Agfa ePhoto CL30

The first menu option allows you to set the resolution for the Record mode. Choices are P-GENIE (1440 x 1080 interpolated), HIGH (1152 x 864), MEDIUM (1024 x 768) or LOW (640 x 480) or TEXT (1152 x 864) mode.

The next option sets the built in flash for AUTO, ON, OFF or RED EYE

The focus menu options are AF (autofocus), MACRO, 1M, 2M, 5M or Infinity

Page one of the Advanced options lets you set the QuickReview time, this is the amount of time that the last picture captured is displayed on the LCD. Enable the selftimer. Exposure is the metering override, +/- 4 steps. White balance is either automatic or manually settable. The External Flash menu is shown further below. The Automatic option resets all options back to default.

Page two of the Advanced options sets the Video output format for either NTSC or PAL. The rest of the options should be obvious.

This is the External Flash menu which sets the aperture at Small or Large and either a shutter speed of 1/100 or 1/200 of a second.

This is a typical Play mode screen showing the last image on the memory card. All of the playback data is enabled and overlayed over the image.

To quickly move through the stored images the CL30 has a Multi (thumbnail) mode like most all other digicams.

The Zoom playback mode is a little different. You first set a vertical area and then select a horizontal area and then it is enlarged to full screen.

Steve's Conclusion

There's no zoom lens, the macro capability is so-so, the LCD display is fair to poor and the overall image quality leaves a lot to be desired. Outdoor pictures are especially prone to highlight burnout, the exposure system seems to be weighted towards the center of the frame. Look at the sample pictures and you'll see little to no sky detail in most of the outdoor pictures, they simply get blown out.

The LCD display is slow to refresh and when shooting in average room lighting it tended to smear badly. The optical viewfinder is OK but lacks a diopter adjustment. The autofocus system is the noisiest I have ever heard, there's no doubt when it is working as it makes a very audible clicking-clacking noise. It did work well though, most pictures I took were in proper focus thanks mostly to a typically wideangle, fixed focal length lens with good depth of field.

The CL30 I used was the model with the CompactFlash storage and the card slot mechanism has no ejector lever common on most other cameras. Agfa has included a card extractor on the wrist strap but it would have been nicer to have used a different card slot that didn't require the use of a special tool.

The USB port worked well and is always prefered over a serial port for downloading images into the computer. This will be especially handy for those that have purchased the CL30 Clik! camera and have to offload 40MB worth of image data.

My bottom line is that I can't recommend this camera, its bad points heavily outweigh the few good points that it has. Pass it by and go for a different camera. In this resolution and price class I would recommend the Fuji MX-1200 as its image quality is head and shoulders above the Agfa ePhoto CL30.