Holds it resale value! (Canon Powershot A640)

Member Name: MisterReview

Product:	Canon Powershot A640
Date:	09/09/08 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great manual control for a compact, 10 megpixels, fold out screen

Disadvantages: Relatively heavy. Noisy after 400 ISO, but hey, it IS a compact.

This camera holds its resale value! Great for when you want to move up. This camera has been known to sell second-hand at MORE than its retail value! These are well sought after. So if you can find a dealer who is still selling them at their retail value, well done to you. Otherwise you are looking at a second hand one from ebid.net. This compact is heavy, which is mainly down to the fact that it takes four batteries, which I personally think is a distinct advantage. Why? Simply because your batteries in all likelihood, won't die on you at that crucial press of the shutter. The telephoto reach is good and gets even better with the digital zoom, although as can be expected image quality begins to degrade - but not much. Noise issues? Well it is a compact, so don't expect BIG noise free prints. I personally persevere at squeezing as much as I can out of this camera at ISO80, and with attention paid to exposure, I do well at keeping noise low, but as far as compacts go the noise levels are reasonably well under control. Why this camera is still sought after is because of the manual control it gives for a compact. Manual focusing on a compact! WOW! It is great, but not perfect. This comes into its own when there isn't enough light for the autofocus to work. It relies on you being able to see the magnified image in the view finder screen. And this brings me neatly to the view finder screen which folds out and around if you wish. This is great for taking images in really awkward places and angles. E.G. you can lay your camera on the ground to look up at a building. In normal circumstances you wont get your head down to the viewfinder, but with the fold out screen you can compose the shot! Excellent! Officially you can't take RAW images with camera - unofficially you can but you need a software hack which Canon have NOT endorsed.

Summary: A fantastic, feature packed compact. get one if you can!

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