Canon PowerShot A640

Front (7.5)
Canon’s A-series certainly isn’t the most attractive camera line, but it still follows traditional design rules. When viewing from the front, a hand grip protrudes on the left side with the PowerShot A640 logo emblazoned upon it. The labeled Canon 4x zoom lens sits on the right with its specs printed around its edge: "7.3-29.9mm 1:2.8-4.1." The telescoping lens extends in three segments from the body when the camera is powered on, but it still protrudes about a third of an inch when turned off. The outer edge of the lens is serrated and has a light silver color. This band can be taken off by pushing the semi-circular button at the bottom right of the lens and twisting counterclockwise. Taking the band off reveals threading for optional conversion lenses that the A640 is compatible with. Also on this side, halfway up the camera body, is a tiny bump that is hardly noticeable which indicates where the band fits around the lens for replacement. To the top right of the lens is the built-in flash unit, with a "10.0 Megapixels" label beneath it. To the left of the flash is the optical viewfinder that sits just left of the center of the lens. The optical viewfinder and flash units protrude slightly from the rest of the camera body, and it bends back to meld with the top. To the left of the viewfinder is a small AF illuminator and self-timer indicator. This feature sits above the Canon logo, and the built-in microphone that picks up monaural audio for the movie mode.

Back (8.0)
The back side of the A640’s camera body almost looks like a camcorder. The left side is occupied by a 2.5-inch LCD monitor that flips outward and rotates. On one side is a sturdy casing and a silver Canon logo and the other side is graced with the screen itself. Above the LCD is the optical viewfinder that appears as a tiny circular window with two LEDs to its right. The component protrudes slightly from the camera body, but it is not enough to make it exceptionally comfortable or anything. To the right of the viewfinder is a silver mode dial, and while technically located at the top of the camera, its serrated edge also shows on the back. To the right of the LCD is where the control buttons are crammed into a space about an inch wide and two inches tall. At the top of this space is a small mode switch, placed closer to the LCD that toggles between playback and recording modes. To the switch’s right are nine plastic bumps on the camera body that serve as a rudimentary thumb grip. Below these features are four circular buttons that surround a navigational control. The top two circular buttons operate the exposure compensation/delete (left) and print/transfer (right) functions. The button on the right has a LED in its center to show when it is transferring files to computers or printers. The round navigational dial consists of a circular Func./Set button surrounded by a ring with four dots in the cardinal directions. Above the dial are two icons for flash and the jump function. Below the dial are two more icons for macro and manual focus modes. The two buttons below the navigational control include Disp. on the left and Menu on the right. Overall, the back of the camera is typical of similar models. It is blank and serene on the left side that houses the LCD screen while the right side is overcrowded where the controls are crammed.

Left Side (7.5)
The left side isn’t particularly gorgeous, but it shows the sturdiness and functionality of the A640. The outer edge of the left side shows the black plastic casing common on this camera’s body. The inner portion of the left side has a shinier, but dark metal panel. It isn’t flat, and it seems to bubble out. Its central backbone has two screws in it, and a large joint shows where the LCD monitor connects to the camera and rotates.

Right Side (7.5)
This is the thickest portion of the camera body, meant to make handling more comfortable. The hand grip is constructed mainly from shiny dark metal that makes it slippery. There is a vertical niche toward the front, but this didn’t aid in comfort at all and didn’t seem to do much in terms of function or frill. The rear portion of the left side has a fixed chrome eyelet at the top and a stiff rubber door just below it. The door is connected with two rubber straps, but the outside of the door is already showing signs of wear (tight wrinkles in the corners), and it’s only been opened less than a dozen times. The door is labeled "Digital, A/V Out, DC-in" and has three separate ports beneath it. The door has a tiny strip carved out of its back so users can cram a fingernail in and pry it open. Below the door is a black plastic panel that is totally featureless.

Top (7.5)
The top shows rounded edges on the front and back with a few components protruding (flash on the front and optical viewfinder on the front and back). The PowerShot A640 logo and a smaller AiAF logo appear on the left side of the top. Towards the right side are several components crammed onto the thicker hand grip. There is an oval-shaped power button with a silver mode dial to its right. A small LED sits below the power button and to the left of the mode dial to show which position on the dial is activated. To the right of the mode dial is a circular web of holes that make up the built-in speaker, and the chrome eyelet is visible from this angle too. In front of the dial and the speaker, on the top of the hand grip, is the shutter release button surrounded by a zoom ring.

Bottom (7.0)
The left side of the A640’s bottom is a large door that opens to reveal the battery compartment and SD memory card slot. The door springs open, but it locks tightly with a switch on the door that must be slid toward the front of the camera while simultaneously pushing the door toward the outer edge. Almost in the center of the camera is the plastic tripod socket. The right side is cluttered with boring information like serial numbers and how many volts of power can flow through the camera.