Canon PowerShot A640

Opinion: I am going to give my review in a time-line format, which I think may appeal to a lot of users out there who buy a new product as much out of a "need" for a replacement as a "want" for one.

First, I must preface myself. I started taking photos on a consistent basis when I bought an Olympus C-5050Z around Easter, 2004. That camera really helped get me into photography; its manual ability, superb lens and high build quality really spoiled me from the start and helped me down the path towards photographic proficiency. As the camera aged and fried internal circuitry crippled it somewhat, I went looking for a replacement prosumer, but much to my dismay the quality of said models deteriorated badly across the whole market. So I was left with trying to come up with the best solution for the money. Enter the Canon A640.

I got this camera in November of 2006, roughly 2.5 years after I bought the Olympus. I knew the Canon wasn't going to measure up on build quality alone (at least externally), and I'd lose some prosumer features like RAW, external flash, etc.. But on paper, the Canon gave me what I wanted most: full manual control, AA battery power, and above all else, EXCELLENT image quality (probably the best JPEG quality I have seen from any camera since), and all in a camera that was at least somewhat portable. So a $317 order to BuyDig was placed, and that was that.

Since that time, I've taken thousands of pictures with this little guy and it's been a pleasure to use. The only niggle I ran into was, in fact, build-quality related, as I broke what seems to be the weak point of most compacts: the battery/card door. After a 2-week round-trip visit to Canon's repair center, I had the camera back in good-as-new condition, and have not had a problem since.

As to comparing the A640 with other cameras I've owned, it definitely proved that it could do everything my Olympus could do, but trumped it on image quality, even without RAW! So I sold the Olympus on eBay in June of 2007, much to my regret, but $200 was way too much to give Olympus to fix it. I briefly tried an Olympus 770SW waterproof model in May of '07 (after owning the Canon for 6 months) and I liked for its ergonomics, but despised for its poor image quality, so that one got sent back. I also tried a Samsung S850 that same summer, thinking I could get manual and similar image quality from a slightly smaller form factor and only 2 AA batteries required. I went 2 for 3, but the missing link was again the most important: image quality. So off went the Samsung to eBay....the A640's 3rd victim.

So, the pros of this cameras that I've noted over time:

- Image quality straight out of the camera beats most any other JPEGs I've seen from anything since the Fall of '06, which is really kind of sad and impressive at the same time.

- Focus is always very good (9-Point AF is something you don't find too often, even missing on some DSLRs)

- Manual settings, including A and S priority, provide greater control

- Menu system is very quick and accessible

- Noise levels are respectably low up to ISO 400, and even usable at ISO 800

As you can see, over time, if I wasn't sure about the A640's worth in the marketplace, I definitely proved it to myself by trial and disappointment in other models. This camera really amazes me to this day, not only so much in its own quality, but also compared to that of the competition, even to other Canons, and more embarrassingly, to every other 10MP compact/prosumer camera I've looked at TO DATE! That either says something about how well Canon really did with this camera, or how dismal the recent year's worth of digicams and noisy sensors really have been. Or quite possible, both. I don't see myself making a change to something new for quite awhile.

Opinion: I have had this camera for about a year and taken around 3000 photos with it. I've really enjoyed it overall. The image quality is impressive for a point and shoot, and it gave me the control I wanted with full manual settings. It was easy to learn and easy to use, and it held up nicely through quite a bit of heavy use (i.e., tied to my saddle horn on a trail ride, taking long exposures in rainstorms, etc). I like the fact that the LCD flips, because you can keep it safe and stowed away. All in all, I would say that this is a pretty good camera. The colors are great (as long as you set it on high saturation, otherwise they are average) and the pictures are sharp (and big!). If you want control over the image you're shooting, this is the point and shoot for you. You can see many photos I have taken with this camera on my Flickr page (user name: sailingaway719) However, there are a few things about the camera that do bother me, and I'll list them below.

Opinion: The ergonomics of this camera are great - much better than the Powershot S70 I
used before. Controls are very fast and easy to use for a point and shoot. Noise isn't
bad up to ISO200. I think it's a bargain for under £200 UKP. I'd prefer a 28mm lens
but I bought the 0.7x adaptor which gives me 24.5mm equivalent, which I'm
finding considerably more useful than 28mm. Only trouble is that the adaptor lens
is huge.

The articulating screen is brilliant, incredibly useful and lets you get shots you
wouldn't otherwise be able to get. For that reason alone I think these cameras are a
much better deal than the G series. (You can always hack these if you need RAW).
In the situations I bought this camera to deal with (up-close shots of groups of
people working) the screen and the silent shutter make it more useful than a DSLR.

Opinion: 1) The 10MP is more than enough.

2)The image quality is awesome.

3) No problem with the LCD, the twist feature is useful and protects the screen too.

4) Battery backup is excellent.

5) Ample set features (SLR like) you can play with.

6) The build quality is good, feels sturdy and has a metal finish.

7) Bought is for $300(Rs.12000) in India on Ebay, thats cheap compared to other compact cameras with the same feature set.

8) No Noticible noise till ISO 200.

9) Macro focus just rocks (1 cm).

10) Overall its very good camera, a good substitute for a SLR, can be used as a backup camera, a good bang for money, a full featured camera which can be used by everyone in every situation.

Opinion: This is an AMAZING camera. At first I thought it was bulky and not nice but considering the plethora of options available to you, it's as close you'll get to a pro camera with a low price tag and smaller-than-SLR size.
AA batteries, optical viewfinder, good flash, a nice variety of modes available are all great pluses. What really did it for me was the movable LCD screen. It gives digital photography a whole new dimension.
I'm a beginner photograph and this is a really great camera, with stunning quality images just using the Auto mode and the opportunity to get even better results as I gradually learn to work with the settings - easy enough as they are all well-designed and intuitive.
The lack of image stabiliser has not proven to be a problem.

Opinion: I bought a640 one mont later and its an excelent compact camera , specially its macro mode and its easy to use for the beginners. Im highly reccomend it.

Opinion: I bought the A640 as a compact replacement to my S60, mainly for the excellent macro capabilities. I was not disappointed here, as the 1cm minimum focussing and high pixel count meant I could see details on insects and plants which I would not have been able to see with the naked eye. The noise levels are surprisingly low, and a hands off approach to noise reduction means that a lot of detail remains in the pictures, meaning that large prints of 12X16 inches or even larger will not be a problem for this camera. However, the camera does have a few issues with dynamic range, which is noticeably lower than that on my S60 - a problem with putting too many megapixels onto a small sensor. The battery life is excellent, and the camera is generally quite fast at focussing and starting up. Although this is my first choice for macro, the S60 with its wide angle and wider dynamic range still remains my first choice for a lot of occasions when I need a compact camera.

Opinion: From A80 and A95 still have them . I tried one of these A640 cameras but sent it back and sad to say hated it , Too noisy bad focus in dark situations very low res lcd for a 2.5 screen and the build imo has gone down from the A80 and A95 more and lower spec plastic body ie low rent camera now ,, Other things it seems the annoying shake warning seems to be on all the time, and cant turn the damm thing off silly , The IQ printed out 7x5 I allways do is NO different it seems to my older A series and it is a dressed up 3/4 year older A series camera with lower build and very same same features imo .Saying all that the second one i have tried and kept from a less than keen to keep it friend of mine only cost me £100 and him pleased enough to get rid of , is better in the focusing and in low light situations , Im keeping it for the cars glove box for that time you spot something and need a decent enough snap camera, (You can program a snap ie fast mode on these A series ,) So happy to have it for £100 , to be honest I think the A95 can do very similar job but its much nicer to feel that metal A95 body so gona keep it for now like the A80 classic again so nice to feel the metal. ,

Opinion: woow the best point and shoot I ever had. It gets more detail then the s3. I remember I recently tried a 3 megapixel a340 or something from canon, the first point and shoot since the a95 I tried and really liked it. I didn't like the a95 which is why it took so long for me to try the a640n. I was not expecting much because people talked about noise. This camera is exceptional . I have to learn how to get the great shots but its pretty easy to do with all the options you can ever want and four x zoom and option for telephoto accessory lens. When I tried shutter priority to fast mode in one out of five shots, the shot was amazing. I wish I knew what I did. The camera is everything most can possibly want from a point and shoot. Amazing camera.. can't believe its not on the list of top ten consumer level cameras .