HP 612 2.3 MP Digital Camera with 2x Optical Zoom

Don't be misled. This camera comes with nothing....no box, no instructions, no owners's manual, no strap, no batteries as indicated on the description. I'm sending mine back.

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 won't be HP!

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. It's good when it works and awful when it doesn't.

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

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 don't 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 don't 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 it's really dark, they come out blueish - a thing that can be repaired in PhotoShop and... it's ok, as it's 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 don't 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: you've got quality, good colours, optical zoom, easy shooting, fast downloading, and all for the lowest price you can find!