In the ePhoto 1680, Agfa has built upon their earlier experience with the ePhoto 1280, and boosted raw sensor resolution to create a 1.3 megapixel camera with higher apparent resolution than the pixel count would normally indicate. At the same time, they’ve addressed a number of issues of interest to serious photographers, including both aperture- and shutter-priority metering, and a unique approach to external-flash support. Its combination of high resolution, excellent image quality, and flexible exposure modes should interest photographers who may have dismissed digital cameras previously due to a lack of flexibility or control. At the same time, its ease of use and strong ergonomics will appeal to first-time picture-snappers.

The 1680 is a true megapixel (1,228,800 pixels to be precise) camera with a 1280 x 960 CCD, compared to the 1280’s 1024 x 768 (786,432) pixels. Software can still be used to interpolate upwards, now to 1600 x 1200, using PhotoGenie to remove artifacts such as those which come from JPEG compression. The 1680 is also much faster at capturing and storing images. Although the 1280 was painfully slow between images it nonetheless won many accolades, including Best Buy from ‘Which?’ in August 1998. Thanks to its swivel zoom lens, both the ePhoto1280 and 1680 may be used to shoot above the head (without ladders), or right down to ground level (without dry-cleaning bills).

The 1680 is a swivel-lens camera, closely resembling the earlier ePhoto 1280, with the lens/flash unit on the left-hand side, and the 2″ LCD viewfinder panel on the right-hand “body” portion of the camera, which also houses the batteries and major electronic components. The “FlashTrack” swivel zoom lens can rotate through 280 degrees, allowing even self-portraits while viewing the LCD monitor. As the name suggests, the flash bar rotates along with the lens, to illuminate the subject regardless of where the lens happens to be pointing. Its design encourages a two-fisted grip, which increases picture-taking stability. (A single-handed (right-handed) grip is possible, but only if you have rather large hands.) A decided plus is the inclusion of 46mm filter threads on the lens, for attaching close-up lenses and other accessories.

Specifications:

Resolution
Four resolution modes:
1600 x 1200 (1.9 million pixels) with PhotoGenie technology,
1280 x 960 pixels,
640 x 480 pixels (VGA), and
text (1280 x 960 b/w)

CCD Resolution
1.3 M (1343 x 972) pixels

Removable Storage
8 MB (3.3V) SSFDC SmartMedia™ memory card
compatible up to 32 MB SmartMedia memory

Lens
Auto and manual focus with macro
- Lens aperture range: F/2.8 (wide) - 4.7 (telephoto)
- Lens focal length: 34 -102 mm (35 mm equivalent)
- Lens focal range: normal: 80 cm - infinity macro: 20 cm - 80 cm- Auto focus 3x continuous optical zoom with macro (38 - 114 mm); plus 2x digital zoom in VGA mode

Interface
Serial cable for PC (included)
Serial cable adapter for Macintosh (included)
Video cable for TV (PAL and NTSC)

 

This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 6:07 am and is filed under Agfa ePhoto. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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