AGFA ePhoto CL18

WHAT'S HOT: The downright cheap Agfa ePhoto CL18 doubles as a Webcam, offering a 640-by-480 resolution that makes it ideal for capturing pictures and video clips for the Web. Thanks to its diminutive size and 4-ounce weight, it's easy to take with you. However, this camera's best feature is its long battery life: In our tests the ePhoto CL18 cranked along for 3 hours, allowing us to take an astounding 256 shots. Agfa also throws in a generous software bundle that includes MGI PhotoSuite SE and Corel's Print Office 2000.

WHAT'S NOT: Though you can easily slip this tiny camera into your shirt pocket and hit the road, you won't want to photograph ball games or other complicated scenes. In our tests, the ePhoto CL18 produced blurry, pixellated 4-by-6 prints, and the enlargements only got worse. With settable options limited to flash and a self-timer, the ePhoto is easy to master, but it holds only 32 pictures and lacks a display LCD, necessary for reviewing shots in the field.

WHAT ELSE: This is a no-frills camera, with a fixed aperture of f2, 2MB of internal memory, and no manual controls. The ePhoto CL18 connects to your PC via Universal Serial Bus, and it can sit in a cradle on top of your monitor for transmitting live images over the Internet. You can save up to 32 JPEGs in the ePhoto CL18, and transmit 15-frames-per-second video over the Internet.