HP Photosmart M537 Review

Easy and convenient are the two dominant qualities of the HP Photosmart M537 digital camera. You can take great shots indoors or when you are out on an adventure with the 6-megapixel resolution. Buttons and menus are conveniently positioned and a variety of options are available to make sure that you get no blurs or discoloration. Photos are generally detailed and well-adjusted with this digital camera. Interface is relatively easy and captured images can be viewed instantly on the 2.5-inch LCD screen.

The HP Photosmart M537 digital camera allows you to have up to 4 x 6 inches of images that can balloon up to poster size with its 6-megapixel sensor. Zooming is excellent since you have 3x of optical and 6x of digital zoom giving you a total of 18x resulting in very clear and detailed distance images. Minimum and maximum resolutions are still unknown as of the moment.

This gadget has a CCD sensor size of 1/2.5 inches with optical zoom but without focal length multiplier. The zoom width measures 38 mm while telezoom measures 114 mm. The optical and digital zoom automatically focuses. Manual focus is not available. The focus range measures 30 cm while macro focus range measures 5 cm. As for flash modes, you can manually switch it on or off or automatically adjust it to fill in or remove red-eye.

The HP Photosmart M537 allows you to have automatic ISO ratings at 100, 200, 400 and 800. Aperture values range from f2.8 up to f4.8 and shutter speeds range from 1/1000 up to 1 second at a 2 frames-per-second sequence.

The M537 also includes the anti-shake feature to prevent blurs and provide you with clear and concise shots of moving objects. Beginners will most likely enjoy taking action shots because this camera focuses and adjusts accordingly even with shaky hands. Photo images are stored in JPEG mode. This camera also has PictBridge support.

The built-in flash includes center-weighted metering with exposure compensation of -2EV up to +2EV in 1/2 EV steps. The HP Photosmart M537 has automatic white balance. You can also record videos with sound having a resolution of 320 x 240. There is no voice recording feature and optical viewfinder but an electronic viewfinder is present.

Self-timer is also present. The 2.5-inch LCD display allows you to view clear and detailed images of capture shots and video playbacks. You can also capture still images from recorded videos.

As for connectivity, the HP M537 digital camera is USB connectible with video out. No Firewire or Bluetooth however. This device is relatively compact and lightweight measuring only 96 x 31 x 64 mm and weighing 142 grams. It runs on two standard AA batteries. Photo lithium or rechargeable NiMH batteries are also available.

The entire package includes the digital camera, wrist strap, two AA batteries, AV cables, USB 2.0 ultra-fast cable, travel case and user CD. You can easily link the M537 with your laptop, computer or TV to view photos and videos. You also have 16 MB of internal memory.

The interface and menu options are very user-friendly. Labels and selections are very understandable and easy to use which is why you can make the necessary adjustments to activate video or photo-shooting mode with the right image balances and tweaks.

The buttons are well-placed and comfortable to the hands so you can quickly take the camera and shoot as you please. The M537 is also readily compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista. You can label your selected photos on the 2.5-inch screen and organize even before you upload it into your computer.

Another plus for the HP Photosmart M537 is the long battery life. It allows up to three hours of video recording in intermittent sequences. Also you can take about 400 shots before it shuts down. With the battery charger, regaining power is easy and recharge time is conveniently short.

Pros: Friendly user interface, comfortable and easy-to-manage buttons and understandable menu options are the key features of the HP Photosmart M537 digital camera making it very ideal for beginners. Photo stabilizing options and red-eye and blur reduction features allow you to capture very clear shots both near and far. System compatibility is also great since you can quickly work and tag your photos on the 2.5-inch display before you link it to your TV or computer for instant viewing.

Cons: Video quality is a bit choppy and audio is nonexistent. You can’t have nice video recordings with the Photosmart M537. The plastic design may also not be suitable for all tastes although the slim and compact size with well-positioned buttons compensate at an extent. Also, there’s no optical viewfinder.

Overall: The HP Photosmart M537 digital camera is ideal for beginners. It’s quite a buy at only $129.99. You get to have the Anti-Shake technology with advantages in terms of red-eye and blur. Also, focusing and zooming are great allowing you to take clear and detailed shots at a distance. The interface and menu labeling system are very convenient especially for those who have a problem with setups and adjustments. The plastic design may not be considered stylish by everyone but overall, it’s a convenient and decent digital camera.

Attached Images

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