Pentax Optio A40 12MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Shake Reduction Zoom

I am no expert with cameras, but I found the operation of this one to be easy -the size is small an compact -the pictures are great. Since I have had this camera everyone keeps commenting on how great my pictures are, and I know it is not me.

***(READ UPDATED 7/3/09 COMMENT ON BOTTOM!)***

I'm writing this because even though I spent much less than retail on this camera, I am disappointed. I was convinced by the reviews that I was getting a spectacular deal, but either mine is defective, or everyone else has low expectations. I have used this camera for about 2 months, so I know how frustrating this camera really is.

I have always used Canon or Olympus, and I wanted to stray and try something different. My mistake, Pentax's autofocus takes forever to focus, then when I snap the picture, it's blurry. I get clear pictures only 1/2 to 2/3rds of the time. This is particularly frustrating when you're spending great effort to get kids to stay still for the shot, then snap, it's another lousy shot. I was taking pictures in clear daylight, holding the button halfway, waited a few seconds 'til I got the green focus confirmation square - and after doing this on myriad occasions, still I had blurry shots on the faces I was focusing on. By then, the kids all run off because they're not interested in waiting forever.

It's even worse on low light situations such as museums where you're not supposed to use flash. I had to delete many photos of my daughter that were one of a kind in front of some exhibits she just had to be photographed with. When you're with a tour group being rushed, you have no second chances. . .

The blurryness is the worst of it, but I also don't like the way you have to go into a menu to switch to video mode. You can't just use a hard switch, and get there like all other cameras I have. I'm constantly switching from video to still mode when I'm photographing my children, and it's a drag to pull up a menu every single time I want to do that.

Just buy a Canon. Don't spare the expense for an easy to use camera that you can trust.

!!!UPDATED 7/3/09 Opinion: Raise it to about 4 stars, but with qualifiers.
I just spent about 4-5 hours (no kidding! but i am a careful reader, and I fidget with the camera while reading) reading the manual and fiddling with the camera. There are many functions on this thing, and if you're willing to learn it, it's well worth the money I paid for it. Still getting some blurry shots often, but I'm confident I can do better with the features I've since learned. While reading the manual, I found a "Green Mode" for supposed foolproof shooting. I found a focus area selection which allows me to do spot focusing, which means I should have less false targets, and blurryness.

I found cute border frames online (about 100 designs) that you can photoshop your childrens' faces into. You have to upload them from the Pentax site, but then you can plug them into your onboard camera memory to adjust and edit on the camera. Basically, you can photoshop your kids face to have dog ears on it, or put it into a cute heart border.

There is a sharpness adjustment somewhere on the firmware, but I don't know if that's where my blurriness is coming from. With all the onboard features, I'm sure I can somehow make this camera work for me.

Canon still rocks out of the box, but this Pentax can give a lot of satisfaction if you are a manual reader. (Maybe I should read the Canon Manuals I have some day, I might be surprised what I can do with them other than getting easy, clear pictures. Forgive me for resisting learning anything new, I'm feeling too old to do anything other than press the shutter button these days.)

This camera was recommened by PC World and highly rated in Consumer Reports. It is last year's model so it was considerably less expensive than when it is was new. Also, Pentax was bought out by Hoya so the newer cameras will have the new name.
So far, the camera has performed flawlessly. I bought this one because of the ratings and because it has a rechargeable battery. I find using AA or AAA's to be a pain in the neck. It is definitely a bargain.

I purchased the A40 in March 2009 for an incredible price, $105. Unfortunately it lasted about a month and then the lens would not retract. I mailed it back to Pentax in CO. They completed the repair and returned it. I was a little worried due to a previous posting that a scratched camera was not repaired. However, being only a month old and scratch free things went smoothly. Repair took about 4 weeks, but may take 6 weeks and possibly more. If you want to track the repair you need to call them after they receive it and request a login to track repair status. Otherwise they there is no communication. Customer support was very friendly. RMA forms and info are all at the Pentax website so you don't have to call them if you are trusting.

I can only compare this camera to the Pentax Optio S40 I have owned for 4 years. The A40 has much better battery life, the S40 eats 2 AA way to fast. A40 lithium charger is on a detachable cord, I wish it just plugged in, i.e. no cord. The S40 is very slow at taking pictures, the A40 is super fast. A40 has a much larger screen but not as large as the competition. The A40 is not a slim as the Canon cameras but not that fat either. The S40 took all kinds of abuse and it still works although the eating batteries thing drives me crazy as it only drinks a little juice and then needs fresh AA's. I am hoping that the A40 won't need the motor replaced again. Otherwise I am very happy with the camera quality especially due to the price.

My wife totally surprised me with this gift and it might sound ironic because I surprised her with the same one in return. We both bought the same camera to each other and love it! The digital shake reduction is a great feature which allows us to capture great shots. I am not interested in any other camera for a while thanks to this product.