Compare Prices : HP PhotoSmart 850

Review summary: The HP PhotoSmart 850 has a huge protruding lens, and a fairly fast-responding display and a clever feature that turns off either the viewfinder or the LCD if not required (depending on which one you're using at the time).

Verdict: Functions like video recording and review are available and offer a variable volume level in playback mode. The optical viewfinder's response was strangely slower than the LCD panel on the back of the unit, and although a little more power consumptive ...

Pros: Powerful 8X zoom lens ; logical, straightforward menu system ; solid ergonomics ; reasonably priced

Cons: Slow performer ; records JPEG files only ; limited accessory compatibility ; some compression artifacts in images

Verdict: Its big zoom lens and 4-megapixel resolution come at a reasonable price, but its slow performance may tax your patience.

Review summary: It is a feature-packed camera with a large zoom lens. It also offers enough manual and automatic options to allow nurturing from novice to advanced users.

Pros: 8x optical zoom ; proximity sensor on viewfinder ; pretty good feature set

Cons: Quite heavy with batteries in ; lens cap ; full use of the dial is not exploited ; only 16MB included

Review summary: This 4MP camera has an 8x zoom and produces vivid and crisp photos. With a wide range of features including video and audio capture, the Photosmart 850 will entice anyone seeking a quality digital camera at a reasonable price.