hotter so we took the batteries out and noticed that the batteries were not hot.
I contact HP to see about getting it replaced. Of course they refuse to replace it because i am passed my 90 day warranty period. I for one could not believe they only have a 90 warranty but I was even more shocked they were not concerned about it heating up.
I would be interested to know how many others have or will experience this problem as it may help my case. We have only had this camera for 4 mos. and it is disappointing because it was a Christmas gift.
Good luck with this product. Hopefully no one out there will get hurt.
by: Anonymous On: 2007-03-13
This is my first digital camera. I thought I would have trouble figureing it out. It was really easy.
I take it in my purse every where I go. I am looking at homes to buy one. I like to take pictures of every room in the homes I like. Then when I get home I can look at mt pictures. Judith Turner Mississippi
On: 2007-03-12
we purchased this camera for our child who loves photography. Instant pictures are great for kids who hate to wait for developing. Easy for kids to figure out.
On: 2007-03-10
Product is excellent. However when using in motion, whether on bike or vehicle, it is difficult to grip and falls off hand. In addition, the "mode/menu" button is accidentally hit or depressed by your thumb while in motion.
On: 2007-03-03
Pros: This camera is great, 5MP and an excellent picture quality.
Cons: Cant make zoom when filming video :(
On: 2007-02-12
This was a post-Christmas gift to myself. I shopped around and read many, many reviews. This was my choice because it seemed to offer the best value for my price range with its 5 megapixels and optical zoom. I was a bit surpised to find that it didnt come with even a small, cheap case to keep it in. So if you buy one, youll need to make sure you have or get a case for it. Ive just recently finally worn out the batteries. It would have been nice to have a guage on the screen to tell me how low my power was before it shut off. Operation is easy and the pictures come out nice and clear. However, I have found that it usually works best without the flash so I turn that off. But if you use the flash and get red-eye, you can remove that from the picture right there in the camera which is pretty neat. The only things that would have made this better would be a battery guage, a quicker shutter time and a case. But Im giving it five stars because I feel I got more than my moneys worth here.
On: 2007-02-08
love it, love it
christmas gift to my guy
he was thrilled
priced right
On: 2007-02-07
I am really excited about my new digital camera. It is in very good condition and working order. I would recommend everyonne to shop with you
On: 2007-02-06
it came before the expected, that is nice, so nice , all new , working fine.
i truly recommend BEACH CAMERA
On: 2007-01-11
No soy muy bueno con el ingles por eso me dirijo a ustedes en mi lengua materna, espero me entiendan.
Con mi nueva camara he logrado capturar momentos magicos de mi vida, cumpleaños de mi hijos, fiestas, paisajes maravillosos,momentos de humor, entre otras cosas, es fantastica, vesatil, comoda, tiene muy buena resolucion, y lo mejor para mi es que esta de acuerdo a mis necesidades y guarda un perfecto equilibrio en la relacion costo valor y eso es bueno para mi.... gracias.
On: 2007-01-10
Im going to be completely honest with you. I hated the HP cameras because 1. does not take great pictures at night 2. digital zoom is not great either 3. blurs out if you do not stand still taking the picture. Ive had an old HP camera and I have had this newer HP camera and they are all the same. It doesnt seem like it really matters what MP they are. Still burs out and it is disappointing. I guess it really depends on the person about this camera but Id rather have a Sony, Samsung, or some other companys item. =)
On: 2007-01-05
My daughter had a different "M" Series HP Digital Camera and DOCK. After the LCD display was broken, I ordered this "value priced" camera in its place. I felt sure that since it was an M425, it would work on her "M Series" DOCK. It DOES NOT. I need to purchase a DIFFERENT dock for this camera. This was a BIG disappointment. The camera is small and functional, and overall is a fairly good value for the money; but there are a few BASIC features that it is MISSING. Most noteably, this camera does NOT have a viewfinder. You must use the LCD display as the viewfinder. If the LCD would happen to break, the camera would be completely useless. If you are looking for an INEXPENSIVE camera, this one may be OK; but just REMEMBER that it is VERY, VERY BASIC. Spend a little more for better features.
On: 2007-01-04
My daughter had a different "M" Series HP Digital Camera and DOCK. After the LCD display was broken, I ordered this "value priced" camera in its place. I felt sure that since it was an M425, it would work on her "M Series" DOCK. It DOES NOT. I need to purchase a DIFFERENT dock for this camera. This was a BIG disappointment. The camera is small and functional, and overall is a fairly good value for the money; but there are a few BASIC features that it is MISSING. Most noteably, this camera does NOT have a viewfinder. You must use the LCD display as the viewfinder. If the LCD would happen to break, the camera would be completely useless. If you are looking for an INEXPENSIVE camera, this one may be OK; but just REMEMBER that it is VERY, VERY BASIC. Spend a little more for better features.
On: 2007-01-04
Pictures are clear, colorful and reproduce well. Very easy to use...bought for my 9 year old and she can work it with great ease. Price wise it was excellent so all in all it rates well with me.
On: 2007-01-03
this is a great basic camera, good photos in different situations. Easy to use and ships ok.
On: 2006-12-28
This camera was a big disappointment to me, I thought theyd gotten better over the past several years since my first digital camera.
Worst problems:
1) It takes several seconds to power up, and then another second or so to actually take a picture. I have lots of pictures of blank walls, etc., as my subject took off while the camera was getting ready. Forget candid shots, you can only do posed shots and pretty sunsets.
2) It eats batteries, figure a pair of AAs per "roll of film"
3) I found the power switch awkward to turn on, and eventually it broke internally. I took the camera apart and drilled a hole in the case so I could turn it on. (Nicely made inside, apart from the stupid plastic switch lever).
4) I hate the software, both the hard-to-use menu system on the camera and hps special bloatware that comes with it for the PC. Luckily they dont force you to use it, you can still transfer photos from the camera as a USB drive.
The good stuff (why it isnt a one-star)
--Very pretty pictures, if you succeed in getting your shot
--The video feature is great, easy to use, and partially makes up for the overall slowness of the camera.
On: 2006-12-27
This camera was a big disappointment to me, I thought theyd gotten better over the past several years since my first digital camera.
Worst problems:
1) It takes several seconds to power up, and then another second or so to actually take a picture. I have lots of pictures of blank walls, etc., as my subject took off while the camera was getting ready. Forget candid shots, you can only do posed shots and pretty sunsets.
2) It eats batteries, figure a pair of AAs per "roll of film"
3) I found the power switch awkward to turn on, and eventually it broke internally. I took the camera apart and drilled a hole in the case so I could turn it on. (Nicely made inside, apart from the stupid plastic switch lever).
4) I hate the software, both the hard-to-use menu system on the camera and hps special bloatware that comes with it for the PC. Luckily they dont force you to use it, you can still transfer photos from the camera as a USB drive.
The good stuff (why it isnt a one-star)
--Very pretty pictures, if you succeed in getting your shot
--The video feature is great, easy to use, and partially makes up for the overall slowness of the camera.
by: Anonymous On: 2006-12-26
I received this camera for christmas, and I couldnt be happier. I love the fact that you can also take video clips, and all my cousins were all over this camera on christmas. It seems durable, and I can amaze my family with the red-eye removal on the camera. All you do is select the picture with the red-eye, and no-red eye is just a click away! The different modes are awesome, but beware, this camera eats up batteries! Recharable batteries would be nice, unless you like changing your batteries every few days depending on how often you use the camera(I used it all day christmas day and had to change the batteries once :O !)
On: 2006-12-19
Bought an HP Photosmart R717 in the summer of 2005 for $324.74. 4 months after the camera warranty was up and after minimal usage the camera was displaying: 0000000F-10FB-1BD-024 Error Message, on the display screen.
When I called HP about getting my camera repaired I was told that it would be too expensive to repair. I was informed it would cost around $200.00 dollars to receive most likely a refurbished replacement camera, with only a 3-month warranty.
After trying the replacement camera for 15 days I was then to send my old camera back as partial payment for the replacement camera.
I told HP no thanks, because they had already gotten enough money from me.
On: 2006-11-20
I bought this for my 15 year old as a gift. I liked it so much I went out and bought another for me. It doesnt compare to my 10x optical zoom on my much more expensive camera but this is a great little cam! Its wonderful for taking pictures of toddlers in action, the mode for beach/snow is very handy, and the playback on video is terrific. Im a happy camper. The much smaller size for me is also a benefit. Youll definately want to get some rechargeable batteries.
On: 2006-11-10
I wanted a simple camera to replace an older digital camera. My husband takes this fising and hunting so I wanted to get him something that was reliable but that wouldnt cost a fortune if he dunked it in the bay or dropped it in the mud.
Works great for what we bought it for!
On: 2006-11-06
I bought this camera as a replacement for a different camera that had dropped and broke. This camera is better then the previous. It is easy to use, and takes wonderful pictures. It is not too small, not too big, and overall just a good piece of equiptment for a beggining photographer. The only thing that I dont like about the camera is that when youre taking a picture, if the screen is not on to look at, you cant really see exactly what is going to be in the "Square" of the picture, because there is no little window, or view finder, whatever you call it, to look through. So if the lcd panel isnt on, you have to sort of guess as to if your holding the camera in the right position.
On: 2006-11-06
Fue excelente la realización de mi compra, todos los trámites fueron bastante expeditos. Gracias Amazon
On: 2006-09-28
I bought this camera 4 months ago. The on/off switch no longer works and the camera is a piece a trash now. I contacted HP support. Unfortunitely, it only came with 90-day warrenty. So I was offered to pay $115 to exchange for a used one, imagine that!. That ends my desire of buying any product from HP.
So make sure purchase entended warrenty!!!
On: 2006-09-25
I recieved this camera as a birthday present. Its great if you want a starter point and shoot, but folks should be aware of the following features. 1. you have almost no control over the image settings, the autofocus is pretty good, but you dont have many other options. 2. There is no manual view finder (i.e. no hole to look through). You have to use the digital display as viewfinder, which is a little frustrating when you are almost out of batteries. 3. The shutterlag is terrible. Unless you are very very steady, the pictures will be blurry. On the upside, its relatively cheap, it does take decent pictures, its VERY easy to use, and doesnt eat batteries. The shutterlag issue drove me bonkers, and Ive switched to the sony cybershot.
by: Anonymous On: 2006-08-16
I got this camera about 4 weeks ago. Ive been using it as much as possible and I like it. Its easy to use, almost point and shoot. I have limited knowledge in photography, so this is good for me.
The LCD screen shows pictures in great detail, and even keeping it on all the time battery life is pretty good. Video is saved as AVI: quality is fine, but very big in file size.
I love taking pictures of the fish in my aquarium, so the macro setting is used the most. It works fine provided you have enought light.
3x optical zoom works fine. digital zoom is never used by me.
On: 2006-08-13
We wanted a simple, easy to use digital camera and the guy at Circuit City recommended this one. We just took it on our trip and while it worked ok, I wish we wouldve shelled out a little more and gotten a better camera.
My major complaint is that the shutter lag is awful. Scenic shots came out great, but almost anything with people came out fuzzy. Also, we had to replace the batteries twice in five days which was a hassle. I think were going to return it and get something else.
On: 2006-07-19
I really liked this camera! Enough to buy it twice. I purchased this camera in March 2006 and it had an unfortunate collision with the concrete garage floor. The lens automatically comes out when the camera is on and it happened to fall right on the lens (My husbands fault). I had him go out the next day and buy another I was that impressed with the clear photos. This time (July 2006)it had another close encounter with a carpeted floor from a one foot distance, again the camera was on and the lens was out. It hit the floor with a satisfying thud. (My fault). SO EXCEPT FOR THE FRAGILE LENS, I would like to purchase this camera again because of its ease of use and clarity of photos except WERE TOO CLUMSY!
On: 2006-07-19
I bought this camera for my parents - who are not tech / gadget lovers, to put it mildly.
It is very easy to use, the automatic mode is fine most of the time, the power and zoom buttons is a little fiddly, not something I noticed until I was giving the parents the "how to use it" lesson! This is not to say that they are difficult, just that some people might find them hard to use. It does what it is designed to do.
The photos are clear and sharp, colour reproduction is Ok - sometimes colours are more vibrant than in real life, but mostly this is subtle enough to just make the photos more intersting and visually appealing. (Peoples skin looks better - so it can be quite flattering!!!!) 5MP is easily enough for good quality prints and enlargements. With a 1/2 Gb card, you can just set the default to the highest quality and forget about it. It will store 100s of photos in that format.
The body feels a little plastic - I have a Canon Power shot SD500 which feels a lot more solid, (but cost about $200 more) and the time lag between taking shots is a little longer with the HP (with flash - can be 2 - 3 seconds), but I think that it is a great buy for the price.
AA batteries are great - especially for people who might be prone to forgetting to charge a battery for that special event.
The main reason why I didnt give it 5 stars was that I did not like the software that came with it. Editing the photos an rotating photos to display appropriately was not intuitive. Certainly not when compared to the software that came with the Canon. Admittedly, I did not spend a lot of time with the software, so maybe I just didnt see the obvious..........
I got a Kingston 512 MB Secure Digital Card (SD/512)for about $14 - and I am delighted with it. I cant believe the price of SD memory in the US. (Im from Europe - I would expect to pay easily 3 - 4 times that in Europe). It works, theres not a lot else to say about it. Its not a high speed card, but with this camera, a high speed card would be a waste (I put a high speed card into it from my Canon and it didnt make a noticeable difference to the time lag between shots, so I assume it is the processor that is the main cause of the delay).
If you buy it, get rechargable batteries, also - the bag they suggest is expensive... I got a Targus bag (Targus DLUC02 Universal Camera Leather Case - Black ) which does the job - it does make it too big to fit in your pocket - but you will want space to carry round the extra batteries!!!!
In conclusion, this is a very very good first time digital camera. The downsides are the feel of the camera (plastic) and the lag required between shots. It is heavy on batteries, but given that there are rechargable batteries on the market - that doesnt matter so much. I didnt think the software supplied was good, but I note that others think it is, so maybe I didnt give it enough time.
Would I buy it for my parents again? Yes.
On: 2006-07-03
This camera is very user-friendly for people who are the average amount of tech-savvy. Its my first digital camera, and the quality and clarity of images is perfect for my needs. Im not nor do I aspire to be a professional photographer, so something like this camera - which is affordable and of decent quality - is perfect for taking photos when out with friends, etc.
Only thing negative Id have to say about it is that the batteries run out quickly. But, it takes AA, so theyre not hard to find if youre out somewhere and the batteries run out.
If youre looking for a good camera thats easy to use and takes great photos for your non-professional photography needs, this is the camera for you.
On: 2006-06-16
Being digital camera ignorant, I purchased this camera on the advice of a store clerk. So far, so good. We have had no problems at all with the M425. It has been durable, relaible, and everything we need. My only complaint is that it eats AA batteries, but for all I know that may be the case for all digicams.
On: 2006-06-02
Its a pretty good camera, I havent had it for more then a month now so I cant tell you if it breaks easily. I kind of regret buying it only because I feel I shouldve spent the extra and got a cannon power shot. Honestly though this is not a bad camera, you get what you paid for. WARNING: The one thing I HATE about it is that there is no audio (sound) when you play back a video on the camera. There is only sound when you put it on a computer. Besides this, it does what it is suppose to do.
On: 2006-06-01
Its easy to use right out of the box, no complicated menus for the first time digital camera buyer. I purchased this one for my son as a graduation present and hes been snapping good quality prom and senior week pictures with ease. Its not going to blow your hair back but for the money its a quality small camera to carry around.
Only downside is that you have to open the battery compartment to access the SD card, quite a "PITA" if you ask me, so it only gets a 4 rating.
On: 2006-05-13
This is an excellent camera. Its auto focus and exposures are perfect. It appears well-made and durable, as these things go. The HP Photosmart software is also very good. This camera does everything its supposed to do. I think the price is reasonable. I have no idea how good HP support for this camera is because, so far, setup, function, and photo transfers have been flawless.
On: 2006-05-13
On my last trip inside USA, I found myself without a good camera. I went on and on, looking for a camera with an acceptable price-quality relation. I found it with the HP M425 digital camera, and so far, I think its a very good choice.
On: 2006-04-24
This is a great camera.
5 MP is good enough for some very high-quality pictures and its a great step-up from my old camera in terms of quality.
Although my one problem is that the interface for settings and other options is a bit slow and clunky. Other than that, its a great camera for casual photography!
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