AGFA ePhoto 1280 Digital Camera Pictures -- Finally!
(Posted on Internet September 19, 1998)
Our new Dell Dell Dimension XPS R400 computer arrived a couple weeks back but I didn't unbox it and set it up 'till this week because we had family visiting (all three married children and their offspring) and then a visit by Walt and Hazel Baldasti and Dick Snow. Lots of fun but no pictures because the AGFA camera was gagged with pictures I couldn't download until I set up the new computer (Windows 95 or later required). Awwk!
Anyway, here are eight pictures taken with the camera. They're all just snaps I took around the house as examples the day I opened the camera. I use these as examples because you can compare them with similar pictures that Craig grabbed by video playback through his Mac (see the first sets of pictures referenced in the home page). The discussion that follows is for those considering purchase of a digital camera. Further information on this and other AGFA cameras can be obtained at http://www.agfahome.com/ephoto/1280/ .
The native resolution of the AGFA ePhoto 1280 is 1280 x 960 pixels. Files at this resolution saved in medium-compression jpeg format are about 800 Kb to 1 Mb. This is more resolution than I have printer, so I've been taking pictures at 1024 x 768 pixels, which gives files from about 400 Kb to 800 Kb and creates pictures that more than fill your web screen even if you've maxed out the size setting for your computer monitor. These high resolution images are meant for high resolution devices, like a laser printer or a color printer at a printing service. Saved at higher jpeg compression (lower quality, but I can't tell the difference on a computer screen), the files are about 120 Kb, but the 1024 x 768 images remain too large for current web applications (i.e., most people, like me, are suffering along at 26K baud rates).
Until we're all connected to the web by a high-speed line (I bought the higher resolution camera in anticipation of this great day!) I'll probably scale back to this high compression mode when I take pictures, which will give me about 30 pictures on the 4 Mb storage chip that comes with the camera. If I scale back to 640 x 480 pixels, more than needed for present web page applications, I can take about 60 pictures. There are five resolution options in all.
With software, I reduced the resolution for pictures on this page to 360 x 270 pixels at the highest jpg compression (lowest quality) for fast network transmission (about 20 Kb per picture). This pixel size is appropriate for the two-abreast presentation here as viewed at either 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768 computer screen resolution settings. If you click on a picture you'll get a larger picture at 512 x 384 pixels that shows more detail. Keep in mind that this is still only half the size of the picture saved by the camera (and about 1/20 the file size at the higher resolution and at medium rather than high compression).
The bottom line is that here on the internet you can see a demonstration only of the lens focus and color saturation of the AGFA compared with less expensive 640 x 480 cameras. If you want to test a full-blown 1024 x 768 image I can send one to you, but be aware of the typical 400 to 800 Kb files size (6 to 10 of these would fill up my 5 Mb web page allotment at my service provider!). A high-compression file at this resolution is about 120 Kb.
Click on a picture to download a larger size.
| Neighbor's back yard from ours, facing lake and turning right (east) |
Back yard (and other neighbor's), facing lake and turning left (west) |
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| Walk from house, patio, and boat dock | Ski boat on lift |
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| Front entry to house | Driveway and landscape looking out and up from entry |
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| Deck outside master bedroom | Dining room and kitchen from living room |
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