Canon PowerShot A · on sale autumn 2006 · a retrospective

The Canon PowerShot A640: the swivel-screen, AA-powered CCD that reviewers called a future classic

In 2006 Canon put a 10-megapixel CCD, an f/2.8 lens, full manual control and a screen that twists in every direction into a body that runs on four AA cells. Imaging Resource predicted it would become a classic; DPReview called it Highly Recommended and listed its faults: clipped highlights, a jumpy zoom and a noisy ISO 800.

Compiled from 2006 reviews by PhotographyBLOG, DPReview and Imaging Resource, Canon's specifications and launch coverage · we have not tested a unit yet

Release date and launch price: launched September 2006; launch price US$399.99 estimated · £329²³.

Meet the camera

It is a chunky, black compact with a deep grip. DPReview gave the body's dimensions as 109 by 66 by 49 millimetres and 245 grams without batteries, found the front and top to be light metal over a plastic back and grip, and rated build quality 9 out of 10.⁵ PhotographyBLOG saw it differently, calling the construction mainly plastic yet adding that nothing felt cheap.⁴ On the front is a 4x lens that covers 35 to 140 millimetres on a 35 mm camera and opens to f/2.8 at the wide end.¹

It had one name: Canon's museum lists the PowerShot A640 for Japan, the Americas and Europe alike.¹ Canon announced it on 24 August 2006 alongside the 8-megapixel A630, with estimated US selling prices of $399.99 for the A640 and $299.99 for the A630, in stores that October,² and £329 in the UK, available in September.³ Canon's museum lists it as marketed in September 2006, and calls it the first Canon compact digital camera with a 10-megapixel sensor.¹

Why this one was interesting

Ten megapixels at the top of the budget range

It replaced the A620 at the head of Canon's A series, and DPReview put the difference plainly: resolution rose from about 7 to 10 megapixels and the screen grew from 2.0 to 2.5 inches, while the lens and most of the rest carried over.⁵ DPReview measured about 15 per cent more resolution than the A620.⁵ It also added SDHC card support, which the A620 lacked.⁵

A screen you could point anywhere

DPReview said the screen tilts to virtually any angle and folds face-in against the body,⁵ and called this one area where the A640 trumps the G7, Canon's larger enthusiast model.⁵ PhotographyBLOG likewise praised the flip-and-twist screen for shooting over a crowd.⁴ Imaging Resource found it accurate, with framing close to 100 per cent.⁶

Manual control and ordinary batteries

The dial offers shutter-priority, aperture-priority and full manual modes⁶ and a custom position,⁵ and it can focus as close as 1 centimetre.¹ Four AA cells power it, and Canon's CIPA figure of about 500 shots on NiMH rechargeables was borne out by DPReview's use.⁵

For another AA-powered Canon, see our PowerShot A590 IS, from 2008; for Canon's enthusiast pocket camera, see the PowerShot S90. The A640 is a CCD camera: see our glossary entry on CCD sensors.

What was lost

Compared with the A620, burst speed slipped from about 1.9 to 1.5 frames per second and the A620's 60 fps, 320 by 240 video mode was dropped.⁵ The body is about 10 grams heavier and 5 millimetres wider.⁵ DPReview called the 8-megapixel A630 an almost identical camera with an 8-megapixel sensor that sold for almost $100 or £50 less in some outlets.⁵

The dark: its weak point

The reviewers agreed on the shape of the noise and differed on the verdict. DPReview called ISO 200 perfectly usable and ISO 400 surprisingly good for so many pixels, but said ISO 800 was very noisy and only just usable for small prints, with chroma noise from ISO 400 up that would need noise-reduction software for larger prints.⁵ Against the G7, from ISO 200 up the G7 measured less noisy, but the A640 kept more fine detail.⁵ Imaging Resource, by contrast, described high-ISO noise performance as very good across the range, without published figures.⁶

Highlights were the other weakness. DPReview found them clip easily in contrasty scenes, aggravated by the default contrast,⁵ and PhotographyBLOG noted that interior shots often benefited from a levels adjustment to brighten them.⁴ We found no photo on Commons with a recorded ISO for this model, so the picture below is simply the dimmest scene we could find, a gallery in a salt mine.

On eBay right now

Live listings for this camera, supplied by eBay and updated automatically. We earn a commission if you buy through them.

The little wins

The A640 on a plain background, screen swung out. · Uncredited on Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons

The screen

It rotates and stores facing the body. DPReview called it dim, about 15 per cent less bright than the G7's and hard to read in direct sun,⁵ while PhotographyBLOG found it bright and clear.⁴

The A640 in sunlight. · Aprocryphan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

Add-ons

DPReview noted that the cosmetic ring on the lens comes off to fit a 0.7x wide or 1.75x tele converter, and that a slave flash and waterproof case were also available.⁵¹

Macro

DPReview called the macro mode excellent: 1 cm closest focus at wide angle covering about 21 by 16 mm.⁵ Imaging Resource measured 22 by 17 mm and warned the flash does not throttle down well that close.⁶

Battery life

Canon rates about 280 shots on the alkaline cells in the box and about 500 on NB-2AH rechargeables; DPReview reported up to 1500 using the viewfinder with the screen off.¹⁵ Imaging Resource listed excellent battery life among its likes.⁶

The lens

Imaging Resource measured 0.61 per cent barrel distortion at wide angle, lower than average among the cameras it has tested, called chromatic aberration rather low and noted only slight softening in the lower corners;⁶ DPReview measured 1.0 per cent barrel distortion at wide angle and very little purple fringing.⁵

How it drew the picture

PhotographyBLOG gave image quality 4.5 out of 5, calling pictures consistent, with enough in-camera processing to use straight away.⁴ DPReview described bright but natural colours.⁵ Imaging Resource praised colour and skin tones and said automatic white balance coped with a wide range of lighting.⁶ DPReview, though, measured poor automatic white balance under incandescent light, with red 10.2 per cent high and blue 15.5 per cent low, and good results only with the tungsten preset.⁵

Photos taken with this camera, from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each picture. Most are by one uploader.

Where it let you down

There is no image stabilisation and no raw mode, JPEG only, PhotographyBLOG noted.⁴ DPReview wanted an ISO button: ISO, white balance, drive and metering all sit in the FUNC menu, with no customisable buttons.⁵ Its zoom has only seven steps, so it jumps, and you cannot zoom optically while filming.⁵ Autofocus could hunt at the long end and in macro; DPReview timed it at about 0.3 to 0.4 seconds at wide angle in good light and up to 1.1 seconds in the worst cases.⁵ DPReview said flash recycling could be faster,⁵ and Imaging Resource put it at about five seconds to recharge.⁶ Imaging Resource found the optical viewfinder showed only about 80 per cent of the frame at wide angle and 78 per cent at telephoto, and noted vignetting from the flash in the corners at wide angle.⁶ The card slot shares the battery door, and DPReview noted the card cannot be changed while the camera is on a tripod.⁵

What the reviewers said in 2006

The timeline

• 24 August 2006Canon announces the A640 and A630.²³
• September 2006Canon's museum lists the A640 as marketed; the UK press release also promised September.¹³
• 15 November 2006Imaging Resource posts a hands-on preview.⁶
• 27 November 2006PhotographyBLOG publishes its review.⁴
• 19 and 21 December 2006DPReview and Imaging Resource publish theirs.⁵⁶

Should you buy one now?

Buy one if you want a CCD compact with real manual control, a screen that rotates and a battery you can buy at any shop, and you will mostly shoot in daylight. It launched at an estimated US$399.99;² what it sells for now is a question for the sold listings, not for us. We have not tested a unit yet. Before you bid, check these:

• The name. It is the PowerShot A640 everywhere; do not confuse it with the 8-megapixel A630 or the older A620.¹⁵
• The batteries. It takes four AA cells, with NiMH cells doing far better than alkaline: about 500 shots against 280.¹ Rechargeables on Amazon ↗.
• The card. It takes SD, SDHC and MMC cards;¹ see our memory card guide.
• The screen hinge. Swing it out, twist it and fold it back in. We found no source on how well the hinge ages, so test it.
• The lens. Check that it extends and retracts cleanly, and that the cosmetic ring is present if you want converters.⁵

If you are wondering why cameras like this are being hunted down again, we tell that story once, in Pictures that never left the card.

See recent sold prices on eBay ↗Shop on eBay ↗AA rechargeables ↗

Sources

1. Canon Camera Museum: PowerShot A640 (specifications, September 2006, 'first' 10-megapixel Canon compact)
2. MacTech, Canon intros new PowerShot A-series digital cameras (24 Aug 2006; US estimated selling prices)
3. PhotographyBLOG, Canon PowerShot A640 and A630 announcement (24 Aug 2006; UK and euro prices, features)
4. PhotographyBLOG, Canon PowerShot A640 review by Gavin Stoker (27 Nov 2006)
5. DPReview, Canon PowerShot A640 review by Simon Joinson (19 Dec 2006)
6. Imaging Resource, Canon A640 review by Mike Pasini with lab testing by Luke (hands-on 15 Nov 2006, full review 21 Dec 2006)

Camera photos are credited under each one, all via Wikimedia Commons. Links to eBay and Amazon are affiliate links.