Canon PowerShot A640 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

Average customer rating: 4.5

Combines versatility with gobs of megapixels
Great Camera easy to use
Made the right choice over Canon A710 IS
virtually idiot proof
Excellent second camera

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Canon PowerShot A640 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

Manufacturer: Canon
Product Group: Photography
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B000HARTYI
2006-09-01

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Product Description

Canon's popular A Series cameras have always stood out from the competition, but PowerShot A640 takes that concept to a whole new level. Experience breathtaking 10.0 megapixel resolution-a first for an A-Series camera - and the power of a 4x optical zoom lens. You'll have more fun shooting, and make your finished images even more rewarding, with the camera's exciting array of easy-to-use, high-performance features including 21 shooting modes and ISO800/High ISO Auto settings for much greater ability to shoot in low light. Light Metering Method - Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot Metering Exposure Control - Program Auto Exposure (AE), Shutter Speed-Priority AE, Aperture-Priority AE, Manual Shutter Speed Range - 15 seconds to 1/2500 second (settable in Tv and M) Automatic, multi-mode electronic-flash Storage Media - SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard (MMC) - We recommend purchasing an Optional 1GB SD or MMC memory card. It will allow you to store a lot more Video and images, as well as take advantage of the camera's high Resolution abilities Shooting Modes - Auto; Creative - P, Av, Tv, M, C; Image - Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Special Scene (Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap), Stitch Assist, Movie Print/Share Button for direct connection to PictBridge-compatible printers via camera's USB 2.0 Hi-Speed cable Unit Dimensions (WxHxD) - 4.31 x 2.60 x 1.93 inch (109.4 x 66.0 x 49.0mm); Weight - 8.64 oz. / 245g

Customer Reviews:

Combines versatility with gobs of megapixels.......2007-06-08

These PowerShot "A" cameras are Canon's attempt to deliver the quality and features of its more expensive PowerShot "G" and PowerShot Pro "S" lines (such as full zoom lenses) at a budget price. The results, though, are a mixed bag. The entry-level A460 is lousy, but the rest of the line gives you a lot for the money. (How do I know all this? Because I've actually gotten to use all of these cameras. I earn my living shooting photos at Walt Disney World for a travel guidebook, and nearly every day guests ask me to take photos of them with their own cameras, which most often are Canon PowerShots.)

Here's my opinion of the "A" series line:

Canon PowerShot A460 5.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (Silver)
Yuck! This 5MP camera is like a relic from five years ago: the simple but poorly designed controls -- a little joy pad surrounded by four buttons -- make it far too easy to do things like change the zoom setting when you set the flash. I have fat fingers and I mess things up almost every time! Also, I've seen photos taken with this camera, and they often have that purple fringe around their highlights, which are typically blown out. On the plus side, the camera does have an optical viewfinder.

Canon PowerShot A540 6MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Looking for a good bargain camera? Take a look at this one. It's a 2006 model, but it works just fine. You get 20 shooting modes, a full set of manual controls and can record low-res sound video at 60 frames per second. Before you buy it, however, check Amazon's price of the better, and newer, A560. It may be cheaper.

Canon PowerShot A550 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
This basic camera isn't that bad, but there's no reason to buy it. For about $25 more you can step up to the PowerShot A560 (see below), which has the same body, sensor and lens but Canon's much better Digic III processor. Buy this one and, yes, you'll save a few bucks, but your photos won't look as good.

Canon PowerShot A560 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Here is a nice camera! Featuring Canon's acclaimed Digic III processor, it includes the company's face-detection metering system and a decent red-eye removal.

Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Same as the A560 but with optical image stabilization and the ability to shoot manually.

Canon PowerShot A630 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. You can do a lot with this sweet little camera. It has a flip-out LCD panel and lots of manual controls. The shots I've seen from this model look great. Keep your ISO under 800 and you won't get any noise.

Canon PowerShot A640 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
Same as the A630 except 10MP.

Canon PowerShot A710 IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Image-Stabilized Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. This fully-loaded model has all the toys, including a full-range zoom (35mm film equivalent of 35-210mm), adjustable flash power and optional second-curtain flash. This last features means you can make the flash fire at the end of a long exposure, instead of the beginning, so moving subjects streak into focus instead of out. Much more for your money than the A640.

By Mike Neal, author of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World.

Great Camera easy to use.......2007-06-06

I just bought this camera instead of a film camera because of a friends advice. Nothing can or will replace the beauty of film but this is a great camera. I haven't learned all the tricks yet but I have been having fun doing so. You need to get a memory card with this because the one that cames with doesn't hold much. LOVE the camera.

Made the right choice over Canon A710 IS.......2007-06-06

I have had this camera for about 6 months and I think I made the right choice. I was either going to buy this camera, or the A710 IS. I tested both of them at a camera store, then decided to buy the A640 based on battery life, features, and flash.

I have taken a digital photography class and am pretty artsy, so I wanted something that would last, would take amazing pictures, and I would be able to carry it around with me. Both the cameras would have done the job, but when you take a picture with a flash (and sometimes even without a flash), it takes the A710 a decent amount of time before you can take another picture (usually between 5-10 seconds). Because the A640 has 4 batteries, you can take one picture after the other without ever having to wait for the camera to be ready.

Also, I have taken several thousand pictures in 6 months and have only had to change the batteries once- and they were just regular energizer batteries, nothing special.

The one downfall I have with the camera is the weight. Because of the four batteries, it does weigh a little bit more (obviously), and if you want a pocket camera, this is not the one. However, I have no problem fitting it in my purse.

I was also nervous that it had a flip screen. However, it surprised me how much I use it! (It makes those shots where you hold out the camera in front of you a whole lot better and easier) And, I have never had any problems, and it seems very sturdy. I do not even notice that it is a flip screen until I use it- in other words, it does not get in the way or cause problems. It is also nice to flip the screen around to protect it if I will not be using the camera for a while.

10 mega pixels seems excessive- the average person does not ever need this many probably. I have found the "program" function useful, in which everything is set to auto, and my file size is set to Medium (about 7 MP) instead of the full 10 MP (Large). It serves as my Auto when I am just taking everyday shots. But, I love that 10 MP is very crop-able, meaning that if I am zoomed in all the way optically, I can still crop in even further to get a good picture of that far away object. (However, if you have only a small amount of space on your computer, 10 MP pictures will fill that space fast. I can easily take a couple of gigs worth of pictures on a vacation using the 10MP file size. I also have a 2GB SD memory card for the camera and have never filled it, but a 1 GB wouldn't be quite enough space for me.)

All in all, a good choice for me! Hope this helped somewhat!

virtually idiot proof.......2007-06-04

What a great little digital camera. Compact. Easy to use. Choice of using the viewfinder or the panel display. Multiple options for transferring the pics onto your computer. Large number of megapixels. Sips power from the batteries. Excellent price.

Closest thing to a negative is the fact that picture quality will vary significantly depending on which setting you use (indoor, portrait, landscape, that sort of stuff). So that means you spend five minutes reading the beginner manual and you're set.

Excellent second camera.......2007-06-02

While it is not much of an improvement over my A620, it would be the best choice for your first point and shoot. Canon defintely makes the best and affordable PS camera. Can't go wrong.

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