Agfa ePhoto CL20

Not long ago, spending £200 on a digital camera was no guarantee of quality images. So the Agfa ePhoto CL20 represents a significant step forward with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels, easily enough for quality pictures, for a mere £152.

The highest resolution is more than adequate for printing a 6in x 4in photograph, so picture quality will only deteriorate if it's significantly enlarged. With a decent printer, you can look forward to seeing sharp pictures at standard photo size.

The camera has three resolution settings: low, medium and high. The 1Mb of on-board memory can store 30, 10 and six images at each of these respective resolutions. This is not a lot, especially as the low resolution offers an image that isn't really worth keeping.

For quality images, you need to be taking pictures at the medium or high resolution and storing only six at a time is not entirely satisfactory. The camera does, however, have a CompactFlash slot, which allows you to add more memory.

The best destination for your pictures is the bundled Photowise image editing application that has some features that would embarrass many apparently more advanced applications. There is a range of filters such as blur/sharpen, plus standard image manipulation tools such as contrast and saturation.

The most impressive thing about the camera is the software bundled with it and there are several gems. Some are quite advanced tools, such as the ability to create a panorama and remove the red eye effect caused by flash photography. Add to this the capability to shoot your own mini videos and you have a formidable package for a bargain price.

The software is, however, somewhat cumbersome to set up. We recommend that you set up each application individually, with a restart between each.

Features:

• Built-in flash
• Self timer
• Maximum resolution 1280 x 960 pixels
• 1Mb of internal memory
• CompactFlash Type 1 slot
• Doubles as webcam
• Comprehensive software package.

Contact: Agfa
020 8231 4903
www.agfa.com