Others say...

"Nice Pocket Camera, Lost over my old HP727"
I purchased the R742 about two months ago, the red version. The color is very nice (it's not a magenta red like the pictures may show). The camera color doesn't matter that much though, so let's get to the real issues. Photo quality is quite good, I have no problems with graininess, lines, color issues, etc. As far as this is concerned, it is exactly what I would expect from a camera in this price bracket ($0-$250). Sure, you can't do as much with it as you could with a higher end camera or a SLR, but then again, look at the price you're paying.

Pros:
1) It is nice and small, very easy to slide into a pocket or purse to have on hand.

2) While 3x zoom (the other 7x is digital and not worth anything) is not much, it works for being a small camera and seems pretty standard.

3) The price is inexpensive, yet is a nice low-end camera.

4) The click-to-snap time is less than a second I find (i.e. the time between when I press the button, it figures out the exact focus, sets off flash, and "snaps" the shot) which is better than my prior camera which seemed to delay things longer.

5) The 7 MP is plenty for nice shots even if I want to enlarge to greater than 8 x 10.


Things I don't like, but you may, and things I find different between the R742 and my older R727:
1) The R742 power button is a bit hard to press the way it is buried. I have a medium hand size with dexterous fingers, but even I have to press it twice sometimes. The good thing about this though is you don't accidentally turn it on when it's in your pocket! However, my old R727 I sometimes turn on by accident.

2) The R742 button to switch between taking and viewing photos is a "slide" button. It seems a bit flimsy, and although I have not had a problem with it I much prefer my older HP727 that had the buttons for this on the top that you press as it is easier to toggle between the two while taking photos.

3) The lens moves out when turned on - now this is normal for a lot of cameras, but coming off of my HP727 that did not have an external lens (yet still had 3x optical, 7x digital zoom!), this has taken getting used too.

4) On my old HP727, the buttons for setting focus and flash are right on the camera, but now I have to scroll through two menus to get to this; which is annoying when I want to pull this new HP742 out for a quick shot. Now, instead of less than 2 seconds to select focus range and flash setting, it takes about 10. This is a huge difference, for example, if I see some birds, or deer, etc that I want a picture of before they fly/run off.

Summary:
Over the course of more than two years, I would think that there should be improvements on the R742 from the older versions of pretty much the same model (i.e. my old R727). In reality, the easy usability backslid in those 2+ years, and features (The 1 MP better and faster click-to-snap time) made only tiny strides. If my menu/"ok" button on the R727 constantly worked I would have returned this R742 immediately, as the above two mentioned strides do not make up for the usability issues I have with it.

I just went on HP's site, and did not find this camera nor very many others listed. I wonder if they are not going to make cameras any longer. I really like HP products; my desktop (HP D4100E from 2005 and still going strong, no problems at all), laptop (newly purchased TX2000z), printer/scanner/fax (C7280), and camera are all HP. However, this most recent purchase has me wishing I went with a Cannon, or had just waited until I have enough money for a Nikon SLR. I think HP has lost the market on their cameras, and based on their website, they know it.


"HP Camera"
This camera is incredibly easy to use. The screen is larger than most digitals cameras so it makes it easier to see what you are shooting. To download or print pictues is simple. The cameera holds almost 1700 pictures with a 2MB card so you do not need to worry about running out.

"Alright camera, marginal picture quality."
I have this camera in red. The camera itself is alright. I wish it had a viewfinder as well as the screen. I do not like how fast the screen shuts off. The picture quality is marginal. Even in the steady photo mode, the picture is real grainy. In other modes such as night mode, you have to hold the camera real steady. I tried that and my pictures came out blurry. I wish I would have read reviews before purchasing this. Its an ok camera overall.

"More than I expected"
I love this camera! It feels substantial in my hands. It isn't plastic at all. Plus you can do video with sound, which I didn't expect. This camera is extremely easy to use. There are plenty of settings, and comes with great editing software. Two thumbs up!

"Great little camera"
I have used this camera for five months and I love it. It is compact, very easy to use and I will never use another digital camera that requires double A batteries!! However, I did find out that taking timer pictures runs a battery down very quickly. No problem. It takes only an hour and a half to recharge it. This camera has MANY shooting modes and shows all the information that you need on the screen.