Photosmart and "money"smart.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Pretty good value, shooting modes, video w/ sound.

Cons: Battery life could be better. Can get scratched easily.

The Bottom Line: 
I would purchase this product if you need a cheap camera, with good features, and a decent price. It has served me hundreds of pictures and I am not dissapointed.

Author's Review
1. Introduction
2. Technical Specs
3. Inside the Box
4. Still Camera Mode
5. Video Camera Mode
6. Conclusion


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1. Introduction
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I finally got a chance to purchase a fairly good-quality, low price digital camera. I decided to bite the bullet and get an HP Photosmart m525, which I purchased at my local Staples for $129.99 plus tax on sale. Before I continue the review let me provide you with some technical specs from HP:

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2. Technical Specifications
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General
Weight: 4.9 oz
Width: 3.7 in
Depth : 1.2 in
Height: 2.4 in
Main Features
Sensor resolution:6 megapixels
Light sensitivity :ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO auto
Digital zoom : 7 x
Shooting modes: Frame, movie mode
Shooting programs: Macro, Action, Sunset, Landscape, Beach/snow, Portrait mode, Night portrait
Max shutter speed: 1/1000 sec
Min shutter speed: 2 sec
Exposure metering : Center-weighted
Exposure modes: Program, Automatic
Still image format: JPEG
Continuous shooting speed: 2 frames per second
Color support: Color
Lens Systems
Type: Zoom lens
Focal length: 6 mm - 18 mm
Focus adjustment: Automatic
Lens aperture: F/2.8-4.8
Optical zoom: 3 x
Zoom adjustment : Motorized drive
Features : Built-in lens shield
Memory / Storage
Supported flash memory: SD Memory Card
Camera Flash
Type : Built-in flash
Flash modes : Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
Red eye reduction : Yes
Additional Features
Self timer : Yes
Video input features: Date/time stamp, In-camera red-eye removal
Display
Type: LCD display - TFT active matrix - 1.7 in - Color
Mounting : Built-in
Resolution : 115,200 pixels
Connections
Type : 1 x USB, 1 x Docking station
Expansion slots: 1 SD Memory Card
Miscellaneous
Cables included : 1 x USB cable

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3. Inside the Box
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Upon opening my box I had found: the camera (wrapped in protective plastic), an USB cable for connection to your PC, camera software, users manual, and startup batteries.

The startup batteries are fairly good in my case and will last you until you go out and buy those rechargable LiON batteries you should get *wink*. The USB cable connects to your camera so you can transfer pictures from the camera to your computer if you don't have a SD card reader.

The software I did NOT install because I have a SD card reader on my PC, so I am not going to review it.

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4. Still Camera mode
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After you installed your SD card and batteries you can turn your camera on. You are prompted to setup your time and date settings, after which you will be allowed to take pictures.

There is no viewscreen so you must use the LCD to aim and shoot. The first button on the left is the 'flash button'. By hitting this you may choose: Auto flash, Red eye flash, flash on, and flash off. Auto flash will fire the flash when the lens determines the lighting is not good enough for a quality picture. Red eye flash will fire multiple times in order to reduce red eye effect. Flash on will fire for ALL pictures. Flash off will not fire for ANY pictures.

The middle button is the "share" button. You use this to share pictures via your USB cable. Consult your user guide for more information (this relates to the software).

The right button is the "shoot/play" button. When the camera turns on you are automatically in "shoot" mode. When you hit this button it changes to "playback" mode and you can view all your pictures on the SD Card or internal memory. Hit this again to switch back to "shoot" mode.

The wierd looking boomerang button on the top right is the Wide/Tight zoom button. Hit the bottom left of this button to zoom out (wide) and hit the top right of this button (tight) to zoom in. After zooming in 3x (maximum optical zoom), it will stop. You can hit it again to go into digital zoom but be warned as the quality of the image drops in my opinion.

The button all the way at the bottom with the "trash" symbol is the delete button. Use this to delete a picture immediatly after taking it or anytime in playback mode.

There is then a 4-way navigation and a Menu/Ok button. Use the 4-way navigation to navigate menus and the pictures in playback mode.

Hitting the Menu/Ok mode after turning the camera on will take you to the menus. The initial menu is the "design gallery" which allows you to edit your photos with effects. Not bad for a cheap camera. To the left are the capture menus (explained below). To the right is your setup menu where you can edit display brightness, camera sounds, date/time, USB configuration, TV configuration, and language. Then again to the right is an internal help menu. Very helpful!

In the capture menu you can change your shooting mode (explained below), your image quality, your date/time imprint options, your white balance, your exposure compensation, and ISO settings.

Here is an important part: Shooting modes. You may access this by hitting Menu/Ok then go to the left and down one. OR you may just hit the UP button on your 4-way navigation from your "shoot" mode. Here you can change the way the camera takes pictures. Your options are: Auto, 10-Second Timer, Fast shot, Landscape, Portrait, Action, Night Portrait, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Burst, and Macro.

Auto mode will have the lens select the best setting while it focuses and then will take the shot. 10-second timer is self explanitory. Fast shot is ideal for fast moving subjects. Landscape is for wide outside portraits, most likely of mountians or nature. Action shot is also used for fast moving subjects but the lens settings are different from "fast shot". Night portrait is ideal for close up pictures at night (be sure to hold the camera VERRRRY steady, prefrably on a tripod). Beach/snow adjusts the white balance for bright areas. Sunset is for lower light settings. Burst takes pictures at set intervals until the camera memory is full. As long as your finger is on the button it will keep taking pictures. Macro is for extremely up close settings with good light.

This camera as you can see is very diverse.

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5. Video Camera Mode
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This camera takes video! This was a very big perk for me. All you do is hit the button behind the camera shoot button once and it will start recording video with audio. Once you start the video taking you cannot change zoom or settings. When you are done filming you hit the button again and it will register on your memory card/internal memory.

The camera will film and show the time of film left on your internal memory/card. On an empty 256MB SD card you can film about 15 minutes of video.

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6. Conclusion
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All in all, I think this camera is a very good value for all beginner photographers or people who just need a cheap camera with pretty decent features. I think that if you want something will all the bells and whistles and excellent quality step yourself up to a Nikon but be prepared to drop some serious cash.

Basically, HP makes a good digital camera for a cheap price.