Agfa's new ePhoto 1680 presents itself in a rather striking "Star Trek" type package. The large lens, with a 3X optical zoom and flash, is attached to a swivel mount on the left of the camera body and can rotate through 285 degrees.

The lens front is threaded (46mm) allowing accessory filters and attachments such as close-up lenses to be mounted. No lens cap is provided.

The controls of the ePhoto 1680 are some of the best we have seen. A rotary wheel (pictured at left) handles three basic functions: record, playback and off. Both the REC and PLAY modes immediately turn on the LCD screen, which displays the Agfa logo while the camera boots up in approximately 7 secs.

The shutter release, a big orange button, is located at the front of the portion housing the LCD screen. However, it is placed a little too far away from the edge to fall under the index finger easily.

The second smaller control on the same side as the ON-OFF switch, which Agfa refers to as the "Easy Pilot", provides access to the menus and functions of the ePhoto 1680 (see Interface section). One more button, with a plus and minus signs at each end, controls the zoom, and forward and backward image review. The zoom itself is gradual, going from the 35mm focal length equivalent of 38mm through to 114mm. The zoom's range is really excellent and provides true telephoto at the 114mm end.

Connections for serial, power and video out are provided for and covered by a hinged door on the rear of the body. The door opens by gently pressing it on the hinged side. We found it to open too easily when simply picking up the camera.