HP Photosmart C618

The down side of all this automation is of course a lack of control over how the image is taken. For the perfectionist disinterested in the theory behind photography, this is a moot point. But, if you're a photography buff, you'll find the shoot controls limiting to say the least.

The Photosmart C618 has more than just advanced image automation functionality up its sleeve though. Your digital images can be on paper with less fuss than with any other camera I've looked at. There's no need to boot your PC, just point the Photosmart C618's fast IrDA interface at a Photosmart 1000/1215 or 1218 printer and your images can be beamed and printed. Called Jet Send, this system even circumnavigates the Photosmart printer's signature technology of a CompactFlash socket for direct access to your images.

So then, is Photosmart C618 a leading light in the already crowded realm of digital photography or an also-ran trying to give the impression of superiority through being a little bit different? I'd have to say, it's actually a great camera. However, there are ifs and buts. Thanks to its Jet Send functionality and advanced image automation it represents a turnkey solution to the problem of getting from image to paper with no fuss. The trade-off boils down to a loss of control over the image being taken but at £499 the Photosmart C618 is simply a great camera.

Author: Martin Cooper