Pentax Optio M40 Digital Camera Review

Pentax Optio M40

Digital Camera Review

1.8 Introduced in July 2007, the 8-megapixel Pentax Optio M40 is one of a number of 3x optical zoom cameras on the market for less than $200. Its most touted features are digital shake reduction and face priority autofocus and auto exposure. Read on to see how it compares to the competition.
Advertisement
Latest Camera Reviews
DSLR Point & Shoot
Samsung
NX10
Panasonic
DMC-TS2
Olympus
E-P1
Casio
EX-G1
Nikon
D300S
Panasonic
Lumix DMC-FZ35
Pentax
K-X
Sony
Cyber-shot DSC-TX5
Nikon
D3000
Samsung
TL500
Recently Viewed Products
$144
$500
$249
$195
Top Point & Shoot Cameras
Max Price: $2100
$0 $525 $1050 $1575 $2100
Filters
All
Canon
Casio
Fuji
Kodak
Nikon
Olympus
Panasonic
Pentax
Samsung
Sony
All
Compact
High-End
Pocket
Ultra-Zoom
1.Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
Ultra-Zoom
$420
2.Canon SX1 IS
Ultra-Zoom
$520
3.Panasonic DMC-ZS3
Compact
$280
4.Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35
Ultra-Zoom
$400
5.Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7
Compact
$350
Optio M40 Prices
External Reviews
Register Hardware
Pentax Optio M40
Imaging Resource
Pentax Optio M40
Trusted Reviews
Pentax Optio M40
Steve's Digicams
Pentax Optio M40
Pocket-lint
Pentax Optio M40

Picture Quality / Size Options (7.5)
The Pentax M40 can record still images at its highest resolution of 8-megapixels (3264 x 2448-pixel resolution), 5M (2592 x 1944), 4M (2304 x 1728), 3M (2048 x 1536), or 2M (1600 x 1200). Users can also select lower resolution files at 1024 x 768 or VGA 640 x 480 for e-mailing smaller files or posting to the Web. Users can also select from three compression levels: Best, Better, or Good, represented by stars in the menu. The picture and size options are standard, but Pentax includes a convenient frame counter that notifies the user of how many images can be taken at that resolution on the existing memory card. The camera records at the standard 4:3 aspect ratio but lacks the 16:9 panoramic shooting offered on some cameras.

   


Picture Effects Mode (7.0)
The Pentax M40 offers a range of built-in picture effects. Users can make changes before shooting or after capture.

When the camera is set to Program and certain Scene modes, users can alter saturation, contrast, and sharpness before hitting the shutter. The Pentax M40 can shoot in black and white and sepia in Video mode, but not in Still mode.

There are more effects available in Playback mode. Users can apply a number of color filters to images, and there are additional playback options for slide shows, color filters, and brightness filters. Refer to the Playback section for more details.
Control Options Page 7 of 13 Connectivity / Extras Pentax Optio M40 Digital Camera Review Navigation    
Advertisement