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HP PhotoSmart 912 HP and Pentax team up to make a true SLR digicam with Pentax lens, HP color wizardry, and ample features. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet PhotoSmart 912 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on PhotoSmart 912 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 3/26/2001

Image Storage and Interface
The 912 records images to a Type I or II CompactFlash card, and a 16MB card is packaged with the camera. Upgrades are available separately, however the camera is not compatible with the IBM MicroDrive. (It apparently doesn't provide power on a particular pin that the MicroDrive needs. We're not sure why HP elected to not support the MicroDrive, but power consumption is certainly one possible explanation.) The CompactFlash card inserts into the card slot with the electrodes going in first, and the front of the card facing the front of the camera. The card will not go into the camera the wrong way. A gray button next to the slot releases the card and pops it up slightly when you're ready to retrieve it.

Never remove the CompactFlash card while the camera is performing any function, to avoid damaging the media. The LED above the card slot lights red when the camera is accessing the card. The 912's status display panel reports the number of available images on the card; when a flashing "000" appears on the display panel, the memory card is full.

Entire CompactFlash cards cannot be write-protected, but the 912 allows you to protect captured images through the Review settings menu. The Edit menu (Protect submenu) can be used to write-protect individual images, or any marked images on the card, which prevents them from being accidentally deleted or manipulated in any other way (except by formatting the card). The Review menu also provides Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) printing utilities, camera-to-camera and camera-to-printer image transfer, and image search functions. The Edit menu enables you to link images by group and/or categorize them by subject (such as "Vacation" or "Pets".) The Find menu allows you to search stored images by date and category. The 618 also provides Image Stamping tools (through the Capture menu), which allow you to add text, a logo, or the date and time to an image.

The PhotoSmart 912 features JetSend infrared technology, which allows the user to "beam" one image at a time from the 912 to other JetSend devices, such as HP cameras and printers, via the infrared port. To beam a photo, you simply choose the image you'd like to send from the installed memory card (Review menu), line up the camera's infrared port so that it's no further than six inches (15cm) from the JetSend device, access the Transmit submenu, choose either the Camera-Camera or Camera-Printer option, and press the shutter button. The camera's LCD will report that it's looking for the device, then show a status bar of the image transfer once the process begins. The 912's infrared port also hosts the Digita image transfer process, which communicates to other HP Digita cameras. The Camera-Camera option of the Transmit submenu enables the camera to send and receive image files from any other Digita camera.

Three JPEG compression levels (Best, Better, and Good) and two image sizes (1,600 x 1,200 and 800 x 600 pixels) are available on the HP 618. There's also an uncompressed TIFF mode. Below are the approximate still image capacities and compression ratios for a 16MB CompactFlash card:

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality		TIFF	Best	Better	Good
High Resolution 1600x1280	Images	2	14	28	53
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	11:1	20:1
Standard Resolution 800x640	Images	10	54	96	159
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	9:1	15:1

A USB cable and two software CDs also accompany the 912, for quick connection to a PC or Mac. The 912 is a "storage class" USB device, which means that it can connect to late-model Macs and Windows Me or 2000 machines with no special driver software. Connected to our G4 Macintosh, we found the 912's USB port to be unusually fast, with a data transfer rate of 694 KBytes/second. This is pretty much at the top of the field for data transfer speeds: There'll be no need for an external memory card reader with the 912!