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S$669
Product Summary
7.6
out of 10View score
The bad: Noisy at ISO 800; no image stabilization.
The bottom line: It's not great in low light, but the A640 has plenty of features photographers will love.
Read full review of the Canon PowerShot A640 »
Average User Rating
from 2 users
7.5
out of 10CNET Asia Review
With lots of manual settings and a reasonably low price tag, Canon's PowerShot A640 looks quite appealing. Though it lacks the flexibility of higher-end cameras and the stylish portability of more compact shooters, the 10-megapixel PowerShot A640 is a smart, full-featured camera with some surprising benefits.
Design
The A640's most striking feature is its pivoting 2.5-inch LCD. You can flip and twist it to help frame odd-angled shots or fold it against the camera for a more traditional feel. It's a handy feature, as the screen can tilt up for shooting at chest level, tilt down for shooting over crowds, or even flip all the way around for taking self-portraits. Canon has equipped several of its cameras with this type of pivoting screen, including the A640's lower-end versions, the A630 and A620.
The flip-out screen has also been seen in many of Canon's high-end, sub-SLR cameras such as the PowerShot G6 and S3 IS. Curiously, the latest iteration of the PowerShot G series, the G7, lacks the pivoting display. If the display isn't sufficient, the A640 also has a standard optical viewfinder for framing shots the old-fashioned way.
Besides its flip-out screen, the A640 looks like a fairly typical midsize point-and-shoot camera. At 43mm thick and weighing 340g, the A640 is a bit too bulky to just slide into a pocket, but it's perfect for a bag or a jacket. It runs on four AA batteries that fit into a grip on the right side of the camera, giving it a slightly more pronounced curve than most cameras of its shape. The controls are a standard but comfortably placed combination of mode dial, control pad, zoom rocker, and extraneous buttons. The various buttons feel reasonably responsive and easy to find with the thumb, though the tiny record/playback toggle switch's flat shape makes it awkward to manipulate.
Features
The A640 is loaded with features that should please more-advanced photographers. Besides the standard automatic and scene preset modes, the camera offers full PASM controls, giving users the option of completely manual shooting. The camera uses a modest 35mm-to-140mm-equivalent lens, giving it a bit more zoom than standard 3x shooters. If the 4x lens isn't enough, the camera accepts additional accessory lenses. Canon currently offers directly from its site a wide-angle converter lens for US$200 and a zoom-boosting telephoto converter lens for US$150.
Rate It Now
User Reviews
every work camera
Feb 25, 2007Rating: 8 out of 10 (Excellent)
Pros: very good resolution.very good color.excellent macro.good movi
Cons: not iso button
Opinion:
Nice camera at good price
Dec 29, 2006Rating: 7 out of 10 (Very good)
Pros: clear picture during day time, 4x zoom, reasonable price for 10mp camera, vari-angle 2.5" LCD
Cons: unusual heat (bottom near battery cover), cannot adjust LCD brightness, poor night time photo shot
Opinion:
Quite a good deal at 10MP resolution DC. I'm been pleased with the picture/ video quality, performance and also the large LCD of Canon's latest entry. Anyway night time photo shot is pretty bad compare with my previous Fujifilm DC. Also, unusual heat near the handle and battery cover is another issue.
