Agfa Introduces Two 'Print-Ready' ePhoto Digital Cameras -- the CL20 and CL34.Business/Technology Editors RIDGEFIELD PARK Ridgefield Park, village (1990 pop. 12,454), Bergen co., NE N.J., on the Hackensack River; inc. 1892. Chiefly residential, it manufactures some paper goods. , N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 2000 Agfa Corporation's Consumer Digital Imaging Group (USA-CDI), a leading provider of award-winning digital cameras and desktop scanners, last week introduced two print-ready, dual-mode ePhoto digital cameras - the CL20 and the CL34 -at photokina 2000 in Cologne, Germany. In addition to taking digital still or video images, the new ePhotos come equipped with a PhotoPrint button. Pressing the button immediately uploads the images to AGFAnet Print Service software from which they can be transmitted to a photo lab for professional photofinishing. In video mode, the cameras also can be used for live video conferencing See videoconferencing. (communications) video conferencing - A discussion between two or more groups of people who are in different places but can see and hear each other using electronic communications. . Agfa designed the dual-mode cameras to satisfy user needs for fast, high quality, electronically ready images as well as traditional photographs. The ePhoto CL34 The ePhoto CL34 features an optical viewfinder The preview window on a camera that is used to frame, focus and take the picture. On analog cameras, the viewfinder is an eye-sized window that must be pressed against the face. Point-and-shoot digital cameras use small LCD screens that are viewed several inches from the eyes. and 1.8" color LCD screen - perfect for framing shots or playing them back. Maximum resolution is a true 1.3 MP (megapixels). The camera provides 2MB of internal memory. It also has a CompactFlash slot for expanded storage Additional memory in IBM mainframes that is not normally addressable by applications. Introduced for the 3090 series, the data are usually transferred in 4K pages from expanded storage to central storage (main memory). See hiperspace. . The CL34 offers a "videoclip" capability for recording live action on location. Users also can choose a USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. connection to their computers for online video conferencing. Maximum video resolution is 320x240 ppi at 30 frames per second (fps). The ePhoto CL20 Priced lower than the ePhoto CL34, the CL20 offers the same rich features as its sister camera but without an LCD display. It has a convenient optical viewfinder and a CompactFlash slot for additional capacity. The internal memory can hold up to 4 images at the highest resolution (1.3 MP with PhotoGenie) and 24 images at VGA (Video Graphics Array) The display standard for the PC. All PC display adapters support VGA, and Windows machines boot up in "VGA mode" before switching to higher resolutions. resolution. The CL20 offers live video only with the USB interface at a maximum resolution of 640x480 at 20 fps or 320x240 at a higher 30fps. Both ePhoto cameras offer USB (universal serial bus See USB. (hardware, standard) Universal Serial Bus - (USB) An external peripheral interface standard for communication between a computer and external peripherals over an inexpensive cable using biserial transmission. ) connectivity for easy installation. The USB interface is 10 times faster than serial communication, so image data transfers quickly. The new cameras come with Agfa's exclusive PhotoGenie image-enhancement software. PhotoGenie removes image artifacts artifacts see specimen artifacts. , such as those from JPEG JPEG in full Joint Photographic Experts Group Standard computer file format for storing graphic images in a compressed form for general use. JPEG images are compressed using a mathematical algorithm. compression, pixelation This article is about the graphics artifact. For the stop motion animation technique, see pixilation. For the censorship method, see pixelization. In computer graphics, pixelation , jagged edges, and posterisation, which are common in digitally captured images. Agfa also includes Corel Print Office 2000 and Corel Photo House 5. Corel Photo House is an image-editing application to touch up, enhance or alter an image before adding it to a document. With Corel Print Office 2000 users can create photo greeting cards See e-card. , invitations, illustrated documents and Web pages. Both cameras operate on AA-sized alkaline batteries; the CL20 uses two and the CL34 four. Easy-To-Use Application Software The cameras are bundled with Agfa PhotoWise 3.0 for managing digital photos, and ArcSoft VideoImpression 1.6 for editing video clips. PhotoWise 3.0 is an easy way to capture, edit and share photos. PhotoWise allows users to organize their valuable photos in albums, create multimedia slide shows, greeting cards, calendars or build HTML HTML in full HyperText Markup Language Markup language derived from SGML that is used to prepare hypertext documents. Relatively easy for nonprogrammers to master, HTML is the language used for documents on the World Wide Web. pages with selected photos. With PhotoGenie QuickFix images can be enhanced automatically. Agfa PhotoGenie also provides easy red-eye removal. VideoImpression 1.6 enables users to animate, edit, and create desktop video presentations for home, business and the Web using video clips and images from your ePhoto. Easy-to-use editing tools let users decide where to start and end their video and add text. They can also select from a variety of transitional effects. With VideoImpression users can create self-playing multimedia presentations and attach them to emails. Price and Availability Manufacturer's suggested retail price for the ePhoto CL34, which will be available mid-December, is $229. The ePhoto CL20 will be available in November at the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $149. AGFAnet Print Service. AGFAnet online photo print service is a convenient, yet innovative solution for the steadily growing group of digital-image users who want high-quality hardcopy output. Its client software is designed to make ordering prints quick and easy. Via an Internet connection, the AGFAnet Print Service client sends the images and the ordering information to a central server, which automatically transmits the order to the selected lab for processing. Within two to three days the photographs are returned by mail. About Agfa Agfa Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of the Agfa Group, one of the world's leading imaging companies. Agfa develops, produces and markets analog and digital systems, primarily for the graphics industry, medical radiography, nondestructive testing, micrographic mi·cro·graph n. 1. A drawing or photographic reproduction of an object as viewed through a microscope. 2. An instrument used to make tiny writing or engraving. and motion picture film, and the consumer imaging and photography markets. Headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium, Agfa employs 22,000 people in 40 countries. Worldwide sales for 1999 were approximately $4.7 billion. In the U.S., Agfa is headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, and employs 4,500 people. Product and company information can be found on Agfa's home page on the World Wide Web at www.Agfa.com. EDITOR'S NOTE: Color images of Agfa desktop products are available for download from Agfa's press site on the World Wide Web at http://www.Agfapress.com or by contacting Joe Murphy or Trina Kohrs-Carr. |
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