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Home » Reviews » Mid-range » Canon Powershot A640
Canon Powershot A640
By: Gagan Gupta   |   Dec 15, 2006
  • 4.5
Stellar overall performance
Sharp image quality
Fast shot-to-shot time
Sturdy build
Fun extras
Noise at higher ISOs
View Specifications

Performance
The first thing I check when reviewing the performance of any digital camera are the colors and the level of sharpness, because at the end of the day, these two things are what matter the most. And those are precisely the two points that I found the most impressive about the Canon A640.

Click on the image to see a full sized section of the picture

While the above image is a great example of edge-to-edge sharpness, the macro shot taken below shows you the quality of the camera's macro focus level. As mentioned above, the A640 shoots macro shots of objects as close as a centimeter away, and the shot below proves that it definitely doesn't compromise on quality while at it.

While the camera has manual exposure and manual focus, it's shooting presets do a pretty good job of adjusting the camera for the required shot. The shot below was taken using the Landscape mode and as you can see, the focus is evenly maintained throughout the scene, which is exactly the requirement in this case.

Click on the image to see a full sized section of the picture

Getting back to the colors, the Canon A640 makes the most of the available light to bring out the best and most accurate colors. The reds, pinks and oranges are easily distinguishable in the test shots and even the faint color gradients were captured quite accurately.

When shooting in the dark, the camera's night mode did a pretty good job of making the most of the available light. However when I manually raised the ISO levels for a low light shot, the image contained a lot of digital noise, which was pretty sad to see in a camera that performed pretty well otherwise.

The shooting speed of the camera was pretty fast too with around a second's gap between consecutive shots without flash and close to 2.5 seconds with flash.

Conclusion

In the end, the only complaints I have with the Canon A640 are mere nitpicks. The camera does everything it sets out to do and makes it easy. It has fun features for the more casual users, and it has enough manual settings to give a serious photographer the jiggles. Though it's MRP was quoted close to Rs. 23,000, I found the street price of this model closer to Rs. 16,000. At a price like that, the Canon Powershot A640 is highly recommended.


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I want to know the price of canon A640 and from where i can get this in delhi and do you provide warranty on this model (A640)
chandra shekhar @ Feb 14, 2008
Hi Vikram,

Please let me know from where you got this camera (Canon A 710 IS) for Rs. 14500.
Anil Agnihotri @ Jul 12, 2007
hey gus i got camera + one extra set of rechargable batter + charger + carry case + 512 MB + 2 GB card. all this at 14500 LOL
Vikram @ Jul 04, 2007
I am looking for a Digital Camera within 10000. Please help me get one.
sridhar @ May 11, 2007
What would be the price of this camera with Bill?

I am looking for a Digital Camera within 12000. Please help me get one.

Thanks
Sarsij Nayanam @ Jan 29, 2007
I got this from heera panna for 15k but without bill+warranty. workd perfectly!!!!!
Sahil @ Jan 01, 2007
can i know the dealer which is selling it at 16K
Sumit @ Dec 30, 2006
would like to know the dealer which is selling it at 16K & also lot more information on the battery.
Sumit @ Dec 30, 2006
Are you guys sure that this costs 16,000 ?? as of today 29th Dec 2006 canon site quotes Rs.23395.00 and jjmehta quotes 20995
Vinod @ Dec 29, 2006
Good camera. :-) But I need to buy a charger now for AA size NiMH batteries. Is a Charger which charges batteries in 15min available in india? If so how much does it cost? Kindly let me know this info as I badly need it. If 15min cahrgers is not available in india, I need to atleast go for the fastest charger available.Howmuch do they cost?
Libran @ Dec 18, 2006
Basic problem with point and shoot camera is small sensers (1/2.5 or 1/1.8" type CCD), Camera with senser size is 1/2.5 can generate image with 4 Mega pixel without much noise and beyond 4 Megapixel images will be noisier.

If senser size is 1/1.8 then it can generate image with 7.1 megapixel without much noise and beyond 7.1 megapixel images wil be noisier.

So if images are noisier then 10 megapixel will also becames useless.

Don't look at Megapixel, for normal users 4 Megapixel is more than enough to generate good 8x10 size prints.

Best Point and Shoot Cameras are....Canon IXUS 40, Canon A620 , Canon SD700 IS and Fujifilm F30.
Darshan Desai @ Dec 17, 2006
u guys havn't mentiond nething abt the battery.... does it contain the rechargable one's or does it hav normal AA types... and also how many shots does it last ....
Jack @ Dec 15, 2006
where in the world did u get the price of 16 k for this cam. i'll like to buy 1 at tht price
Kunal Shah @ Dec 15, 2006
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