Summary: I got it second hand via the net and so far (6 months) i had no problems with it , exept with downloading :
maybe it's because my pc is to fast but each time when i'm downloading the pictures from the 780 to my pc (with serial port use) , I get communication error's between the two al the time ...
so I have to stay near-by the key-board when I want to proceed the downloading (otherwise he stops eachtime ...)
The picture quality is not the best but for the price I've paid for it (125 $) it's acceptable .
The only thing I'd wood like to have on this one is a zoom ...
And when you use the 780 , you'll need plenty of back-up power , I've bouth 2 set's (2 X 4 AA) rechargebals with 1500 mA capacity each and now I can take at least 100 pictures with flash on (and LCD off !)
Also I got 2 extra cards (2 X 8 MB) to avoid memory-problems on a holiday trip ...
Tom...
Summary: I bought the 780 in January 1999 and sold it in May. It was my first digital and I was attracted by the relatively low price ($249 then, $179 now..oh well), and the (suppossed) high resolution. Since I didn't have anything to compare it to I was very happy with it initially. But as I used it more and more I was dissatisfied with the grainyness of the photos and the need for very bright light to get good pictures. I have since bought a 1.3 megapixel Panasonic PV DC-2090 and am much happier.CONCLUSION If you really can't afford more than $179 go ahead and buy it, but you get what you pay for. I recommend buying AT LEAST a 1 megapixel camera (around $400),otherwise you'll probably just end up selling yours too.
Summary: The Agfa 780 was my first digital camera. I bought it on sale for $200. It seemed like a great deal. However, I found the photos I took inside were very orange and the outside photos were strangely odd with white edges around items. I took a picture of my white deck furniture, because I'm trying to sell it. The white furniture came out pink. Almost every photo I took needed to be edited with a photo editing program, which is a nusiance. I don't mind teaking an occasional photo, but not most of them.One of the features of the camera that attracted me was the pixel resolution of 1024 x 768. It wasn't until after I got the Agfa 780 and was disappointed in the photo quality that I discovered that this resolution was achieved through interpolation from the lower 640 x 480 resolution. Frankly, the lower resolution photos looked better, as long as you didn't enlarge them too much.The camera's menus and the PhotoWise software were fine, although after I decided to return the camera, I had a hard time getting my JPGs linked to a different software program after I removed PhotoWise.On the whole, I was very disappointed in the camera. I returned it after 5 days. It's only virtue was that I got a better sense of what I wanted in my next digital camera. I bought a Kodak DC 240. I'm a much happier with this new camera (poorer maybe, but happier).Jan
Summary: This camera is just what I wanted. I like the size and the feel. I like how it works and the price. $200 on sale. What I don't like is the manufacturer. The first camera took blury pictures. Returned it for exchange- no more in stock. I waited for them to get more in. Too long- got my money back. Second try. Went to Fry's got the camera and brought it home. The LCD on top of the camera did not work. This tells you state of battery charge, resolution, pictures left...dead. Took it back for exchange and they had one left. This time I took the new one out of the box in front of the returns guy and checked it. LCD screen dead again. 3 times and 100 miles driving- struck out. They are coming out with a new model to replace this one and I think they are sweeping parts off the floor to get rid of them. Kiss off AGFA you wasted my time.
Rating Reviewed by: Franz Honer(Unregistered User)
(Intermediate)
Review Date May 27, 1999
Overall Rating 3 of 5
Review 5 of 10
Summary: Intro: This is long, I couldn't help but ramble on. Hopefully you will find this info useful, and I won't mind if you email me to ask a question or two. Read on:We got our original Agfa 780 last October. It had a problem with the way it used batteries, so we exchanged it for a different one. It was a serious pain-in-the-butt to get the DOA forms because the people at Agfa really didn't know their own policies, and there were a couple of offices to deal with. That was the worst thing about the camera... not well supported. Overall, I think the camera has been a good value. We bought ours from Best Stop Digital in New York. I don't think they have the greatest service, but they DID have the lowest price, and that was important because others were asking significantly more for the same camera. So, we paid $327 at the time, plus some accessories, and now they are down to about $209 for the camera. The picture quality varies widely depending on conditions. The worst pictures are indoors with poor lighting. The flash is not that great because it bleaches objects less than a few feet away and its effectiveness decreases past 15 feet or so. If there is good lighting in the room then the flash does OK usually, and sometimes the pictures come out pretty well. But usually they are grainy, and if the room is pretty dark sometimes you can hardly see anything at all. Also, the pictures sometimes develop yellow tints to them, or are a little off-color in some other way. Nothing that can't be adjusted using decent photo software (on that subject, the Photowise software that comes with the camera is OK but pretty slow). Outdoor pictures usually come out quite well. For some sample pictures, check my web site at http://members.xoom.com/coolfranz, but those have been downsized for easy downloading, so email me if you want to see some originals. The camera's highest true resolution is 640 X 480, but when you take a picture in four star mode it turns it into 1024 X 768 when you download it. On that note, it comes with a 2MB smartmedia card, you can buy another 8MB one for around $25, a good deal and worth it if you want to take quality pics because the 2MB card will only hold 12 four star pics. I really wish the camera had a zoom feature, because it seems like the subject is always too big for the frame or too far away to make out. However, you won't find any zoom lenses in this price range, so that's irrelevant. The LCD screen is almost impossible to see outside on bright days, but that's the nature of LCD screens. Battery life is pretty good on regular AA batteries. It takes 4 and they will probably take you 80 pictures or more (even with flash) provided you don't use the LCD screen as a viewfinder (I usually use it to review pictures, but only use it to frame shots when I'm using the AC adapter). I go to Ocean State Job Lot and buy alkaline AA batteries for it 6 or 8 for $2. Rechargables should do better. The AC adapter from Agfa is expensive ($40 or above), but I think that you could get by with a regular adapter like you buy at Wal-Mart or Radio Shack, provided you matched the specifications. OK, I could probably say more but I'm starting to forget what I've already said ;-) Good luckFranz Honer fhoner@hotmail.com http://members.xoom.com/coolfranz
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