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Pentax Optio A40 Digital Camera

Pentax Optio A40 Digital Camera
Overall Rating: Product Rating: 4.5
Lowest Price: $129.99
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Great Pictures with the Cannon A40 Camera

Written: Jul 18 '02 (Updated Jul 18 '02)

Product Rating: Product Rating: 4.0
Ease of Use:  
Durability:  
Battery Life:  
Photo Quality:  
Pros: Easy to use in auto mode as well as manual mode. Great guess free pictures.

Cons: No indicator for focal length. Battery life indicator could be better.

The Bottom Line: If you need a camera that has manual controls, takes great pictures and is easy to use, this is it.
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level10's Full Review: Pentax Optio A40 Digital Camera
I decided to buy a new camera to replace my Agfa Ephoto digital camera. The main reason was no manual exposure control and lack of resolution. I have a great deal of experience with 35 mm film photography and have done it on a professional level. The main purpose for my digital camera is family photos and uploading images to sell items on Ebay.

I researched digital cameras some twenty plus hours on the Internet and was ready to spend $499 dollars on a “Sony Cyber Shot DSC-S75” My second choice was an “Olympus Brio D-150 Zoom” that sold for $299.

I went to Best Buy to make my purchase and tried out both cameras mentioned above. I found that both these cameras had poorly laid out controls that took a lot of fumbling with. Both cameras took one lousy picture after another caused by the flash being too bright. All of this in Auto mode. I was severely disappointed and about to leave when the Cannon A40 caught my eye.

I picked this camera up and found that its controls were straightforward and easy to use. I put it in auto mode and started to take perfectly exposed pictures one after the other. With or with out the flash the colors were quite true. I put it into Manual mode and found the controls easy to understand and manipulate once again taking great pictures. The camera also worked well in Program mode.

I purchased the camera for $299.00 with Best Buys no Interest or payments for 18 Months.

The software that came with the camera easily loaded on my PC with Windows 98, and I was able to download the pictures from the camera with great ease.

The Memory Card that came with the camera was only 8 MB in size which holds 8 pictures at the highest 2 Mega Pixel resolution. I was able to purchase another 128 MB Compact Flash card at Frye’s for $39.00 and it works great.

Cannon recommends using alkaline or NiMh batteries. Cannon states that only their NiMh charger and batteries can be used with the camera. This charger and a set of 4 batteries cost $49 at Best Buy and seems to be a rip off. I went against the manuals suggestion and purchased Eveready’s NIMh charger and a set of batteries at Wal-Mart for under $20.

One problem that the camera has is that battery life is not constantly monitored. You get a brief warning at the end of battery life and then the camera stops working until the batteries are changed.

Another problem is that your focal length is not displayed on the optical zoom. It is just a guess where you are between the 35 to 105 mm ranges. When using digital zoom there is an indicator.

In general I find this camera easy to use in all modes. If I could make a suggestion to the manufacturer it would be to include a separate LED screen that would display battery life, focal length, number of pictures left, and current resolution setting. Right now any information displayed is on the LCD screen that covers the image being viewed.

As far as the pictures go the camera takes very sharp in focus pictures in a timely manner. I’m amazed at the quality of color no matter if it is flash or unusual lighting situations. The movie mode works very will and this camera also has the ability to take several shots and then line them up on the computer latter to “stitch” together one long panoramic shot. There are other features such as black & white, Sepia, and soft focus.
The manuals for this camera are also well written and laid out allowing you to access information quickly. All in all I am very happy with this camera and highly recommend it.


Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 299
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Epinions.com ID:
level10
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members

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