HP Photosmart R937 review

Performance
Speedy in both shutter lag and shot-to-shot time, the R937 impressed us in our tests. After a scant 1.2-second pause from power-on to first shot, we could take a new photo every 1.5 seconds with the onboard flash disabled.

With the flash turned on, that wait increased to a still-respectable two seconds. The shutter lagged only 0.5 seconds with our high-contrast target and just one second with our low-contrast target. Only burst mode seemed to falter, taking just three shots in 2.2 seconds for a mediocre rate of 1.4 frames per second.

Unless you only shoot in broad daylight at ISO 100, you're going to be sorely disappointed by the R937's image quality. Noticeable levels of noise crop up as early as ISO 200, and get significantly worse as sensitivity rises. By the time you reach the camera's maximum at ISO 1,600, grain utterly consumes all detail and mutes all the colours in your picture.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T20

1.3

1.3

0.4

HP Photosmart R847

1.3

1.9

0.5

HP Photosmart R937

1.5

1.2

0.5

Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS

1.7

1.2

0.5

Conclusion
If not for the noise, the R937's photos would look good. Fine details appear relatively crisp, colours look neutral and balanced, and photos remain almost completely free of distortion. Unfortunately, you'll only notice these qualities at ISO 100 and, at best, ISO 200.

The HP Photosmart R937's well-designed touchscreen interface and quick performance make it a very tempting camera, but we simply can't overlook its extreme noise levels. Though the camera is great to shoot with, the photos you're left with are often barely usable.

Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday