Rating: 
Summary: Overall, a good camera within its class
Review: I purchased a Cannon Powershot A40 digital camera about a month ago. I have taken it with me traveling on California Highway 1. It is quite a good camera with excellent resolution and sharpness. The color of the picture matches closely with real life object. The only problem is the low light condition. I understand this is a common problem among digital cameras. And this is my first digital camera, so I don't know how it compares with other camera of its class. But for this particular camera, it has problem focusing in a medium sized room lit with a 60W light bulb. However, give it enough light, it will produce picture with excellent detail and color.
Rating:
Summary: A camera that does what it is supposed to do.
Review: I wanted to buy a digital camera that have both the cool factors and good usability for the budget I had in mind. When I found I couldn't find one satisfying both criteria. I chose the latter - picture quality and camera control features necessary for making good pictures. A40 became the strongest option after some due deligence research. But the following is annoying to me - View finder only sees 80% of the actual picture to be taken, top 20% missing.
- Slow auto focus and does not always work
- Pics at ISO 400 are way too noisy - always use ISO 50, 100.
- Lowsy JPEG compression engine. Use Super Fine mode only.
- A little overexposure sometimes, use -1/3 adjustment.
Rating: 
Summary: Best camera for the money - period!
Review: I work for a weekly newspaper, and purchased this as my second digital camera back in April 2002. Some 4600+ shots later in all sorts of conditions from the mountains to a cruise vacation, I can say this was an excellent investment! The Pros: Excellent battery life, a variety of features including the ability to make panoramic pictures (with included software) and take short 30 second films. Good crisp photos- and a very good digital zoom (digital zooms do not usually work very well). Good wide angle lens for close-ups. The Cons: Not very good in low-light situations (inside tents in the evening, photos of people at dawn or dusk) Does all right for rapid-action (sports) photos, but film is still superior for that sort of action, and sunrises and sunsets. Sometimes the "ON" button needs to be pressed twice (or just hard) to turn it on. Overall, for my purposes, it is an excellent all-purpose camera, and is currently at the top of the office's list for a "replacement" camera if one of our other cameras fail. The media (Compactflash) is very trouble free- we use card readers hooked up to the computer by the way, rather than hooking the camera itself up to the computer.
Rating:
Summary: So great, I bought it twice
Review: I bought this camera back in the summer and unfortunately had it stolen. Having used it for several weeks, I had a good grasp on its functions and debated upgrading to a different camera when I went to buy again. Well I did my research and found that this camera really can't be beat. So I bought another one to replace the stolen one. First of all, it's pretty much the only one on the market that gives you nine different options for manual control. If you're an experienced photographer who enjoys manually changing lighting and apeture settings like a SLR camera, this might be the camera for you, in the price range. You can change the f-stops/apeture along with film speeds to get the right camera lighting for specialized shots. You can also shoot in sepia tone, different lighting situations from florescent light to natural outside light. And you know how you can be walking along and see a shot that is perfect for black and white? This camera will let you do that; switch over from color mode to black and white, then press a button. It's that easy. No need to take your color photos back, upload them and fiddle around with them with a software program. Of course it also has automatic functions for those not so proficient in shooting. The photos come out flawlessly in any lighting environment and has a red-eye flash reduction button for up-close portrait shots. In fact it has about four different flash settings from portrait shots, to delayed to timed to none, to red-eye. The resolution of the images is startling clear, the ability to see what you've taken immediately afterwards is a big plus. And you can adjust the time delay on image storage so that you can view it for up to 10 seconds after you've taken the picture and either keep it or immediately delete it, if it's not what you want; saving space on your memory card. I bought a 64 meg memory card with this camera and at a high resolution that allows about 68 photos; about 110 with medium resolution (still very high quality). The camera itself is very intuitive; you'll have no problem figuring it out and shooting almost out of the box. If you have questions, the manual that comes with it pretty much explains everything you'd need to know. And Canon is known for its lens quality, so you know you're getting a good product that will carry you through any photo taking adventure. The only negative I'd say is that it's a little bulky compared to other products out there. But the heft of it is not necessarily a bad thing ... if it were lighter or smaller you'd worry about breakage, or the solidity of the mechanisms. I know there are 4.0 cameras out there now; but not with the multiple choice of function that this camera has. It has it all. And the image quality of each shot you take with this camera are startling clear, 2.0 is definately sharp, you'll probably be amazed at how clear the photos are compared to the regular 35 mm photos you've taken with your regular camera in the past. As a novice photographer it's a great camera to learn and grow with because of all its technical abilities. For an advanced photographer, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at all its functions; enough to give you the perfect picture you're seeking. And you can't beat the price. It's a great deal. Shop around, do your research; but make sure that the camera you choose has manual functions as you grow with your photo taking; is within a reasonable price; has the functions you need to take any shot from sports to family gatherings to landscapes; and gives you movie making ability (it has a built-in mic). I know you'll return, again and again to this camera as your final choice. I did. Twice.
Rating:
Summary: Great for a digital camera beginner
Review: I knew absolutely nothing about digital cameras before my daughter's husband steered me to this one. My daughter and son had given me a gift certificate and told me they thought I'd like to have a camera, and they were right. Also the son was about to get married and wanted me to take some pictures of the festivities (or he figured it would keep me busy and keep me out of mischief). In my first outing, shooting wild flowers in Colorado, I got absolutely gorgeous pics and was sold. The wedding pictures, taken a couple of weeks later, were sensational, or so I was told. My only quibble, initially, with the camera - and hence the rating of four stars - was that the menu in the LED screen is a little difficult to navigate at first, although one learns and it becomes more or less automatic after that. And the price isn't bad, either.
Rating:
Summary: This Camera Is Great
Review: This camera is great!... Everything about is great. There are a ton of features like movie, red eye reduction and direct to television. (About the television, you won't get as high a quality as you would on the computer. You can turn off the LCD and use the viewfinder. Also 3 optical zoom may seem small, but it is really good. You don't need to get a Sony Mavica 10 Optical if you are going to use it to take pictures of you kids doing sports unless you are on the other side of the football field or in an ice rink. The camera is very self-explanatory except for the rapid-fire mode, but the manual will tell you how to use it. (I have hardly have had to use it.) Make sure if you use Windows to set your settings for you desktop to make the icons smaller. Also if you are planning to get a Canon Direct printer, forget it unless you plan to frame most of your pictures. One more thing, the Compact Flash cards and batteries. The Compact flash cards are very nice, you don't need a 128 card unless your going away for like 2 weeks, a 64 meg one will still give you hundreds of pictures and they are a lot cheaper. Also the batteries, they run really long, even the non-rechargeable, you still want to get the rechargeable though. I suggest that you get a rapid charger and 8 batteries at Radio Shack.
This is a wonderful camera. I'd definitely buy this over a Sony Cybershot or an Olympus D-520. Both of those don't have sound on the movie and it may seem like you don't care now, but it does matter. Also the Olympus D-520 looks like the flash will break of and the Smart Media cards are as thin as 3 sheets as paper and look like they will snap in half.
Rating:
Summary: A good camera with great value
Review: The Canon A40 is a good digital camera for a great value. Its 3x optical zoom is a real plus for a camera in its price range. It is light and convenient to carry. It maintains the same easy to use controls as most of Canon's line of Cameras. The fact that it takes AA batteries is very convenient for traveling (you don't have to charge a battery every night and you don't have to wander around to find special batteries). Its 2MP resolution is good for those looking for good snap shots or even an occasional 5X7 print. It interfaces very easily with my computer and took very little time to set up.
The first drawback is the too-small-to-be-useful 8MB compact flash memory card. You have to go out and buy a larger card (64 or larger would be preferable). The second drawback is the color saturation with indoor photos. Photos taken indoors with the built in flash sometimes need to be adjusted on the computer with the provided software in order to get a more natural color.
Despite the two minor inconveniences mentioned above, this is a good camera. It offers a great value in its price range and the problems it has are only worse in many other models and brands in this price range.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic picture quality
Review: Great for all basic shooting, travels, etc. Better picture quality than smaller cameras.
Rating:
Summary: Close to Digital SLR
Review: I've got a friend with a $2500 digital SLR who is jealous of what I paid for this camera with all the features it offers. Now certainly there are a lot of things an SLR can do better, but for the value conscious amateur photographer, this is the camera for you! I recommend purchasing a 128meg card and rechargeable NiMh batteries. For manual mode or panorama shooting always use a tripod. To save battery life, turn off the display screen-it will come on for 2-10 seconds after you take your shot.
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera!!! Very Strong flash. Very satisfied!
Review: This is a great sturdy camera. The pictures come out great and professional looking. The things that I took pictures of actually looked better in the picture than they did in actuality. The canon A40 is very easy to use and does not feel flimsy and cheap like other cameras. The battery life is good but you should get rechargeable batteries because you'll be addicted to this camera. I use this camera more than my canon aps camera. The flash is literally blindingly good, just don't take too many pictures of yourself all at once. I got it for a good price and you will too if you shop around. I love this camera. You should get one too if you want something very dependable.
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