Canon is definitely one of the most respected names in the consumer digital camera market segment. The common belief is that you can't really go wrong with purchasing a Canon camera. Though I may not agree a hundred percent with that, I do know that the Canon Powershot A640 may be the best buy in the mid-range camera segment. Read on to know why.
Build
One look at the A640 and you wouldn't need me to tell you that the camera is built to last. The strong metal body is built to withstand the basic amount of travel-related damage. Complimenting the body are the buttons, that feel equally sturdy and durable.
Just like in most of its compact models, Canon has included a useful tilt-'n'-swivel LCD screen in this one too. Besides the obvious pivoting ability, the screen is 2.5 inches diagonally in size. It also sports a 115,000 pixel resolution, which may be a little less compared to what you get in cameras these days, but definitely not insufficient.
The button layout at the back and top right is perfect for single handed operation. The most highly used shooting modes like portrait, landscape, manual, etc. are easily accessible on the jog dial at the top of the camera, while the not-so-urgent functions and menus can be easily accessed at the back.
There's an optical viewfinder that is extremely useful at times when it gets hard to look at the LCD screen (bright sunlight and in extremely dark conditions).



