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| Agfa CL30 Clik! |
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Hardware Reviews April 2000 • Vol.3 Issue 4 |
Agfa CL30 Clik! | ||
 The CL30 Clik! from Agfa is a good example of why it's not wise to judge a book by its cover. The camera may share the same design as Agfa's ePhoto CL30 digital camera, but look closer, and you'll discover that the CL30 Clik! has a built-in Iomega Clik! drive. The drive gives the camera a major storage boost over its older sibling and other entry-level digital cameras. Using 40MB (megabyte) disks, the Clik! drive enables the camera to store an impressive 360 images taken at 640 x 480 pixels and 60 images at 1,440 x 1,080 pixels. Agfa says that is 10 times more storage than a 4MB CompactFlash or SmartMedia memory card many cameras ship with. What's undeniable is that the Clik! drive provides users who take a lot of shots the advantage of not needing to frequently transfer shots to a computer or delete shots from storage memory to take more shots. In addition, the camera can be connected to a PC to be used as an external disk drive. Even if the Clik! drive wasn't included, the CL30 Clik! is a megapixel model worth strong consideration. The camera is equipped with only a limited 2x digital zoom (optical zoom is preferable) lens but does feature a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection, 37mm threaded lens for adding optional lenses and filters, auto and manual focus, auto flash (fill-in, red-eye reduction, and off), and 1.8-inch LCD (liquid-crystal display). Additionally, the CL30 Clik! takes crisp, bright shots, and there is an appreciated sharpness in pictures taken both indoors and out. We were especially impressed with our outdoor shots, which featured vibrant shades of blue sky and fine details in areas with dark shadows. Photos we took at lower resolutions were slightly pixilated and duller, but overall, the quality was significantly above average for a megapixel model. The camera uses Agfa's PhotoGenie technology to achieve a high resolution of 1,440 x 1,080 pixels. Images can also be shot at true resolutions of 1,152 x 864 pixels (in color and black-and-white modes) and 1,024 x 768 pixels. Shots can also be conveniently organized into albums within the camera. Moving through the camera's menu settings and configuring functions is incredibly easy, thanks to the EasyPilot button on the back of the camera. Using the button is as simple as scrolling it like a wheel and pushing it to set functions. Overall, the EasyPilot button is one of the easiest-to-use and best menu interfaces you'll see in an entry-level digital camera. On the downside, the CL30 Clik! is heavy and shaped squarely, making it too large to tuck away in a shirt pocket when traveling. In addition, the location of the lens on the extreme left side of the camera leaves no room for the left hand to support it, which makes taking shots basically a one-hand operation. The camera ships with four AA alkaline batteries, an A/C adapter, and Agfa PhotoWise software. Additional Clik! disks cost only about $10 each. At $475, the camera is more expensive than most megapixel models, primarily because of the Clik! disk. However, other models in this price range won't offer the out-of-the-box storage space that the CL30 Clik! does. by Blaine Flamig
$475 (street) Agfa (800) 879-2432 (978) 658-5600 http://www.agfa.com
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