The Agfa
Realpix Square S is a digital camera/printer combination for 7.6x7.6 cm
(3x3") prints. There are more printers in different sizes of the Agfa
Realpix series plus another Mini size camera/printer combination. They
all use thermal sublimation technology,
the photo passes 3 times
under a film that "melts" a wax of each color on the special paper + a
4th time for finishing. The Canon CP series printers use this
technology for quite some time and they have a very good reputation.
The "inks" are apparently very stable, Canon is
talking about 100 years of durability. The prints are kind of
waterproof.
There is no Agfa website for cameras or printers. There are no precise
specifications on the web yet. The official camera app is a Kodak app,
so maybe these are built by Kodak. The camera only comes with a
multiligual instructions sheet, only 2 A7 size pages in mini print for
each language. I have collected a bit of information at the end of the
page.
Sales package...
with an extra cartridge.
The box.
What's in the box: camera, cable only for charging, short manual, strap. There is an 8 prints cartridge in the camera already (+ the extra pack furnished).
The front. Tiny lens with selfie mirror and LCD flash.
The
back: small LCD screen and control
buttons, easy to use. Around the O.K. button there are 4 buttons.
Left side. Strap lug at the top, USB charge socket, reset button.
Right side. Image ejection slot.
Top. On/Off button, shutter button and 2 tiny LCDs for camera on and bluetooth.
Cartrige trap at the bottom and cartridge.
The paper passes 4 times. Yellow first...
...magenta second...
...cyan third...
...and finishing layer last.
Printing a photo from the smartphone.
The Kodak app. Camera paired with the app.
Ready for remote shooting via app and smartphone.
The captured photo is visible on the smartphone and can be post-treated before print.
Printing the picture.
The
basic
handling is very easy. The camera is relatively small and light. The
plastic is o.k., rather on the cheap side, not high quality in any
case. Switching
the camera on is fine, you press the "On" button for 2 seconds and it
lights up. The
menu is easy, there is not much choice. With 4 buttons and the OK
button in
the middle you can access very few choices: white margin or not, some
filters, among which a b&w filter which is not accessible via the
app and flash or not. That's it. The screen is very small, not even 5
cm.. The captured
photo remains on the screen, it can only be printed immediately or
deleted. No way to adjust exposure, not before, not after taking the
photo. Take it or leave it. No way to keep the photo otherwise than
printing it. It's incredible: in 2020 there is a new electronic camera with no memory at all!
The printed
photos are o.k for exterior photos with infinity distance, with less
distance there is some blur. Obviously there is no focussing, it's
rather fixed focus. For a year 2020 camera this is poor performance.
You'll get what you saw on
the screen, but as the screen is tiny, you can't see much. There is a
purple tint to the photos, already visible on the screen and no way to
get rid of it. The printing speed is slow, heating the printer first
and then passing the paper 4 times takes a good moment, 1m25 on mine.
It's noisy, it squeeks much louder than my Canon CP.
The
Kodak smartphone app works fine. If you couple the smartphone to the
camera
via bluetooth, you have access to more filters and some more features,
like post-treatment of the photo. You can also print pictures taken
with your smartphone, a nice idea.
There is a remote function, you can command the camera via the app,
take and print pictures. The absense of a tripod socket is bad, the
camera isn't very stable if it stands on its bottom.
And here are some pictures, the white margin at the bottom can easily be removed:
First
photo. View from my atelier over the roofs of Cologne with the
cathedral in the background. A bit overexposed. Sharpness o.k.
Cologne. Overexposed as well. Good sharpness.
Interior. 3-4m, soft and a slight blur. Exposure is fine.
40cm, quite some blur.
First try with my smartphone. Green horizontal stripe.
Second try via the app with camera via remote function. More green stripes.
Camera only again, no app, a stripe remains.
As the initial cartridge only contains 8 pictures, this was the end of
the first cartridge. There is no indication of the photos left. The
camera tries to print and then gives a error message.
First photo of the second cartridge. No stripes, but slightly vertically streaky sky.
Second try with the app. Green stripes again.
I stopped here. I sought for help on the internet, but there is
nothing. No Agfa service site, no indication in the short manual. On
Amazon there are quite some bad reviews from people who could only
print 3 or 4 photos before the camera broke. During the last photo the
camera asked for charging, although I had charged it and the
instructions say that a charge is good for 20 photos. I was at my 10th.
I decided to charge the camera overnight and then try a complete reset
if necessary.
Next morning. No stripes. The streaky sky remains.
Smartphone photo via the app. No stripes. Streaky sky still visible.
Photo after camera reset. Streaks still there but hardly visible.
Interior, 2.5m and mirror. Slight blur, but o.k. for an ultra simple camera.
Interior, camera remote via app, 2 to 5m. Quite o.k.
With b&w filter. Nice.
That's it so far. The results were not as good as expected. I am a fan
of the thermal sublimation technology, I love my Canon CP printer. The
quality of the camera is a shame. Fixed focus, no light control, no
storage slot and no zoom are not up to date. Obviously they attached an
ultra cheap camera module to an existing printer. Even cheap 2020
smartphones have better cameras. The battery seems to be a bit weak, 20
photos capacity are perhaps over-optimistic. Seen the size and weight
of my CP printer's battery that's not astonishing. I hope that there
will be an updated version with a better camera.
The camera specifications so far:
Image sensor: ~11 MP Effective pixels: 3840 x 2880, automtic 2160 x 2160 image section printed No storage media, no memory Focal length: 3.71mm Aperture: F1.7 Focus range: fixed focus, ~ 1m to ∞ Shutter speed: 1/50 for interior photos Sensitivity. ISO 125 for interior photos Flash: On or off, off is default
Printer Specifications
Photo capacity 10 prints per pack Image size 76 mm x 76 mm
Other Specifications
Smartphone
app functions smartphone
image print, remote image capture, filter addition, post-processing LCD monitor 1.77-in. TFT color LCD monitor External interface Micro USB Micro-B (for charging only) Power supply Lithium-ion battery (built-in, cannot be removed) Charging function Built-in Printing capacity Approx. 20 prints (when battery is fully charged). Dimensions 130 mm x 103 mm x 30 mm (excluding protrusion, 7mm) Weight Approx. 382 g (including fiim pack)
