Agfa ePhoto 1280

This was my first venture into the digital camera world, and I was quite impressed. The swivel-lens allowed me to adjust the LCD's angle for better viewing in bright lighting. The write-times were slow, but it did allow for a thorough examination of the picture. Everything is worked from a small scroll wheel on the side and the LCD's menu, which is a very simple and effective setup. The pictures were clear, although the battery life was short, due to the LCD being the only viewer option. The autofocus did a good job even in low light and difficult shots. The 3x optical zoom lens was a real asset for the 1280.

Swivel lens allows interesting shots that would be difficult otherwise. Has an effective anti-redeye flash mode. Well-protected SmartMedia hatch. Very few buttons to figure out. Very rugged.

Comes with a mere 4MB of memory. Long write times after each picture taken. Medium-resolution pictures at best (solved by the new 1680). LCD is only viewfinder, and sucks batteries.

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Everything worked as it should, so I did not need to talk to a CS rep.

I submitted a request for a digital camera to use in my work at the time that the low end cameras were around $300. Our IT department picked the Agfa 1280e which was the top rated camera three years ago (at a cost of $1200 Canadian). I carried the camera in my strong jacket pocket for three years using it when I needed to. Images were always consistent. Recycle time a bit slow, but the camera worked in every kind of environment and condition indoors and out. The swivel feature was great for awkward shots, and the macro feature was a must in my work (urban entomology). Recently, the camera was taken over by the department because others were clamoring to have use,, so I went out shopping to buy one for myself.. I looked at a few and did some review checks here in price range. At $200 less than newer cameras -- and with some better features (optical zoom and the numerous options), I bought a new one (now three years old technology) for $397.. I was tempted by some newer and shinier models, but at the price, it was a great buy. I also picked up an 8 meg smart media card for another $44 doubling the number of shots (12 at highest resolution, 32 at medium which is great for work purposes) I am thinking of another two to three years of use before I move up to a newer model. By then I can use the Agfa as a macro camera on a tripod stand to capture images of insects or even give it to my daughter for her use.

- good optics - versatile (many features) - very reasonable cost at this time - durable (used for three years)

- slow recycle time.. autoshut off sometimes a hassle, but saves batteries - limited memory capacity 8 meg smart media max

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I've owned my Agfa 1280 for approx. 1 years now and love it. Prior to purchasing it I did some checking on the net for other user reviews which were of great help. This camera is well worth the price I paid (which was less than retail, but, if I had to do it again I'd paid full retail price for it). I've had great success in producing 8x10's with this camera in combination with Photoshop and my Epson 800 printer. All my nieces and nephews love it to! Hook this baby upto your TV/VCR point at a bunch of kids and let the funny faces and mayhem begin! I've used this camera for both professional apps and personal. Clients love to hear I have it! Used it for take shots of clothing, fabric, condos, b&bs, model kits, skis and much more. Check out my Hobbies page...many of the photos on this page were taken with my Agfa 1280.

Easy to use Crisp Clear images With the swivel lense, shoot at difficult angles. Great flash Multi-functional

The on-off dial is in bad location and as a result turns on by accident very easily. Preview screen is hard to see outside.

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Have not had the need for any customer service to date.

I purchased an ePhoto 1280 in November 1997 for my employer and have never regretted my choice (and neither has anyone else). We have taken well over 1,000 photos with the camera and it has yet to fail. Aside from the battery requirements (NIMH rechargeables highly recommended or lithium for maximum performance), we have never had any problems with the camera. To be quite honest, I never expected the camera to last as long as it has (2 1/2 years) in our industrial environment. We are a river terminal on the lower Mississippi River and we use the camera to document the different ships and cargo we load and unload, among other things. Discounting for operator error (like shooting into the sun), the camera always delivers great exposure, focus and overall image quality. This is also worth noting because we have consistent results, regardless of who is the photographer. Sometimes a guy who was just operating a Caterpillar D10 tractor will be the one given the camera to take pictures. We shoot almost all of our photos on the 1024-HI setting, not the 1280 setting, but people are still amazed at the image quality. We frequently e-mail photos to our customers and they are constantly praising the quality of the images. Many also usually ask what kind of digital camera we are using because they don't get similar results from their cameras. I don't think there are any 1.3 megapixel and maybe not even some 2 megapixel cameras that can match the ePhoto 1280's optics. Although there are obviously many cameras available with much higher resolutions now, the ePhoto 1280 was and still is a great digital camera.

Great optics Great image quality Accurate LCD viewfinder Accepts add-on filters (46mm) High level of manual control

Processing time between shots Shutter lag Battery hog

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Not needed

I purchased this digital camera on the advice of a salesperson. He told me that many educators had purchased them and that it was very easy to use. The camera was definitely easy to start to use and is lots of fun with kids. (They like seeing the picture right away.) Overall, because I was able to get the camera at a deep discount (lower than 400), I felt that it was a good deal (over a year ago).

The camera would be useless without the zoom. The zoom is easy to use and is very responsive. It's great to see picture right away on a clear screen. You can get a thumbnail of 9 pictures to review and can go directly to the picture of your choice.

The batteries are difficult to get in and out and the little piece came off within a few months. The charger is hard to use and I've now switched to using a dual purpose charger (nickel plus alkaline) rather than the free charger included. It's slow to get into picture taking mode, slow to register after depressing the button, and then displays the photo for quite a while before it is refreshed for the next picture.

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