Pentax Optio A40 Digital Camera

I have previously used and owned various digital compact cameras. However, none have impressed me as much as the Pentax Optio A40.

Most people who start off looking for a digital compact aim for the more common brands such as Canon, Nikon, Panasonic (Lumix) or even Fuji. Although Pentax is a mainstream brand, it seems to have been sidelined in the technology stakes as the former have started to place more emphasis on optical image stabilisation. Pentax have tended to stick with digital stabilisation which is detrimental to the picture quality.

The Optio A40 is Pentax's flagship digital compact. In particular, it features 12MP resolution, a larger-than-usual 1/1.7" CCD sensor, 2.5" LCD screen, optical image stabiliser and a D-Range optimiser which can compensate for highlights and shadows.

Most people tend to forget that a compact is designed as a P&S (point & shoot) so ease-of-use is paramount. Pentax is renowned for its easy-to-use menu system which anyone can use without referring to the manual. It even features "tool-tips" which will remind you what the icons are. Another feature worth mentioning is the fact that you can limit the Auto-ISO function to work between a range. By default, it is setup to work from ISO 50-800, but I have my setting between to work between ISO 50-400, to avoid the limitations of these types of cameras which normally suffer from high noise levels.

Such cameras of this type usually cost at least £200 and this was the original cost when the Optio A40 was launched. However, in order to make it more competitive, the price was dropped to around £150. This makes is excellent value for money as it places it into a completely different price sector against cameras with a much lower specification. This is one of the reasons why I have rated it as EXCELLENT. My conclusion is that the Pentax Optio A40 is a seriously underrated digital camera which deserves much more respect than it currently receives. Definitely recommended and worth searching for!!