most of the controls for the photosmart 715 reside in buttons on the camera body, which makes it easy and quick for novices to use. unlike with some of hp's less expensive models, the images in the lcd viewfinder move smoothly, so it's comfortable to switch between the optical viewfinder and the lcd for framing photos. the shutter button is also quick to respond, and the lens smoothly and clearly focuses the image in the lcd before you snap the shot. unlike other cameras, after you take a shot, you must tell the camera to save or delete it. as you might see on some more expensive cameras, the photosmart 715 has a diopter adjustment that changes the magnification of the viewfinder just slightly to compensate for mild near- or far-sightedness, so some people will be able to take their glasses off and still see their subjects. with a square body and black-and-silver coloring, the photosmart 715 shares the cheap plastic feel of hp's other cameras. it's heavy enough that it will be more comfortable held in two hands, though you can use one to snap a few shots if necessary. at $499, it's expensive for a camera that won't let you control the exposure. for the same price, toshiba's pdr-m71 offers several exposure settings. the photosmart won't let you focus manually, either. its printed photos were also unimpressive for a 3.3-megapixel camera. though it handled the colors on our mannequin well enough, our outdoor shot was too dark, and the camera didn't capture details well. what else: batteries lasted an average length of time, 96 minutes--or 275 shots--on one set of four aa batteries. the photosmart 715 ships with a 16mb compactflash card, which can hold up to 75 images at the lowest of the three compression levels. using an on-camera button and an lcd panel, you can select one of three compression levels. two buttons and a four-way toggle move through an easy easy to navigate menu, where you can delete photos, set the digital print order format (dpof) to select photos for printing, digitally zoom up to 4x (on top of a 3x zoom), and change the brightness of a stored image. like its less expensive counterpart, the photosmart 612, the 715 includes a basic driver for uploading, viewing, and sharing photos on the web or by e-mail. it bundles arcsoft's photofantasy, a family-oriented program that lets you combine your own pictures with any of a number of pre-created backgrounds. upshot: the photosmart 715 is easy to use, but other similarly priced cameras have more manual control and take better pictures. our one major criticism of the photosmart 715 is that it is provided with four standard aa alkaline batteries. an optional ac adapter is available, as are rechargeable batteries, but purchasing these, which are necessary if you are serious about using the camera, adds a hefty premium to the camera. still, heavy use of any digital camera is hard on batteries, which makes rechargeable cells a good idea. pro: good resolution, includes 16mb compactflash card, includes drivers and software for both windows and mac os, has diopter adjustment for optical viewfinder con: does not include rechargeable batteries there?s no doubt that hewlett packard makes excellent imaging products ? but who let it loose in the digital camera arena? the 3-megapixel photosmart 715 has all the charm and finesse of a pershing cruise missile. it?s the chieftain tank of digital cameras and feels like a brick. but it?s image quality that counts ? we?re not involved in a beauty contest. so, does the 715 have what it takes on the inside? well, it?s not bad at all. once you get past its exterior the results are pretty good. unlike the 715?s sibling, the 318, this camera does not do harsh things to the image as it compresses them into a jpeg format. the tonal gradation is pretty fair, although pixelation is just on the border of acceptable. for a point-and-shoot camera without any manual adjustments or sophistication, this camera delivers. if you want a digital point-and-shoot then you could do worse. pro record video and audio, sharper picture quality than the 4800 model con lacks the looks of other cameras "this is a digital ?instamatic? that should suit novices. downloading via usb is simple. great price"