Customer Reviews

Pentax Optio E40 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was looking for a compact digital camera that took standard AA-batteries (so that I could carry extras and/or buy new ones if my batteries went dead on me while I was out somewhere), and the e40 was literally the smallest one that I could find. It takes fine pictures, and has just about all the features I was wanting (stitch assist, shake reduction, video with audio). Plus, it wasn't terribly expensive.

On the other hand, the Shake Reduction feature is a bit questionable. As its own setting, it mostly results in very grainy pictures. But in "Green Mode" (as in, you are "green," and the camera is going to do everything for you), it seems to do pretty well (assuming that it's actually being used--it's hard to tell), with clear pictures even when the camera is moving.

The only true negative is that little specks of linty fluff managed to wedge themselves behind the LCD screen pretty much the first time I put it in my pocket. It doesn't affect the photos, but it is distractingly visible when the LCD is framing dark areas. Of course, that could just be a problem with my particular unit, and it wasn't a big enough deal for me to try to get it fixed or replaced, but it was still a bit of a downer.

The camera comes with two batteries to get you started (you'll want to replace those with rechargeables), and an entirely too-bulky USB cable that plugs into the camera on one end, and splits on the other end into USB and A/V, all on one cable. I threw the cable away and bought a cheap 2GB SD-card with SD-card reader included, so that I can just take the SD-card out of the camera and plug it into my laptop to download pictures. The camera also came with the single most pointless accessory I can imagine: a cheap plastic "docking port" that allows you to stand the camera up on its base--an act that the camera is perfectly capable of doing, quite stably, without assistance. :P

Bottom line, though: If I had it to do over again, I would still buy this camera--because it's relatively small, reasonably priced, uses regular batteries, and takes great pictures. So I can live with a little lint.

We bought this camera before our vacation. It is very easy to use right out of the box. The menu has large icons with short descriptions of each function. The pictures turn out great. The video function is easy to use although the video looks shaky on playback. The battery runs down pretty quickly if you use the video function or take a lot of flash pictures. We like the convenience of using AA batteries and not being tied to a charger, but that's also its drawback. If you don't want to buy a lot of batteries, you should look at the M40. I believe it is the same as the E40 except it has a rechargeable battery pack instead.

I have owned Pentax cameras for years; all my pentax takes very good pictures. When digital cameras was introduced I considered pentax first. Pentax Optio E40 is a very good camera; takes excellent pictures at close range; the image is clear; the video quality is excellent at close range; the audio quality is super; you can record audio at any time instantly; you can even record music or TV show directly from TV monitor without cable or plug-ins; the audio volume is loud enough without the use of speakers. the pictures comes out very clear. This camera has unbelievable amount of features; the features are easy to access; the buttons are very easy to operate; No unnecessary menu reading; its instant buttons for quick operations. I couldn't explore all of the features due to time constraint.

The bottom line is: For beginners or for those that dosn't need special applications, this camera is one of the best in the market; for the price, it is a steal compared to other cameras of the same category. Finally, the draw back(negetive)for this camera is inability to take clear pictures in AUTO MODE at long range; if the distance is more than 40ft, at AUTO MODE, the pictures and videos are not good; you have to use the special buttons and settings to get better picture. I think that every good camera, at AUTO MODE, should be able to zoom in and take exellent pictures without special menus. Dont forget to purchase SD card to be able to take enough pictures and videos; also, a rechargable battery pack is a plus; get one if you want to save money on batteries.

This camera is great, I have always used pentax so when I wanted to upgrade from my 2MP to 8MP, I started looking for the best over all deal. This camera has the "green" feature and makes it nice not to have to select 4 things before you shoot, and the results are awesome! The SD card has come down in price significantly so you can afford to have 2gig or 4 gig of space which is very nice when you have the large file sizes for the best Pics.
The large screen is also excellent. Their are only two draw backs for this camera, like ALL cameras battery consumption will hurt you so invest in Re-chargables. The other is no view finder, not a big deal to me but if the Sun is behind you, you may have a hard time seeing what's on the screen. Overall, you can't beat the quality at this price.

I purchased this for a 3-week trip to central america. I bought it because:

*it uses AA batteries (so I could take 4 rechargeables and cycle through them continuously)

*it uses SD cards which I already have. Note that it doesn't use SDHC cards, but this wasn't important to me. 2GB of capacity per card is plenty, and I took plenty of photos with room to spare on 2 2-GB cards, which i backed up onto an 8GB memory key several times.

*it is very inexpensive ($80 at the time i bought it) and I wouldn't worry about putting it through some abuse.


My only complaints:

*LCD screen is a bit dim. This is only noticeable outdoors on a sunny day, but there were plenty of these in Mexico and Belize. My solution was to take multiple pictures and review later. (it was possible on all but the sunniest days to squint at the LCD screen and see the scene just enough to frame my photos)

*no optical viewfinder.

Well, please only buy cameras that you can check out in person first. I thought I was getting a deal, and this camera is a lemon. The reviews on this site made the camera sound decent enough, but now I feel I just blew eighty bucks. My main complaint is that it's really hard to get a decent looking picture with this camera. Most pictures I take end up looking kind of green. I'm really missing my old camera that I lost, I thought that just because this camera was 8mp it would be quality. Also the face recognition is not something you would recognize. Its one saving grace is that it takes decent movies.
Oh ya, one really really annoying thing. My camera has a tendency to give a "depleted battery" message, as soon as I put NEW batteries in. It automatically shuts down. I'm not sure what's going on, I have to start the camera in a special play only mode to get it to work. Anyway, just don't buy cheap electronics without testing them out first.

I bought this for my grandson as a learning tool but it turned out better than his parents more expensive camera. Very easy to use and takes great pictures but you need to purchase a smart card to take more than four pictures because that's all the internal memory can store.

Bought this camera (my first digital)about 4 weeks ago. A true learning experience since I didn't know the first thing about digital cameras and they are totally different from older type cameras. At first I was very confused but was able to figure it out by following manual and simple instruction book that was included. Manual is NOT included and must be downloaded. Yipes, 169 pages so it would cost a bundle to print it out. Bad feature. I just copied basic stuff. Only bad feature on the camera is that there is not a viewfinder. First time I used it was in bright sunshine and so could not make out a thing on the lcd screen. Took chances on a lot of pictures. Shade pictures were o.k. I will buy the tack on shade asap. After I learned to edit, hit certain buttons, etc. this camera is a wonderful bargain. Some of the close up shots I took at Kanapaha gardens in Gainesville were professional photography class (o.k. my opinion). There seems to be limitless things you can do to make your picture perfect. Although I still have alot to learn, I am really enjoying it and again, think I've found a terrific bargain.

Works well, is a bit complicated to operate however...and I really miss an optical viewfinder; the LCD screen is difficult to use in bright/sun light.

This is a really nice little camera. It is pretty inexpensive, fits in your pocket/purse, is lightweight, and takes 2 AA batteries. It is really simple to use. With 8.1 megapixels, it takes nice photos. It comes with a small zip case to protect it while it is in your pocket. It will also take a 2G SD card (which I understand some cameras will not).