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AGFA presents the next generation of digital cameras:
Agfa’s new ePhoto 1280 is the first digital camera on the market to offer consumers and SOHO users professional results at a competitive price. At £549 (plus VAT) this point and shoot camera contains features not generally available on sub £1000 models including anti red eye flash, swivel track view finder and an LCD back. Available from the beginning of September, the 1280 represents a huge advance in digital image capture and is certain to provide a realistic alternative to film-based cameras.
The new ePhoto 1280 is the second digital camera in the ePhoto product family and joins the award winning ePhoto 307 which set a precedent in supplying a professional yet affordable solution to digital capture and image manipulation.
Unlike the ePhoto 307, the 1280 has a clear two inch LCD colour display that allows both previewing and playback. The camera design also incorporates the FlashTrack swivel which allows photographers to take the best pictures from almost any angle with the least amount of effort.
Ideal for both business and home use, users can use the ePhoto 1280 as a simple point and shoot camera or take advantage of the camera’s many adjustable features to take the best possible shot. The camera’s advanced controls allows consumers to manually adjust the flash and focus, set the aperture and shutter speed.
The accompanying Agfa PhotoWise software allows full colour management of the captured images, allowing users to edit the contrast and colour of the images as well as manipulate the images in a multitude of ways. The pictures can then be printed on a colour printer, emailed across the world or easily incorporated into presentations with the bundled PhotoGenie software. The software also allows the images to be built into web pages or personal photo albums on the home PC.
Powered by four AA batteries the ePhoto 1280 uses a 810, 000 square pixel CCD that captures images in fantastic detail with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels. Pictures can be taken at three resolutions (1280 x 960, 1024 x 768 and 640 x 480) within five quality settings including the ability to interpolate pictures to 1.2 million pixels for maximum print quality. Together with 30 bit colour depth, the 1280 is capable of taking wonderfully detailed colour photographs.
The camera comes with an upgradeable 4M SmartMedia card that slides into the back of the unit and allows JPEG storage of between six and sixty pictures depending upon the selected resolution and quality mode. Unusual for cameras costing under £1000 camera the 1280 contains a 3x optical zoom lens as well as a video out port (NTSC or PAL). The zoom lens gives the equivalent of a 38 - 114mm range with a 35mm camera and an advanced four mode flash gives the user greater control and helps reduce the problem of red eye.
The Agfa-Gevaert group is a leading worldwide manufacturer of imaging products and systems, with annual worldwide sales of $4.5 billion. Agfa manufactures and markets products and systems for the electronic and photographic prepress, medical and technical diagnostic, PC and Mac, and amateur and professional photographic markets. Headquartered in Europe, Agfa is wholly owned by Bayer AG, the international chemical and health care company based in Leverkusen, Germany, one of the world’s 50 largest industrial concerns. Visit Agfa on the World Wide Web at: http://www.agfahome.com
AGFA Company background
Agfa-Gevaert was originally formed in 1964 by the merger of two leading European photographic companies, the first EEC merger across borders. It is now the World’s leading European owned photographic company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational chemical company, Bayer. Although well known for its photographic film and paper, Agfa has its core business in industrial and commercial markets.
Imaging technology in the 1990’s involves a complex combination of the best that chemistry and electronics can offer. Agfa, with a long tradition in conventional photographic processes, has also made huge investments in research into digital imaging and the company has also successfully developed hybrid systems for many of its markets.
