Pentax Optio M40 Review

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Pentax Optio M40


Review posted 9/18/2007

Click to take a QuickTime VR tour of the Optio M40
Click on the Optio M40 to take a 360° QuickTime VR tour


With 8-megapixels, the PENTAX Optio M40 features an ultra-slim, sophisticated metallic body offering a 3X optical zoom and a large and easily viewable 2.5-inch LCD monitor. The user-friendly Optio M40 also features Face Recognition and digital Shake Reduction technologies.

The compact Optio M series exterior has been redesigned for 2007. Powered by an ultra-thin Lithium-Ion battery and featuring a miniaturized circuit board, the M40 body is a slim 0.7 inches (18mm). While the aluminum alloy body offers ruggedness as well as gives the camera a sophisticated design.

The Optio M40 features a Digital Shake Reduction mode to adjust the camera sensitivity to as high as ISO 3200 to match the brightness of the subject. Even in low-light conditions, this feature increases shutter speeds to help reduce blurring and improves flash range for capturing subjects at a distance in dark locations.

This new model is equipped with a new Auto-Macro Function that enables close-up photography up to 4.0 inches (10 cm). The Auto-Macro function allows the camera to determine the distance from the subject, even while in the normal focus mode, and automatically switches the focus range to macro mode.

The M40 also features "Face Recognition AF & AE" technology (Portrait mode only), that automatically detects and focuses on faces regardless of where the people appear in the photo frame. In addition, optimal exposure settings are automatically conducted so that the areas with faces are not darkened even if there is backlighting.

The Optio M40 captures smooth, high-quality movies at 30 fps (frames per second) at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. This model is also equipped with a Movie Shake Reduction function, which automatically corrects camera shake, allowing for steady handheld movies to be taken more easily. Using the "Movie SR" function results in a narrower field of view than that during normal recording.


Optio M40 Features:

  • Ultra compact all-metal body 3.8 x 2.3 x 0.7 in., weighs just 4.8 ounces
  • 8.0 megapixel CCD imager
  • Large 2.5" color LCD with 115,000 pixels and 100% coverage
  • 3x Pentax zoom lens
  • 9-point AF system with Tracking and Face Recognition AF & AE technologies
  • Super macro focus coverage down to 1.9 inches
  • Digital SR (Shake Reduction) mode for blur-free stills and movies
  • High-quality movie mode captures QuickTime video (640 x 480) at 30fps, length limited to media capacity
  • Use as a voice recorder, you can record 24 hours of voice memos consecutively
  • Voice memos can be attached to still images
  • Multi-segment metering
  • ISO sensitivity: Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
  • Digital Filter - B&W, Sepia, Red, Pink, Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, B&W + (Red, Green or Blue), Soft, Brightness
  • Audio-Video output for TV display
  • Powered by Litium-Ion battery pack
  • Approx. 21.9 MB of internal memory plus SD/SDHC card slot
  • PictBridge, Epson PRINT Image Matching III and Exif Print compatible
  • USB Mass Storage compliant
The Optio M40 is available now with an MSRP of US$199.95.



Physical Views



Pentax Optio M40

Pentax Optio M40

Pentax Optio M40 Pentax Optio M40

Pentax Optio M40

Pentax Optio M40





Optio M40

The Optio M40 compared in size to a standard CD.





Optio M40

The Optio M40 and the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS for size comparison.






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Features & Controls



Optio M40 Specifications

Type: Ultra-compact digital camera
Sensor: Type - 1/2.35" Interline Transfer CCD; Effective pixels - 8.0MP; Total pixels - 8.5MP; Recorded resolutions - Still: 8M (3264x2448), 5M (2592x1944), 4M (2304x1728), 3M (2048x1536), 2M (1600x1200), 1024 (1024x768), VGA (640x480); Movie: VGA (640x480), QVGA (320x240); Quality levels: *** (best), ** (better), * (good)
Lens: Type/construction - Pentax smc zoom lens, 6 elements, 5 groups, 4 aspherical elements; Optical zoom - 3x (6.3-18.9mm); Focal length (equiv.) - 36-108mm; Digital zoom - 4x; Combined zoom - 12x; Aperture - f/3.1-5.9
LCD/Viewfinder: LCD screen - 2.5" TFT Color LCD; LCD resolution - 115,000 pixels; Wide angle viewable - n/a; Optical viewfinder - n/a
Focus System: Type - TTL Contrast Detection Autofocus; Autofocus - 9 point autofocus, Spot Autofocus, Auto Tracking Autofocus, Pan Focus and Face Priority Autofocus available; Manual focus - 0.33' to infinity (at wide), 1.97' to infinity (other zoom levels) - Macro focus: YES, manual and automatic macro, super macro; Focus lock - Available by pressing the shutter release button half way; Focus range - Normal 1.31' to infinity (at wide) or 1.97' to infinity (other zoom levels), Macro 0.33-3.3' (at wide), Super Macro 0.16-1.31'
Flash: Type - Built-in, series-control, high power auto flash; Flash modes - Auto, on, off, redeye reduction; Effective range - 26.2' at wide, 13.1' at tele (up to 50.9' in Digital SR mode)
Storage Media: Internal memory - 21.9MB; Removable memory - SD, SDHC
Interfaces: Ports - USB 2.0 hi-speed, AV, DC input; Video out - NTSC, PAL; Printer interfaces - PictBridge
Power Supply: Power source - D-LI63 rechargeable Li-Ion battery; Recordable images - Approx 220; Playback time - Approx 80 min; AC adapter available - Optional
Physical Dimensions: Dimensions (W x H x D) - 3.8 x 2.3 x 0.7"; Weight - Without battery or removable memory: 4.1 oz; Loaded and ready: 4.8 oz; Construction material(s) - Aluminum alloy; Operating temperature - 32-104 degrees F
Timing: Startup - approx 2.1s; Release lag - approx 0.04s
Language Support: English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Russian, Thai, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese
Image Stabilization: Still - Digital SR Mode ISO 3200; Movie - Movie SR Mode
Metering System: Type - TTL; Multi-segment - YES; Center weighted - n/a; Spot - n/a; Exposure compensation - +/- 2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
ISO Sensitivity: Auto - 50-1600; Manual - 50-1600 (3200 ISO available in Digital SR Mode)
White Balance: Auto preset modes - Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent; Manual mode(s) - YES
Shutter: Type - Programmed AE electronic lens shutter w/ CCD electronic shutter; Shutter speed - 1/2000 to 4 sec
Capture Modes: Mode selection - Auto Picture, Program, Night Scene, Movie, Voice Recording, Landscape, Flower, Natural Skin Tone, Portrait, Surf & Snow, Sport, Digital SR, Kids, Pet, Food, Frame Composite; Green simplified mode available - YES; Face recognition available - YES, Portrait and Natural Skin Tone modes; P/A/S/M/B - P; Date/time stamp - YES; Digital filters (capture) - n/a
Drive Modes: Mode selection - one shot, self timer (10s, 2s), continuous; Self-timer - 10s, 2s; Remote control - n/a
Playback Modes: Mode Selection - one shot, index, magnification, movie playback, sound playback, histogram, bright/dark indication, folder display, select & delete, calendar; Mode Palate - slideshow, resize, trimming, image & sound copy, image rotation, digital filter, brightness filter, frame composite, redeye reduction, voice memo, protect, DPOF, startup image; Magnification - up to 8x, scrollable; Digital filters (playback) - b&w, sepia, color filter (6 colors), color extract (b&w with red, green, or blue) soft; Movie edit - n/a
File Formats: Still - JPG (EXIF 2.2), DCF, DPOF, Print Image Matching III; Movie - AVI (Motion JPG), 30/15 FPS w/ sound, Movie SR; Sound - WAV (PCM), monaural
Computer System Requirements: For device connectivity. Bundled software requirements may vary. Windows - Windows ME/2000/XP/Vista, USB port; Mac - MacOS 9.2, X (10.1 or later), USB port

(Specifications as represented by the manufacturer)




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