Canon PowerShot A640 Easy Digital Camera Review

Newer digital cameras are offering more resolution than ever, and the Canon PowerShot A640 tops most point-and-shoots with a whopping 10 megapixels. Besides its high resolution, the A640’s features are fairly standard. Like most Canon A-series cameras, the A640 has a 4x optical zoom lens and a 2.5-inch LCD screen that folds out and rotates. It retails for $399.

The A640’s body measures 4.31 x 2.6 x 1.93 inches and is quite heavy at 8.64 oz. That’s without the batteries too. Add in 4 AA batteries and this camera becomes a strain on the wrist. It’s too chunky to fit in a pants pocket, but it would fit in a larger coat pocket or backpack.

With 21 shooting modes, the Canon PowerShot A640 has something for every level of expertise. It has 13 preset scene modes and a host of manual and semi-manual modes. The more manual modes allow access to all kinds of controls like white balance that has custom and auto settings and 6 presets.

One of the white balance presets is “underwater.” There is also an “underwater” scene mode. These presets cater to an optional accessory: The underwater housing that costs just under $200. The optional housing can take the A640 to depths of 130 ft.

The Canon PowerShot A640 is equipped with a 4x optical zoom lens, an optical zoom viewfinder, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. The optical viewfinder doesn’t provide a very accurate view, so the LCD screen is a much better choice. It doesn’t have great resolution with only 115,000 pixels, but it has a wide viewing angle and can be twisted and turned.

The Canon A640’s pictures look great for the most part. The colors are very realistic, the resolution is definitely above average, and pictures even looked good in low light. Movies look great as well, with television-quality 640 x 480-pixel video that can be edited in the playback mode. You can accent colors, split the video file, and even replay it at 5 levels of slow motion. Unfortunately, there is no optical zoom available in the movie mode.

This camera won’t be known for its speed. It takes about 3.5 seconds to start up and take its first shot, so you’ll want to have this turned on and ready to go long before the action happens. In addition, your subjects will want to stay picture-perfect long after they think the picture is taken. It takes the camera’s auto focus system about 0.6 seconds to snap a picture, and that will cause a few blinked eyes in portraits.

The burst mode does better at 1.5 frames per second. That isn’t ridiculously fast, but the A640 can shoot as long as there is memory to record to and batteries to power the camera. Some point-and-shoot cameras can snap 3 pictures every second but will then stop and take 15 seconds to record those 3 pictures to the memory card. A lengthier buffer and slower burst is preferable to that.

Like other Canon digital cameras, the PowerShot A640 comes with a host of color filters and effects called My Colors. These can be activated in the recording or playback modes and do everything from swapping and adding colors to adjusting saturation and contrast.

This model comes with a CD-ROM full of software to view, organize, and edit pictures. The software can also sync with the camera. You can connect the A640 to a computer with the USB cable and import an image to greet you when you start the camera, and it can make sounds to indicate when pictures are taken. The software even allows you to take pictures with a click of a mouse rather than a click of the shutter button.

The Canon PowerShot A640 is a really nice digital camera that takes great pictures, but its 10 megapixels aren’t entirely necessary unless you plan to print huge posters. The A640 has a sibling, the A630,which has the same modes and many of the same features for a fraction of the price. It has 8 megapixels, and that is plenty for most point-and-shooters’ needs. If you’re not on a budget and want a digital camera that can help your photography skills blossom, the Canon A640 is a good choice.

Canon PowerShot A640 - THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 386.12

Likes

- Flip out LCD monitor with wide view - Flash exposure compensation - 10 megapixels - 4x optical zoom lens - Manual controls - Great movie mode

Dislikes

- High noise levels - Slow start-up and operation - Inaccurate viewfinder - Only 115k on LCD - Lens barrel distortion - Heavy and clumsy camera body - Expensive $399 price

Canon PowerShot A630 Rating: N/A	Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 Rating: 323.30	Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 Rating: 375.07	Samsung NV11 Rating: N/A	Nikon P5000 Rating: N/A
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
- Faster 1.8 fps burst mode - Better 350-shot battery life - Costs almost a hundred dollars less	- 38 Best Shot scene modes - More compact 0.9-inch thick body - Wider 2.8-inch LCD screen with better resolution at 230k pixels - Faster startup time - 4 fps burst mode - 0.18-second shutter lag - eBay mode optimizes pictures for uploading to online auction sites	- Image sensor 16:9 formatted - 2.8 inch LCD screen with 210k pixels - Widescreen movies - Optical image stabilization - ISO up to 3200 - White balance fine-tuning - Faster 3 fps burst mode - Lighter weight - 300-shot rechargeable battery - Better noise control when ISO is manually set - 18 scene modes	- Face detection auto focus technology - 5x optical zoom lens - 2.7-inch LCD screen - Smart Touch physical interface - ISO settings up to 1600 - Cool black stainless steel camera body - Compact 0.9-inch thick body	- 7 movie modes - 230k resolution on LCD screen - Vibration reduction image stabilization - ISO up to 3200 - 16 scene modes - Help menus - Built-in flash hot shoe
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
- Same modes and options - Same body - 2.5 inch LCD screen - 4x optical zoom lens - Same flash unit - 1/1.8-inch sized CCD - Optical viewfinder - Runs on 4 AA batteries	- 10.1 megapixels - $399 retail price - Video editing - 640 x 480-pixel max video resolution - Same wide f/2.8 aperture	- 10 megapixels - Manual, automatic, and preset modes - Similar 0.6-second shutter lag - 4x optical zoom lens - Standard 640 x 480 movies - f/2.8-8.0 apertures - SD card compatibility	- 10 megapixels - $399 retail price - 640 x 480, 30 fps movie mode - Manual focus - Manual and priority exposure modes - SD card compatible	- 10 megapixels on 1/1.8-inch CCD - $399 retail price - 2.5-inch LCD screen - Optical viewfinder - Compatible with SD cards - Compatible with wide and telephoto conversion lenses - Similar chunky measurements - 640 x 480, 30 fps movies
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
- 8 megapixels - Shorter 2x digital tele-converter - No remote shooting function	- Horrible color reproduction - Bad pictures in low light - Resolution isn’t as effective - No manual controls - Max ISO setting is 400 - 3x optical zoom lens - Burst mode doesn’t last long - No optical viewfinder - Flash isn’t as powerful - 25 fps movie mode - Shutter speed slows to only 4 seconds	- Too much shutter lag - Rickety built-in flash unit - Burst mode maxes out on 3rd frame - $499 retail price - Less accurate colors	- 12 scene modes	- 3.5x optical zoom lens