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Digital Camera Prices Drop (Somewhat)

Epson and Agfa offer postholiday savings, but better deals could be coming.

Lincoln Spector, special to PC World

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If you didn't get that digital camera you were hoping for this holiday season, now could be a good time to go shopping. On Monday, both Agfa and Epson lowered prices on select models, just in time to miss the holiday rush. These weren't across-the-board cuts; each company reduced the price on a single model only, bringing it in line with what competitors were already charging.

Epson dropped the price of a midrange camera, the PhotoPC 800. The company's cheapest 2-megapixel camera, it now has a street price of $599.

Agfa's price cut was on a lower-range model, the ePhoto Smile. Previously available for $129, the ePhoto Smile now carries a $99 list price.

A Big Deal?

Epson's PhotoPC 800 was never a world beater, doing respectably but not spectacularly in PC World's January digital camera roundup (see "New Year's Resolutions" link at right). The PhotoPC 800 lacks an optical zoom, and its 1600 by 1200 resolution is at the low end of the 2-megapixel range. Epson claims that its HyPict technology increases the resolution to 1984 by 1488 by filling in extra pixels.

Analysts are not calling Epson's price cut the sale of the (new) century. The price is "still high, but it's a step in the right direction," says Jay Srivatsa, a senior industry analyst at Gardner Group.

The new price puts the PhotoPC in range with traditional 35mm single-lens reflex cameras of the type used by serious photographers. But professionals are not likely to go for a camera that lacks an optical zoom; if they buy an Epson, they'd probably go for the $799 PhotoPC 850z.

For Beginners Only

With Agfa's ePhoto Smile, professionalism isn't an issue. This low-end camera, with its 640 by 480 resolution and lack of any sort of zoom or even an LCD screen, was never meant for professional photographers or even serious amateurs.

Alexis Gerard, president of Future Image, sees the Smile as primarily a "kid's camera," noting that it is better than a toy but is not designed for adults. The new price puts it in the range of KB Gear's JamC@m, another camera for the small set. "We'll see a lot more competitors in that space," Gerard predicts.

Competition is driving down the price of digital cameras at all levels. Wait a little longer, and you could get even more for your money.

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