HP Photosmart 935 Review: Digital Photography Review

Top of camera controls

On top of the HP 935 you will find the mode dial, focus mode, flash mode, shutter release and video button. If you hold the shutter release button after taking a shot the camera will record an audio clip until you release it. Availability and easy of use appear to be HP's priority, to this extent the 935 follows the 812 by indicating settings with a row of LED's. For instance press the flash mode button and the camera cycles through the modes indicating each by the LED below the icon. The shutter release button should be fairly self explanatory, however the video button is totally unique. Press the video button at any time to begin recording a video clip (max 2 mins), very useful and very logical, one button for images, one for video clips. Kudos HP.

Camera Mode Dial

	Aperture Priority AE The HP 935's only 'manual' exposure mode, here you can choose from one of the two available apertures (depending on zoom position). Between F2.6 / F5.0 at wide angle or F4.8 / F9.0 at telephoto. Press the up / down arrows on the 4-way controller to select aperture.
	Auto Exposure The 935's automatic exposure mode, the camera will calculate the aperture and shutter speed depending on the current metered exposure, selected ISO sensitivity and exposure compensation.
	Portrait The camera uses large apertures (F2.6 - F4.8) to create a narrower depth of field (blur the background) and lower image contrast. ISO sensitivity is automatic in this mode.
	Landscape The camera uses small apertures (F5.0 - F9.0) for maximum depth of field, it also uses lower ISO sensitivities for optimum quality. ISO sensitivity is automatic in this mode.
	Action The camera tries to use the fastest possible shutter speed and higher ISO sensitivities to freeze sport action. ISO sensitivity is automatic in this mode.

Focus mode

[no light]	Normal Auto focus If none of the focus mode lights are lit the camera is in normal auto focus mode, focus range is 0.5 m - Infinity (1.6 ft - Infinity) in this mode.
	Macro Auto focus Puts the camera's auto focus system into macro mode, focus range is 14 - 70 cm (5.5 - 27.6 in) at wide angle and 40 - 70 cm (15.7 - 27.6 in) at telephoto.
	Infinity focus lock As the name implies this focus mode simply locks the focus system to focus at Infinity, useful for landscape shots where there is no clear focus subject or night landscape exposures.

Flash mode

[no light]	Auto flash In Auto flash mode the camera's flash will fire if light is below a certain level.
	Flash Off Cancel's the internal flash. Note that the longest exposure in Auto mode is 4 seconds, in Av mode this is extended to 12 seconds.
	Flash On Forces the flash to fire, useful for fill-in flash in bright outdoor and backlit situations.
	Night flash Forces the flash to fire but meters the scene as per 'Flash Off' mode, this allows you to perform a 'slow sync' flash exposure where foreground subjects are frozen by the flash and the background detail is maintained by the length of the exposure.

Rear of camera controls

The rear of the HP 935 is clean and uncluttered with a simple 'flick switch' style on/off button, lever zoom controller, 4-way controller and three buttons associated with LCD playback aligned down the right edge of the LCD monitor.

Switches / Buttons

	On / Off lever Simply 'flick' this lever to the right to power the camera on or off. If images remain in the buffer at power off the camera will shut down the LCD monitor, retract the lens but continue writing to the SD card (the indicator light above the card door will continue to flash).
	Zoom wide Zooms the focal length of the lens towards wide angle (37 mm), there are seven focal length steps from telephoto to wide angle.
	Zoom tele Zooms the focal length of the lens towards telephoto (111 mm), there are seven focal length steps from wide angle to telephoto.
	Live view The 935 differs from many other digital cameras in that it doesn't by default give you a live record view, instead you must press this button to see the live view. The camera's aggressive power saving turns off this record view after 60 seconds of inactivity.
	Playback Displays the last image taken or the last image on the SD card. Use the 4-way controller left or right to scroll between images (animated sideways slide-on). The 935's playback mode is 'shooting priority', this means that a touch of the zoom controller, shutter release or video button returns the camera to record mode.
	Share button Allows you to mark the image to be shared by print (DPOF) or online (must be first customized via a computer). If the camera isn't already in playback mode pressing this button enters that mode directly.
	4-way controller In record mode press left / right to change exposure compensation (+/-2.0 EV in 0.5 EV steps), press OK to enter the record menu. Use also to navigate menus. In playback mode press left / right to browse images, up / down to jump through images, press OK to enter the playback menu.