The Bottom Line: This is a great entry-level camera that will grow with the average user and will not overwhelm you with technology. In my opinion one of the best in its category.
jtlipps's Full Review: Pentax Optio A40 Digital Camera
When I purchased this camera as my entry into the digital world, I wanted to get a camera that would serve two purposes in one. I wanted something easy enough to use that the technology of the thing was not overwhelming to a first time user and I wanted something that had enough in the way of features so that I would not feel as though I needed to get a bigger and better model in 6 months. I really feel that the Canon A-40 neatly fulfills those two needs.
You can definitely get wrapped around the axle with all the cameras on the market these days. The feature list seems to be endless. In order to choose a camera that was right for me, I broke it down into the things that were important to me.
2 Megapixel camera - That number really translates into photo quality. With this camera you will be able to take and print JPEG images up to an 8x10 size with amazing clarity and detail. I thought at first that I should go for the maximum Megapixel rating possible but I have no need for prints of any larger size (besides my printer will not print anything larger.). I am quite pleased with the images that the camera produces with perhaps only a couple of exceptions but really nothing that deals with the resolution of the photos.
3X Optical Zoom and 4X Digital Zoom – For those of you who are familiar with a 35mm film camera the 3X Optical Zoom is the equivalent of 35mm-105mm zoom lens. One small complaint is that the zoom control is touchy and it can be difficult to adjust it into the proper range. With a bit of practice this can be overcome. The 4X optical zoom is selectable and works quiet well but there is a trade off (isn’t all of life?). Using the digital zoom results in a loss of resolution with the image. For images that you send via e-mail this doesn’t really represent a problem, but for those images that are to be printed it can become a factor.
1.5 inch LCD display and optic viewfinder – The optic viewfinder is a bit dinky and only shows about 80% of the actual recorded image. I have to confess I don’t really use this feature preferring the LCD screen more. The LCD display on the other hand is another trade off. Although you get a bright color display of the image you are going to record, the screen tends to use battery power at an alarming rate. I was able to take over 100 photos with the regular alkaline batteries that were provided with the camera and didn’t really see this as a serious problem. As a side note, I did purchase NIMH (nickel metal hydride) rechargeable batteries to use with the camera and have no complaints in this area.
Compact Flash memory system – This is a great memory system in my opinion. It is small and relatively easy to use. The camera comes equipped with an 8MB-memory card. At the highest resolution this card will hold about 8 photos which I will admit is not many. I quickly relegated the 8-MB card to a reserve role and now use a 128-MB card. It is a bit intoxicating knowing I can take about 200 high quality images and not have to have them developed in the traditional sense. You can preview each image and delete the ones that you don’t want or keep them all. The camera has a USB port for direct downloading to your computer or you can opt for a card reader, which does not require the camera.
Beyond these basic features the camera will take pictures in a fully automatic mode (including flash) or will allow the uses to operate the camera in manual for a multitude of effects. I find that the auto settings work very well for the most part. My only complaint would be that from time to time the camera will flash when it probably shouldn't have and wash the photo out because of overexposure. This really isn’t much of a problem in my opinion for two reasons. I didn’t have to pay to have the photo developed to see the problem and it doesn’t happen all that often.
You can do some incredible things such as “stitching” photo after adjacent photo creating a 360-degree panoramic photo of your surroundings or recording short AVI format movies.
Weighing in at 8.8 oz with the following dimensions - Depth 1.5 in, Height 2.8, in Width 4.3 in, This is not the most compact camera on the market so if your looking for the smallest model available you need to probably look elsewhere. I like it size though. It is just big enough to feel sturdy and durable but small enough to carry most places.
I find that the camera controls are conveniently placed and are very user friendly. Most are menu driven with the LCD display providing necessary guidance to use the features.
There are a wealth of accessories for this camera including replaceable lenses and a waterproof (to 200 feet) housing I haven’t had the opportunity to use these items yet but when and if I do I will update this review.
Overall I would have to say that I am very pleased with this camera and that I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
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