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More…The Pentax Optio M40 comes with an affordable price of $200; it has little, though, to distinguish itself from other 3X-zoom, 8-megapixel point-and-shoot cameras (but perhaps we're getting a bit jaded). Its compact metal body feels solid and reliable. The brushed aluminum finish is available only in silver, which looks a bit dated now that cameras come in so many different colors.
Pentax Optio M40
- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3264 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2448 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 2000 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 4 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 11 |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
Solid metal body
Programmable shortcut button on the back
Cons
Poor image results with flash
A bit dated looking compared to others
Bottom Line
Not the jazziest-looking camera, the M40 earned its chart spot with a sturdy body and a low price. Flash shots looked drab.
Pentax Optio M40 Compact Camera
Optio M40 Review, by Paul Jasper November 14, 2007
On the back is a 2.5-inch LCD screen with a relatively low 150,000-pixel resolution. The clearly labeled controls to the screen's right are of good size and are evenly spaced, making them easy to operate with your thumb. You have to scroll through the menus a bit to reach all the options, but they're easy to understand because they're labeled with icons and words to describe their use.
A green button works to delete images in playback mode or while the instant review appears on screen after taking a shot, but you can program it to work at other times as a shortcut to various menu functions. I liked setting it to the exposure compensation mode, which let me quickly adjust the brightness using the left and right buttons of the five-way controller.
The M40 offers 11 scene modes for shooting subjects such as kids, flowers, and food. In the portrait and natural skin tone modes, it detects faces and sets the appropriate focus and exposure automatically. In my tests, this capability didn't work as well as other cameras' face-recognition features; I couldn't get it to lock onto more than one face at a time. The camera's antishake mode works by raising the sensor's sensitivity (ISO), so it can use a faster shutter speed.
Our lab tests saw mostly ac--ceptable results for a camera in this price range. However, flash photos looked awful, giving flat skin tones, dull colors, and dark shadows to our test mannequin. I saw the same characteristics in the flash portraits I took of friends.
We were able to take a reasonable 266 shots on a single charge of the lithium ion cell--about average for this group.
Pentax deserves commendation for including with the camera a printed, 187-page operating manual. It may be only black-and-white, but it has plenty of useful illustrations.
The Optio M40 is a relatively compact camera, but it's mostly average in its performance and features. For $200, though, it's a good buy.
--Paul Jasper
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
-
71
-
72
-
81
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
71
77
75
81
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 146 |
| Battery Life Score | Good |
| Image Quality Score | Fair |
| Image Quality, Color | 56.8 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 57.2 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 48.4 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 21.5 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 60 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 43.1 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 38.9 |
| Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Number of Shots | 266 |
User Reviews
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
-
Reviewed by: cdude38
Strengths: 8 megapixelsultra slimgood flash
Weaknesses: none so far
Overall: I got this camera today and bought it from newegg.com. Sophisticated look and very slim but has a good fit to hold. Good pictures result for outdoor shootings and have a strong flash for indoor picture taking. Nice feature also including face recognition technology and digital shake reduction. 8 megapixels and good zoom. For a little over 100 bucks this camera is an awesome camera.
-
Reviewed by: mikedo
Strengths: Large LCD, small size, excellent picture quality and clarity
Weaknesses: None so far...
Overall: I just purchased this camera last week and have not taken very many pictures yet, but the ones I have taken have been very clear and crisp. The camera does not come with any memory so be sure to order a SD card when you buy the camera or you will have to wait to take pictures until you get one.
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- Before you buy
- How to Buy a Digital Camera
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