HP's 7MP Photosmart compact — 3x zoom, 2.5in LCD, SD storage, AA power, 2006.
The HP Photosmart M627 was a 7-megapixel compact released by Hewlett-Packard in 2006, sitting in the middle of the Photosmart M-series alongside the M425 and M525. It was sold through supermarkets and electrical chains as an affordable family camera during HP's relatively brief push into digital cameras, which ended when the company left the market in 2007-08.
It combines a 7-megapixel CCD with an HP-branded 3x optical zoom lens, extendable to 24x combined with the 8x digital zoom, and a 2.5in LCD for framing and review. Images store to SD or MultiMediaCard alongside 16MB of internal memory. Shooting modes include Auto, Action, Beach and snow, Burst, Fast shot, Landscape, Macro, Night portrait, Portrait, Self timer and Sunset, and power comes from two AA cells, disposable or NiMH.
It is a straightforward point-and-shoot for casual family photography, with scene modes doing the deciding and little manual control. AA power and SD storage make it one of the easier mid-2000s compacts to keep running, though operation is leisurely by modern standards.
Used examples are cheap and plentiful. AA power removes charger worries, but check the battery-door catch, which takes strain on AA compacts, look for LCD scratches and dead pixels, and confirm the zoom extends without grinding. SD cards remain easy to source, though very large SDHC cards may not be recognised.