The
Agfa's ePhoto CL50 presents itself in a traditional
point and shoot form, but with a decidedly "design"
touch. A curved front and back, including the LCD screen,
combine to give the camera a very clean and functional
look.
The 3X zoom lens is flush with the front of the camera
when the camera is turned off, and extends 1.5cm (0.5")
past the front when the camera is activated. The lens
is of the same design as the one found on the Epson
750 Zoom: spring-loaded, it can be pushed back into
the camera without damaging it. No lens cap or lens barrier
system is provided to protect it.
A
hinged door, above the LCD
screen, provides a solar assist for the screen.
This effective system allows the screen to be more visible
when it is used outside in daylight. The door acts as
a switch for the fluorescent backlight of the screen,
turning off the light when opened. Generally, solar assist
systems add to the space required for the LCD screen,
and in many cases, add to the thickness of the camera.
However, the advantages they provide, reducing power consumption
and improving legibility, make them worthwhile.
The
optical viewfinder is large enough for use with glasses,
provides parallax marks, and a hairline cross indicating
the autofocus area. Since the viewfinder is placed immediately
above the lens, its parallax
error is limited to the vertical, and only becomes pronounced
when the camera is used in macro mode. An LED, situated
on the left of the viewfinder, glows red when the camera
is processing an image, and green when ready. It is not
used to indicate autofocus lock.
The
zoom lens
is controlled by a rocker switch placed on the upper right
of the camera's back. While its location is practical,
the thumb rests on it when holding the camera, but its
small size makes it somewhat difficult to use.
Directly below the zoom control, a three position switch
serves to turn on the camera, and to play back recorded
images. Again, this is a very small switch, and getting
it to the desired position involves care. The other buttons
are used to get information about camera and image settings,
move up or down through the menus, and confirm selections
made.
By
a quirk of design, the four buttons on top of the camera
(used to change basic camera functions) are completely
unmarked. From left to right, the first button controls
macro mode
and self-timer. The second selects Quick review,
which allows the immediate discard of an unwanted image,
or the addition of a voice memo. The third cycles through
flash options, and finally, the last changes image resolution.
Labels would have been nice...
The
CL50 can record short voice annotations along with the
pictures. The annotation is recorded after a photo has
been taken. With the camera in playback mode, the
picture is selected and the menu called up. Once the recording
option is selected, the recording is started by pressing
the OK button. Up to 10 seconds of audio can be
appended to an image. Sound can also be added to an image
if the Quick review function is pre-selected prior
to taking the photo. Immediately after the photo, the
camera displays the image captured and a menu. One of
the options presented is "Voice memo". Since
the image is only shown for a few seconds, the user needs
to be quick to select the correct option.
Agfa continues using SmartMedia
memory cards with the CL50, as it has with its other
digital cameras. The card is located in a side compartment
of the body, but is frustratingly difficult to extract.
This a design problem we had observed on other Agfa models,
and which remains un-addressed. The space provided to
pinch the card and remove it is completely inadequate,
whatever the size of the user's fingers. A pressure release
system, such as the one used on many other cameras, would
be infinitely better.
