In summary
Key controls on Pentax’s Optio S40 are accessed via the top-mounted mode dial, which has a central on/off switch and settings for full auto (‘Easy Mode’, which is identified by a green smiley face icon), program AE, Picture Mode (which accesses the scene settings), night-scene, landscape and portrait modes, movie capture, and voice clip recording. In the Easy Mode setting users have push-button access to a Help screen, which describes the functions controlled by each button. This works in both capture and playback modes. . . [more]
Full review
Key controls on Pentax’s Optio S40 are accessed via the top-mounted mode dial, which has a central on/off switch and settings for full auto (‘Easy Mode’, which is identified by a green smiley face icon), program AE, Picture Mode (which accesses the scene settings), night-scene, landscape and portrait modes, movie capture, and voice clip recording. In the Easy Mode setting users have push-button access to a Help screen, which describes the functions controlled by each button. This works in both capture and playback modes. The menu button accesses exposure program, image storage, date/time, exposure compensation and battery status. Controls for flash and focus functions are on the four-way controller, which also accesses the drive settings. Dedicated display, quick view and delete buttons are provided.
Images from the test camera were sharp, with accurate colours but elevated saturation. The white balance control was an average performer. Flash output was relatively low and shutter lag averaged 0.35 seconds with pre-focusing and 1.2 seconds when focusing was required. Movie capture was unexceptional, with clip lengths determined by card capacity. Long exposures are limited to four seconds. The overall build quality of the camera was above average.
Strengths
- 12x playback zoom
- Compact, lightweight body
- Histogram display
Weaknesses
- Weak flash
- Noise in low light shots
- Restricted dynamic range [BG05]
Specifications
Image sensor: 5.8 x 4.35mm interline transfer CCD with 4,230,000 photosites (4.0 megapixels effective)
Lens: 5.8-17.4mm f/2.6-4.8 smc Pentax zoom lens (equivalent to 35-105mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 3x optical and 2.6x digital zoom
Dimensions (wxhxd): 89 x 58.5 x 25.5mm
Weight: 125g without battery and card
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