HP Photosmart 945

Performance of HP Photosmart 945

	The 945 ships with four photo-lithium AA batteries, but don't hesitate to replace them with rechargeable nickel-metal-hydride AAs. With our 1,850mAh test set, the camera delivered an adequate 350 shots, 50 percent of them with the flash.

The 945's performance is good compared with that of the other 5-megapixel mainstream cameras we've tested, though this model still isn't suited to quick shooting. It starts reasonably well, taking only about 4 seconds to get from boot to shoot. But shot-to-shot time can run as long as 4 seconds. Ironically, shutter lag isn't to blame. It's typically around 0.8 second and can stretch to 1.7 seconds under difficult focusing conditions. The delay between photos doesn't stem from the flash, either; it recycles fairly quickly. The real culprit is the lengthy updating pause of the electronic viewfinder; it blacks out for 1.5 to 2 seconds after each picture.

The EVF also interferes with continuous shooting. We obtained a 5-frame rate of almost 2.5 frames per second, but we shot blindly while the EVF and the LCD remained dark. When we tried waiting for the display to return, the numbers dropped to 1 frame every 2 seconds, which you really can't consider burst speed. On the plus side, unlike many cameras in its class, the 945 has a built-in flash that operates in burst mode. The farther you are from your subject, the longer the time between exposures, so the burst mode's flash works best close-up.

Both the EVF and the LCD show 100 percent of the image. The EVF's slow frame rate results in a slightly jumpy view, but the LCD is smoother, and the ability to adjust it for indoor and outdoor brightness levels makes it easy to use in full sunlight.